How to get feedback with Dropbox Replay

Updated Dec 09, 2024

The information in this article applies to users with Dropbox Replay and the Dropbox Replay Add-On.

You can get feedback on files with Dropbox Replay, including adding comments, pinning or labeling comments, adding quick reactions, commenting on a range of time, drawing on video and image files, and starting live review sessions.

How to add comments

You can give collaborators permission to add comments on video, image, audio, or PDF files. Comments can also be added to audio or video files during a live review session.

See how to easily collaborate and review videos with Dropbox Replay.

To add comments:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the file you’d like to comment on by clicking on the thumbnail.
Drag the playhead, click on the timeline, or select the PDF page where you’d like to post a comment.
Type your comment in the text field at the bottom.
Click Post.

You’ll see your comment appear on the timeline at the timeframe or page you selected. You can also reply to comments by clicking Reply, edit comments by clicking “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) and then Edit, or resolve comments by clicking the circle icon next to a comment.

How to comment on a range of time

Collaborators can leave a comment over a range of time if it applies to more than just one moment in time. You can select a range of time anywhere in a video or audio file.

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the file you’d like to comment on.
Click on the timeline to indicate the beginning of the clip you’d like to comment on.
Click in the comment box.
Hold shift and drag the playhead to the point where you’d like your comment to end.
Type your comment in the comment box.
Click the dropdown beside Post.
Select Editors (view).
Click Post.

You’ll see your comment appear on the timeline for the range you selected.

Notes:

You can’t change the range once a comment is posted.
If you added a drawing to a comment on a range of time, the drawing will only appear at the beginning of the range.

You can add editor-only comments on Replay files if the person who created the project has the Replay Add-On. Editor-only comments can only be added and viewed by the project owner or someone who’s been added to that specific project as an editor.

To add editor-only comments:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the file you’d like to comment on by clicking on the thumbnail.
Drag the playhead or click on the timeline where you’d like to post a comment.
Type your comment in the text field at the bottom.
Click the dropdown beside Post.
Select Editors (view).
Click Post.

Notes:

Editor-only comments can only be added to projects created by someone with a Replay Add-On, but editors don’t need to have an add-on to leave or review editor-only comments.
You’ll only see the option to add editor-only comments if the file is in a Replay project.
Editor-only comments have a padlock icon in the bottom right and a different background color to differentiate them from public comments.
People outside your Dropbox team can add and view editor-only comments if they’re given edit access to the project.

How to reply with an editor-only comment

Only people with edit access to the project or a project owner can reply with an editor-only comment.

To reply to editor-only comments:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the file you’d like to comment on by clicking on the thumbnail.
Click Reply to editors beneath the comment that you want to reply to.
Type your response in the Reply to project editors box.
Click Post.

Note: Editor-only replies can only be added to editor-only comments.

How to comment on a range of time

Collaborators can leave a comment over a range of time if it applies to more than just one moment in time. You can select a range of time anywhere in a video or audio file.

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the file you’d like to comment on.
Click on the timeline to indicate the beginning of the clip you’d like to comment on.
Click in the comment box.
Hold shift and drag the playhead to the point where you’d like your comment to end.
Type your comment in the comment box.
Click the dropdown beside Post.
Select Editors (view).
Click Post.

You’ll see your comment appear on the timeline for the range you selected.

Notes:

You can’t change the range once a comment is posted.
If you added a drawing to a comment on a range of time, the drawing will only appear at the beginning of the range.

How to pin or label a comment

You can pin and label comments in your video, image, and audio files to call collaborator attention to something specific.

Note: Only creators can pin and label comments.

To pin and label a comment:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the file you’d like to pin comments in.
In the Comments sidebar, click the comment you’d like to pin.
Click“⁝” (vertical ellipsis).
Click Pin.
- Note: Pinned comments will move to the top of the Comments sidebar and the All tab.
Click Add a label at the top of the pinned comment.
Select a label option from the dropdown:
- Final decision
- Open question
- Needs attention
- Still exploring
- Custom

You can filter comments in the sidebar by clicking Filter by under the tabs at the top and selecting Commenter name or Labels.

