Revising (or versioning) Dolby Vision content is essential to adapt a movie or TV show to meet the needs and tastes of a target audience in a particular country or region. In terms of the necessary image adjustments, this article describes some best practices for dealing with Dolby Vision for: 

 

Embedded Subtitles

Creating and/or adapting subtitles to the tone, humor or idioms of the local language.

 

Graphic and text replacement

Any on-screen text (e.g. signs, documents, news tickers) may be recreated in the local language, sometimes requiring re-editing or visual effects.

Graphic and text insertions

Additional logos and text, like a dubbing card at the very end of the program after the end credits that acknowledges the creators of the dubbed version.

 

Compliance with regulations and legal adaptations

Adaptation of the film to comply with local censorship regulations or content guidelines.

 

Textless Versions

Delivery of textless elements or textless versions

 

When working with a finished Dolby Vision master (IMF package, ProRes + Dolby Vision XML, etc.), it is critical to preserve the creative intent and integrity of the original Master, throughout the versioning process.

 

Prerequisites

Editing a Dolby Vision master or mezzanine file requires a Dolby approved toolset that respects the Dolby Vision metadata and maintains the sync between the image and metadata throughout the versioning process. You will find an overview of these tools in this article.

 

When using these tools, users must ensure that they preserve,

• the Dolby Vision metadata version, and
• the Dolby Vision mastering display selection

of the imported Dolby Vision Master.

 

Note:  Dolby Vision metadata and image data must stay in sync at all times and any newly inserted shots must be analyzed and trimmed when needed.

 

Learn how to revise your Dolby Vision master for localization—add new shots, dubbing cards, end credits, and deliver the updated master from the following tutorial video:

 

 

Embedded Subtitles

See this tutorial video on how to add subtitles to a finished Dolby Vision master/mezzanine. This will create a new version of the Master that has embedded subtitles but still uses the original Dolby Vision metadata.

 

Graphic and text replacement

 

The same principles for embedding subtitles apply to graphic and text replacement as well. Choose a luminance value that is suitable for titles and graphics, and check it in both HDR and SDR using Dolby Vision tone mapping using the original metadata.

 

Graphic and text insertions

Adding additional logos and text, such as a dubbing card to a finished Dolby Vision master or mezzanine file, requires the creation of new Dolby Vision metadata for these additional shots. This is regardless of whether these shots are added to the existing master or inserted in an existing gap on the timeline.

 

After editing, you will have to export the edited image/video version as well as the modified Dolby Vision metadata. Using an approved tool ensures that the newly created metadata is inserted or added correctly.

 

 

Compliance with regulations and legal adaptations

The adaptation of content to local censorship regulations or content guidelines often requires the removal of individual frames or shots. If these edits are made with a Dolby Vision approved tool, the corresponding metadata will also be modified alongside every change that is made to the image. After editing, you can export the edited HDR video file as well as the updated metadata. And since such changes to the master image will also require changes to the sound, they should be coordinated closely with the original creators of the content. 

 

Textless Versions

For the revision of Dolby Vision content, you can use either the original texted or textless metadata. The original creator of the content would have created the Dolby Vision metadata, including all the original text and graphic elements. They usually use the same original metadata when creating and delivering the textless version.