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Creative Production Company Consolidating Adobe After Effects and Frame.io
Company Situation
The company operates within the creative production industry, specializing in producing explainer videos primarily for software companies. Their team consists of three editors: one lead motion graphics editor and two producer-editors. They collaborate closely on After Effects projects, sharing assets and project files to produce high-quality video content efficiently.
Existing Workflow
Currently, the team relies heavily on Adobe After Effects for editing and Frame.io, included in their Adobe subscription, for reviewing cuts. For sharing projects and assets, the editors compress After Effects project files and associated assets into zipped folders, which are then uploaded to cloud storage platforms like Google Drive for sharing with other team members. This process involves manually packaging the project each time updates are made, which can take up to 10 minutes per instance, followed by uploading and sharing links for access.
Issues with the Existing Workflow
The compression and upload process for After Effects projects is time-consuming and repetitive.
Frame.io is primarily used for review purposes and not optimized for project file sharing or live asset collaboration.
Attempts to use Frame.io’s project sharing features have been unsuccessful due to current limitations and lack of support.
The need to re-upload zipped project files after every change creates inefficiencies and potential version conflicts.
Storing and sharing large project assets (approximately 200 GB per 10-video project) leads to concerns over storage costs and file management.
Lack of seamless integration between After Effects and the cloud storage means editors must manually manage linking and asset updates.
How Shade Would Change Their Workflow
Shade offers a cloud-based NAS system that allows the team to store all source media assets in one centralized location accessible to all editors without the need to download files locally. Instead of compressing and uploading entire project folders repeatedly, editors can save After Effects project files that reference media stored directly in Shade’s cloud environment. This setup mimics the functionality of solutions like LucidLink, enabling real-time access to media without delay or the need for constant uploading. Editors would only need to upload updated project files, while the media assets remain persistently available and linked in Shade. This reduces redundant file transfers and eliminates the manual compression step, streamlining collaboration and improving workflow efficiency.
Benefits
- Centralized cloud storage for all media assets reduces duplication and manual file handling.
- Seamless, near-real-time access to source files without local downloads or lengthy uploads.
- Eliminates repetitive compression and upload steps for project sharing.
- Simplifies collaboration across distributed teams by maintaining consistent, live access to assets.
- Cost-effective storage by avoiding unnecessary duplication of large files.
- Improved version control and reduced risk of asset mismanagement.
- Compatible with existing Adobe After Effects workflows, minimizing disruption.
Technologies Used
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