Project management

If you've ever managed production photos across multiple shoots using shared Google Drive folders, you already know the problem. Someone puts Season 2 stills in the Season 3 folder. A freelancer who wrapped last month still has access to everything. The folder naming convention made sense to whoever set it up, but nobody else can find anything.

Projects in ReelStorage fix this by giving each production its own isolated space.

One project, one production

A project is a container for everything related to a single production, shoot, or client engagement. Inside a project, you have:

• Assets: All photos, organized however you like
• Folders: Your directory structure for the project
• Collections: Curated groups of assets for specific purposes
• Team members: People assigned to this project with specific permissions
• Approval workflows: Access codes for talent and client review
• Exports: Packaged downloads for distribution
• Activity log: A complete record of everything that happened

Each project is isolated. Assets in one project don't show up in another. Team members assigned to Project A can't see Project B unless you explicitly give them access. This isolation isn't a limitation, it's the point. Productions have different security requirements, different teams, and different timelines. Mixing them creates risk.

Creating a project

Starting a new project takes about 30 seconds:

1. Click "Create Project" from the dashboard or projects page
2. Enter a name and optional description
3. That's it. Start uploading.

You can configure additional settings after creation:

• Metadata defaults: Set default IPTC values that apply to every asset in the project
• Project description: Help team members understand the scope
• Cover image: Visual identification on the dashboard

These settings are optional. Most people create the project, invite their team, and start uploading. Configuration can happen later as needs become clear.

Adding team members to projects

Once your project exists, you add people from your organization's member list:

1. Open project settings
2. Go to the Members section
3. Select organization members to add
4. Choose their permission level (or apply a template)

Team members receive access immediately. There's no separate invitation flow since they're already part of your organization. You're just telling the system which projects they can see.

Permission templates

Instead of setting 65+ individual permissions for each person, start with a template:

• Full access: Can do everything in the project
• Editor: Upload, edit metadata, organize, but can't manage settings or members
• Contributor: Upload only, with basic viewing rights
• Viewer: Read-only access to assets and collections

Customize from there if someone needs a non-standard access level. A publicist might need viewer access plus distribution permissions, for example.

Managing the project lifecycle

Productions don't last forever. ReelStorage supports the full lifecycle:

Active

This is the default state. Team members can upload, organize, review, and distribute. The project appears on the dashboard and in the project list.

Archived

When a production wraps and you don't need active access anymore, archive the project. All data stays intact, but the project drops off the active dashboard. Team members can't upload new assets or make changes. You can unarchive it at any time to restore full functionality.

Archiving is the right choice for completed productions that you might reference later. Need to pull a still for an anniversary retrospective? Unarchive, grab what you need, re-archive.

Scheduled for deletion

If you truly don't need a project anymore, schedule it for deletion. There's a grace period before the data is permanently removed, giving you a window to change your mind. Deletion is irreversible after the grace period expires.

Project isolation in practice

Here's why isolation matters in a real-world scenario:

You're a production company running three shows. Show A is a drama with strict NDA requirements. Show B is a reality series with fast turnaround. Show C is in pre-production and hasn't announced casting yet.

With shared folders, keeping these separate requires discipline, careful naming, and constant access list maintenance. One mistake and a Show C casting photo ends up visible to the Show B team.

With projects, this can't happen. Each show is its own project with its own team roster. The unit photographer on Show A sees only Show A assets. The publicist on Show B sees only Show B assets. The executive producer who works across all three can be added to all three projects with appropriate permissions on each.

Project settings

Each project has its own settings page where you can:

• Update the name and description as the production evolves
• Manage members by adding, removing, or updating permissions
• Configure metadata defaults for consistent IPTC tagging
• View storage usage for the project
• Archive or delete the project when it's complete

Settings changes are logged in the project's activity feed, so there's always a record of who changed what.

Works with everything else

Projects are the organizational backbone that other features build on. Face recognition runs per project. Approval workflows are scoped to projects. Activity logs record per-project events. Collections, folders, tags, and metadata all live inside project boundaries.

Think of a project as the answer to the question: "Where does this production's stuff live?" Everything flows from there.