Four formats. A focused set of workflows.
EDL Toolbox supports the edit-list operations below. Conversion handles supported hard cuts in video and audio; unsupported structures block export.
CMX-style EDL
.edl · .txtInspect, edit, clean and export event lists. Convert an EDL to FCP7 XML or offline AAF with its supported video and audio cuts, or to basic FCPXML for video-only output.
Source and record timecodes, reel names, clip-name comments and text metadata. EDL output contains no blank lines.FCP7 XML
.xml · xmemlImport supported video and audio tracks and export a separate EDL for each selected track. Export an EDL as an XML sequence containing its video and audio tracks.
Cut-only timelines. Original track numbers, record positions and gaps stay intact.FCPXML
.fcpxml · .xmlConvert basic primary-storyline cuts and gaps to EDL, or create a basic FCPXML timeline from an EDL.
Audio components, connected storylines, compound clips and effects need further handling and block export.AAF · video and audio interchange
.aaf · binaryInspect supported video cuts and source timecodes. Export one EDL per selected nonempty video track, or one FCP7 XML containing the selected tracks.
Local browser processing. Hard cuts and filler only. Frame-aligned mono audio cuts are retained. Unsupported audio blocks conversion; embedded media is not extracted. EDL → AAF and XML → AAF write offline sequences with the selected video and supported mono audio tracks; native project details and original codecs are not transferred.The conversion menu follows the open file’s detected format, with other input groups disabled. Selecting an output format does not change the working file. The XML structure identifies the format. A .xml extension alone does not distinguish FCP7 XML from FCPXML.
Frame rate and numbering are separate.
Frame rate describes playback speed. NDF / DF describes how frames are numbered in timecode. A fractional rate does not automatically mean drop-frame.
| Frame rate | NDF | DF |
|---|---|---|
| 23.976 fps | Supported | — |
| 24 fps | Supported | — |
| 25 fps | Supported | — |
| 29.97 fps | Supported | Supported |
| 30 fps | Supported | — |
| 59.94 fps | Supported | Supported |
| 60 fps | Supported | — |
01:00:00:0001:00:00;00EDL exports include the FCM declaration and an FPS comment. DF timecodes use a semicolon before the frame number. If the imported EDL does not declare enough information, the app asks you to confirm the missing settings.
Understand frame rates & drop-frameOne video track, one EDL.
For a supported multitrack FCP7 XML or AAF, choose the nonempty video tracks you need. Each selected track gets its own EDL, named with its original track number. Record timecodes and gaps are preserved; supported audio tracks are included. Multiple video layers include a track-map JSON in the ZIP.
Film_V1.edl · Film_V3.edl
Two EDLs, downloaded together in a ZIP.An EDL creates one video track plus its supported audio tracks in FCP7 XML. AAF → XML can include multiple selected video tracks in a single FCP7 XML sequence. EDL → AAF and XML → AAF create one binary AAF from selected video and supported mono audio tracks, retaining empty track positions and gaps.
Current limitations
- Audio preservation. Audio is kept by default. Use Audio settings above the table to add an exclusion to the shared review. Remove its pending operation or undo its approved batch to restore audio. FCP7 XML preserves basic audio cuts and source-channel assignments. AAF supports frame-aligned mono source audio; multichannel source mapping and linked clip groups block AAF export. FCPXML audio is detected but its mapping is not yet supported. Fades, effects, routing and subframe audio block conversion with a cause and next steps. Explicit export-track exclusions can clear findings limited to the omitted tracks; global or unidentified findings remain blocking. CMX output supports A1–A4 with matching source/record channel numbers; other patches require XML or AAF.
- Complex timelines. Transitions, retiming, mixed frame rates, nested sequences, connected FCPXML storylines and effects require dedicated support. Detected unsupported structures block conversion.
- AAF timing and structure. Source timecodes must resolve through supported source references. Missing sequence timecode requires confirmation; missing source timecode blocks export. Non-zero slot origins, half-rate timecode tracks, mixed source/sequence DF modes and unsupported structures block export. If only some cuts are recognized, the import summary says so and no partial export is produced.
- EDL / XML → AAF. Offline video and frame-aligned mono audio cuts and filler. Progressive square-pixel sources, matching source/sequence rate and DF mode, and declared FCP7 source/sequence timecodes are required. EDL supplies only the edited source ranges; its minimal offline references use 1920 × 1080 video and 48 kHz / 24-bit mono audio defaults. Generic video descriptors preserve XML dimensions when available; original codecs, embedded media and Avid media identities are not copied. Relink and test in the receiving application.
- Media and grading. EDLs do not contain media. Exported XML may need relinking and currently uses a 1920 × 1080 sequence format. EDL comments are carried as text metadata; CDL values are not applied as grading effects.
- High frame rates. The workspace uses full-frame 00–59 labels at 59.94/60 fps. FCP7 XML carries 59.94 DF timecode with a 29.97 DF base and a field indicator. Check compatibility with your receiving application.
- File size and duration. EDL Toolbox accepts EDL/XML up to 5 MB and AAF up to 64 MB, with up to 5,000 events. AAF supports up to 64 video tracks. Prefer AAF without embedded media. Timecodes crossing a 24-hour rollover are not unwrapped automatically.
Preview the output, then check a representative project in your editing or conform application before a production handoff.
Need help with a specific operation?
Each tool has a guide with its purpose, a practical example and the checks to make before exporting.
Browse all guides