The video revision glossary
Short definitions of the words editors and clients use during a round of feedback, from timecodes and markers to picture lock and scope creep.
- Prelap
- In film editing, a prelap (or J-cut) is when the audio of the next scene starts before the picture cuts to it, so you hear what is coming before you see it. The product Prelap borrows the name: you get the client's notes as a clean checklist before you make the cut.
- Revision round
- One cycle of the review loop: the editor delivers a cut, the client sends feedback, the editor makes the changes and delivers the next version. Most contracts include a fixed number of rounds, usually two or three, with extra rounds billed separately.How to keep rounds from spiralling
- Timecode
- The exact position in a video, written as hours:minutes:seconds:frames (for example 00:01:15:12). A timestamped note tells the editor precisely which frame the client means, instead of 'near the start'.
- Frame-accurate
- Precise to a single frame rather than to the nearest second. At 25 frames per second, a note that is off by one second can point at 25 different frames, so frame-accurate feedback matters for cuts, transitions and text timing.
- Timeline marker
- A flag placed at a specific timecode inside an editing program such as DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, usually with a colour and a comment. Exporting client feedback as markers puts each note on the exact frame in the editor's timeline.Exporting markers to your NLE
- NLE (non-linear editor)
- The software an editor cuts in: DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer or CapCut. 'Non-linear' means clips can be arranged and re-arranged in any order without touching the source footage.
- EDL (edit decision list)
- A plain-text list of edits and timecodes that almost every editing program can read. It is the most universal way to move markers or cuts between tools when a native format such as FCPXML is not available.
- FCPXML
- Final Cut Pro's XML format for timelines, clips and markers. Review tools export feedback as FCPXML so each note becomes a marker on the correct frame in Final Cut Pro. Premiere Pro uses its own XML; DaVinci Resolve accepts CSV and EDL.
- Picture lock
- The point where the visual edit is final and no more cuts will change. After picture lock, work moves on to colour grading, sound design and graphics, so any new visual change request is effectively a new round of work.
- Scope creep
- When a project's work quietly expands past what was agreed, usually through small requests that each feel too minor to bill. In video editing it shows up as extra revision rounds, new shots and re-cuts. The fix is to separate fixes from new requests the moment feedback arrives.How to stop scope creep
- New request
- A change that adds work outside the original brief, as opposed to a revision that refines existing work. Labelling new requests separately is what makes a revision policy enforceable and extra rounds billable.
- Review and approval
- The process of a client checking a cut, giving feedback and eventually signing off. Traditional review tools run this inside a portal the client has to log into; a zero-login approach lets the client review, record a voice note and approve from a single link.How review tools compare
- Zero-login review link
- A private, unguessable link that opens a cut in the browser with no account, password or app required. The client can watch, leave a timestamped note, record a voice note or approve the version, and everything lands in the editor's workspace.Sharing a review link
- Version (v1, v2, v3)
- One delivered cut of a project. Each revision round produces a new version, and keeping every version intact gives the editor and client a full history of what changed and what was approved.
- Revision checklist
- A list of every change a client asked for, one per line, each with a timecode, the specific change, a category and whether it is a fix or a new request. It is the editor's working document for a round and the record of what was agreed.Free revision checklist template
- Voice-note feedback
- Client feedback recorded as audio, typically a WhatsApp or iMessage voice message, rather than typed. It is the most common feedback format and the least useful on a timeline until it is transcribed and split into timestamped tasks.Turning voice notes into a checklist
Every note, on the right frame
Prelap turns the voice notes your clients record on a zero-login link into a timestamped revision checklist, exported as markers to your editor. Free to start.