How to export an EDL from Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid

Every major NLE exports a CMX3600 EDL, and each hides it somewhere different: Premiere Pro under File > Export > EDL, DaVinci Resolve behind a right-click on the timeline in the Media Pool, and Avid Media Composer in the List Tool (the artist formerly known as EDL Manager). This guide gives the exact clicks for all three, the CMX3600 limitations that surprise people the first time, and what to do with the EDL once you have it — including turning it into a spreadsheet for conform prep, VFX pulls, and cue sheets.

If you're not sure what an EDL actually is, start with the What is an EDL file? explainer and the annotated EDL example; this guide assumes you need one and gets you to the file.

Export an EDL from Premiere Pro

1. Select the sequence in the Project panel (click the sequence itself, not just its timeline window — an unselected sequence leaves the menu item greyed out).
2. Choose File > Export > EDL.
3. In the EDL Export Settings dialog, set the title, the start timecode, and which video/audio to include, then save the .edl.

The gotcha: Premiere exports Video 1 plus up to four audio channels. A multi-track sequence needs either a flattened duplicate (select everything, nest or move to V1) or one export per track after soloing content down. This is a CMX3600 reality, not a Premiere quirk — see the limitations section below.

Export an EDL from DaVinci Resolve

1. In the Media Pool, right-click the timeline you want to export.
2. Choose Timelines > Export > EDL…
3. Name the .edl and save.

Resolve reads its own EDLs back via Timelines > Import, and the same right-click menu offers AAF and XML when the destination understands richer formats — the EDL vs XML vs AAF guide covers which to send where.

Export an EDL from Avid Media Composer

Modern Media Composer builds the EDL tool into the app (older workflows used the standalone EDL Manager):

1. Open Tools > List Tool.
2. Set Output Format — File_129 is the safe modern choice; it allows long file-based source names instead of truncated tape IDs.
3. Tick the tracks to include, load the sequence (double-click it in the bin so it's in the Record monitor, then click Load).
4. Preview shows the EDL; Save List writes it — choose "To several files" to get one EDL per video track, which is usually what a conform wants.

Why your EDL only has one video track (CMX3600 limitations)

The CMX3600 format dates to tape-to-tape linear editing, and its constraints are inherited by every NLE that writes it:

• One video track per EDL. Multi-track timelines export as multiple EDLs or flatten to V1.
• Cuts, dissolves, and simple wipes only. Effects, speed changes, color, and titles don't travel — that's what AAF/XML are for.
• Reel names are short. Classic EDLs truncate source names to 8 characters; file-based formats (like Avid's File_129) relax this, but downstream tools vary. Keep an eye on the * FROM CLIP NAME: comments — that's where the real identity lives.
• ~999 events per list. Long timelines may need splitting.

If those limits are a problem for your handoff, you likely want XML or AAF instead — the comparison guide sorts out which.

What to do with the EDL

The classic destinations: a color house or conform (Resolve imports EDLs directly), a VFX pull list, a music cue sheet, or an archive record of the cut. For anything spreadsheet-shaped, skip the manual retyping — the free EDL to CSV converter turns every event into a row with reels, source/record timecode, clip names, and computed durations, ready for Excel or Google Sheets.

FAQ

How do I export an EDL from Premiere Pro? Select the sequence in the Project panel, then File > Export > EDL, set the options in the dialog, and save the .edl. If the menu item is greyed out, the sequence isn't selected in the Project panel.

How do I export an EDL from DaVinci Resolve? Right-click the timeline in the Media Pool and choose Timelines > Export > EDL, then save the file. Resolve writes standard CMX3600.

Where is the EDL export in Avid Media Composer? Tools > List Tool (the built-in successor to EDL Manager): pick an output format like File_129, choose tracks, load the sequence, and Save List. One EDL per video track is the conform-friendly output.

Why does my EDL only include one video track? CMX3600 structurally supports a single video track per list — a constraint from the tape era. Export one EDL per track (Avid's "To several files" does this automatically) or flatten the timeline to V1 first.

Which EDL format should I choose? CMX3600 — it's what "EDL" means in practice, and what color, conform, and audio tools expect. Richer handoffs (effects, multiple tracks, media references) are AAF or XML territory, not EDL.

How do I read an EDL without an NLE? It's plain text, so any editor opens it — but for actual work, convert it to a spreadsheet: the EDL to CSV converter gives you one row per event with timecodes, reels, clip names, and durations.