Advanced IMF Creation Online Course

Contemporary audiovisual distribution demands managing a growing volume of versions, languages, territories, subtitles, audio tracks, metadata, and specific adaptations for each platform. In this context, IMF (Interoperable Master Format) has become the delivery system used by many leading platforms and international distribution services, such as Netflix or ViX, thanks to its ability to organize multiple versions of the same work within a modular and efficient architecture.

Unlike the traditional model based on generating a complete master for each variant, IMF allows you to reuse common elements and add only the necessary differences for each version, optimizing storage, reducing duplication, and facilitating localization, correction, and multi-territory distribution processes.

In our Advanced IMF Creation Online Course, you’ll delve into the structure and operation of the SMPTE ST 2067 standard, understanding how IMF packages are organized and the role played by elements such as CPL, PKL, Asset Map, MXF, OPL, and associated assets. We’ll also analyze the concept of IMF Applications, from profiles like APP2 and APP2C to others for preservation, ACES, or specialized workflows, learning to select the appropriate profile based on distribution needs.

An essential part of the course will be dedicated to the modular versioning philosophy that makes IMF an especially efficient tool for platforms and large distributors. You’ll learn to differentiate between an Original Version (OV) and a Version File (VF), and to use supplemental packages to introduce corrections, language versions, commercial variants, or Textless deliveries without needing to regenerate the complete master. We’ll also study the real-life cycle of a delivery, from the first submission to successive QC, correction, and approval processes.

Finally, we’ll transfer all these concepts to a professional workflow using Colorfront Transkoder. We’ll create and validate a complete IMF package in UHD, integrating video, stereo and 5.1 audio, subtitles, and Dolby Vision dynamic metadata. We’ll use automatic analysis and validation tools to verify package integrity and generate technical QC reports. We’ll conclude the course by creating Version Files and Textless versions, learning to work with multiple CPLs and interpret international platform delivery specifications.

We recommend taking our IMF export from DaVinci course before this one.