How to send a video to a client for review notes

The simplest way to get frame-accurate notes from a client in Video by Zaweba is File > Export for review. It makes a small H.264 copy of your cut with timecode burned into the picture, plus an offline review page the client opens to leave notes against exact frames. When their notes come back, Import review notes places each one on your timeline as a red marker, right where it belongs.

Feedback by email tends to go wrong in familiar ways. "The bit near the start where she turns" could be any of three shots, and "about two minutes in" is rarely two minutes in. Tying each note to a frame takes the guesswork out, and having the notes land on the timeline means you can work through them in order without retyping anything.

What the client receives

Only the cut and a way to get two files to your client. The review copy is small because it is H.264, so it can go by whichever file transfer you already use. The review page works offline, so the client doesn't need an account with any service, and you don't need to upload your film to a review website.

Running a review round

Get the cut to a state worth showing. Play it through once more and check sound levels, since clients often comment on sound before anything else.

Choose File > Export for review. Video by Zaweba renders the small H.264 copy with burned-in timecode and writes the review page beside it.

Send both to the client. Explain in a line or two that they open the page, play the video and add a note wherever they want something changed, then send the notes back to you.

When the notes arrive, choose Import review notes. Each note appears as a red marker on the timeline at its frame, with the comment attached.

Work through them. The Markers tab lists every marker, so you can find notes by their comment and jump straight to each one. Change what needs changing and, if you like, recolour or remove each marker as you deal with it so you can see what is left.

Getting useful notes

Ask for specifics. A note like "too long" is easier to act on as "this shot could lose two seconds". The burned-in timecode helps clients say exactly where they mean, even in an email.

Send one round at a time. Mixing notes from two versions is how changes get lost. Export a fresh review copy after each round and keep the previous notes on the old timeline or in a duplicated one, since timelines can be duplicated from their tab.

Say what kind of feedback you want. Early on, ask about story and order. Later, ask about titles, colour and sound. Clients give better notes when they know what stage the film is at.

After approval

Once the client is happy, export the final version. The burned-in timecode belongs only to the review copy; your final export has a clean picture. If the film is going on to a broadcaster or another editor, the export window also offers professional codecs, and timelines can be handed over in exchange formats.

Markers can also be used for chapters. A marker's kind can be comment or chapter, so a long training video can carry chapter points as well as your review history.

Video by Zaweba is free software and runs offline on Windows. The whole review loop happens between your PC and your client's, with no subscriptions, no seats to pay for and no account for anyone.