The review process can be painful – and we’re not just talking about your hurt feelings. There is nothing worse than poor communication during the review process. Add in the amount of time it takes to get feedback and it can have you pulling out your hair. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. In this article, you’ll gain a new perspective on the review process and learn 5 ways to speed it up and get more projects across the finish line.
Get clear feedback
After wrapping up the creative work, it’s much easier to assess any issues if you have clear communication. For example, using timecode-stamped comments is one way to prevent miscommunication. Requiring a timecode with each comment also encourages the person giving feedback to be more direct with their commentary. This will help avoid vague comments; reviewers will need to relate their feedback to a specific item. Clear, direct communication with fewer mistakes leads to fewer revisions, saving everyone time and money.
When getting feedback, make sure you address it all at once. Use the feedback as a to-do list, checking off the work as you go. Address similar revisions together. Being thorough by addressing all comments will keep you organized and speed up the revision process.
Manage versions through communication
As the reviews come in, changes will come in waves. It can be downright confusing trying to cipher feedback based on an old version. It could also create new problems because of the order in which the revisions are completed. For example, getting important feedback on the cut after you have reached picture lock – after which no further visual edits should be made – means changing things that were previously finalized. Receiving feedback on an old version is a frustrating mismanagement of time.
This creates the need to be able to clearly identify what project version is receiving feedback. Doing this ensures all communication and feedback is for the newest version. More than knowing that comments are coming for the right version, it’s helpful to have a record of past feedback on past versions. When you can access past revision requests, it helps keep a record of what has been addressed and at what steps were requested. This can help with evaluating the project’s efficiency after the project is completed.
Universal adaptation
Good feedback from collaborators across temas is a great way to improve your content. Make sure the tool you are using for review is easy to access. The best type of tool is one anyone can use. Use a tool that can be used by all, no matter if the user is on a Mac or a PC, an iPhone or an Android device. Using a tool everyone has access to is always going to be best.
Don’t add barriers between you and your good feedback. Consider this: You have many players in your project and most of them are not tech-savvy – how frustrating would it be to have to train them all on the review process? Better if there are no barriers between the reviewer and the ability to comment.
Centralize communication for real-time collaboration
Getting clear feedback is just the first step; you’ll also need a centralized place to give and receive this feedback. Don’t struggle dealing with a mix of email, document commenting, text and chat to get feedback. We know, the struggle is real. Even if you remember where the important information is stored, at minimum, it wastes time having to go and fetch it.
Instead, try to use one centralized place for all communication. It keeps you organized and allows the information to tell a story for anyone needing to catch up with the project’s current status. It also directs the reviewer to the most recent communication and ensures they’re commenting on the latest content. Integrate your creative video workflow so that information passes seamlessly from one project to the next so that all collaborators stay informed.
Clear notifications and workflow process
Waiting for a response takes time away from the project. But if you can automate your notifications, you can keep working and let the notifications come to you. No need to wait and check back to see if comments have come in. Getting automated notifications speeds up communication time, opening up more time to focus on the project.
Aim to get quick feedback from the right people, right when you need it. For example, it’s frustrating to get legal feedback from the compliance department when you are still on an early version and equally so to get a request for a creative update when all you need is legal approval to go live.
Ziflow is made to speed up your video review and approval process
Ziflow integrates all of these tips into one platform, enabling frame-focused feedback on hundreds of video formats. Easily indicate exactly which moment or scene needs attention by leaving comments on the precise time code or range of frames you have feedback on. Make these comments general or @ mention members of your team to get more information from specific reviewers. Ziflow supports hundreds of video and other file formats so your team can manage feedback on every project. And since Ziflow integrates with Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and Final Cut Pro you can manage project feedback without ever needing to leave those applications.
See different versions side-by-side to easily compare changes to your project over time. With Ziflow Auto-Compare, you can even automatically highlight version differences, all the way down to the pixel. To keep versioning simple, Ziflow also lets you create new versions in just a few clicks and control version numbering to prevent sprawl.
Make sure crucial content remains in-frame on every device by using Ziflow Safe Zones to see likely cut-off points at industry-standard aspect ratios. Since Ziflow itself is built for mobile responsiveness, you can review your projects from your web browser on any device — no app download is required.
Ziflow lets you review the entire context of your videos, including subtitles. Upload and automatically sync subtitle files to your videos so you can review everything in one place. See a complete history of comments, replies and more on both videos and subtitles for every version of your project so you always know how the conversation has evolved.
Set up reviewer notifications to drive accountability and action. Automatically email reminders to reviewers when decisions are due and choose how often they’re notified about late proofs and other activity. Reviewers can even reply to proof comments directly from their notification emails.
Automate approval with customized, templated workflows to include the right stakeholders on relevant projects, create alignment and keep everyone in the know. This will also keep what you need private from those that don’t need to know.
Ziflow also offers industry-exclusive batch review that lets users provide feedback and approve groups of multimedia assets in a single review workflow.
Ziflow Connect brings creative collaboration everywhere you already are. The integration ecosystem lets users integrate Ziflow with their preferred design software, project management tool, storage solution, etc.
Ziflow is a great solution for review processes, big or small, complicated or simple. It will elevate communication during the process and will save time and headaches. Click here to learn more about Ziflow.