If you received a MediaSilo Review Link, this article will show you how to approve and make comments on the videos in the link. We’ll also review video-player controls for adjusting playback speed, playing a video on a loop, and more. In addition, if you have access to a MediaSilo workspace, we’ll show you how to comment on a file directly from Projects, without needing a Review Link.
- Log In to Comment on a Video
- Commenting Tools
- Approve a File
- Review a File with Multiple Versions
- Video Player Controls
- In-Project Asset Commenting
Log In to Comment on a Video
To comment on a video, you must first log in to MediaSilo. This allows us to attribute comments to the people who made them. In a Review Link, you’ll find the comment field directly below the video player. Click it to start making comments.
If you are not logged in to MediaSilo, a window with login options will appear.
Click Sign in with MediaSilo if you already have a MediaSilo account. You’ll be asked to enter your email address, so we can send you a login link.
To create a free account for reviewing links, click Create a new MediaSilo account. Enter your name and email address, and then check your inbox for a confirmation email. Click the Start Reviewing button contained in the email to finish the login process. You’ll automatically go back to the Review Link, where you are now ready to make comments.
As an alternative, you can also log in with your Google, Slack, Apple, or Microsoft account. For SSO users, click Sign in with MediaSilo to go through your company’s login screen.
Commenting Tools
You can comment on a specific timecode or a timecode range. For general feedback, you can also leave comments that don’t correspond to a specific timecode.
• Comment on an exact timecode: Go to the timecode where you want to leave a comment. (You can hit the spacebar to play and pause the video; use your left and right arrow keys to go one frame back or one frame forward.) Make sure the checkbox under the comment field is checked, so it turns blue. Then, type your comment, and hit Enter.
- Comment on a timecode range: Make sure the checkbox under the comment field is checked, so it turns blue. Then, type your comment. Under the progress bar, click and drag the brackets to adjust the timecode range. You can use your left and right arrow keys to move the start and end points to an exact frame, or hit the Escape key to clear the range altogether. Once you’ve set a range, hit Enter or click the arrow at the end of the comment field to submit your comment.
• Comment without a timecode: To leave a comment that does not correspond to a particular timecode, uncheck the box under the comment field. Then, type your comment and hit Enter.
|
What if I don’t see the commenting option? Every Review Link has its own settings. If the comment field is not displayed, you can ask the link sender to turn on the commenting feature. |
A circle below the progress bar indicates that a comment was made at this point in the video. The circle displays the commenter’s profile image, or (if they haven’t uploaded an image) their initials. When you click on one of these circles, you’ll see a blue line next to the corresponding comment in the comments section.
If you select a comment that was made on a timecode range, you can limit playback to that specific time range: select the Loop option to play the time range on a loop or Play Once to stop playback at the end of the time range (See Video Player Controls for more). To resume playback outside the time range, just hit the Esc key or click the blue Clear Range button.
When a comment is selected, you can also copy the URL in your browser’s address bar and share it as a direct link to the comment. Upon opening the URL, the video playhead will be positioned at the comment timecode. If it’s a range-based comment, then the playhead will be positioned at the start of the corresponding time range.
To open and close the comments section, click the speech-bubble icon in the top right.
At the top of the comments section, you can search through comments, including replies, using the search bar. Click the filter icon to view all comments or just yours, and to choose your sorting preferences. Click “Show resolved” to display any comments that have been marked as “resolved.”
Edit or Delete a Comment
If you need to make changes to any of your comments, you’ll find Delete and Edit buttons directly below each comment.
After you click Edit, a text field allows you to make changes; be sure to hit Enter or click Save. When you click Delete, your comment is permanently deleted.
Keep in mind that the only person who can edit or delete a comment is the person who made the comment. Even if you are an administrator in the workspace that contains the file, you cannot make changes to another person’s comments.
Reply to a Comment
To reply to anyone’s comment, including your own, click the Reply button directly below the comment. Then, type your comment and hit Enter.
Replies are indented below the original comment in the order in which they’re made.
Annotations
In addition to comments, you can make annotations directly on the screen. Just select the brush icon under the comment field and start drawing. When you’re done, you can enter a corresponding comment in the comment field, and hit Enter.
Click the paint palette icon to change your brush color. To erase a drawing, click the eraser icon and drag it across the annotation you want to remove.
Export Comments
You can export comments by clicking the down-arrow in the top right, followed by Export.
You can export comments in three different formats: .txt, .csv, and .xls. Text files are formatted to be imported into Avid Media Composer's Markers panel as Comment Markers. Simply right-click within the Markers panel, select the text file, and click "Import Comment Markers." The comments will populate on the sequence timeline and match the timestamp and commenter of the original comment.
Resolve Comments
Once a comment has been addressed, you can click the blank circle next to the comment to mark it as “resolved.” This allows you to hide comments that are no longer relevant and avoid clutter in the comments section.
Resolving a comment does not delete it. You can still see resolved comments by clicking the filter button next to the search bar and selecting “Show resolved.”
Click the resolve button again to "un-resolve" a comment.
Approve a File
To approve a file, click the thumbs-up button in the top right.
