Viewer and review
On this page
Open any file from the Library and it opens in the viewer: a frame-accurate player, timecoded comments with drawings, version comparison, and approvals that are recorded for good.
Playing
The timecode is real: frames are counted at the file’s own rate, so 00:00:05:00 on a 23.976 clip means what it means in Resolve or Premiere. Click the picture to play or pause.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Play or pause |
| J, K, L | Shuttle: J backwards, K pause, L forwards. Press J or L again for 2× and 4×. |
| , and . or ← and → | One frame back or forward |
| Shift ← → | One second |
| I and O | Set the in and out points of a range |
| Esc | Clear the range and any drawing |
| ⌘ Enter | Post the note |
| ? | Show the shortcuts |
Stills zoom with the scroll wheel, the − and + buttons, or a double-click. Audio shows its waveform. Documents open in a new tab, with notes pinned to the file.
Comments
- Pause on the frame, or set I and O for a range.
- Draw on it if it helps: arrow, box or freehand, in red, yellow or green. On a still, “Pin” marks a spot.
- Type the note. Type
@to mention someone from the studio; they get a notification that opens the note. - Choose Public or Internal, then “Post”. Public notes are seen by clients on share links and in the portal. Internal notes stay in the studio. The studio’s default is set in Studio settings.
The marker appears on the scrubber: public in red, internal in grey. Each note has Reply and Resolve, and a switch between Public and Internal. The filters at the top show Open, Public or All notes.
When a new version is stacked, open notes carry forward with a “from v1” marker.
Versions and Compare
The v1, v2 buttons at the top switch versions. Each has a status dot: green for approved, amber for needs review, grey otherwise. The Versions tab lists who approved what and when.
“Compare” plays versions together with one scrubber: side by side, stacked up to four, or a swipe across the frame. Files in the same folder can be compared too.
Approve or request changes
Admins and editors decide. “Approve v2” records it at once. “Request changes” asks for a summary for the editor; the open notes go with it.
The decision shows as a banner on the version, with who decided, when, where (in Pictures Up, from the client portal, or from a share link) and the note. It is kept in the Versions tab for good. Change your mind from the decision pill, or “Reopen for review” to put the version back to Needs review.
Approvals and change requests create a notification for the studio, and one for whoever uploaded the version.
Export
The Export menu on the Comments tab writes the open notes out:
- CSV: timecode, author, note, status, visibility and version.
- Resolve EDL: one marker per note, coloured by status, to import with Resolve’s “Timeline Markers from EDL”. Marker times start from the file’s start timecode, or 01:00:00:00.
Download and share
“Download” offers the proxy and the original. “Share” opens a share link for the file, invites a client to review it in the portal, or opens all share links. See Sharing links.
When the preview is not ready
While a preview is uploading or processing, the viewer plays the original if the browser can, and comments work either way. If the preview failed, the stage says why and offers “Retry” and “Download original”. Frame-accurate stepping needs the preview.
Good to know
- Everyone can post, reply and mention. Viewers can only change or resolve their own notes. Crew see files on their own productions only.
- A note holds up to 4,000 characters, a change request up to 2,000.
- “Render on my Mac” needs Pictures Up Drive, which is not part of this build. “Retry” renders on the server instead.