I remember reading about this at one time and knowing the definition, but I have since forgotten. Can somebody explain the meaning of the terms "offline" and "online" editing?

Thanks. I know this is rudimetary stuff and it sures shows my ignorance.

"Offline" is for 'rough draft' assemblies. Often, the footage will be cut together using a lower resolution. 15:1 say. (Especailly if you're cutting film). Often, the word is used to connote the editing time spent away from the 'finishing' suite, rather than the actual software used. Cut the footage together on your laptop "Offline" then go

"ONLINE" for the finishing edit. Here is where fine color correction, audio sweeting, uprezzed graphics and effects are finished off. Much more expensive to rent the suite for this purpose. What comes out of the ONLINE session... is pretty much the finished movie.

Obviously, the distinction is more readily apparent in broadcast and film level productions.

Anyone else care to add to my rough explanation?

The way I see it:
The online system is the good system. The offline system is the inferior system which you do your editing on. Typically you want to do this to save money- offline systems are cheaper. Online systems are typically more expensive because of the editing software+hardware, drive arrays, decks, monitors + vectorscopes, etc.
The other reason you may want to online/offline is if you want someone to handle the finishing touches to your video (graphics, color correction, audio, etc. etc.). Those things are a different skill set.

"Online" and "offline" are merging. Today you can do almost everything that would be considered "online" editing a decade or two ago in an inexpensive "offline" system, especially as far as resolution, color correction, and sound mixing go; today, "online" systems are even more powerful, especially as far as color space dynamic range and compositing go; but with time the distinction will be minimized to nil.

I remember reading about this at one time and knowing the definition, but I have since forgotten. Can somebody explain the meaning of the terms "offline" and "online" editing?

Thanks. I know this is rudimetary stuff and it sures shows my ignorance.
I have a slightly different understanding of "offline" versus "online" editing than reflected in the other answers. To me, "offline" means you're editing and polishing material from a variety of sources in a workstation at your leisure - the final product doesn't exist until the editing is completed and won't be viewed by the audience until after the edit is put to bed. Cutting a movie would be usually done offline. OTOH, I've understood "online" to mean that you are editing on the fly, whether using shots of live action or taken from tape the final product is going directly from your edit to the audience, and they are seeing the resulting program in real time as it is being edited. Live broadcasts would be an example.

S

OTOH, I've understood "online" to mean that you are editing on the fly, whether using shots of live action or taken from tape the final product is going directly from your edit to the audience, and they are seeing the resulting program in real time as it is being edited. Live broadcasts would be an example.
To me that's "live-to-tape" editing and shouldn't be confused with online/offline.

I respectfully invite all those who answered to visit the following site and proceed to get your minds blown.

http://www.lucykeyes.com/lucy/news/

Click on "News and Information" and "Lucy Keyes in the Press"

Huh, Technicolor is color correcting the raw data after the edit is locked. Intersting.