The way Grand Shooting works remains the same regardless of the type of project: you create productions using predefined workflows, then you upload media that progress through the workflow.
The first step generally corresponds to the capture process: you upload the media to the platform, possibly annotate them, and then forward them to the individuals in charge of the next step in the workflow (most often the retouchers or a post-production team).
On the platform, the capture phase is called "Live" (the name comes from the fact that the media are displayed in real time). The default workflow includes one retouching phase called "Phase 1". It is possible to add a second post-production phase and name it as you wish.
Media can be uploaded gradually during the capture (either by drag & drop into Live, or by using the synchronization client). They are immediately available on Live and, if desired, you can grant access to others so they can annotate the media (for example, to provide instructions for retouching) or to perform a selection before sending them for retouching.
The individuals responsible for retouching also access the media in real time, and, if applicable, their annotations. Therefore, they can begin working on the most urgent media if any.
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If you use an external provider for retouching, Grand Shooting also integrates tools to send the media via FTP.
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In case of a problem, the platform raises alerts on Live—for example, for visuals with incorrect naming. At the end of the shooting session, the person responsible for capture reviews these alerts to address them.
By the end of the day, you know that all visuals have been produced.
Depending on your needs, you can configure your workflow to include one or two retouching or post-production phases. This can be useful to separate two different treatments (for example, masking + color correction).
The individuals in charge of retouching deliver the images on the platform in the same way as in the capture phase, by dragging and dropping them into the web application or via the synchronization client.
The platform ensures that everyone shares the same information without having to communicate via email. In particular, retouchers see the selected images, comments, and annotations.
By default, the files uploaded by the retouchers are proposed for validation without any modifications. However, depending on your needs, you can configure exports to apply additional processes, such as:
Depending on your license, starting from a retouched media, you can configure several exports to generate multiple media in different formats (for example, with different names).
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It is common to configure two exports: one to prepare the files according to the specifications of an e-commerce site and another to keep a high-resolution version that can be reused elsewhere.
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Exports prepare the visuals for validation in the expected formats. They also perform a set of checks and issue alerts when the specifications are not met. For example, this is a good way to detect an incorrect file size, improper naming, or a missing color profile.
Depending on your needs, you either validate the exported files yourself or delegate validation to other users (product manager, art director, etc.). The media can be validated or rejected individually, or in bulk.
When you reject a media item, it is advisable to add a comment to guide the retouching on the corrections to be made.
The retouchers are notified of the rejections, correct the media, and upload the revised versions to be resubmitted for validation. This cycle of rejection and validation can be repeated as many times as necessary.
In the example above, you can see that capture is complete, retouching is in progress (5 files have been retouched), and 15 exported files are awaiting validation.
On contact boards, the latest versions are always presented. All previous rejected versions are retained, allowing you to compare different versions and verify that the requested corrections have been made.
Once validated, the files can be downloaded; but the most interesting aspect is that they can be automatically distributed—for example, to a PIM, a DAM, or an e-commerce site (or all three).
Above, you see the workflow of a completed production.
