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Split Edits: J Cuts vs L Cuts
Split Edits: J Cuts vs L Cuts

The difference between an L-Cut and a J-Cut in video editing.

Misha Tenenbaum avatar
Written by Misha Tenenbaum
Updated over 2 years ago

Visual example of how the cuts on the timeline in split edits look like the letter J and L.

SPLIT EDITS are where the video and the audio edit points happen at different times. There are two variations of the split edit:

L-Cuts

In an L-Cut, the video cuts first, then the audio cuts later (the video edit occurs before the audio edit.) When the edit is made, it looks like the letter L.

In an L-Cut, the video cuts first, then the audio cuts later (the video edit occurs before the audio edit.) When the edit is made, it looks like the letter L.
Example of an L-Cut on a timeline. Video cut happens before audio cut.

 

J-Cuts

In a J-Cut, the audio cuts first, then the video cuts later (the audio edit leads the video edit.) When the edit is made, it looks like the letter J.

In a J-Cut, the audio cuts first, then the video cuts later (the audio edit leads the video edit.) When the edit is made, it looks like the letter J.

Example of an J-Cut on a timeline. Audio cut happens before video cut.
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