Export a Paper Edit to Final Cut Pro and Avid

To export a paper edit into Final Cut Pro or Avid, turn your transcript selections into an interchange file (XML or FCPXML for Final Cut, AAF or EDL for Avid) and import it so the cut opens as an assembled sequence instead of loose clips.

The whole value of a paper edit is that the story decisions are already made. The handoff is where that work either lands as a clean timeline or scatters into a bin you have to rebuild. Getting the format right is what makes the difference.

First, what your selections need to carry

For an export to rebuild as a sequence, each kept line has to know two things: which source file it came from and the exact in and out timecodes. Word-level timecodes are what turn a highlighted sentence into a precise cut. Without them you get clips, not an edit.

This is why doing the paper edit in a tool that tracks timecode per word matters. ScriptCut is built for this: transcribe, highlight the selects, cut fillers, arrange the story, get client approval, then export. The result references your real media at frame-accurate points, so the import is an assembly, not a scavenger hunt.

Exporting to Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro speaks XML. Apple's modern format is FCPXML (.fcpxml), and the broader Final Cut Pro XML family is the common interchange between editors. Apple's FCPXML Reference describes it as the way to describe clips, projects, and items to exchange data with Final Cut Pro.

The import steps

1. Export your paper edit as XML.
2. In Final Cut Pro, choose File > Import > XML.
3. Select the file. Final Cut rebuilds the clips and the timeline in a new project or event.
4. Relink media if Final Cut cannot find the source files automatically.

Once it is in, your selects sit on the timeline in order. You move straight to refining: B-roll, audio, titles, color.

Exporting to Avid Media Composer

Avid's native interchange is AAF, which is the right tool when audio and richer timeline data need to come along, especially for a Pro Tools round-trip later. Avid also reads EDL for simpler picture-cut handoffs.

The import steps

1. Export your paper edit as AAF (richer) or EDL (cuts only).
2. In Media Composer, use File > Input > Import to bring the file into a bin.
3. The sequence appears in the bin; open it on the timeline.
4. Relink or batch-import the media so the sequence points at the real footage.

If you only need the cut points and source timecodes, an EDL is the most universal option. If you need audio detail and structure, choose AAF.

Choosing the format

• Final Cut Pro: XML / FCPXML. Carries tracks, structure, and metadata.
• Avid: AAF for rich timelines and audio; EDL for simple cuts.
• Maximum compatibility, cuts only: EDL. It opens almost anywhere but drops effects and extra tracks.
• Premiere or Resolve: XML, covered in the Premiere transcript workflow and transcript-based editing in Resolve.

Common gotchas

• Media relinking. Interchange files reference media; they do not contain it. Keep your source files organized and expect to relink on the destination machine.
• Reel-name and timecode mismatches. An EDL caps reel names at eight characters and conforms by timecode. If names are truncated or the timecode standard differs, the conform breaks.
• FCPXML versioning. A newer .fcpxml can be rejected by an older app. Match versions or export to what the destination supports.
• Frame rate and drop-frame. Confirm the project frame rate and drop-frame setting on both ends so timecodes line up.
• Effects may not survive. A look built in one app rarely transfers cleanly. Cuts, structure, and timing travel; bespoke effects often do not.

A worked example

You finish a paper edit for a 5-minute brand testimonial and the client approves it on a share link. You export XML and hand it to a Final Cut editor and an AAF to an Avid finisher. The Final Cut editor opens File > Import > XML and the testimonial drops in as a sequence, every select in place. The Avid finisher imports the AAF, relinks the media, and starts the audio mix. Neither rebuilds the edit. They refine the one you approved.

For the front half of this, see getting client approval before you edit and how to do a paper edit.

The takeaway

Exporting a paper edit cleanly comes down to two things: selections that carry real source timecodes, and the right interchange format for the destination. Use XML or FCPXML for Final Cut, AAF or EDL for Avid, relink your media, and the cut you approved opens as a sequence you can refine instead of rebuild.

Sources

• FCPXML Reference (Apple Developer)
• Edit decision list (Wikipedia)
• DaVinci Resolve (Blackmagic Design)