EDITLOCK A calmer client video review workflow (that doesn't cost per seat)
A simple, repeatable way to run client review — from first cut to approved lock — without the feedback scattering across email, WhatsApp, and downloads.
Most review chaos comes from feedback arriving in the wrong shape: a voice note here, a screenshot there, an email saying “the bit near the middle feels slow.” You then translate all of it back onto a timeline yourself. Multiply that across a few reviewers and a couple of versions and you’ve lost an afternoon to admin.
Here’s a workflow that keeps it calm.
1. Send one link, not one file
Downloads fork instantly — the moment someone has a copy, you’ve lost track of which version they’re commenting on. Send a single review link instead, so everyone is looking at the same cut and their notes attach to it.
The catch on per-seat tools is that inviting people costs money, which pushes you back toward sending files. A storage-based tool removes that friction: invite the client, the producer, and anyone else for free, and keep everything on one link.
2. Make feedback frame-exact
Ask for comments on the frame, not in prose. “Tighten the transition at 01:12” is actionable; “the pacing feels off somewhere” is a guessing game. Timestamped, on-frame comments turn vague reactions into a punch list you can work straight down.
3. Resolve as you go
Mark comments resolved as you address them. It gives the client a live view of progress and stops the same note coming back twice. When the list is empty, you’re genuinely done — not “probably done.”
4. Get an explicit approval
Before you touch finishing, get a clear sign-off on a specific version. Not a thumbs-up in chat — an actual approval recorded against the cut.
5. Lock it
Lock the approved version as the reference. New cuts can stack on top for any future changes, but the signed-off version stays unambiguous. That’s your picture lock, and it’s what protects colour, sound, and everything downstream.
The pattern
One link → frame-exact comments → resolve → approve → lock. It’s not complicated, but it only stays calm if adding people to the review is free. That’s the whole reason Editlock is priced on storage instead of seats: so the good workflow is also the cheap one.
Starter post you can rewrite for your own voice.