EDL (edit decision list) import

[devernay]

From @devernay on February 3, 2016 14:39

Natron could import EDLs (CMX3600 and EDLs from most common software), in order to preview effects on an edited movie. It should create one reader per clip, and edit them using the dopesheet and simple effects (mainly dissolve)

Copied from original issue: MrKepzie/Natron#1170

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[devernay]

From @blackearth2014 on February 3, 2016 15:47

This will be a GOD send to have this feature, but FCPx is my main editor. It only export FCPXML. Will that be supported in the future?

[devernay]

Yes, we will probably first focus on CMX3600, Avid, and FCPXML. I also found Vegas EDL samples at http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/321056-EDL-File-Format but could not find specs anywhere.

• FCPXML: https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=96%26section=1%26tasks=true
• CMX3600: http://xmil.biz/EDL-X/CMX3600.pdf
• Blender EDL (CMX3600) import code: https://git.blender.org/gitweb/gitweb.cgi/blender-addons.git/tree/HEAD:/io_sequencer_edl

[devernay]

From @blackearth2014 on February 4, 2016 15:34

Cool Breeze

[devernay]

From @blackearth2014 on February 10, 2016 1:8

Will there be a limit to the length of the movie clips exported to EDL. Will applications like Resolve, Assimilate Scratch or Baseight be a inspiration on how they see clips on a timeline. If each EDL has like 30 individual read nodes, the node graph can get crowded quick.

[devernay]

From @blackearth2014 on February 10, 2016 1:10

I can see how a group will be important in this case.

[devernay]

From @nicholascarroll on March 2, 2016 1:37

EDL is an antiquated format that talks about reels and not shots, and timecodes not frames. [EDIT: Sorry this is probably a bit overboard, uninformed statement, as I am told EDL is still very much the standard in today].

You say" in order to preview effects on an edited movie." Can I suggest looking at this in the context of the overall pipeline? I invite you to forum topic I have opened for this: Pipleline or Workflow between editor, compositor and VFX.

[devernay]

From @nicholascarroll on March 8, 2016 0:10

Hope this is helpful: from http://www.digital-intermediate.co.uk/DI/DIconform.htm:

[devernay]

From @nicholascarroll on March 15, 2016 2:42

Blender project created a Python CMX3600 EDL parser that you could use - called parse_edl.py. Using python would make it easy for users to adjust the file definition for the slight variations in EDL formats out there.

[devernay]

@nicholascarroll Thanks, it's already mentioned in the 2nd comment.

[devernay]

From @mash-graz on March 29, 2016 0:12

EDL is an antiquated format that talks about reels and not shots, and timecodes not frames. [EDIT: Sorry this is probably a bit overboard, uninformed statement, as I am told EDL is still very much the standard in today].

a small subset of EDL is still used as least common denominator of project data.

some practical notes about actual use of EDL: usually for every track one single EDL file is used, because in CMX3600 days the number of tracks was quite limited. but the limitations of file/real naming, audio video relations etc. are quite insufficient for actual project representation. many EDL implementations are very picky on whitespace conventions used in EDLs (http://www.editware.com/Editware-DOCs/EDLformat.PDF).

support for MLT XML project files, like used in shotcut, kdenlive, and flowblade, would be very useful.

MLT could also be used as an interesting solution, to get a faster preview and audio handling for a natron timeline beside the more processing intensive usual node processing. synfig is using MLT framework to handle the audio processing in a plattform independent way.

[devernay]

From @nicholascarroll on March 30, 2016 2:27

The modern equivalent of EDL is AAF. It is supported by:

• Lightworks
• Avid Media Composer
• Smoke
• Sony Vegas Pro
• Resolve
• Premiere Pro
• Forscene
• Nuke Studio
• Assimilate Scratch
• Maya
• Mistika
• ProTools
• Digita Performer
• Nuendo etc...

I have logged enhancement request #1225 to support reading from AAF into Natron.

[devernay]

From @mash-graz on March 30, 2016 4:21

the advanced authoring format (AAF) uses a very strange binary format, that is hard to handle by free software. but it's indeed a well known exchange format supported by many commercial applications.

[devernay]

From @bonalex01 on April 21, 2016 17:20

Hi, I see some people are already working on a connexion between AAF and python. This may help for what we need here. https://github.com/markreidvfx/pyaaf

[devernay]

From @tin2tin on June 11, 2016 8:54

EDL export is now implemented in Shotcut: https://www.shotcut.org/blog/new-release-1606/

[devernay]

From @tin2tin on September 18, 2016 7:1

EDL export is also implemented in Flowblade now: https://github.com/jliljebl/flowblade/issues/252

EDL import in Natron would be brilliant for finalizing an edited film project(eg. color grading, reframing, image correcting, retiming, vfx = no need for close sourced Davinci).

I'm still hoping for Ardour to add EDL import, so you could have an entire open sourced pipeline for film production.

[devernay]

From @sobotka on September 28, 2016 5:9

+1 to FCPXML, as it was very well specified prior to the more recent implementations, including splines and other useful blocking / timing metadata that might be passed from an NLE.

I'd add that it wouldn't be a horrible blueprint for an open interchange format, should Natron choose to implement one that could evolve.

[devernay]

From @tin2tin on September 28, 2016 19:46

An extreamly simple nuke script to import an edl as a string of nodes(it's so barebones that it will only pass as a proof-of-concept): http://snipplr.com/view/46281/pxedlreader/

[devernay]

From @tin2tin on April 2, 2017 6:18

Now Blender also can export EDL: https://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?418606-EDL-export-script-help-needed!&p=3172180&viewfull=1#post3172180