AI Video Client Delivery Package: Files, Rights, and Handoff

An AI video client delivery package should let a new person identify the approved master, publish every contracted version, understand usage limits, and trace the source of the work without opening the editing timeline. Deliver a controlled master, named derivatives, captions and artwork, a manifest, technical notes, and the rights or provenance records the job requires. Do not dump the working folder into a transfer link.

This page covers final handoff. Use AI video client revision notes while feedback is still open, and use the AI video export settings checklist before encoding masters.

Define “delivery” in the scope

The safest delivery package is designed at kickoff, not invented after approval. Write down what “final” includes:

• number and duration of master edits;
• aspect ratios and platform cutdowns;
• languages, voice versions, and caption formats;
• thumbnails, poster frames, and cover images;
• clean versions without captions or music;
• audio stems or textless masters;
• editable project files;
• generated source clips and stills;
• prompt or provenance records;
• retention period and archive responsibilities;
• transfer method and acceptance window.

If the contract says “one 30-second social video,” it does not automatically include a vertical cutdown, square crop, clean master, caption file, thumbnail, editing project, all prompts, or all discarded generations. Clarify before production so the team can preserve the necessary assets.

Create a scope reconciliation table before export:

This catches the common failure where the correct edit is approved but one platform crop, subtitle revision, or end-card version is missing.

Separate masters, derivatives, and evidence

Use three conceptual layers.

Approved masters

The master is the highest-quality approved representation of the edit. Keep it immutable after approval. If a correction is required, create a new version and a new approval record.

The master may be a mezzanine file, a high-quality web master, or both, depending on scope. The key is that the team can identify which file all derivatives came from.

Distribution derivatives

Derivatives are files built for a placement: vertical social, square feed, compressed review, language version, caption-burned version, silent autoplay, or website background. A derivative is not merely the master renamed. It should be checked in its own aspect ratio and codec.

Follow the AI video cutdown plan when duration changes require editorial decisions. Do not create a 15-second asset by trimming the last 15 seconds off an approved 30-second story.

Evidence and documentation

Evidence explains what was approved and what may be done with it. It can include a manifest, approval email or project record, source-asset list, model/tool record, license receipts, releases, disclosure instructions, and checksums.

Evidence is not a public credits page unless the scope requires one. It is an operational record for the client and producer.

A folder structure people can understand

Use a compact structure that survives outside your own computer:

PROJECT_CAMPAIGN_DELIVERY_2026-11-08/
  01_MASTERS/
  02_DERIVATIVES/
    16x9/
    9x16/
    1x1/
  03_CAPTIONS_AND_TEXT/
  04_THUMBNAILS_AND_POSTERS/
  05_AUDIO/
  06_DOCUMENTATION/
  07_SOURCE_FILES/          # only when contracted

Do not create folders that remain empty. Do not hide the only publishable file six levels deep. The root should contain a short README or manifest that identifies the package, contact, delivery date, and approved version.

Keep internal notes, failed generations, temporary renders, caches, proxies, and personal data outside the client package unless there is a documented reason to deliver them.

File naming without “final_final”

A robust filename answers what it is without opening it:

[CLIENT]_[CAMPAIGN]_[ASSET]_[DURATION]_[RATIO]_[LANG]_[VERSION]_[STATUS].[ext]

Examples:

NOVA_LAUNCH_HERO_30S_16x9_EN_v08_APPROVED.mp4
NOVA_LAUNCH_CUTDOWN_15S_9x16_EN_v05_APPROVED.mp4
NOVA_LAUNCH_HERO_30S_EN_v03.srt
NOVA_LAUNCH_HERO_16x9_POSTER_v02_APPROVED.jpg

Use zero-padded versions if the system sorts lexically and the project may exceed nine versions. Keep “approved” for files with recorded approval. A render is not approved merely because it is the latest.

Do not put unstable marketing text, personal names, or confidential notes into filenames. Avoid characters that break URLs or operating systems. Use one naming convention across video, captions, thumbnails, and documentation.

Build a delivery manifest

The manifest is the map of the package. A CSV, spreadsheet, or clear Markdown/PDF table can work. Use a format the client can open without your production software.

Recommended fields:

Open each file from the delivery folder while completing the manifest. Do not copy specifications from the export preset without verifying the resulting file.

For high-control or large transfers, include a SHA-256 checksum. The checksum confirms file integrity, not creative approval or legal rights. If one byte changes, the checksum changes; generate it only after the final file is frozen.

Captions, transcripts, and on-screen text

Deliver caption files in the agreed format and language. Check timing against the final derivative, not only the master. A cutdown or changed opening can offset every cue.

Verify:

• names, brands, model names, numbers, prices, and URLs;
• line breaks and reading speed;
• speaker labels when required;
• sound descriptions when required by the accessibility brief;
• safe-zone placement for burned captions;
• agreement between spoken words and captions;
• text encoding and punctuation after export.

Include the approved script or transcript when contracted. Mark whether it is a production script, verbatim transcript, or caption text; those are not always identical.

