Hightail Spaces Proofing Tools
Hightail’s newest feature, Spaces, offers lots of online proofing and collaboration tools (see previous post for review of using Spaces video proofing). In addition, Spaces is able to upload and review a variety of different file formats.
Video files (.mp4, .wmv, .mov, etc.):
Allows you to view the video directly in the Spaces browser window (not necessary to download), comments can be placed on specific frames throughout the video as well.
PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx):
Allows you to view previews of the slides but the preview is a static rendering of each slide – no animation/transitions/videos (like a PDF proof).
Photoshop (.psd), Illustrator (.ai), Image (.png, .jpg, etc.), and PDF:
All show a preview image of the file, which is fantastic to preview the editable files, but only on the viewable layers when the files were saved.
Word (.doc, .docx):
Only shows a preview of the file – again like a static PDF proof; however, you can use the comment feature to highlight changes needed.
Overall, the features offered by Spaces are very useful to anyone reviewing and collaborating on a project of any kind. The only real drawback is the limitation with previewing PowerPoint files directly in the browser (which is a big deal to us!). Other than that, proofing is very simple and worthwhile to ensure a smooth collaboration process.
-Troy @ TLC
Hightail Spaces Video Proofing
Hightail, formally YouSendit, has introduced a new tool, Hightail Spaces. So in addition to the file sharing services, they have added an online tool for video and image feedback.
Using Hightail Spaces for client file review is pretty straight forward and similar to Wipster (see previous post). Here is a quick walk through of the collaborative process:
1. Log in (or sign up) to your account, and click on the Spaces tab.
2. If it is your first time accessing, click Get Started, and Accept.
4. All of your Spaces show up, which makes it easy to have separate folders/Spaces for each client or project.
5. Hover over a Space and click to View any files, get a share link, or delete that Space.
6. Spaces can be personalized to a project or client with a: (1) custom name and (2) description. The (3) chart icon shows the analytics of that Space.
7. When viewing a space, use the Share button to invite clients to securely view any files in there.
8. To add a video for review, either Drag and drop or click the plus icon (which also allows files to be uploaded from other services: Dropbox, Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive).
9. Once uploaded, every file is displayed with a preview thumbnail.
10. To review, your client just clicks on the thumbnail which opens the video preview and the comments side panel. To add a comment, drag a marque directly on the video and type any comment, then click Post. The comment pane lists all of the comments and replies. A really great feature is that the video playback has a red dot for each comment.
10. Spaces allows multiple versions. The current version is displayed at the top of the page. Previous versions are viewable by clicking on the version number in the list.
12. Access and share links are controlled by the overall Space and the individual files. (1) Access can be public or private (2) Copy a link to send in an email, text or IM. (3) Access options include edit, comment, download, and (4) Share directly on Slack (if you use that).
Note: Download options are only available with a paid subscription.
Hightail Spaces is another client review option to check out. There are both free and paid options.
-Troy @ TLC
Wipster.com – Online Tool for Video Review
Videos projects, or PowerPoint decks exported to video, are sometimes difficult to send to a client due to large file size. They are also difficult for the client to provide exact feedback. Wipster is one online tool that provides a solution to both difficulties.
Wipster is an online tool that makes getting video to a client, and giving them a way to give you feedback, very easy – and secure. Upload a video to your Wipster account, send a secure link to your client and they can view online, and have a set of tools to make comments and feedback for you to review. Feedback is pinned to a specific frame of the video so you know exactly what is being referenced.
Here is a quick demo of using Wipster to get feedback, or approval, of a video:
1. Upload the video with a drag and drop system (or click upload to get an upload screen).
2. Review uploaded video or a new version (there is a versioning control built in). Links can be sent to videos, information can be added and they can be moved to a specific folder or deleted. All the vital information is also available: version number, the upload date, the number of reviewers, and the number of comments.
3. To share the video, select the Share video
4. Pick the review options, including feedback notes and an approval button. The video can be password protected, downloads disabled, and commenting turned on/off.
5. When reviewing, adding comments is super easy and intuitive. Click and drag a window around the exact area, on an exact frame, to provide feedback on. Then, type feedback into the comment dialog box. All reviewers are notified of new comments and they can reply to them.
