Clients can send you videos the same ways they send photos. Each video is uploaded straight to the video host, then made web-ready: a player for watching, a poster image and lighter copies for background loops. Videos show up next to the client's photos, in the same folders.
Where clients can upload videos
- Onboarding form: each service on the Services step has its own video box under its photos. Those videos go into that service's folder, next to its photos. Videos that aren't about one service go in Other videos under Additional Information. Everything joins the client's media when the form is sent.
- Upload link: the same page as photos has an Upload videos box. If the client picks a folder first, the videos go into it as well.
- Client portal: in the Media tab (when you've switched it on for the client), with the same folders as their photos. The Upload photos & videos button takes both, and so does dropping files on the tab. (Uploading in the portal is only on the Media tab.)
You can upload videos yourself from Client → Media (the Videos box under Media Gallery) and from the editor's CMS → Media Manager. In the Media Manager's Client media tab, the Upload button and the drop area take photos and videos together; videos go into Videos. Videos uploaded on its This site tab stay with the site and are listed under Videos there. Every video field in the editor (a CMS collection's Video field, a custom widget's video field, Video Gallery items, Scroll Video, Expanding Media and background videos) has Choose video, which opens the same video picker as the Video widget.
What can be uploaded
- MP4, MOV (iPhone videos included), M4V and WebM.
- Up to 2 GB per video, and up to 200 videos per client (30 on the onboarding form, counting every service's box and Other videos together).
- Uploads go in pieces, so a big phone video can be sent over mobile data. If the connection drops, the upload pauses and carries on when the phone is back online. Each video has its own progress bar with Pause, Cancel and, if it fails, Try again.
- Many videos at once is fine: three upload at a time and the rest show Queued, starting as each one finishes.
- If a lot of videos are sent in a short time, the rest wait their turn and show Waiting — continues in 1:30 (for example). They carry on by themselves when the time is up; nothing needs to be uploaded again.
- If the video storage is full, the box says so once and the remaining videos stay Queued. Once it's sorted, click Try again and they carry on.
- Ask your client to keep the page open until every video shows Processing… or Ready.
After uploading
- A video shows Processing… for a minute or two while it's made web-ready.
- Then it shows Ready, with its poster and length. Open it to watch it, change its name and description, or move it to another folder.
- If a video can't be used, it says why in plain words (for example, the file isn't a video, or it's longer than 12 hours). Export it as an MP4 and upload it again.
When a client sends videos, you get the same "… has uploaded new images" email and Client upload notification in the bell as for photos (at most one per client a day).
Who can change what
- You can rename, move and delete any of the client's videos. Deleting a video removes it everywhere, including pages that play it.
- In the portal, clients can rename, move and delete only the videos they sent themselves.
If the upload box says Video uploads aren't set up yet, video hosting hasn't been connected for your account yet. Contact support.
Using the videos on a site
- In the editor, every video picker has a Client videos tab. You can also ask Zeus in the editor, for example "use the roof cleaning video here". He finds the video by its folder or name and puts it in a Video element, or behind a section if it's a short clip.
- Create with Zeus asks whether to use the client's videos and where. Name videos clearly, and keep a service's videos in its folder, so Zeus puts each one in the right place. A video with "testimonial" or "review" in its name is treated as a testimonial.
Examples
- Customer testimonial: the client films a happy customer on their phone and uploads it through the upload link, named "Testimonial - Mrs Jones". Zeus treats it as a testimonial when he builds the site.
- Service clips for each page: on the onboarding form, the client adds a 20-second clip under "Deck Staining". It lands in the "Deck Staining" folder next to the photos, ready for that service page.
- Big file on a building site: the client starts a 1.5 GB upload on mobile data, loses signal, and it carries on when the phone reconnects.
Limits and what it can't do
- MP4, MOV, M4V and WebM only, up to 2 GB and 12 hours each.
- 200 videos per client; 30 per onboarding form.
- Three upload at once; the rest queue.
- Videos can't be uploaded in the Client → Details form's service boxes; those are photos only.
- In the portal, clients can only change the videos they sent themselves.
Who can use it
- Your team: anyone with the Clients tool, from Client → Media, and anyone with Mount Olympus from the editor's Media Manager.
- Clients: through the onboarding form and upload link (no login), or the portal's Media tab when you've switched it on and they have the Media permission.
Troubleshooting
- "Video uploads aren't set up yet": video hosting isn't connected for your account. Contact support. Photos still work.
- "Video uploads aren't available right now — please try again later, or send the video to your agency another way.": the video storage is full. Contact support; videos already sent are safe.
- "Up to 200 videos can be kept — delete some first." / "Up to 30 videos can be added on this form.": the limit is reached. Delete old videos on Client → Media, or send the rest through the upload link after the form.
- "This video is too long. Videos can be up to 12 hours.": trim it and upload again.
- "This file couldn't be read as a video. Export it as an MP4 and upload it again.": the file isn't a real video or is damaged.
- "The upload didn't finish in time. Please upload it again.": the upload stalled for too long. Try again on a better connection.
- Stuck on "Still processing — it'll appear in the library when it's ready": long videos take a while. Leave it; it shows up when done.
- "Selected folder does not exist": the folder was deleted while the page was open. Reload and pick another.