Linear Editing

Linear editing is good old-fashioned tape-to-tape editing. In a linear system, images from one or more video tapes -- the source tapes -- are copied to a second tape -- the edit master tape.

In linear editing we speak of going "down a generation" from source tape to edit master. If you then make copies from the edit master, you've gone down yet another generation. Each time you go down a generation there is a slight loss of image quality. If the source tapes contain high quality images, this will be hardly noticeable. If the source tapes contain low quality images, the move from first to second to third generation will be quite noticeable. Copies below third generation usually look pretty bad.

Digital Editing

In digital editing, the images from the source tape are "digitized," literally made into digits, translated into "1"s and "0"s by a computer.

Digital editing involves moving around bits of digital information. There is no copying involved, and therefore virtually no loss of image quality.

Because of the time required to learn to use digital editing equipment, it really isn't practical for do-it-yourself editors. Digital editing is not a do-it-yourself editing option.

• If you are planning on editing the video tape that results from a film to video transfer; if your source tapes (the tapes that come from your camera) are Digital8, MiniDV or DVCAM; or if you are planning on having VideOccasions make a DVD for you, ask about digital editing with a VideOccasions editor.

Last modified 12/10/02