EDL compare what changed between two versions of the cut.
Compare two versions of the same edit, as an EDL, a Premiere XML or a Final Cut FCPXML, and see every shot that was added, removed, replaced, moved or trimmed, with the frames gained or lost at the head and tail. The table sits side by side, color coded, with filters, CSV and a printable version.
Free, no sign-up- Length
- Difference
- Shots changed
- Events
| Version 1 | Version 2 | Difference | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change | # | Clip | Source in | Source out | Duration | # | Clip | Source in | Source out | Record in | Duration | Head (frames) | Tail (frames) | Difference | Notes |
Before the next version: we transcribe your footage and, on Studio and Agency, you build the timeline from the text. Learn more
How to compare two versions of a cut
- 01
Export both versions
From the same sequence, before and after the changes: CMX 3600 EDL, Premiere or DaVinci XML, or Final Cut FCPXML. Formats can be mixed.
- 02
Paste or drop each one
The previous version on the left, the new one on the right. Choose video, audio or all tracks.
- 03
Read and export the list
Filter by kind of change, download the CSV for your spreadsheet or open the printable version and save it as a PDF.
How to see what changed between two EDLs
We pair the shots of both versions by source: the same clip, by file or reel name, with overlapping source timecodes. When a shot is in both versions, we measure how many frames it gained or lost at the head and at the tail. When the same file comes back with a very different part of the take, or a new shot lands exactly where another one left, the list says Replaced and shows both side by side.
To find what moved, we keep the longest run of shots that stayed in the same order, weighted by screen time, and mark the rest as Moved. Moving one short shot doesn't make the whole cut look shuffled, and the ripple from a trim near the start doesn't show up as a change on every shot after it.
- Added: a shot only in version 2
- Removed: a shot only in version 1, shown where it used to be
- Trimmed: head or tail changed; + is longer, - is shorter
- Moved: changed place in the order of the cut
- Replaced: another shot, or another part of the same file, in the same place
Who uses a change list
Assistant editors and finishing artists use it to conform the new version without watching the whole film again: only the flagged shots need color, cleanup or a new pull. VFX artists check whether a shot with effects was trimmed or replaced and how many extra frames they need to render. Music editors see where picture changed and by how much, so they can adjust the score at the right points instead of starting over.
With clients, the list becomes an approval record. Instead of saying the edit was tweaked, you send a PDF with every shot that went out and the new running time. On weddings and events it answers the usual question about what changed since the last cut, and on corporate work it helps legal confirm that the requested line really came out.
How to export versions from Premiere, DaVinci and Final Cut
In Premiere Pro, with the sequence selected, go to File > Export > EDL or File > Export > Final Cut Pro XML. The XML carries the frame rate and every video track; a CMX 3600 EDL covers one video track per file. In DaVinci Resolve, use File > Export > Timeline and choose EDL or FCP 7 XML. In Final Cut Pro, File > Export XML, version 1.8 or later.
Export both versions the same way when you can: it keeps the check simple. If one is an EDL and the other an XML, the EDL takes the XML's rate. If the two use different rates, we convert version 2 to the rate of version 1 and tell you.
v1 001 AX V C 00:10:00:00 00:10:15:10 01:00:00:00 01:00:15:10
v2 001 AX V C 00:10:00:10 00:10:15:10 01:00:00:00 01:00:15:00Head, tail and duration difference
The head is the start of the shot and the tail its end, in source time. If the source in moved 10 frames later, the shot lost 10 frames at the head and the column shows -10. If the source out went 1 second further at 25 fps, the tail shows +25. The difference adds both ends up in timecode and in seconds, and the total length compares the whole timeline, first frame to last.
The CSV carries both versions side by side, with source, record and duration for each, and opens in Excel with accents intact. The printable version holds only the rows of the chosen filter, in the same colors as the screen, ready to save as a PDF from the print dialog.
More than an EDL compare. The next version starts from the text.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare two EDLs?
Paste or drop the previous version on the left and the new one on the right, pick the tracks and click Compare versions. The table lists every shot of both versions side by side, with the kind of change, the frames at the head and tail and the duration difference.
Can I compare an EDL with a Premiere XML?
Yes. The formats can differ: CMX 3600 EDL, Premiere or DaVinci XML and Final Cut FCPXML. We pair shots by file name, with or without the extension, and by source timecode.
What is a change list?
It is the list of what changed from one version of an edit to the next, used in conform, VFX and music editing. It says which shots were added, removed, trimmed or moved and by how many frames, so the people working after the editor update only what changed.
Why is a shot marked Moved when I only cut another one?
It shouldn't be: the ripple from an earlier cut doesn't count as a change. Moved shows up when a shot changes place in the order of the edit. When two shots swap, we flag the shorter one, because the longer one is treated as the one that stayed.
EDLs have no frame rate. How do you know it?
If one version is an XML or FCPXML, we use its rate. Between two EDLs, we estimate it from the highest frame in both and from the FCM line, which says whether it is drop frame. Since 24 and 25 can write the same labels, check it and change it in the selector if needed.
Can I send the change list to my client?
Yes. Use Print or save PDF: we open a page with the summary, the colors and only the rows of the chosen filter. In the print dialog, choose Save as PDF. For the technical team, the CSV carries every column.
Your next version, without watching it all again. We transcribe, you edit from the text.
Upload your footage or paste a YouTube link. We transcribe it with times and speakers, you mark the lines in the text and, on Studio and Agency, download the timeline for Premiere, DaVinci or Final Cut.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.