DEV Community: Bhavesh Vaghela

How many revision rounds should a video project include?

Bhavesh Vaghela — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 22:06:08 +0000

Revision rounds are where video projects quietly go over budget. The right number depends on how clear the brief is, but a simple structure keeps both sides happy.

Two rounds is a sound default. One round for the main changes after the first cut, and one to polish. Most projects with a clear brief are done after that.

Make the rounds work by stage. Approve the script first, then the storyboard or style frames, then the full animation. A change at the script stage is cheap. The same change after animation can mean rebuilding scenes.

Collect feedback in one list. One person gathers everyone's notes and sends a single message. Contradicting comments from five people across five emails is how a two-round project becomes a six-round one.

Be specific. "Make it pop" gives the editor nothing to act on. "Make the headline appear 0.5 seconds earlier and use the brand blue" does. Timestamps such as 0:12 help.

Separate fixes from changes. A typo or a missed note from the brief should be fixed for free. A new direction after approval is a new request and belongs in a new quote.

Agree it in writing before the work starts. State how many rounds are included, what counts as a round, and what an extra round costs.

Longer guide: How many revisions should a video project include?

Captions in short-form video: the small details that keep people watching

Bhavesh Vaghela — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 22:00:55 +0000

Most short videos are watched with the sound off, so captions are not decoration. They are part of how the video communicates. A few details make the difference.

Keep lines short. One to three words at a time, or one short phrase per screen, is easier to read than a full sentence.

Stay inside the safe area. Reels, Shorts and TikTok all cover parts of the frame with buttons and text. Keep captions in the middle band, away from the bottom edge and the right side.

Contrast first, style second. White text with a solid outline or a soft shadow works on almost any background. Fancy fonts that are hard to read at phone size cost you viewers.

Highlight, don't decorate. Colour the one word that carries the meaning. If every word animates, nothing stands out.

Check the timing. Captions that arrive a beat late feel wrong. Sync them to speech, then watch the video once with the sound off.

Proofread. Auto-captions get names, product terms and numbers wrong. Fix them by hand.

Use a template. Pick one caption style per brand and keep it, so a batch of videos looks consistent.

I wrote a longer guide here: Captions for short-form video.

Screen recording or UI animation for your dev tool demo?

Bhavesh Vaghela — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 22:00:20 +0000

Both formats show your product. They differ in control, cost and how long they stay accurate.

Screen recording

Pros: honest, fast, shows the real product.
Cons: tiny text, shaky cursor, loading delays, and it goes stale after the next release.

UI animation

Pros: zooms, highlights and clean transitions. You can show a feature before it ships.
Cons: more design and motion work, and it needs good design files.

How to choose

Tutorial or docs video? Record it.
Homepage or launch video? Animate it.
UI changing soon? Animate from separate layers so one screen can be swapped.

A blended video often works best: a polished animated overview, then a short real clip to prove it is the actual product.

More detail: UI animation vs screen recording.

How to brief a motion designer when you're a developer-founder

Bhavesh Vaghela — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 21:55:51 +0000

You can describe an API in one sentence, but describing a video is harder. Most first drafts miss because the brief left out something obvious to you and invisible to the designer. Here is a brief that works.

1. The goal. One sentence: what should a viewer do after watching? Sign up, book a demo, or just understand the product.

2. The audience. "Backend developers who ship weekly" is useful. "Everyone" is not.

3. Length and format. Landing page (16:9, 60 to 90 seconds), social (vertical or square, 15 to 30 seconds), or both.

4. Your material. Send the real product: Figma files or screenshots, a screen recording of the main workflow, your logo, colors and fonts, and a rough script.

5. References. Two or three videos you like, with one line on what you like about each. Examples beat adjectives like "clean" or "modern".

6. Deadline and budget. A date and a range, so the designer can suggest the right scope.

A rule that saves rework: freeze your interface before animation starts. If the UI will change next week, tell the designer, so they build in layers.

I wrote a longer version with a template here: How to brief a video editor.

Bhavesh Vaghela is a freelance video editor and motion graphics designer in Rajkot, India, working on SaaS and AI product videos.