Streamline creative feedback with powerful, frame-accurate playback tools, designed for teams reviewing image and video work. Perfect for shot review, dailies, or edit approvals, all within your pipeline.

Key Features

• 🎞 Curated playlists
  Organize shots and edits into playlists to review in a set sequence.

• ⚡ Fast, precision playback
  Seamless frame-accurate playback with zero lag between edits.

• ✏️ Creative drawing tools
  Pressure-sensitive annotations for expressive, clear visual feedback.

• 👁‍🗨 Held frame annotations & ghosting
  Let annotations persist across multiple frames or fade in and out across time, giving you more flexibility for dynamic, expressive feedback—ideal for animation notes and motion reviews.

• 🆚 Version comparison
  Quickly compare shots side by side or overlay with older versions.

• ⏩ Skippable handles
  Watch edits with or without head/tail handles for focused review.

• 🎛 View controls
  Flip, flop, add guides or mattes to frame shots exactly how you want.

Creating Review Sessions

A review session is essentially a playlist of versions you want to review. There are three primary ways to create a review session:

1. From a Selection of Entities

The fastest way to create a review session is by selecting one or multiple folders, tasks, or versions in AYON and then running the "Create New Review Session" action.

From Folders and Tasks

If you select folders or tasks, the system will automatically pick the latest uploaded version for each selected folder or task to include in the review session. This is particularly useful for quickly reviewing the most recent state of a sequence of shots. For example, selecting 10 folders will result in a review session with 10 versions, each being the latest from its respective folder.

Temporary Review Sessions

When you creating a review session through the actions menu, it will automatically opened as a temporary session. This means the session is not saved permanently by default. However, you can make a temporary session permanent by giving it a name and saving it. If you close the tab before saving, the session will be lost.

2. From an Existing List

You can create a review session from a pre-existing Lists of entities within AYON. Lists are collections of entities of the same type (e.g., a list of tasks, a list of folders, or a list of versions).

Creating a review from a list:

• Action on the List: You can run the "Create Review Session" action directly on a list.

  

• Right-Click Menu: Right-click on the list itself and select "Create Review".

  

• Create Review Button: Look for a "Create Review" button within the list interface.

  

When creating a review session from a list of folders or tasks, the system will find the latest version for each item in the list and add it to the review session.

3. From the Review Tab

The dedicated Review Tab provides another way to initiate a review session.

• Creating from the Tab: Within the Review Tab, click the "+" button. This will display a list of all your available lists. You can then select a list to convert it into a new review session.

4. Updating Review Sessions

Once a review session has been created you can:

• Add additional versions to the session

• Remove versions from the session

• Re-order the versions

Navigating the Review Session UI

Once you open a review session, you'll be presented with a dedicated interface designed for efficient content review.

Timeline Options

The review session features two primary timeline options at the bottom of the screen:

Timeline (Default)

This view shows a full and relative length timeline of all clips together. You can see the exact duration and frame count of each clip.

• Navigation: Drag along the timeline to navigate.

• Zoom: Zoom in and out to adjust your view.

• Setting In/Out Points: Click on individual clips to set the in and out points to that specific clip. This allows you to focus on and loop a single clip within the sequence. Clicking again will remove the in/out points.

Clips

This view displays each version as an equally sized tile, without frame information. It's ideal for reviewing assets or content where sequential playback is not critical. Clicking a card will take you to that clip in the viewer.

Clip-Specific Timeline

Above the main timeline, there's a smaller timeline dedicated to the currently selected clip. This timeline always represents the length of the individual clip you are watching, allowing you to easily navigate to different frames within that specific clip.

Basic Playback Controls

• Play/Pause: Use the Spacebar or K shortcut.

• Frame Backward/Forward: Use the Left/Right Arrow keys to move one frame at a time.

• Next/Previous Clip: Use Shift + Left/Right Arrow keys to jump between clips in the session.

• Go to Start/End: Jump to the very beginning or end of the entire review session.

Viewing Controls

• Flip Vertical (Y) / Flip Horizontal (X): Vertically or horizontally flip the image.

• Guides and Mats (Shift + G): Toggle overlays and mats at different aspect ratios.

• Mute/Unmute (M): Mute or unmute the audio track.