Keep in mind that you must log in to MediaSilo before you can approve or make comments on a video. This allows us to attribute comments and approvals to the people who made them.
After you approve a file, the link sender is automatically informed via a notification email. If someone has approved a file, you’ll see a checkmark over that person’s avatar in the top left.
In the event you approve a file by accident or simply change your mind, click the thumbs-up button again to undo your approval.
Review a File with Multiple Versions
When you open a file in a Review Link, the latest version is the first one you see. To select a different version, click the blue V button at the top of the page. This button is only displayed if a file has more than one version.
Click the speech bubble in the top right to open and close the comments section. If you don’t see the speech bubble, then commenting is not enabled for this Review Link.
The comments displayed here correspond to whichever version is currently selected. You can make or edit comments on the latest version of a file, but comments from previous versions are read-only.
To review two versions side by side, click Compare Versions in the versions menu.
This will open the Version Comparison window, with the latest version on the left. Use the menu on the right to select a different version to play back at the same time.
In the top right, you can choose to view comments from a specific version or all comments from all versions. This lets you review notes from the entire review process and make sure they’ve been properly addressed.
A version number (e.g., “v2”) is displayed next to the commenter’s name; this indicates which version the comment was made on. Below the video player, you can add a new comment to the latest version.
| MediaSilo users can also comment on files directly from Projects. When you’re reviewing a video in side-by-side Review Mode, you have the option to edit, delete, resolve, or reply to comments from previous versions. In Review Links, these options are available for the latest version but not for previous versions. |
As you compare versions, you can continue using hotkeys. You can find a list of hotkeys by clicking the gear icon along the bottom of the video player and selecting Keyboard Shortcuts. Note that full-screen mode is not available when comparing versions.
Click the audio button next to the version whose audio you want to hear.
When you’re ready to exit the Version Comparison window, click the Exit button in the top left corner.
| To learn more about versioned files in MediaSilo, please see Use Versions to Manage Your Revisions. |
Video Player Controls
You can choose your viewing preference by clicking the button to the right of the Play button:
- select Play Once so the video player stops when the current video finishes playing
- select Auto Advance to automatically play the next video in the Review Link (if any)
- select Loop to play the current video on a loop
When a range-based comment is selected, the “Loop” option will play the corresponding time range on a loop. “Play Once” will stop playback at the end of the time range. (“Auto Advance” does not apply when a range-based comment is selected.) When you’re ready to resume playback outside the time range, just hit the Esc key or click the blue Clear Range button.
Click the 1x button to adjust your playback speed. Options range from .25x to 2x the normal speed.
The timecode is displayed in the center of the video player toolbar. You can choose from four different formats to display the timecode:
- Standard: hours:minutes:seconds
- Timecode: hours:minutes:seconds:frames
- Timecode Offset: hours:minutes:seconds:frames
- Frames: frames
Note that Timecode Offset is only available if the video actually has a timecode offset.
Click Show Duration to display the video’s duration alongside the timecode.
On the right side of the toolbar are the volume slider and arrow buttons for going back or forward by five seconds.
Click the gear icon to access additional video settings. The QC Mask menu lets you apply an aspect-ratio overlay to the video. Click Guides to show lines indicating aspect ratio and action-safe and title-safe zones. You can select black, white, adaptive, or no guides. Adaptive guides change depending on the frame, becoming darker over bright areas of the screen and brighter over dark areas.
The Show Comments option is also available when you click the gear icon. When this option is selected, a comment is displayed directly above the progress bar as the video reaches the point where the comment was made.
The profile image of the person who made the comment is displayed next to the comment. As the video continues to play, the comment disappears automatically.
Turn on Show Drawings to see any annotations a person has drawn on the screen, or turn it off if you need a completely unobstructed viewing experience.
The final item in the gear menu is Keyboard Shortcuts. Click this to view a chart of time-saving shortcuts.
For more information about a file, such as size and dimensions, click the options menu next to the asset title and select View file info.
The options menu also contains the Open in Desktop button, so you can access the Review Link directly from the MediaSilo desktop app. If you’re already on the desktop app, then you will see Open in Browser instead. To download the desktop app for Mac or Windows, please click here.
In-Project Asset Commenting
If you have access to a project in a MediaSilo workspace, then you can make comments on a file directly, without creating a Review Link. Just open the file and click the blue Review Mode button in the top right. This launches a review screen with all your commenting and annotation tools.
To view and make comments in Review Mode, you must have commenting permission in a project. If you don’t see the Review Mode button, please ask a project owner or workspace administrator to assign you a role with commenting permission.
Who Can See My In-Project Comments?
When you comment on a file in Review Mode, your comments are visible to other workspace users with access to the file, as long as those users have commenting permission. If the file is shared in a Review Link, then your comments are also visible in the comments section in the link. Any comments made in the link will appear in Review Mode as well, turning the comments section into a centralized place for all your feedback.
If your workflow requires a private review session instead, you can create a Review Link where comments are only visible within the link itself. When creating the link, just turn on the toggle “On this link only.” When the toggle is on, any comments made within the link are only visible to people with access to the link. The comments will not appear in Review Mode.