A file called homepage-final.mp4 arrives with the instruction “put this on the site”. It plays on the editor’s computer, but that leaves several questions for the developer: which version is approved, should it loop, does it need sound, and what part of the page is it meant to explain?
Agree the delivery before the final render. Record the intended placement, aspect ratio, duration and whether an alternative mobile composition is required. Include the approved poster image if the design calls for one. A desktop banner and a narrated product demonstration have different jobs, even when both arrive as MP4 files.
Separate the file from the player
First open the delivered file locally and compare it with the agreed brief. Check its actual dimensions, beginning, ending and sound. If the correct local file plays properly but the website version does not, keep that working file as the reference while investigating the upload or player configuration.
For a Lightworks-based workflow, checking the sequence, range and settings before export helps prevent another common handoff mistake: sending a source clip or a marked excerpt instead of the intended finished sequence. The file name cannot establish what the render contains.
Give each approved version a distinct name and retain the previous delivery until the replacement is checked. Repeatedly overwriting one “final” file makes it difficult to tell whether the browser, hosting layer or colleague is showing an earlier revision.
The Lightworks Guide website has independent tutorials for the editing side of this process. On the development side, test the published result at its intended size and on the required devices. Successful export and successful presentation are two checks, and the handoff should make both possible.
