Run client review and deliver final files

Delivery is the last stage of a project. It's a single page you build where your client watches each cut, leaves timecoded notes on it, approves the work, and picks up the final files. FirstSlate never stores your video. You keep your masters wherever you already deliver, and the delivery page turns those links into one branded review room. Delivery works the same way on every plan.

Where to find it

Dashboard → Projects → [a project] → Delivery (the seventh stage on the project's page). The button reads Set Up Delivery the first time, Open Delivery while it's in progress, and View Delivery once your client has approved.

The link model: you host, FirstSlate frames

Every cut and final file is a link to wherever the media already lives. In the Cuts for review section, click Add cut, paste the link, give it a label ("First Cut", "Director's Cut"), and add an optional note. Your client always sees the newest cut first; earlier cuts stay visible underneath as Previous Cuts.

How a link appears to your client depends on the host:

• Vimeo, YouTube, and direct video files (a link ending in .mp4, .mov, .webm, including Dropbox file links) play embedded right on the page, so your client can scrub and comment without leaving.
• Frame.io, Google Drive, WeTransfer, and anything else open in a new tab with an Open cut button. Your client can still leave notes using the manual timecode field.

Timecoded review notes

Under the player, your client leaves notes tied to a moment in the cut. On an embedded player, the first time they start typing a note FirstSlate captures the current timecode automatically; they can edit or clear it, or press Use current time to grab it again. Clicking a note's timecode later jumps the player to that spot. Notes are a running conversation. You reply and mark each one addressed from your builder, and you can copy the open notes as a checklist while you cut the next version. Turn notes off per delivery with Allow comments on the review page if you run feedback another way.

Track revision rounds

Set Included rounds to the number your agreement covers. A round is used only when your client formally clicks Request changes. Comments never count, so a chatty review thread costs nothing. Leave the field blank to skip tracking. Once every included round is used, FirstSlate flags it with a shortcut to bill the next round as a change order.

Final files and the payment lock

In Final files, add a label and link for each deliverable (a master file, a social cutdown, and so on). The toggle Unlock final files only after the invoice is paid is on by default: your client sees the files exist but can't open the links until the project's invoice is fully paid (every milestone, if you use a milestone schedule). If there's no invoice yet, files stay locked until one exists and is paid.

The lock withholds the links on the page. It cannot restrict access on Dropbox, Frame.io, or Drive itself, so it protects you only if you use it deliberately:

• Use a fresh link for final files, one your client doesn't already have. A final link that matches a review cut is already in their hands.
• Keep downloads off on your review cuts, and share watermarked review exports so an ungated cut isn't the master.
• Remember that Frame.io or Drive collaborators can reach a file inside those tools no matter what the page shows.
• Revealing is one way. Once payment unlocks the links, your client has them; re-locking later doesn't take them back.

You can also add a Message to client shown at the top of their review page.

Send it to your client

Click Send to Client in the top bar (you need at least one cut with a link). The dialog shows a live preview of the exact branded email. Confirm the recipient, add an optional note, and send. FirstSlate emails the link and marks the delivery Sent. Use Copy Link to grab the link, or Preview to see the page as your client will (their buttons are disabled in preview).

Approval and handoff

On their page, your client either Approves (they type their full name; FirstSlate records the name, timestamp, and IP as the acceptance record) or Requests changes (they describe what to adjust, which starts a new round and notifies you). Once approved, the status becomes Approved, the record locks, and any payment-gated files unlock as the balance clears. To revise, add another cut and send again. Earlier cuts and their history stay intact.

Common questions

Can a client see cuts before the invoice is paid?

Yes. The payment lock applies only to final files. Review cuts are always visible once you've sent the delivery.

Can I delete a cut by mistake?

Only cuts that haven't been sent and have no notes or feedback can be removed. Anything your client has already seen or commented on stays in place so the review history and its timecodes are never orphaned.