• Pan: Hold Option and click-drag to pan around the image.

• Zoom: Hold Control and click-drag to zoom in and out.

• Reset View: Double-click to reset the image to its default view.

• Full Screen (F): Toggle full-screen mode.

In and Out Points, Looping and Handles

• Setting In/Out Points (I for In, O for Out): You can manually set in and out points across the entire timeline to define a specific segment for review.

• Loop (L): Toggle looping. When enabled, the playback will loop between the defined in and out points.

• Handles (H): Toggle the visibility of start and end handles.

Guest Access and Client Review

AYON allows you to securely share specific review sessions with external stakeholders, such as clients or vendors, without giving them access to your full project. Guests are invited by email and use a secure, passwordless "magic link" to log in.

How to Grant Access and Invite Guests

Giving a guest access and sending them the invite link is a two-step process, giving you full control over when and how guests are notified.

Step 1: Grant Access

1. In your review session, go to the Share tab.

2. In the guest management area, you can search for an existing guest (by name or email) or add a new one by typing in their email address.

3. If you add a new guest, you can give them a name for easier tracking (e.g., "Client Director").

4. Assign a Comment Category: This is a mandatory step if you want the guest to be able to leave comments. The category you select (e.g., "Client") controls their commenting ability and visibility. See the "Guest Commenting" section below for critical details.

5. Once added to the list, the guest now has access to the review session, but they have not been notified.

Guests are saved at the project level. The next time you invite the same email address to a review in that project, AYON will remember their name.

Step 2: Send the Invite

The guest will not receive an email until you manually send the invitation.

1. Select the guest (or guests) from the list.

2. Click the Invite button.

3. This will send the "magic link" email to the selected guests. You can re-send this email multiple times if the guest loses the original or needs a new link.

Revoking Access

You can revoke a guest's access at any time.

• Simply select the guest from the list and remove them.

• Once removed, they will no longer be able to access the review session, even if they have a previous invite link.

The Guest Experience: Login & Access

Secure, Passwordless Login

Guests receive an email with a unique, one-time "magic link."

• Clicking this link automatically logs them into the AYON review session. No password is required.

• For security, this link expires after one use. If a guest's session ends, they can use the original link again, but they will be prompted to receive a new email link to log back in.

• This system prevents unauthorized link or password sharing.

Scoped Access

Once logged in, the guest has a highly restricted view. They can only access the specific review session they were invited to and its associated versions. They cannot browse any other part of your project.

Guest Commenting and Visibility

A guest's ability to comment is controlled entirely by Comment Categories.

• Enabling Comments: To allow a guest to comment, you must assign them a Comment Category (like "Client") with Creator permissions when you grant them access. If no category is assigned, the comment box will be disabled, and they will have view-only access.

• Locked Category: Guests are locked to their single assigned category. When they type a comment, it is automatically tagged with that category. They cannot see or select any of your other internal categories.

• Filtered Comment View: A guest's view of the activity feed is filtered for security and clarity:

  1. They can only see comments made on the versions within that specific review session.

  2. Of those comments, they can only see comments that match the category they were assigned (e.g., "Client") or comments with no category ("Standard").

  3. This automatically hides all historical internal discussion.

This system allows for granular control. For example, you can invite a "Client" and a "Vendor" to the same review session. By assigning them different categories, they can both leave notes without seeing each other's private feedback, while your internal team can see everything.

Internal Access Control

By default, Review Sessions are visible to project members. You can further restrict or manage who on your internal team can access a specific review session.

Annotations and Comments

The review addon provides robust tools for drawing on images and leaving feedback.

Creating Annotations

• Color Picker (Q): Use the color picker to select colors directly from the image.

• Brush Size: Use the bracket keys ([ and ]) to decrease or increase brush size.

• Eraser: While on the brush tool, hold right-click to temporarily switch to the eraser.

Held Frame Annotations

When you create an annotation, a small green dot will appear underneath the clip timeline.

• Single Frame Annotation: Click and drag this dot to different frames to reposition a single-frame annotation.

• Held Frame Annotation: If you click and drag slightly outside the handles of the green dot, you can create a held frame annotation. This allows your annotation to be visible over a range of frames. You can set the start and end frames for the held annotation.

