Project management software for video production, without losing a rush or a version

Why does video production management fall apart?

Editing produces files that travel badly. Raw footage from a shoot is huge, a 2 GB export won’t go through email, transfer links expire, and every client replies through a different channel (email, WhatsApp, a comment under the video). The result: you no longer know which version was seen, or which one was approved.

The second problem is the feedback loop. One client writes “cut at 1:12”, another says something else, a third writes three days later on an outdated version. Each round trip costs half a day of editing.

Running a video agency means setting a version naming rule, one place to review and approve, and a number of feedback rounds agreed in advance.

How do you organize a video project from start to finish?

Create one project per client (or per video for big formats) with steps named after your real process:

• Brief and references: goal of the video, length, tone, examples they like, output formats (16:9, 9:16, 1:1).
• Shoot: scout, shoot day and delivery date on the schedule, releases and permits as client tasks.
• Receiving rushes: the client sends a download link (Drive, WeTransfer), you check the files, organize them and keep the link in the project.
• Logging and V1 edit: a first complete version, without fine color grading.
• V1 feedback: one round of consolidated, dated comments, with a client-side deadline.
• V2 edit: corrections, music (royalty-free or licensed), subtitles, color grading.
• V2 feedback and approval: the client approves or asks for one last revision.
• Cutdowns and delivery: final export, formats (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), short versions for social, subtitles, thumbnail.

What is the best way to get a client to approve a video?

In XTablo, the client watches the preview, comments and clicks “approve” or “request changes”. Only turn on the apps you need: they see only what you decide, project by project.

• Steps: the roadmap with dates. The client knows whether you’re editing or waiting on feedback, without asking (steps).
• Files and approval: you upload a file of 25 MB or less (storyboard, thumbnail, music license, version sheet) and name it clearly, for example “Client_Teaser_V1”. The client opens it, comments and clicks “approve” or “request changes”. Their feedback is attached to the file (deliverable approval). Each project has 20 GB (files).
• Tasks: your tasks (“sync the music”, “add subtitles”) and theirs (“send the logo as SVG”, “approve by Thursday”).
• Discussion: quick questions stay in the project, not in a WhatsApp group (discussion).
• Brief form: length, formats, distribution platforms, references, everything lands in the project (forms).
• Quotes and invoices: to attach the quote for the job, see the quotes and invoices page.
• Project templates: save your process (brief, shoot, rushes, V1, V2, cutdowns) and reuse it for every new video (project templates).
• Content calendar: plan when the cutdowns go out on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, with the client’s comments on each post. XTablo doesn’t publish for you (content calendar).
• Branded portal: the client lands under your logo and your address (branded portal) and installs it like an app on their phone (mobile app).

Which tools can you connect to video production management software?

Vimeo, YouTube and Loom links show up directly in the XTablo project.

Available now. Paste a Vimeo, YouTube or Loom link into the project: the preview shows up and the client watches your V1 without switching tools. It’s a link, not a sync, and the player loads on click. A private Vimeo video with a password works great for working versions. Use Loom to explain an editing choice in two minutes. Google Drive lets you share rush folders by link. Dropbox and WeTransfer have no integration: just paste their link into the project. Google Calendar or Outlook receives your shoot dates. Figma and Canva display your thumbnails and visuals, and Miro a moodboard or storyboard. Slack links a project to a team channel (Agency plan and up). Clients text you on WhatsApp? The beta (Agency plan and up) links those conversations to projects, and your team replies from XTablo.

No integration. Frame.io, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve have no connection with XTablo. You combine them by link or exported file, as explained below.

Do you still need Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Frame.io?

Yes: XTablo isn’t an editing tool, nor a frame-by-frame review tool. Keep Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve for editing, and Frame.io if your clients need to comment down to the timecode.

Here is a simple combination. You edit in Premiere or DaVinci, export a working version, and upload it to Vimeo (private) or Frame.io. You paste the link into the XTablo project, at the “V1 feedback” step. The client sees the video in their portal, with the task “send your feedback by Thursday”. If your client wants to comment to the second, they do it in Frame.io; otherwise, they comment in XTablo.

A file uploaded to XTablo is capped at 25 MB. To get a heavy version approved, drop a version sheet in Files (a PDF with the version name, the Vimeo link and the points to check): the client approves it or requests changes, and XTablo keeps the record of their “yes”. Final delivery goes through a download link pasted into the project.

Which free resources can you use?

• The client onboarding email tool to welcome a new client and ask for their rushes.
• The client status report tool for a check-in after each delivery.
• The time lost calculator to put a number on the cost of back-and-forth.

How should a freelance videographer or video editor organize their work?

As a freelance videographer, you often do everything from the shoot to the export. The same steps fit in one project, with tasks instead of sticky notes:

• Shoot: scout, shoot and delivery on the schedule. The client sees the dates in their portal.
• Heavy footage: a client task “send the rushes by link”. The link stays in the project, not in a lost chat.
• Logging: one task per interview or sequence to log.
• Subtitles: one task per language, with a deadline. The client proofreads the text in the discussion before export.
• Music and rights: a task with the track, its source and its license, and the license proof as a PDF in Files. XTablo doesn’t check licenses, it keeps the record.
• Cutdowns: one task per format (16:9, 9:16, 1:1) and per short version, then the release dates in the content calendar.

What does a typical week with a video editing client look like?

The rhythm depends on the format, but here is a one-week cycle for a short project (teaser, ad, interview):

• Monday: the client has uploaded their rushes. You confirm receipt in the discussion and move the step to “Logging”.
• Tuesday and Wednesday: V1 edit. You put the private Vimeo link in the project and create the client task “V1 feedback by Friday noon”.
• Thursday: the client comments or approves. You group the feedback by theme.
• Friday: you start V2. One feedback round is included in the quote, a second one is billable.
• The following week: V2 approval, final export, delivery of all formats and project close.

What mistakes should you avoid when running a video editing agency?

• Overwriting versions. Always keep V1, V2, V3 in file names. Without that, nobody knows what was approved.
• Accepting feedback through five channels. Say it in the brief: feedback goes in the client portal, or in Frame.io, nowhere else.
• Not limiting feedback rounds. Put it in the quote: one round included, additional ones billed.
• Emailing a 4 GB file. Put a Vimeo or Drive link in the project.
• Delivering without the music license proof. Drop it in Files before delivery.
• Thinking XTablo replaces Frame.io. It doesn’t comment at the timecode. It organizes the project, hosts the preview and gets approval.