KinetographyThe first motion picture

All video editing during the early days of the industry was done through a process known as linear editing. Linear editing is a form of destructive editing that is done sequentially in the order of the final edit. Although linear editing is still performed today, it has largely been superseded by non-linear video editing (more on that later).

1890: The KinetographyThe first motion picture camera in history was developed by Thomas Edison and his assistant William Dickson. He shoots with celluloid at about 40 FPS like online video converter today.

1894: The Edison VitascopeMovie exhibitors begin to organize single-shot films into coherent programs using this technology, described as "a primitive form of editing."

1900s: The first cuts are made with scissors, tape, and mounting tables (in the 1950s, tape would eventually be replaced by film cement). Since editors still can't see their movies while they're editing, they're forced to hold strips of film up to the light to make their cuts.