← Animation Glossary

Non-linear editing

Non-linear editing is like putting together a puzzle on the computer. You can move around different pieces (clips) of your video in any order you want, making it easy to rearrange and edit your project without having to follow a specific sequence.

Please note that Non-linear editing is not directly applicable to Brush Ninja.

Non-linear editing in animation is a process that’s made editing much easier and more creative. Unlike traditional editing, where you have to work in order, non-linear editing lets animators jump around between different parts of their project whenever they want.

This flexibility is a big advantage. Animators can try out ideas and work on different parts of their project at the same time, which speeds up the editing process. It also means they can make changes to specific parts without redoing everything, saving a lot of time and stress.

Non-linear editing systems also encourage creativity. Animators can experiment with new storytelling techniques and visual styles without being held back by old rules. They can rearrange, trim, and layer animations however they like, giving them more control over how their project feels and flows. This freedom lets them tell more interesting stories and connect with audiences in deeper ways.

Non-linear editing in animation is typically done using specialized software programs designed for this purpose. Some popular non-linear editing software tools used in animation include:

  1. Adobe Premiere Pro: A versatile editing software that offers a wide range of features for video and animation editing, including non-linear editing capabilities.
  2. Final Cut Pro: A professional video editing software developed by Apple, known for its intuitive interface and powerful editing tools suitable for animation projects.
  3. Avid Media Composer: Another professional editing software widely used in the film and television industry, offering robust non-linear editing capabilities for animation production.
  4. DaVinci Resolve: A comprehensive editing software that also includes features for color correction, audio editing, and visual effects, making it suitable for complex animation projects.
  5. HitFilm Pro: A video editing and visual effects software that provides non-linear editing functionality along with advanced compositing and animation tools.

You can see some alternatives to these apps in this video editing software list.

These tools offer a range of features such as timeline editing, trimming, audio editing, visual effects, and color correction, allowing animators to create and edit their projects with precision and efficiency.

Non-linear editing has revolutionized animation by making editing more efficient and flexible. It’s given animators the tools they need to bring their ideas to life with ease and precision. As technology keeps improving, non-linear editing systems will keep playing a bigger role in shaping the future of animation.

Animation Terms

2

2D Animation

3

3D Animation

A

Alpha Channel

Ambient sound

Animation

Anti-Aliasing

Anticipation

Aspect Ratio

B

Bezier Curve

Bitmap

Blue Screen

Bone Animation

Bounce

Broadcast Standards

C

Camera Angle

Camera Shake

Casting

Cel Animation

Character Animation

Character Design Sheets

Cinematic lighting

Claymation

Clean-up

Close-up

Color Correction

Color Grading

Compositing

Composition

Concept Art

Continuity editing

Cross-cutting

Cut

Cutout nimation

D

Depth of Field

Dialogue

Dissolve

Distributed Rendering

Dolby Atmos

Dope Sheet

Dutch Angle

E

Easing

Emitter

Exaggeration

Eyedropper

F

Foley

Follow through

Forward Kinematics

Frame Rate

Frame

Framing

Freeze Frame

G

Ghosting

GIF File Format

Golden Ratio

Graph Editor

H

High key lighting

Hue and Saturation

I

Inertia

Infographic Animation

Inverse Kinematics

J

Joint

JPEG File Format

Jump cut

K

Keyframe Interpolation

Keyframe

Kinetic typography

L

Layers

Lens distortion

Level of Detail

Lighting

Line of action

Lip syncing

Low key lighting

M

Match cut

Matte painting

Montage

Morphing

Motion blur

Motion capture

Motion graphics

Motion path

Motion trail

Mouth shapes

MP3 File Format

MP4 File Format

N

Network rendering

Non-linear editing

O

Occlusion culling

Onion skinning

Overlapping action

P

Pan

Parallel rendering

Particle system

Persistance of Vision

Phonemes

Playback speed

Plot

PNG File Format

Pose-to-pose animation

Props

Puppet animation

R

Render farm

Rendering

Resolution

Rigging

Rotoscoping

Rule of thirds

Run cycle

S

Safe zone

Scene

Score

Screenplay

Script

Shot

Silhouette

Skeletal animation

Slow Motion

Smears

Sound Design

Sound effects

Soundtrack

Special Effects

Split screen

Squash and Stretch

Staging

Stop Motion Animation

Storyboard

Straight-ahead Animation

T

Time Remapping

Timeline

Timing

Title Card

Title Sequence

Tracking shot

Tweening

V

Vector graphics

Visemes

Voice acting

Voice-over Narration

W

Walk cycle

WebM File Format

Weighting

Wide shot

Z

Z-depth

Zoom

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