Clean master or video with titles and music

A clean master is the finished video without anything laid on top: no titles, logos, captions or added music. The finished version has all of them. Ask for the clean master before editing is complete, because text and music are hard to remove afterwards.

What is in each version?

The picture editing is the same in both. The difference is what has been added on top.

Why decide before editing ends?

Overlays are part of the picture once the video is exported. You cannot lift them off. Hiding a title with a blur or a crop damages the shot.

It is far easier to make the clean master at the same time as the finished version. The editor exports once with the overlays and once without. If you ask a month later, the editor may need to reopen the project, and that may not be possible or may be extra work. Handover of project files is a separate matter, covered in raw camera footage versus editing project files.

When does a clean master help?

• A new title or name. A speaker’s title changes, or a sponsor is added or removed.
• Another language. The titles need translating. The guide on textless masters for multilingual campaigns goes further.
• Different captions. You want captions in another style or in several languages. See our event captions and subtitles service.
• New music. The music you used was only for one purpose, and you now need another track.
• A new edit later. You plan to make a new film from this one, for example a trailer for the next event.
• A rebrand. The logo or colours change.

If none of these is likely, you may not need one. A video that plays once on the night at the venue is one example.

What about music and rights?

Added music is often the reason a clean master matters. Music chosen for one use may not be cleared for another. A licence for the music does not automatically stop a platform from removing a video if other rights or platform rules are unresolved, according to the music licensing body MACP in its FAQ.

A clean master gives you room to add music that fits each use. Check the licence and the platform rules every time. Our permissions guides explain who should confirm what.

How to ask for it

1. Say in the brief that you want a clean master alongside the finished video.
2. List the overlays that will be used: titles, names, logos, captions, music.
3. Say how the clean master will be used, so the editor keeps the right shot lengths.
4. Check the quote lists it as its own output with a file name.
5. When you review the finished video, ask to see the clean master too, and use the final video acceptance checklist.

The video deliverables specification sheet has a place for every version you want. Our post-event video asset planner helps you think about what you will keep afterwards.

What we confirm for your event

• Whether the clean master is included or added as its own output in the quote.
• Whether it carries the event’s own sound as well as the pictures.
• The file form and size of each version.
• What a later request for a new version involves, so it is agreed before the edit.

Tell us about your event videography and how you plan to reuse the video, and we will include the right versions in the quote. If you already have footage, event video editing from existing material is also available.