How to check a batch of video exports before handing it to a client
A video can look correct in the editor and still be the wrong file in the delivery folder. With social campaigns, one deliverable may turn into several aspect ratios, cutdowns, subtitles and client revisions. The risk is less about a broken video player and more about the wrong revision, a missing export, or a file whose technical properties differ from the approved handoff.
Here is a practical, low-cost pre-delivery process.
1. Treat creative approval and technical verification as separate decisions
A human has to approve the actual content. No file hash can verify that a spoken name, legal disclaimer, graphic or subtitle is correct. Conversely, once an approved file is fixed, a cryptographic hash can tell whether the bytes have changed.
I use this two-layer approach:
- Human approval: the content, caption wording, music permissions, color and contractual requirements have been accepted.
- Mechanical verification: the intended relative paths and exact files exist in the delivery folder, with the declared metadata and no unexpected extras.
Never describe a file-integrity PASS as proof of creative or contractual approval.
2. Write down the expected deliverables
Before packaging, record each approved file's relative path. Example:
campaign/
16x9/hero_30s.mp4
9x16/hero_30s.mp4
9x16/hero_15s.mp4
If an agency exports the same campaign in several sizes, verify against an actual delivery manifest, not a quick glance at filenames. A folder can contain both final_v2.mp4 and final_v3.mp4, and both might play normally.
3. Compare bytes and metadata
Compute a SHA-256 hash for each approved asset, and compare the corresponding final-delivery file. Then check the practical metadata:
| Check | What it catches |
|---|---|
| Exact relative path | Missing or wrongly named deliverables |
| Extra-file detection | Accidentally included previews, drafts or alternates |
| SHA-256 equality | Post-approval changes to the underlying bytes |
| Width and height | Wrong aspect ratio or export dimensions |
| Duration and average FPS | Certain incorrect export settings |
| Audio stream presence | Missing audio when audio is required |
A hash mismatch is a review signal: it doesn't by itself explain whether the new bytes are unacceptable. A metadata match is not proof that the picture or soundtrack is creatively correct.
4. Do not package the files until verification passes
Your workflow should fail closed: if a declared check cannot be completed, mark the bundle for review rather than presenting it as approved. If a wrong file is discovered, correct the delivery folder and run verification again before making the ZIP.
For recurring projects, keep a record of what was approved and what was actually delivered. It makes client revisions easier to discuss without relying on memory.
5. Measure the whole workflow, not just one fast command
An automation that verifies files in 30 seconds is not necessarily saving time if preparing the approved baseline and reviewing failures takes ten minutes. Compare the total time for both approaches:
Previous process = setup + manual checks + corrections + packaging.
New process = baseline preparation + automated checks + human review + corrections + packaging.
Test with synthetic or previously completed files first. Never email sensitive client footage as "proof" or bypass an employer's endpoint-security rules.
Try a free local browser comparison
I put together a free browser-side folder comparison that you can use without uploading files to our server. It is intentionally limited: files above its supported local hashing size cannot be marked PASS, and it is not a creative-quality checker.
For Windows users who want a separately approved baseline, declared metadata checks and gated ZIP packaging, DeliveryProof has a five-successful-ZIP free evaluation, with a synthetic demo kit. The executable is unsigned; Windows 10 x64 launch was tested, but Windows 11, enterprise security clearance and real-production time savings have not been independently validated. Don't bypass your endpoint policies.
Disclosure: I develop DeliveryProof. The free comparison and evaluation are my own tools; the checklist above is usable without either of them.
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