Non-linear editing software, such as Avid, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere, allow for digital film to be edited out of sequence. These programs also allow the editor to organize his media assets and add certain elementary effects to visuals and sound. Non-linear editing software is used to piece all the different parts of the film together into a cohesive whole. Each scene can be edited separately and then combined, thus allowing a flexibility unknown to editors that work with film.
Color correction, or color grading, is used in editing to alter and enhance the color quality of a film's visual material. This process is completed through software such as Final Cut Color, Synthetic Aperture Color Finesse or Autodesk Lustre. These programs allow the editor to change the color characteristics of his image and view the results in real time. Color correction is used to create continuity among various shots in a scene, or to illicit stylized visual effects.
The soundtrack of a film is generally divided into three parts: dialogue, music and sound effects. While all of these components can be handled on non-linear editing software, treating them as a separate process allows for higher quality. Programs such as Soundtrack Pro and Adobe Audition can be used for editing and adding effects to dialogue and sound, while more specialized programs such as Logic Pro and Digital Performer can be used to score music along with the image.
Special effects have increasingly become more necessary to the editing process. Programs such as After Effects and Motion allow the editor to create different kinds of motion effects, from dynamic titles to computer generated images. Most of these programs work with keyframes, meaning that the process is done by creating an effect, then tracking its motion across the timeline of the film. Motion graphics technology is also used for more minute tasks, such as correcting brightness or getting rid of unwanted camera movement.