6. To view all comments as an action To Do List, click on the button in the upper right hand corner.
7. A list of all existing comments will expand on the right side of the screen. As you complete each item, check the box next to the Reply…
If an updated version is created, rather than setting up a new Wipster review, just upload the new version to the original video. Everyone is notified of the new version, the feedback process can simply continue until everything is approved and you get the electronic approval to finalize and turn on the download link so the client can have the video for use.
There is a free account option, and approximately $15 month for unlimited video proofs. Wipster just announced a new feature last week that integrates directly into Adobe Premiere called “Wipster Review Panel for Adobe Premiere” which may change the way we implement client feedback on video projects.
-Troy @ TLC
New Podcast Released Today!
Take a listen to the latest Presentation Podcast, “Presentation Software; Setup, Best Practices, Tips & Tricks.” Episode 4 at The Presentation Podcast!
How Do You Proof a Presentation…?
Developing a great presentation involves a lot of communication between designer and presenter. There are lots of options for supplying a proof to a client and receiving feedback and direction on content – some proofing rounds and processes are good, some hinder.
On The Presentation Podcast, a recent episode was all about design studios sending proofs of presentations from clients, listen to it here.
Here is a quick overview of the 4 most common options for providing a proof:
- PDFs are easy to create directly from PowerPoint, are easy to email, are mobile device friendly and have a great built-in commenting function. But they are static, so transitions, animation and video are not seen.
- Video is also easy to export directly from PowerPoint and show all animations, transitions, custom fonts, etc. The downside is that the files can be large and there is not an easy way to provide feedback/comments.
- Sending an editable PowerPoint file is the easiest option. The biggest concern is version control (who is working and minor items like custom fonts, client changes not being caught [for design, file size, etc.]) and ensuring what was designed is what is being seen.
- Co-authoring and collaboration, which can be the built-in Office 2016 feature or an external program, have improved to the point of being a valid solution. But I find the most common issue is scheduling – designer and client having same time available to “meet” can be difficult.
The next few posts are going to demo some of the online proofing tools TLC Creative has been using.
-Troy @ TLC
Crop to Aspect Ratio & Shape in PowerPoint
When PowerPoint added image crop capabilities, the need to rely on Photoshop (or other external image editing programs) was amazingly reduced. The Image Crop tool has some great advanced options that are not well known, or used nearly enough. So, here is a demo of two great tools hidden in PowerPoint’s Image Crop tool.
Here is our sample slide and original image, a tall rectangle:
If the goal is to use a perfect square image, it is only 3 clicks away:
- Select the image
- Go to FORMAT > CROP > ASPECT RATIO
- Select 1:1 and the image is cropped to a perfect square (1:1 aspect ratio) – without the image being distorted
- The bonus click would be moving the image within the crop to adjust what is visible
- 3 clicks and our test slide image now looks like this:
The same can be used for the common 4×3 and 16×9 aspect ratios and several other options!
Another great, but not well known, option of the Image Crop tool is changing the shape of any image. All of the shapes dialog, used to add a PowerPoint shape (rectangle, circle, trapezoid, etc.) are available to images too.
- Select the image
- Go to FORMAT > CROP > CROP TO SHAPE
- Select any available PowerPoint shape
- 3 clicks and the image can be an oval or trapezoid:
-Troy @ TLC
Applying Line and Paragraph Spacing
Quick Shortcut to Apply Line and Paragraph Spacing
The F4 key reapplies the last action. It’s a great timesaver for those repetitive actions – an especially helpful task in customizing the line and paragraph spacing in a text box where not every paragraph gets the same spacing. Here is my sample slide with several text boxes and several paragraph spacing opportunities to improve the legibility.
If the formatting goal is to add some additional paragraph space between the bullets on each text box, the process unfortunately involves selecting the bulleted text in one text box, opening the paragraph spacing dialog, adjusting, closing dialog and then repeating the process in the next text box.
As a shortcut, adjust the Line and Paragraph spacing, then select the next text box and position cursor on the next bullet line. Use F4 to repeat the step automatically! F4 applies the last action made, so in this case you can go from the above sample slide to the one below in less than 30 seconds vs. several minutes selecting text boxes and opening/adjusting the Line and Paragraph dialog 6 times.
The F4 repeat works on virtually any command while editing slides. Another great use is formatting text in Tables – in this sample F4 was used to quickly add the text indenting for each 2nd line.
Also, Ctrl Y is another key command that does the same thing. So F4 or CTRL+Y repeat the last command. Test it out and see how it can save you time.
-Troy @ TLC