Online proofing is the process of reviewing and approving creative files — videos, PDFs, images, and designs — through a shared web tool instead of email, printouts, or messaging apps. If your feedback currently arrives as a mix of screenshots, forwarded emails, and 'can you jump on a quick call', online proofing is the system that replaces all of it.
How online proofing works
You upload a file, share a link, and your reviewers open it in a browser. They leave comments directly on the work — a pin on a design, a note on an exact video frame — and you see every comment in one dashboard. You revise, upload a new version to the same place, and the reviewer approves when they are happy. The entire review and approval loop lives in one shared workspace.
What problems it solves
Email feedback scatters. Notes arrive from different people at different times, they contradict each other, and you spend hours reconciling them onto the file. Online proofing fixes this by keeping one live version everyone comments on, showing who said what, letting you resolve comments as you address them, and stacking versions so nothing is confused between drafts.
Who uses online proofing
Anyone who sends creative work to someone else for sign-off: video editors and production companies collecting client feedback, designers and studios proofing artwork, marketing teams routing campaign assets through review and approval, and agencies managing dozens of client projects at once. The common thread is a need to reach a clear, documented approval.
What to look for in an online proofing tool
The essentials: support for the file types you actually work in (video, PDF, image), pinpoint and timestamped comments, version stacking, and formal approval with an audit trail. Just as important is friction for your reviewers — the best tools require no account and no install, because every extra step between you and client sign-off costs you time.
“Online proofing replaces a scattered inbox with one shared review: a single live version everyone comments on, versions that stack, and a documented approval at the end.”
What good online proofing gives you
- One live file everyone reviews, instead of forwarded attachments
- Comments pinned to the exact spot or timecode
- Version stacking so drafts never get confused
- Comment resolution tracking as you work through feedback
- A recorded approval with name, version, and timestamp
- No account required for the people leaving feedback
Frequently asked questions
What is online proofing?
Online proofing is reviewing and approving creative files through a shared web tool instead of email or printouts. Reviewers comment directly on the file, versions stack in one place, and the work ends with a documented approval.
What is the difference between online proofing and file sharing?
File sharing just moves a file from A to B. Online proofing adds the review layer: on-file comments, version control, and formal sign-off. You can share a file anywhere, but only proofing gives you a structured, documented approval.
Do reviewers need to install software?
With modern tools, no. Reviewers open a link in any browser and comment or approve without installing anything or creating an account, which is what keeps client feedback fast.
Can online proofing handle video as well as PDFs?
Yes. Good proofing tools handle video with timestamped comments, PDFs and images with pinpoint annotations, and keep them all in one place so a mixed deliverable does not need a separate tool per format.
FileFeedback
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FileFeedback lets clients leave frame-accurate, timestamped comments directly on your videos and images — no more email chains, no more confusion about which version they mean.
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