A computer-based 
system for generating a video edit 
decision list, which tabulates 
video editing events and video synchronization points corresponding to the 
video editing events. The invention accepts a sequence of video and audio manipulations produced by a 
digital video editing 
system, each manipulation effecting a particular 
video editing event, and generates, based on the manipulation sequence, a 
list of video editing events and corresponding synchronization points. The invention then conforms the 
list to a user-specified format selected from a plurality of video edit 
decision list format templates, provided by the 
system, which each specify a model for defining video editing events distinctly in that format, and then the video edit 
decision list is output in the user-specified format. The invention is adapted to also convert a video edit decision 
list from a first format to a second, user-specified format; and further is adapted to generate a sequence of video and audio manipulations to be used by a 
digital video editor for editing a video, based on a video edit decision list.