Comments and Annotations Relationship

• Starting a Comment: When you create an annotation (or held annotation), a comment is started. The comment is not fully created until you submit it, with or without additional text. The annotation image along with its associated frame range (e.g., a single frame or a range like 10-15 frames for a held annotation) will be attached.

• Multiple Annotations per Comment: A single comment can have multiple annotations linked to it, even on different frames or the same frame. This allows for comprehensive feedback within a single comment.

• Multiple Comments: You can create multiple comments, each with its own set of annotations across various frames.

Viewing Annotations

• Play Annotation (Play Icon): Each attached annotation on a comment will have a play icon. Clicking this will play the annotation within the viewer.

• Expand Button: An "Expand" button will show you a rasterized image of the annotation on top of the comment.

• Download Annotation: You will always have access to the annotation image as a downloadable file.

• Visibility (Default): By default, annotations are not visible during playback.

• Show All Annotations (/): To automatically display all annotations from all comments during playback, use the forward slash (/) shortcut or click the corresponding button.

• Viewing Specific Annotations: To see a specific annotation, either click the green area under the timeline associated with that annotation or click on the comment itself, which will highlight the annotation.

• Navigate Annotations: Buttons are available at the bottom of the viewer to jump to the next/previous annotation in the timeline.

Comparison Tools

Since each clip in a review session is a version, the addon offers powerful comparison capabilities to see how different versions stack up.

• Accessing Comparison: Click the "Compare" button at the top of the viewer or use the C shortcut.

• Selecting a Version for Comparison: Choose a different version to compare against the currently displayed clip (e.g., comparing Version 2 with Version 1).

Comparison Modes

• Swap: Replaces the current version with the comparison version.

• Overlay: Overlays the comparison version on top of the current one, allowing you to fade between them using an opacity slider.

• Split: This mode allows you to view a portion of one version and another of the other, providing a direct side-by-side comparison within a single view.

• Side-by-Side: Shows both versions completely separate, next to each other.

Multiple Comparisons

You can have multiple comparisons active on different clips simultaneously within the same review session. This allows for complex comparative analysis across various parts of your content.

Version Switcher (Top Left)

In the top left corner of the viewer, you'll find a version switcher. This is distinct from the comparison tools.

• Purpose: The version switcher allows you to permanently swap out the version currently in the timeline for a different one.

• Saving Changes: When you click "Save" after switching a version, the change will be saved, and the new version will be displayed when you return to the review session.

Review Session Name and Editing

At the very top of the review session, you'll see its name.

• Edit Button: An "Edit" button is available next to the name, allowing you to update and save the review session's name.

• Saving Transient Sessions: If you started a temporary (transient) review session, giving it a name and saving it through this interface will convert it into a permanent review session that you can access later.

Sync Sessions

In the top right corner, you'll find a "Start Syncing" button.

• Initiating Sync: Clicking this button initiates a sync session.

• Joining Sync: Anyone else who joins the same review session link will have the option to join the active sync session.

• Synchronized Playback: When in a sync session, all participants will have their review viewers synchronized. If one user navigates to a specific frame, zooms, or pans, all other users in the session will see the exact same view, facilitating collaborative review.

Managing Review Sessions

Managing Sessions in the Review Tab

The Review page is a dedicated space for managing your review sessions in detail. This interface allows you to not only organize your sessions using folders but also to interact with the content within them.

From the Review tab, you can perform several key actions:

• View Versions: Expand a review session to see all the versions it contains.

• Add and Reorder: Easily add new versions to a session or reorder existing ones to fit your presentation needs.

• Rename and Edit: Rename review sessions for clarity and see detailed information about each one.

• Organize with Folders: Just like with lists, you can use folders to group and manage your review sessions, keeping your workspace tidy and efficient.

Upcoming Features

We plan to add more feature to the Review Addon and we would appreciate your feedback on what your own studio requires.

Management (upcoming)

• Ability to lock a review session or set a due date for it lock automatically.

Advanced Comparison (planned)

• The ability to compare a version with another version from a completely different product.

• Difference compare mode.

Visuals in this article “review sessions” are from "Wing It!" by Blender Studio (CC BY 4.0) – studio.blender.org.