Thumbnails and poster frames

Website players, social schedulers, review platforms, and client asset libraries may each need a still. Deliver the required dimensions and safe-area treatment, with filenames linked to the video asset.

Use a frame that accurately represents the content. Do not deliver a generated face, product, claim, or event that never appears in the video unless the client explicitly approved that creative treatment. Check logos and packaging text against the logo and packaging preservation workflow.

Rights and provenance notes

An AI workflow can combine client assets, licensed stock, generated video, generated images, synthesized voice, music, sound effects, fonts, templates, and human performance. Record enough information to answer “What is this, where did it come from, and what limits apply?”

Use a source register:

Do not write a blanket “commercial rights included” statement unless the underlying agreements support it. Terms and client requirements can change. Record the evidence and identify unresolved restrictions before delivery.

Where disclosure is required by law, platform policy, client policy, or editorial judgment, specify the exact label, placement, duration, and responsible publisher. The AI video disclosure labels guide provides a decision workflow. Do not leave disclosure as an informal note that disappears during upload.

Prompts, generations, and editable files

Deliver only what the agreement requires. Prompts can contain client strategy, personal data, third-party references, internal notes, or failed ideas. Raw generations can include artifacts or unapproved representations. Editing projects can depend on fonts, plugins, linked media, and licenses the client does not own.

If editable delivery is contracted:

1. Consolidate the project to used media where appropriate.
2. Remove caches, proxies, and unrelated assets.
3. List required software, versions, fonts, and plugins.
4. Verify the project opens on a clean or separate system.
5. Identify licensed assets that may not be transferable.
6. Preserve relinking paths and an offline reference export.

If prompt delivery is contracted, provide the approved prompt records with tool/model, date, settings that matter, source asset reference, and output mapping. A prompt alone may not reproduce a result because models and services can change.

Technical and creative QA before transfer

Perform QA on the files in the package, not on copies elsewhere.

Technical checks:

• duration, dimensions, frame rate, codec, and file size are plausible;
• audio channels and sample rate are correct;
• captions open and stay in sync;
• no black frames, frozen tail, missing audio, or corrupt file;
• first and last frames are intentional;
• filenames match manifest entries;
• files download and play outside the editor.

Creative checks:

• correct edit, logo, product, price, language, and call to action;
• correct disclosure and captions;
• platform crops do not hide faces, products, or text;
• music, voice, and effects match the approved version;
• no watermarks, temporary slates, guides, or review comments remain.

Have someone other than the final editor open the package when possible. Fresh eyes catch a wrong version faster than the person who rendered twelve of them.

Transfer, permissions, and acceptance

Use the agreed transfer service and least-privilege access. Set an expiration only if the client knows the deadline and has an archive plan. Test the link in a logged-out or client-equivalent state.

Send a concise delivery note containing:

• package name and delivery date;
• link and access instructions;
• approved master filename;
• list of major derivatives;
• known restrictions or exclusions;
• requested acceptance deadline;
• contact for technical problems.

Ask the client to confirm receipt, successful download, and acceptance of the listed files. Silence is not the same as acceptance unless the agreement says so. Record corrections as a new version rather than silently replacing an approved object at the same URL.

Archive and retention

Keep the exact delivered package, manifest, approval record, and rights evidence for the agreed retention period. Separate immutable approved assets from working storage. Document who owns long-term archiving and when production files may be deleted.

If the client requests deletion of confidential sources, confirm what must be retained for accounting, legal, or rights evidence and follow the applicable agreement and policy. Do not retain personal or confidential material “just in case.”

Common handoff failures

The client cannot tell which file to upload

Put the approved master in 01_MASTERS, name it clearly, and identify it in the root manifest and delivery note.

A vertical version uses the wrong end card

Treat each derivative as an asset with its own QA row. Do not assume a batch export preserved safe zones and timing.

The project opens with missing media

Consolidate and test on a separate system. Include software and dependency notes. Supply an approved reference export even when editable files are delivered.

Rights notes arrive after publishing

Make rights status a delivery gate. An unresolved music license or release is a blocker, not a footnote.

Someone replaces the approved file

Use versioned immutable files. Issue a new manifest entry and approval record for any correction.

Final delivery checklist

• Contracted deliverables are reconciled against approvals.
• One exact approved master is easy to identify.
• Every derivative has independent crop, text, audio, and playback QA.
• Captions, transcripts, thumbnails, and posters match their final videos.
• Filenames follow one stable convention.
• The manifest lists purpose, version, technical properties, and source master.
• Rights, licenses, releases, restrictions, and disclosure instructions are documented.
• Prompts, raw generations, and editable files are included only when contracted and cleared.
• Transfer permissions and downloads have been tested.
• Client receipt and acceptance are recorded.
• The exact package and approval evidence are archived for the agreed period.

A professional delivery package reduces future questions. Months later, the client should still know what to publish, what not to change, where each asset came from, and which file everyone approved.