“Virtually all video and film editing today is done with a nonlinear editing system (NLE). A nonlinear editor is computer software that allows you to edit and manipulate video much like the way a word processing program allows you to write, cut, paste, and format text. (…) Nonlinear editing gets its name because it is unlike older tape editing systems that forced you to start at the first shot of the movie and edit in a straight line (linearly) to the end. With nonlinear systems you can work on any scene at any time, with the freedom to expand shorten or change it as you like.”
– The Filmmaker’s Handbook (2013 Edition) by Steven Ascher & Edward Pincus, pp.36-37)
Avid’s Media Composer, Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro are currently the most popular NLEs.
