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Picture lock

What is picture lock in film production?

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.

Breaking lock is expensive in proportion to how much finishing work has already been done against it. A two-frame trim after the score is recorded means re-conforming music, and every VFX shot whose handles no longer align has to be revisited.

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Reviewed 2026-08-27

Related terms

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.
Conform: 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.
Dailies: Dailies are the footage shot on a given day, processed and made available for review shortly afterwards — traditionally the following morning, which is where the name comes from. They are watched to confirm that what was shot is usable before the unit loses access to the location.