"Not quite" and "make it pop" are the most common edits and the most expensive: the artist guesses what was meant, and the round is wasted. Feedback that's understood the first time is simple to put together.
Tie each edit to a place
Take a screenshot of the render, put numbers on it, and below it a list by number. Any image editor works, even drawing with a finger on a phone.
Describe the result, not the method
"Darker knob, like the sample" beats "reduce brightness by 20%": the artist knows how to get there, and you know what the result should be. If you have an example, attach it: a photo of the sample, a frame from another render, a reference.
One list per round
When edits arrive one by one from different people, they contradict each other: one asks for a lighter background, another for a darker one. Collect the edits within your team, resolve the conflicts and send one list from one person. How this ties into the stages of the work is covered in Stages of 3D visualization.
Errors and wishes, separately
- An error is a difference from the product, the drawings or the brief: the wrong shape, a missing part, the wrong color. It gets fixed without discussion.
- A wish is a matter of taste: warmer light, a higher angle. It helps to mark it as such — the artist can then suggest their own take or show two options.
Say what's already good
This isn't politeness. If the reply contains only edits, it's unclear what else is approved. A line like "shape and angle approved" saves a whole round.
A change of task is not an edit
If the task has changed — another color, a different format, a new platform — say so directly and separately from the edits. That makes it easier to agree on what gets redone and in what order.
What it looks like in practice
- Velesgard: several rounds of edits on materials — metal instead of "plastic" — on the background and on how readable the logo was.
- Prime Box: the brief's edits pointed at specific parts — rivets and screws, textures, fans with an "infinity effect", the logo color.
Common mistakes
- "Don't like it" with no explanation of what exactly.
- Edits as voice messages, one at a time.
- Contradicting edits from different people.
- Shape edits on the final render.
Checklist
- A screenshot with numbers, plus a list.
- Each line says what's wrong and what the result should be.
- One list from one person per round.
- Errors separate from wishes.
- What is already approved.
- Changes to the task in a separate message.
