Parallel editing, also called cross-cutting, is an editing technique that alternates between two or more separate lines of action occurring simultaneously in different locations, cutting back and forth between them to create a sense of simultaneous events unfolding in parallel. The technique implies that the intercutted events are happening at the same time, building tension through the juxtaposition of converging storylines.

The technique was pioneered in early cinema by D.W. Griffith and has become one of the most fundamental tools of narrative editing. A classic application is the chase sequence where cuts alternate between a pursuer and their quarry, building tension as the audience understands both perspectives and anticipates their convergence. Rescue sequences cut between the person in danger and the help racing toward them. Thriller films intercut the movements of multiple parties who are unknowingly approaching each other. The alternation creates a rhythm of tension and release, with each cut to the other storyline raising or lowering the stakes and building toward the inevitable moment when the parallel threads converge. The emotional impact of parallel editing depends on the audience's awareness of both lines of action - the tension comes from knowing what each party doesn't know about the other.

In AI video production, parallel editing is assembled in post-production by generating separate clips for each storyline and intercutting them in the edit. Planning the visual language of each parallel thread to be distinct enough to be immediately identifiable - different locations, different color temperatures, different framing approaches - helps viewers track the alternating lines of action clearly when the cuts begin.