In response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in remote work, we are offering our review and approval software, ftrack Review, completely free of charge until 31 May, 2020.
By making ftrack Review free for all, we hope to encourage business continuity in the creative sector while we navigate these unpredictable waters. We’re in this together, so let’s tackle it together.
A message from ftrack CEO and founder, Fredrik Limsater, about the decision and how ftrack Review can do its small part to help in these challenging times:
The COVID-19 pandemic has caught us all unawares. Few could have predicted the impact this situation would have across all aspects of our lives or the new working landscape it would bring into effect.
Our top priority in this trying time is the health and safety of our families and the ftrack team. You can learn a little more about our response to the pandemic here. Beyond this, we want to use our technology to help others.
How can we come together to support one another and offer something that benefits us all as we navigate these uncharted waters?
As the creator of workflow solutions that support communication, collaboration, and teamwork for creative teams, wherever they happen to be, our products are in a unique position to help with the challenges facing us today. I feel very strongly that as a company ftrack is in a position to alleviate the pressures placed upon the creative industries as the virus spreads across the globe.
We’ve thought a great deal about what this means and what it enables us to do. Here’s what we came up with…
ftrack Review is completely free!
We have made ftrack Review completely free of charge to support the creative industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This action commenced on 17 March, 2020, and will run until 31 May, 2020. (However, we are watching the situation closely, and may extend this date accordingly as the situation continues to unfold.)
There are no obligations to buy following the free period. We are donating ftrack Review solely in the hope that it will help to ease the burden on creative teams as they react to the sudden changes imposed on us all. We’re in this together, so let’s tackle it togther.
Why we have made ftrack Review free to all
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of people working remotely, many of them unexpectedly and without the tools or infrastructure to work as efficiently as they would on-site. For many employees, working from home comes not as a perk but as a mandatory and disruptive response to the coronavirus disease.
In the creative industry, enforced remote workflows can confuse established iterative cycles as collaboration takes place at a distance. We feel ftrack Review can help mitigate these problems.
We designed ftrack Review to address the issues of remote collaboration from day one. The platform is used daily by all kinds of teams, not just those who are distributed, but it is especially beneficial for those who, for whatever reason, cannot be in the same place.
Given the capability of our tools in the light of the current situation, we felt it our responsibility to support creatives and maintain business continuity by making ftrack Review free of charge until 31 May, 2020.
We believe that in doing so, we can support in some small way the capability and close collaboration of creative teams, even within the unpredictable situation in which we find ourselves.
What is ftrack Review?
ftrack Review is a review and approval tool that you can use out-of-the-box to help (suddenly) remote teams collaborate on digital asset creation.
With ftrack Review, you can collaborate on, review, and approve media directly via your desktop or mobile web browser. Contextual comments and annotations eliminate confusion and do away with the need for endless email threads. ftrack Review accepts a vast range of media formats as well as multi-page PDFs. Every ftrack Review workspace gets 250 GB of storage, too.
What’s next?
As the virus continues to disrupt established work patterns, it remains our priority at ftrack to enable creative teams to work from anywhere, anytime, while staying connected with their teams. My colleagues and I hope that this small gesture assists with the continued collaboration of creatives, even during this challenging time.
At ftrack, we stand ready to offer help wherever we can while continuing to support customers of both ftrack Studio and cineSync to reduce disruption on work.
In the meantime, our thoughts are with all those impacted by this global crisis. We look forward to a return to normal.
– Fredrik Limsater, ftrack CEO and founder
Fredrik Limsater
CEO and founder, ftrack
“Given the capability of our tools and in light of ongoing global affairs, we felt it our responsibility to make ftrack Review free of charge until May 31, 2020. There are no obligations to buy once the period is over. We are donating ftrack Review solely in the hope that it will help to ease the burden on creative teams as they react to the changes imposed on us all.”
FAQs
What happens after May 31, 2020?
Free access to ftrack Review will end. Free users of the software don’t have to do anything. Their accounts will not be auto-renewed, and they will not be charged. However, if they wish to continue using ftrack Review they can purchase a subscription.
What does the free version of ftrack Review include?
Everything that you would receive if you paid for the software.
How can I sign up to a free account of ftrack Review?
Head here to sign up your team. You only need one workspace for your team, so other team members won’t need to sign up too. Reviewers external to the organization, e.g. clients, can easily be invited to specific review sessions via a link. They don’t need a license, just an invite!
How much does ftrack Review usually cost?
$15 per month, per user
How can ftrack Review benefit remote creatives?
ftrack Review makes it easy to give and receive feedback on all kinds of creative media, in both still and video formats. Using contextual annotation and commenting tools, users can write or draw on a frame to suggest specific, clear-cut tweaks or amends. ftrack Review keeps all communication in one tidy, accessible place. As ftrack Review is browser-based, it can be accessed easily via desktop or mobile hardware. Inviting someone to a review session is as simple as sending a link. The recipient just needs to click on it to dive in and start collaborating.
Who is ftrack Review for?
Teams at all levels use ftrack Review, from creative supervisors and team leaders, to front-lines artists and the clients for whom they produce work. Anyone working on visual media and running it through a creative sign-off process/delivering iterations or versions of that media as it’s worked on and evolves, can benefit greatly from using ftrack Review.
Where can I go to get information on how to use ftrack Review?
Head to the ftrack Review help page. Our support team is also always on hand – get in touch with ftrack support.
How else is ftrack responding to the COVID-19 outbreak?
ftrack is already well set up for remote work. We have mandated that our worldwide team works from home for the duration of the pandemic. We have also canceled all travel and events for the foreseeable future. We are communicating with our employees to ensure they adopt best-practice precautions and preventive measures at all times. We will also continue to support ftrack Studio and cineSync, and make sure that the teams using these tools get the most out of each product as they produce work remotely.
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