Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your EDL file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert EDL to another file type
To convert EDL edit lists to another format, you need DaVinci Resolve or other Video software.
Convert a file to EDL
To convert other file formats to the "Edit Decision List File" file type, you need software like DaVinci Resolve or a similar tool.
About EDL files
The .edl file extension is most commonly an Edit Decision List format. Originating from the legacy CMX 3600 standard, it is a plain text document that records reel names and timecode data to reconstruct a video timeline. Professional video editors use it to move project data between non-linear editing systems (NLEs) like DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, or Avid Media Composer. You can learn more about its history on the Wikipedia Edit decision list page. Despite its widespread use, the .edl format is archaic and highly restricted. It is essentially a dumb text file. It cannot store complex metadata, multi-track audio, nested sequences, visual effects, or color grading information. It is strictly limited to basic cuts, dissolves, and single video tracks. If your sequence is complex, an .edl export will strip away your hard work. Because of these limits, you usually need to convert this file into a more robust format. For rich timeline transfer between modern NLEs, convert your sequence to XML (Final Cut Pro XML) or AAF (Advanced Authoring Format). If you only need a human-readable shot list for a producer, convert to CSV or TXT for easy spreadsheet viewing. Drag and drop your file to analyze and convert it free, online, and without installing software. Note: A small fraction of .edl files are structural analysis projects created by ACCA EdiLus or legacy EdLib Audio files, which require their native software to open.
Convert.Guru analyzes your EDL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert EDL file to MP4, AAF, SRT, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV, WEBM, MKV, M4V, 3GP or OGV, you can use DaVinci Resolve or similar software from the "Video Editing Timeline Transfer" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MTS, MOV, RMVB, DIVX, RM, H264, TS, WMV, VOB, MP4, XVID or AVI files to EDL, try DaVinci Resolve or another comparable tool in the "Video Editing Timeline Transfer" category.
The EDL Converter Story
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our EDL converter.