What should you archive so an AI video can be revised later?

Keep approved source media

Save the original generated clips, selected stills and any supplied assets needed by the edit. Separate these from review exports and unused alternatives. Use stable shot IDs so the relationship between the timeline and the source files remains clear. Before moving the project into storage, confirm that the editor can locate the required files from the archive structure.

Preserve settings as context

Where available, record prompts, reference versions, model or tool versions, seed values and relevant generation settings. These notes help explain how a shot was approached, but do not guarantee that repeating the process will produce the same result. Keep the approved outputs regardless. Also record important manual work, such as compositing or retiming, that a generation log would not describe.

Include finishing and approval records

Archive the project file, fonts or their references, LUTs and other dependencies where your permissions allow, together with the documented color-management setup. Note anything another editor must obtain separately. Keep the approved delivery list, review export and concise change history. A screenshot of a node layout is useful context, but it should not be the only record of an editable grade that is required for future versions.

Working on the next decision? Read How to prepare AI video files for a colorist.

Test a small reopen

Open the archived project from its intended location and check a representative sequence. Look for missing media, effects or a changed output. Verify one title and one finished shot against the approved master. Record what was tested and retain the master files separately from temporary caches. The goal is a practical handoff for future edits, not an enormous unlabelled folder that merely contains every file created during production.