Post-production workflow
From the first copy of the footage to the files you deliver, with the review rounds planned in rather than piling up at the end.
In short
Updated
The tools
Reviewers open the link with no account, leave notes on the frame, draw, talk it through or suggest the edit. The notes go to your editing app as markers: through our Premiere Pro panel, or as marker files for DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Avid.
Upload V2 on top of V1; files named _v1, _v2 stack on their own when you drag a folder in. Notes carry across by matching the audio, and V2 is checked against V1's notes.
Step by step
Write down who reviews which cut (the rough cut, the fine cut, the final mix, the graphics), who has the final say, and how many rounds the budget allows. Agree how notes will be given: in one place and on the frame, not spread across email and chat.
If a client is paying for a set number of rounds, say so in writing at the start. It's easier to agree now than to argue later.
Copy the cards twice before anyone formats them, sync sound to picture, and make lighter copies to edit with if the camera files are heavy. A consistent naming scheme for folders and files saves hours later.
Lay out the usable takes in story order, then cut to a first complete version. The rough cut is about structure: does the story work, is anything missing, is anything in twice. Ask reviewers for notes on structure here, not on colour or typos.
Send one link to everyone who reviews this cut. Ask for one change per note, pinned to the frame or the stretch it's about, with a reason. Visual notes are clearer drawn on the picture, and changes are clearer shown as a suggested edit than described.
Collect every reviewer's notes before the editor starts, and settle any that disagree first.
How to give video feedbackWork through the notes, upload the next version and check it against the last round's notes before anyone rewatches from the start. Repeat until nobody wants to move a frame, then lock the picture: from here, the edit stops changing.
With the picture locked, the colourist matches and grades the shots, sound cleans up the dialogue and mixes music and effects, and titles, graphics and captions go in. Notes at this stage should be about these finishes, not the edit.
One last round on the finished cut, with the approver you named in step 1. Approval should be a clear status on one version, not a thumbs-up in a chat thread.
Review and approvalWatch for black frames, media offline frames, clipped audio and typos on screen, then export every format the platform or client needs from the full-quality original, and archive the project.
Automatic checks on uploadWho does what
On a small team one person may do several of these. Naming the approver for each step is what matters.
| Step | Who does it | Who signs it off |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Producer or post supervisor | Client or creator |
| Ingest | Assistant editor or editor | Editor |
| Rough cut | Editor | Director, creator or producer |
| Fine cut and lock | Editor | Director, creator or client |
| Colour | Colourist or editor | Director or creator |
| Sound | Sound editor, mixer or editor | Director or creator |
| Graphics and captions | Motion designer or editor | Producer or client |
| Delivery | Editor or post supervisor | Client |
The order the work happens in after a shoot, and who does and approves each step: ingest, the edit in stages, review rounds, picture lock, colour, sound, graphics and captions, a final approval and delivery.
After the last round of notes on the edit, before colour, sound and graphics are finished. Changing the edit after lock means redoing some of that finishing work, which is why it pays to get the edit notes clear early.
There's no right number, but agree one before you start, and say which cut each round is for (rough cut, fine cut, final). Clear notes on the frame and a check of each new version against the last notes are what keep the count low.
Give every export the project name and a version number, like launch_v3.mp4, and never reuse a number. On post-prod.io, files named _v1, _v2 stack as versions of the same file when you drag the folder in.
From the rough cut to the final approval: every cut goes up, reviewers leave notes on it, and the notes come back to the editing app as markers. On post-prod.io reviewers can also suggest the edit itself, and the next version can be rendered from your original.
There's a sample video you can open and review the way a guest would, and you can test it with one upload of your own (a video up to 500 MB). Plans are paid per admin, and guests never need a seat.
post-prod.io
Plan the rounds, make the notes clear, and check every fix.
From $10 per admin a month, or $8 billed yearly. Unlimited guests. Cancel any time.
