Skip to main content

Metadata Merge

Metadata Merge creates a new Event Group from a primary group's events and timing, then copies selected properties from one or more other groups onto the matched events. Use it when notes, speakers, positioning, voice, or other metadata live on a different track than the captions you want to keep.

It is not the same as Event Group Sync, which overwrites properties on an existing group in place, or Compare Event Groups, which diffs two groups and lets you merge event by event. Split and Merge on the toolbar combine or divide individual events; see Split & Merge.

Opening Metadata Merge​

Open the Event Group options menu by clicking the menu icon next to an Event Group tab. Go to the Combine & Compare tab and click Metadata Merge.

A locked Event Group cannot run Metadata Merge. Unlock the group first from Event Group Options → General. See Locking Event Groups.

Selecting groups and a primary​

Select at least two Event Groups in the list. The Primary Event Group supplies the events and timing for the result. Metadata from the other selected groups is merged into that structure. If you do not pick a primary, the first selected group is used.

The new group is named {primary name} (Metadata Merged) and is added to the project. Source groups are left unchanged.

Matching events​

Each event in the primary is paired with an event in each source group using Match Events By:

  • Match by Index pairs events in list order (first with first, second with second).
  • Match by Time pairs events whose start times are within 0.1 seconds.
  • Match by Text pairs events whose plain-text caption content is identical.

Unmatched primary events keep their original properties. When several source groups are selected, they are applied in order; for overwrite properties, the last matching source wins.

Properties to merge​

All properties are on by default. Turn off any you do not want copied.

Overwrite​

When the source event has a defined value, it replaces the primary event's value:

PropertyFields copied
Source TextOriginal (source-language) text
PositioningHorizontal position, vertical position, and alignment
Writing ModeHorizontal or vertical writing mode
StyleCaption style (Pop-On, Paint-On, Roll-Up)
VoiceVoice, rate, pitch, speaking style, stability, and similarity
Forced NarrativeForced flag, including false
Notes CheckNotes Mark as Done state
Reply CheckReply Mark as Done state
ApprovedApproval state, including unreviewed (undefined)

Voice merge does not copy audio files. Rendered audio description on the result is marked as needing a new render so playback is not left bound to the previous voice.

Concatenate​

Notes and Reply append the source text onto the primary when the strings differ. Identical text is not duplicated.

Union​

Recipients, Tags, and Speakers are combined and de-duplicated (speakers and recipients by id).

Event Group Metadata merges group-level metadata into the result. When Speakers is also on, group-level speakers are unioned the same way.

Event-level custom metadata arrays are always unioned for matched events, even if Event Group Metadata is off.

After the merge​

Review the new group before treating it as a deliverable. Check notes that were concatenated, positions that were overwritten, and audio description events that need re-rendering after a voice merge. You can run Compare Event Groups against a source group if you need a line-by-line confirmation of what changed.