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Conform

What is conform in film production?

Conform is the process of rebuilding the locked edit at full quality, relinking the offline edit's decisions to the original camera media. The result is the sequence that goes to colour grading and final delivery.

The edit is cut on lightweight proxy files for speed; conform swaps every one of them for the original file at full resolution, matching frame for frame. Anything the offline edit did that the original media cannot support — a speed ramp beyond the recorded frame rate, a reframe past the sensor edge — surfaces here.

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Reviewed 2026-08-27

Related terms

Picture lock

Picture lock is the point at which the edit is final and no further changes to shot selection or timing will be made. It is a formal gate rather than an opinion, because sound design, score, visual effects and colour all work to a fixed timeline that a later change invalidates.

Assembly

An assembly is the first edit of a film, containing every scene in script order and usually the preferred take of each shot, with no attempt at pacing. It is typically completed shortly after principal photography ends and is far longer than the final film.