How to Onboard Freelance Video Editors: Files, Permissions, and Handoff

When you bring a freelance editor onto a project, send more than the camera files. A missing font can change a title, old review notes can send the cut in the wrong direction, and a preview link may leave the editor unable to open the footage in Premiere or Resolve. Prepare the editing project, dependencies, access, and review instructions together before the first session. Have the producer write one handoff document covering what the freelancer needs to see, where they will save work, who resolves conflicting feedback, and what they must deliver when the assignment ends. Link that document from the invitation so the editor can find the instructions alongside the files. Suppose a freelancer joins your agency for two weeks to make a 60-second campaign film and three shorter versions before handing the project back to an internal editor. Here is how the producer can prepare the files, configure Aspect access, and arrange a handoff that lets the internal editor continue the work.

Set the project boundary before inviting the editor

Start by listing the content the assignment requires. For this campaign, that might include selected footage, interview audio, approved graphics, licensed music, the current edit, and review references. Budgets, unrelated client work, and internal planning documents don't need to be in the same shared project. In Aspect, workspace roles and project roles answer different questions. A Limited Member can only see explicitly assigned projects. Their role within each assigned project then controls what they can do. The Editor project role includes viewing, downloading, commenting, and editing; Full Access also includes sharing. The sharing and permissions documentation describes both levels. The Editor role applies throughout its project, so a folder named Internal doesn't create a private area within it. For this example, create a campaign editing project containing the material the freelancer may work with, and keep restricted agency material in a separate project. If the editor needs read-only access to camera originals and editing access to working files, put those files in separate projects with the corresponding roles.

Separate folders make read-only media access and editing access distinct.

For this campaign, assign access as follows:

Person	Access method	Permissions	Purpose
Agency producer	Workspace account with campaign project access	Full Access on the campaign project	The producer manages content and sharing.
Freelance editor	Limited Member, explicitly assigned to the campaign project	Editor on that project	The editor reads media, saves work, and responds to comments.
Client reviewer	A separate link to the review cut	Viewing and commenting; downloading disabled	The client leaves feedback without receiving an original download.
External graphics contributor	A link to a dedicated contribution folder	Viewing and adding content; other controls only as needed	The contributor supplies graphics without joining the workspace.

Every share link allows viewing of the content it exposes. A contribution folder should therefore contain only material suitable for that contributor; don't assume an upload-enabled link is a private, upload-only mailbox. Likewise, the project Commenter role includes downloading. Choose a comment-enabled guest link with downloads disabled when the requirement is review without file delivery.

Prepare one starter package with clear file ownership

The starter package should explain where work lives as well as what to make. Use a short brief at a predictable location, with the project owner, editing application and version, sequence settings, delivery requirements, first review deadline, and approved references. Identify the exact sequence to continue if an edit already exists. For the example campaign, a project could contain these folders:

Campaign_Editing/
  01_Brief_and_References/
  02_Source_Media/
  03_Audio_and_Graphics/
  04_Editing_Projects/
  05_Review_Exports/
  06_Final_Delivery/

The numbers make the folders easy to scan; they don't assign permissions. Explain which files are source material and which are working copies. Ask the editor to preserve source filenames and paths, and to put newly created assets in the shared project before using them in the timeline. Otherwise an apparently complete delivery may still reference a file on the freelancer's desktop.

The timeline still depends on a file outside the shared project folder.

List dependencies that folders alone can't explain. These include fonts, third-party effects, graphics templates, color transforms, and any media the team is not permitted to redistribute. For each dependency, state how the editor obtains it or what approved substitute to use. If the internal editor will lack a required effect, agree on an appropriate rendered element or other handoff before editing begins. Also decide how the editing project itself changes hands. Aspect provides shared media and synchronized files; the editing application provides its own collaboration behavior. In this example, the freelancer owns the working project until the agreed handoff. If your team has several editors working at once, configure the application's collaboration workflow before they begin. The Premiere workflow guide separates individual projects, Productions, and Team Projects so shared storage is not mistaken for automatic protection against conflicting edits.

Open the project on the editor's workstation

Invite the freelancer through workspace Settings → People, select Limited Member, and assign the required campaign project with the chosen project role. Have the editor accept the invitation and open the campaign project before the first session. The editor installs the Aspect desktop app for macOS or Windows, signs in, and mounts the project. It then appears as a drive in Finder or File Explorer, ready to open from the editing application. Use the editor's project account for this workflow; send guest links to people who only need to review or download selected files. For a download-based assignment, provide the selected files through an appropriately configured download link and agree where local copies will live. Before the full editing session, work through these steps together:

Open the starting project. Confirm the intended sequence, linked media, fonts, and effects load without unexpected substitutions.
Play footage from each camera setup. Include the codecs, frame rates, audio layouts, and graphics used in the assignment, rather than checking only a reference export.
Save a small working revision. Have the producer confirm it's available from the shared location after synchronization or upload finishes.
Create a short review export. Confirm the naming, destination, and review process before the editor produces the first complete cut.

