Design and video annotation for client feedback
Clients pin comments on your design files and leave frame-accurate notes on video, inside your client portal. You upload the next version, they compare and approve. Included on Pro at $79/mo.
Feedback on the file
Pinned on designs, frame-accurate on video
What does annotation do for client feedback?
It moves the client's feedback onto the deliverable itself. Instead of "the logo feels a bit big on the second slide", your designer gets a comment pinned to that logo. Instead of "around two minutes in", your editor gets the frame.
In AgencyPro, annotation is part of the client portal, so feedback and approvals happen in the same place as the brief, the files and the invoice. Design annotation, video annotation and versioned proofing are Pro features; Basic clients give feedback in request comments instead. See client approvals for how each plan handles sign-off.
Searching for an annotation tool to label training data for machine learning? That is a different category, covered in the last section below.
What can clients do with annotation?
Four Pro capabilities, plus the two details that make them practical day to day.
Clients open an image or PDF attached to the request with View & Annotate and mark the exact spot: draw, highlight, add text, or place a rectangle or circle. Your designer sees the note on the element, not a paragraph describing it.
The client pauses the video on the frame, then draws a rectangle, circle, arrow or freehand mark or adds a text note. Skip back and forward 10 seconds to find the shot. Each note is tied to that frame.
Upload the revised file as a new version. The client compares it with the previous version side by side and checks their comments were addressed.
When the work is right, the client approves that version, so everyone knows which file was signed off.
Clients annotate with the same login they use for requests, files and invoices, under your branding. No separate review tool to sign up for.
Annotation markers and notes are saved on image attachments. Remove each one when the change is done, so what is left on the file is open feedback.
How does annotation compare with email and PDF markup?
Most agencies collect feedback one of these three ways. The difference shows up in round three, when someone asks which comment was about which version.
| Method | Where feedback lives | Which version it refers to | Video feedback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email with screenshots | Spread across threads and inboxes | Often unclear which export the client looked at | Timestamps typed by hand |
| Marked-up PDF sent back | A separate file per reviewer | Tied to one PDF, merged by hand if several people comment | Not possible |
| AgencyPro annotation (Pro) | On the file, inside your client portal | Each round uploaded as a version; compare side by side | Comments on the exact frame |
How does a feedback round work?
A hypothetical video ad review on Pro, from delivered file to approved version. The buttons and tools are the ones in the product.
Example: a video studio delivers a 60-second product ad. The editor attaches "ProductAd_v1.mp4" to the client's request, submits it as proof v1 and moves the request to Client Review.
The client clicks View & Annotate, pauses at 0:12 and circles a logo that is too small, then pauses at 0:47 and adds the text note "price is wrong, should be $49". The brand manager logs in with her own portal account and adds an arrow on the end card.
The editor works through the notes frame by frame and deletes each annotation once the change is made, so what is left on the file is open feedback.
The editor submits v2. The client compares it side by side with v1, checks the logo and price, and clicks Approve. The log records which version was approved.
How do you get usable annotations from clients?
A pin tool does not make feedback specific on its own. Send these instructions with the first review request:
- One pin per change. Five requests in one comment get four of them missed.
- Say what is wrong, not only what to do. "The headline is hard to read on mobile" leaves room for a better fix than "make it bigger".
- Collect all comments from the client team before you start revising, so round two does not undo round one.
- Mark must-fix versus preference, and agree the number of included rounds before the first one.
More on this in how to give creative feedback, which you can share with clients directly.
Which agencies use annotation?
Any agency delivering visual work that needs client sign-off.
Logo rounds, social graphics, packaging and print files. Each comment sits on the element it is about.
Cuts, captions, lower thirds and color. Frame-accurate comments replace "somewhere after the intro" in an email.
Annotate exported mockups and page designs before development starts. For feedback on a live site, use a website feedback tool.
Static and video ad variations reviewed in one place, with the approved version recorded before it goes to the ad account.
When AgencyPro is not the right fit
Annotation in AgencyPro is deliberately focused. If you need more, compare dedicated tools in our client feedback software roundup.
View & Annotate works on images, PDFs and video. Layered or native design files (PSD, AI, Figma) can be stored and downloaded but not annotated, so export a PNG or PDF for review, or use a proofing tool that opens source formats.
We annotate files you deliver, not live web pages. Website feedback tools that overlay comments on a URL are the better fit.
Clients annotate inside your portal with their portal account. No-login review links for annotation are not part of what we document, so if your reviewers expect one, confirm it with us first or choose a tool built around share links.
Bounding boxes, polygons and training datasets belong to data-labeling tools such as Label Studio, CVAT or Roboflow. This page is about client feedback on creative work.
Frequently asked questions
Design annotation, video annotation and versioned proofing are on Pro ($79/mo) and Plus ($149/mo), plus Enterprise. Each extra team seat is $20/mo on Pro, so a 4-person team on Pro pays $79 + 3 x $20 = $139/mo. The 14-day trial includes Pro-level access.
Clients annotate inside your client portal using their portal login. Client accounts are unlimited on every plan with no per-client fee, so you can add every reviewer on the client side at no cost.
Yes. Video annotation is frame-accurate: each comment is attached to a specific frame, so your editor sees exactly which shot it refers to.
Yes. Upload each round as a new version and compare versions side by side. When the client is happy, they approve the version.
Images, PDFs and videos attached to a request get a View & Annotate button, for your team and for clients. Images and PDFs support draw, highlight, text, rectangle and circle marks; videos support rectangle, circle, arrow, freehand and text marks on a paused frame. Other files, such as layered PSD or AI files, can be stored and downloaded but not annotated. Files can be up to 10GB each.
No. Annotation tools for machine learning label images for training datasets. AgencyPro annotation is for clients giving feedback on creative deliverables, like a logo draft or a video cut.