HDR Trim Pass

Overview

HDR Trim Pass is a dedicated phase in color grading that ensures HDR content meets technical requirements for MaxFALL, MaxCLL, and metadata compliance while preserving creative intent.

Process & Tools

• Scopes: PQ waveform, HDR histogram, and false‑color overlays to monitor highlight and shadow distributions. • Trim controls: Precise adjustments of shadows, midtones, and highlights using trim wheels or numeric entry. • Reference LUTs: Application of technical LUTs for HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG before final export.

Workflow Placement

1. Creative grade establishes the artistic look.
2. HDR trim pass applies technical corrections to meet platform specs.
3. QC & delivery validates files on calibrated HDR displays and embeds metadata.

Benefits

Trim passes catch out‑of‑range frames, reduce clipping in specular highlights, and guarantee platform compliance, avoiding costly re‑submissions.

Best Practices

• Representative frames: Select frames with extreme brightness, deep shadows, and skin tones for adjustment. • Iterative review: Combine automated compliance reports with manual viewing on multiple HDR monitors. • Metadata verification: Confirm MaxFALL and MaxCLL tags in the final deliverables.

Examples

A streaming series used an HDR trim pass to correct over‑bright sky highlights that clipped on consumer TVs, improving viewer experience across device profiles.

Trivia

The term “trim” hails from analog color correction panels, where knobs trimmed individual color channels for balance.