If the originals stutter during playback, try a local copy to find out whether the connection is the bottleneck. Pin the files when the connection can't keep up, or generate lighter editing proxies if the computer also struggles with local originals. Attach proxies in the editing application and check their timecode, frame rate, duration, and audio layout against the originals. For offline work, follow the pinning guide and wait for completion before disconnecting. Pin the timeline's referenced media and supporting assets as well as the project file. If finishing offline, include the originals needed for export. A project file on its own doesn't contain the footage it references.

Give the editor review context and a decision owner

Tell the editor what the first review covers. For example, the producer might want to settle the story and timing before the client reviews graphics refinements. State what is open for feedback, who consolidates conflicting notes, and which person can approve delivery. This prevents an editor from interpreting two incompatible comments as equally actionable instructions. Keep each review export identifiable, such as Campaign_Main_60s_v03, and name the corresponding editing project or sequence in the handoff note. When using Aspect version stacks, upload the new export, add it to the stack, and check that the intended revision opens by default. Comments remain associated with the version on which they were made, so the freelancer can distinguish previous requests from new feedback.

Comment dots attach to the exact review version where they were made.

The producer should record the approval against a named revision. If the team uses an asset-level approval status, assign responsibility for updating it. In Aspect, approving a comment and changing a custom approval-status field are separate actions. A resolved note or approved comment should not silently become permission to deliver an entire new cut.

Accept the editable handoff before closing access

Build time into your schedule for the internal editor to inspect the returned project while the freelancer is still available. The internal editor should be able to change the sequence and export it, including any graphics or effects added during the assignment. Ask the freelancer to save and close the working project, finish any required collaboration changes within the editing application, and wait for uploads or synchronization to complete. The receiving editor should then check:

Editing project: The correct project or supported project handoff opens, with the final sequences clearly identified.
Referenced assets: Media resolves from the agreed locations, including newly created graphics, audio, and nested project dependencies.
Application dependencies: Required fonts and effects are available, or the agreed replacements and rendered elements are included.
Approved delivery: The final exports match the named revision that received approval, along with any required captions, audio files, or alternate formats.
Continuation notes: Known limitations, outstanding changes, source restrictions, and any manual relinking steps are recorded.

Compare the opened sequence with the final reference. Export a section that includes the added graphics, effects, and audio to catch any dependencies that only fail during rendering. Record who accepted the handoff and where it lives. If something is missing, resolve it before withdrawing the access needed to upload or correct it.

Close every access route and account for local copies

Once the handoff is accepted, remove the freelancer's campaign access in the project's People settings. If they have no remaining assignments, review their responsibilities and remove their workspace membership as well. Separately remove access to any editing collaboration service used for the job; an Aspect permission change does not administer those other accounts. Next, inspect the share links created for the relevant assets, folders, collections, and project. Disable temporary links or delete links whose URLs should no longer be used. Closing one link leaves other links and workspace access unchanged. The sharing security guide explains these controls, including passwords and expiration dates. Set an expiration during onboarding, but still review the links at closeout because the assignment may finish before that date. Use the project permissions and share-link controls to end access; archiving a project leaves those permissions and links in place. Finally, complete the local-copy arrangement established at the start. Revoking access cannot recall downloads, exports, or copies made outside the platform. Ask the freelancer to account for those locations, including permitted backups and editing caches, and confirm the agreed return, retention, or deletion. Unpinning releases guaranteed offline storage, but Aspect may retain recently accessed data in its cache, so it isn't evidence of complete erasure. Where verified deletion is required, follow the organization's device cleanup process. Keep the accepted project location, access-removal date, closed links, and any authorized retained copies in the handoff record. The next producer can then see both how to reopen the work and whether anyone outside the current team still has a legitimate route to it.

FAQ

An editor working inside Aspect or mounting a project needs an account and project access. A Limited Member is appropriate when they should see only assigned projects. Someone who only needs to download selected files, review a cut, or upload a delivery can use a share link without an account, with the necessary permissions enabled.

The project Commenter role includes viewing, downloading, and commenting. For a reviewer who should comment without downloading, use a share link with commenting enabled and downloading disabled. Check the exact access method because project roles and share-link permissions are different controls.

A Limited Member only sees projects where access has been explicitly granted. Their project role then applies throughout the assigned project, including its folders, assets, and collections. Keep material requiring a different access boundary in a separate project, or share selected content through a suitably configured guest link.

No. Revoking project access or disabling a share link does not recall downloaded copies. Include local downloads, pinned media, editing caches, exports, and any other permitted copies in the closeout process. Unpinning also does not guarantee immediate removal of every cached byte, so use your organization's device cleanup procedure when verified deletion is required.

Agree on an editable handoff containing the final editing project or the editing application's supported handoff, its source media references, any newly created assets, required fonts and effects information, and a record of the approved cut. The receiving editor should open it on another workstation, check for missing dependencies, and confirm that the delivery can be reproduced before access closes.