Interchange moves your edit - not the media - to another application: a grading suite, an audio workstation, or another editor. Lightworks exports the industry-standard interchange formats and imports edit lists for conform, so a cut can travel in either direction.
What interchange carries
An interchange file describes the sequence - which clips, which frames, in what order, on which tracks - and references the media. The receiving application relinks to the actual files. That means:
- The media must be available to the other system (copy or share the source files alongside the interchange file).
- Effects, transitions, and titles rarely translate beyond simple dissolves. Expect to rebuild creative work on the far side; interchange is for the cut, not the look.
Export formats and where they go
From the Export panel's interchange group:
| Format | Typical destination |
|---|---|
| AAF | DaVinci Resolve, Avid, audio post (Pro Tools) |
| OMF | Older audio post workflows |
| XML | Final Cut Pro (FCP X style) and Adobe Premiere (FCP 7 style) - choose the Style in the XML options |
| EDL | Anything - the simplest, most universal list; video-track-oriented |
| Reaper | The REAPER audio workstation |
| Subtitles | Subtitle files for captioning tools |
Lightworks also names the common targets directly - DaVinci Resolve (AAF), Final Cut Pro (FCP X XML), Adobe Premiere (FCP 7 XML) - so you don't have to remember which flavour each application wants.
Sending audio to post
For a sound mix in a dedicated audio application, export AAF or OMF (or Reaper for REAPER users). Options let you control how clip audio levels and track levels are included, so you can deliver a clean, unmixed session when the mixer wants to start from raw material. WAV export of the LR mix covers simple audio deliverables (see Professional delivery).
EDL options
EDL generation has its own options - reel IDs, comments, whether dissolves are combined, and frame-rate conversion for material moving between rates. EDLs carry one video track and simple transitions; for anything richer, use AAF or XML.
Importing an edit
Lightworks can also import edit lists and rebuild the sequence against media in your project, relinking by name and timecode - the classic conform workflow. Bring the media in first, then import the list; clips the conform can't match can be relinked manually (see Media management).
A reliable round-trip recipe
- Lock the cut before sending - interchange after picture lock avoids re-conforms.
- Export the interchange file plus a reference video of the sequence, so the other side can check sync visually.
- Send or share the source media (or agree that the far side already holds it).
- On return, import the result and check it against the reference end to end.
Tip: Always run a short test round-trip with a one-minute sequence before committing a whole programme to an unfamiliar pipeline.