Video versioning: keeping every cut, format and market on-brand

What is video versioning?

Video versioning is producing several variations of one approved video, such as shorter cutdowns, different aspect ratios, translated versions and market-specific edits, while keeping every one of them accurate and on-brand. It starts from a locked master, tracks each version in one place and checks what changed in each.

A versioning process covers:

• A locked master edit that every version is built from
• A version matrix listing every cut, format, language and market
• Rules for what can change in each version and what can’t
• A review step for every version before it goes out
• Clear file names and one place to store and deliver from

One launch video can easily turn into twenty files: a 60-second hero, 30, 15 and 6-second cutdowns, vertical and square versions of each, then a set for every market. Each file is another chance for an old end card, a cropped logo or an untranslated caption to slip through. This guide covers how to keep all of them right.

Start from a locked master

Every version should come from one approved master edit. If versions are cut before the master is signed off, a late change has to be made again in every file, and some will be missed.

Before you start versioning:

• Get final approval on the master, including a full brand check. Any error in the master is copied into every version.
• Lock the master. Changes after this point go through a change request and are applied to every affected version.
• Keep the project tidy. Separate graphics, captions, music and voiceover onto their own tracks or layers, so text can be swapped and the frame can be reframed without rebuilding the edit.
• Export clean versions without text or graphics, so editors can build language versions on top.

Also decide which elements are locked across every version. The logo version, the end-card design and approved taglines usually stay the same everywhere. Writing this down saves editors from guessing what they’re allowed to change.

Plan every version with a version matrix

A version matrix is a simple table listing every file you’ll deliver. Build it at the start of the project, before the master is approved, because it shapes how the master is shot and edited.

Give each version one row, with columns for what makes it different and where it stands. For example:

Version	Length	Ratio	Language	Market specifics	Status
Hero	60s	16:9	English	Global end card	Approved
Social cutdown	15s	9:16	English	Global end card	In review
Social cutdown	15s	9:16	German	DE legal line, DE URL	In progress
Pre-roll	6s	16:9	French	FR end card	Not started

The matrix answers the questions that otherwise get asked over and over. How many files are there? Which ones are approved? Which market needs a different legal line? It’s also how you check that nothing has been forgotten before delivery.

Share it with everyone working on the project, including agencies and local market teams, and keep the status column current.

Cutdowns and aspect ratios

Shorter cuts

A 15 or 6-second cutdown is a new edit with a tighter story. The risk is that brand elements get cut along with the footage. Set rules for what every cutdown must keep, whatever its length:

• The brand or product visible early, since some viewers won’t reach the end.
• The approved end card or logo, even if shorter.
• Any required legal line, on screen long enough to read.
• The same claim wording as the master, never paraphrased to save time.

Reframing for other ratios

Turning a 16:9 master into 9:16 or 1:1 takes more than a crop. Text, logos and graphics need laying out again for the new frame, so nothing important ends up shrunk or cut off at the edges. Check that:

• Logos and text sit inside the safe zone for that platform.
• The main subject is still in frame in every shot.
• Captions are re-positioned and still readable at phone size.
• Lower thirds and end cards use the layout set for that ratio.

Your video brand guidelines should show the correct layout for each ratio, so editors aren’t working it out for every project.

Language and market versions

Local versions are harder to keep on-brand, because more people touch each file and fewer of them know the original brief.

Text and captions

Translated text is often longer than the original, so titles and lower thirds may need resizing or rewording to fit. Agree in advance whether translators can shorten copy, and who approves the shorter version. Languages written right to left need layouts designed for them from the start.

Keep a list of words that are never translated, such as the brand name, product names and some taglines. Where a tagline is translated, use the approved local wording every time.

Voiceover and pronunciation

If each market records its own voiceover, give every studio the same voice description and a pronunciation guide for the brand and product names. Approve a sample before the full record.

Market-specific elements

List what changes by market, and keep the approved local assets in one shared place:

• End cards, URLs and calls to action
• Prices, currencies, dates and phone numbers
• Legal lines and disclaimers required in that market
• Partner or retailer logos
• Imagery or scenes that don’t suit that market

Local teams and agencies

When local teams or agencies make their own versions, send them the master, the version matrix, the brand guidelines and the approved local assets together. Ask them to return finished versions for review before anything is published.

Reviewing twenty versions without losing a week

Watching every version as carefully as the master isn’t realistic. Skipping review for versions isn’t safe either. The answer is to split the review into three parts.

1. Review the master fully. Story, tone, accuracy and a full brand check all happen once, on the master, before versioning starts.
2. Check what changed in each version. Compare each version side by side with the master, and look closely at anything that’s different: new text, a new end card, a reframed shot, a new voiceover.
3. Run the brand check on every version. Logos, colours, fonts, on-screen text and stock watermarks need checking again in every file, because reframing and re-exporting can break them.

The third step is the easiest to drop when volume is high. It’s also the easiest to hand to software, which is where AI review earns its place. Our guide to checking a video against brand guidelines covers what to look for if you’re doing it by hand.

Common versioning errors

These are the mistakes to look for in every version:

• The wrong market’s end card, URL or legal line
• A caption or title left in the original language
• A logo or text cropped by reframing, or sitting under platform buttons
• An old version of the master used as the source
• A translated tagline that isn’t the approved local wording
• A stock clip whose licence doesn’t cover the new market
• The right file delivered under the wrong name, or the wrong file under the right name

Naming, storage and delivery

Name files so they explain themselves

A good file name tells anyone what the file is without opening it. Agree one pattern and use it for every version, for example:

Campaign_Version_Length_Ratio_Language_Market_v03

Put the version number last and never reuse it. File names like “final” and “final_v2” make it easy to publish the wrong cut.

Keep one source of truth

Store every version in one place, organised the same way as the version matrix. Archive superseded files instead of leaving them next to the current ones. When a market asks for a file, send a link to the approved version instead of an attachment, which tends to get forwarded and saved somewhere else.

How Daab helps with versions

Daab.app keeps every version of a file with its full history, and lets reviewers compare two versions side by side to see exactly what changed. Each file shows its status, from In Review to Approved, and folders and project tags make it quick to find a specific cut.

You can run Daab’s AI review on each version against your brand guidelines and any market instructions. It flags logo placement, colour, font, on-screen typo, tagline and watermark issues as comments at the exact timestamp, which makes step 3 of the review practical even with dozens of files.

FAQ

What is a video cutdown?

A cutdown is a shorter edit made from a longer approved video, such as a 15 or 6-second version of a 60-second film. It keeps the same message and brand elements in less time, usually for social media or pre-roll ads.

What is a version matrix?

A version matrix is a table that lists every version of a video you need to deliver, with its length, aspect ratio, language, market-specific elements and approval status. It keeps a large set of files organised and shows what’s still missing.

How do you keep localized videos on-brand?

Build every local version from the same locked master, give local teams the brand guidelines and approved local assets, keep a list of words that are never translated, and check every finished version against the guidelines before it’s published.

Do all video versions need to be reviewed?

Yes, but not all in the same depth. Review the master fully once, then check what changed in each version and run a brand check on every file. Reframing and re-exporting can introduce new errors.

How should video versions be named?

Use one naming pattern for every file, covering campaign, version, length, ratio, language, market and a version number, such as Campaign_Version_Length_Ratio_Language_Market_v03. Avoid words like “final” in file names.

Where to start

On your next multi-version project, build the version matrix before the shoot and agree the file naming pattern with everyone involved. Then add one rule: no version goes out without a brand check, however small the change from the master.

If checking every version by hand isn’t realistic, try Daab.app free on a master and a couple of its versions, or email hello@daab.app for a demo.