Non-Linear Editing applications have become very mature at this stage. So much so, that I think we need to stop calling them Non-Linear Editors. When was the last time you edited a project linearly? It seems odd to define a software category as the opposite of something that no one is doing anymore anyway. It’s like saying horseless-carriage instead of car. How about just “Editing Software?” I know it doesn’t sound nearly as cool as “Word Processor”, or “Database Application”, but it’s descriptive.

In the same vein, does it make sense to base editing software on the film paradigm anymore? Do we really need bins, clips, and razors when most new people coming into editing have never even touched film before? In today’s environment, where the whole process is digital, and we’ve even stopped using tape, what need is there for “footage?”

As more and more people are drawn into the world of video production, whether just for fun, or as part of their business, visual literacy is becoming just as important as written literacy. And as these people learn editing, maybe it’s time to abandon the whole film based timeline paradigm for editing software, in terms of something different.

There are a few companies making some dramatic departures from the timeline. Take a look at this clip from the newest version of Apple’s iMovie 09 and you can see how the traditional 3 point editing structure is being replaced by drag and drop. The fact that the kid who made this tutorial is probably about 12 years old, shows just how ubiquitous video production is going to be as this YouTube generation grows up.

Another interesting editing paradigm can be found in LoiLo’s Loiloscope software, which takes full advantage of the graphics card, not just to render the final video, but in the editing interface itself.

I can see a lot of useful tools and interesting workflows, will “film-based” editing be relegated to pros only, or will we all be moving to a “drag and drop” future?