How to add quick reactions

You can comment with quick reactions when viewing audio and video files in Dropbox Replay. These are emoji reactions with a pre-filled text comment for specific frames. Collaborators don’t need to type a comment or have a Dropbox account to use quick reactions.

To add quick reactions:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the file you’d like to comment on.
Click on the specific place in the timeline you’d like to comment on.
On the right side of the comment box, select a quick reaction comment.
- Note: To delete a quick reaction, hover over your reaction emoji on the timeline and click Delete.

Note: Quick reactions show up on the timeline, but won’t appear in the comment log on the right.

How to view comments on previous versions of a file

You can view resolved or unresolved comments on current or previous versions of a Replay file. You can also filter comments by person.

To filter comments on a file by version:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the Replay project with the comments you want to view.
In the Comments panel on the right, select the Resolved, Unresolved, or All tab.
Click the dropdown beside Current version/Previous versions.
Select one of the following options:
- Check the box beside Current version to see comments on the current version.
- Check the box beside Previous versions to see comments from all previous versions.
- Click Select all to see comments on both the current and previous versions.

Note: When viewing resolved comments from previous versions, you’ll see who resolved the comment and when it was resolved. Comments resolved in the current version will have a timestamp, while comments resolved in previous versions will include the version number in brackets (Example: V2).

How to draw on a video

If you’re reviewing a video, you can draw directly on the video and post your drawings as comments.

To draw on an image or video:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Click the name or thumbnail to open your file for drawing.
Drag the playhead or click on the timeline where you’d like to add a drawing.
Hover over the video where you’d like to draw.
- Your cursor will become a pencil icon.
Hold and drag your cursor to start drawing.
Click the airplane icon to post your drawing as a comment.
- You can also undo your last drawing action by clicking the undo button (curved arrow pointing to the left), delete your drawing by clicking the trashcan icon, select a different color by clicking the color wheel icon, or change the stroke width by clicking the line icon.

Note: You can comment on your drawing by clicking in the comment box at the bottom, and then clicking Post.

Once you post your drawing, you’ll see a new comment appear at the specified timeframe on the timeline. The comment will be annotated with a pencil icon in the Comments section to signify that it’s a drawing.

How to add annotations to an image or PDF

If you’re reviewing an image or PDF, you can add drawings directly on the image or PDF.

To draw on an image or PDF:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Click the name or thumbnail to open your file for drawing.
Click the pencil icon below the comment box to bring up the annotation toolbar.
Click the colored wheel icon to select the color of your drawing.
Click the line icon to select the stroke width of your drawing.
Click the pencil icon, then click on the image or PDF and drag your cursor to add a drawing.
- Use the undo button (curved arrow pointing to the left) to undo your last drawing action.
- Use the redo button (curved arrow pointing to the right) to redo your last drawing action.

Notes:

You can only post a drawing to a single page of a PDF at a time. Once a drawing is posted, you can then add drawings to other pages on the PDF.
To delete a drawing, selecting the drawing you want to delete and click on the trash can icon.

Exporting comments from Replay

You can export comments in the following formats:

XML
FCP XML
JSON
CSV
CSV (condensed)
Plain text
Avid Media Composer text

To export comments from Replay:

Log in to replay.dropbox.com.
Open the Replay project you’d like to export comments from.
In the Comments panel on the right, click the Export comments dropdown beside Comments.
Select the format you want to export the comments in.

The Dropbox Replay and Avid Pro Tools integration also allows you to take comments from a review session and export them directly into your Pro Tools project.

Note: You can also export comments from the Replay app.

Live review sessions

You can start a live review session to review audio and video files with collaborators in real-time. During a live review session, you can comment directly on the frame, as well as see what others are commenting.

If you start a live review session for a video file, you and your collaborators can also draw on the frame and see what others are drawing. Anyone in the live review session can control audio or video playback.

Learn more about live review sessions.

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