Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro
From rough cut to fine cut
Turn your selects into a structured assembly, then tighten it into a polished cut.
Watch all footage and make selects
Review every clip and mark your best takes with in/out points. Build a selects sequence of the good material so you are never cutting from the full, unwieldy original.
Assemble a stringout
Drop your selects in script or story order for a first pass. Do not finesse anything yet - the goal is a complete, watchable assembly that tells the story end to end.
Cut the rough cut
Trim each shot to its useful duration and sequence them. Choose the single best moment in each shot. This is still coarse - prioritize storytelling over timing precision.
Screen and take notes with timestamps
Watch the rough cut cold and write notes with timecodes. Note what to trim, what is missing, and where pacing drags. Share it for feedback before spending time on fine detail.
Tighten to a fine cut
Refine timing, trim dead air, tighten reactions, and balance scene lengths. Work shot by shot until every cut has a reason and the whole piece breathes.
Lock picture
When picture is approved, lock it and stop changing cuts. From here the color and sound teams can work to a stable timeline without chasing moving cuts.