With the explosion of tools like Google Docs, Slack, and Trello, people are collaborating online more than ever before. These apps are helping us increase productivity, streamline workflows, and communicate more efficiently. Here are six more of our favorite tools that creatives can use to work together online.
1. Celtx
Celtx is an all-in-one creative suite for pre-production and production. The cloud-based service makes it easy for crew members to collaborate on the entire creative process, from screenwriting all the way to shooting. Based on the software suite you subscribe to, Celtx offers a number of preset work templates for planning your project. This includes everything from cards for brainstorming to storyboards, scripts, shot lists, and budget sheets. Anyone on your production team can share the file for the project and edit the various documents. The Celtx app is available for desktop and mobile and is a must-have for planning your next production.
2. Mural
Think of Mural like a giant idea board — except much easier to organize. It’s an online brainstorming app that lets a creative team post virtual sticky notes, comments, videos, lists, and ideas into one shareable space. Team members can reorganize documents and add slides, lists, or footnotes wherever they want. Mural is great for groups that need to brainstorm ideas in a visually appealing, easily digestible format that can then be shared across other teams.
3. Wipster
Much like a version of digital-design favorite InVision for video, Wipster is a collaborative tool for video makers that lets you share and receive feedback on videos during the creative process. Anyone viewing the files can add notes and suggestions along the timeline, and edits can then be approved or rejected. A powerful asset for creative video review, Wipster works seamlessly with Adobe Creative Cloud and Vimeo, making it essential for content creators and video marketers working in teams.
4. Splice
Splice is a cloud platform for collaborating on music. Splice Studio syncs up seamlessly with your digital audio workstation of choice, allowing you to save sessions online and share them with collaborators. Any time you add new tracks, the Splice app will upload them to the cloud, where other users can access them. Within the online Splice community, users can upload their full recording-session files, audio stems from their songs, or sample packs of sounds, such as drum hits or stringed instruments.
5. Mindmeister
Mindmeisteris a mind-mapping tool used for note taking, brainstorming, and project planning. For the uninitiated, a mind map is a hierarchal diagram that begins with a central concept and eventually branches out into smaller ideas and lists. The visual component makes it significantly easier to plot out ideas and paths, and Mindmeister keeps everything online for easy collaboration, making it perfect to plan anything from major business proposals to family trips.
6. Adobe Team Projects
Adobe Team Projects is a new service that’s part of Adobe Creative Cloud, allowing video editing teams to collaborate on sequences and edits using the Creative Cloud suite. Rather than sharing multiple files, editors can share a single team project online, using it to work together easily and efficiently. You have the option to view the newest changes, share your own changes, resolve conflicting edits, or review finished cuts in real time. You also have the ability to scroll through a history of previous cuts and versions of edits, making Team Projects a no-brainer for any groups working in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, or Prelude.
Top image: Still from Creative Business Team Meeting in Start-Up Office by AilaImages
What other apps or online services do you use to collaborate on your creative projects? Let us know in the comments!