Review, approve and export combined edit-list changes

What it does

Side-by-Side is the shared review workspace. The left panel keeps the imported source; the right panel shows approved changes plus every pending operation in its listed order. Changing settings in a tool adds or updates its pending operation immediately. Simply opening a tool does not activate its defaults. Use Add to review to include its existing settings. The view remains open while switching tools.

When and why to use it

Cleanup, reel corrections and timing changes often belong to the same handoff. Reviewing their combined result avoids approving isolated previews that do not reflect the final edit list. Changed or removed source lines are marked red; changed or added result lines are marked teal. All recognized video and audio tracks are included in the timeline view.

A practical example

Remove user notes, rename A001 to ROLL_01, then ripple record positions by eight frames. The source remains unchanged. The working panel shows all three changes together, including the record shift on audio. Editing the offset updates that operation instead of applying another offset on top.

When export is blocked

Each export finding explains the cause, its known track and event or source item, and a practical repair or workaround. Timecode and reel problems can link to the relevant tool or event. Alternative formats are offered only when the current exporter accepts the same selected tracks; receiving-application compatibility still needs checking. For unsupported effects, routing, missing metadata or subframe audio, prepare a compatible source in the originating editing application. Deleting comments does not remove effects or repair timing. Exclude a track from export to omit its edits without deleting it from the working timeline. Findings wholly assigned to excluded tracks can clear; sequence-wide or unidentified findings stay blocking. Unmapped FCPXML audio cannot be recovered just by changing the output format. If audio import problems block pending cleanup, an explicit audio-exclusion step can be placed before the other operations; that removes all audio from the working result and remains reversible. Unknown errors retain their original details without inventing an item location.

How to use it

1. Open a file and choose Side-by-Side. Use Events to select individual rows when needed.
2. Select tools and adjust their settings. A tool keeps one pending configuration; Event Editor keeps one edit per event.
3. Open Operations & export to edit, remove or reorder pending steps. Each step captures its scope and selected events. Changing order can change the result.
4. Choose the export format, filename and tracks. All tracks start included. Export preview shows the output text or, for AAF, a readable export plan.
5. If export is blocked, read the finding, known track/item location and suggested next steps. Verified format alternatives retain the selected tracks. Exclude a track only when its edits are not required, and use Restore all tracks to include it again.
6. Use Approve all changes to commit the whole batch, or Approve & export to validate, create and download the output before committing the batch. Undo restores the preceding approved state.

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