Top Panel and Its Features

The top panel in Approval Studio’s review tool contains the most indispensable features with which you can actually start giving creative feedback on the asset. Let’s go through them one by one. 

Note: this article will only discuss annotations and Approve/Reject buttons. For more information on asset comparison, visit “Compare Modes”

Annotations

On the very left, there is an annotation button. You can only annotate when it is enabled. There are five annotation shapes in Approval Studio:

• Arrow
• Point
• Square
• Circle 
• Freehand

These annotation tools allow users to effortlessly add precise commentary using the shapes that correspond to their needs. But it doesn’t stop at mere shapes; color customization takes the experience further. With the ability to change the color of annotations, users can signify importance, convey emotions, or categorize creative feedback. It's also possible to drag the annotation cloud around and drop it wherever you need.

Annotations themselves don’t have to be static as well: you can change an annotation’s size, shape, drag the annotation bubble for better visibility, or connect it to multiple places on the asset.

The two next buttons are designed for better visibility: hide annotation bubbles to only see where the comments point to, or hide all the annotations to see the asset as it was uploaded.

 
Decision buttons

When all the work on the annotations is finished, use the green Approve and red Request Changes buttons at the top of the page to let the designer know what you’re thinking. Keep in mind that you can only Request Changes if at least one comment has been left.

If the corresponding feature is enabled, you might need to complete a design review checklist before Approving or Rejecting. After approving or rejecting, you might also receive a custom message, set up in the Branding menu.

If selective review is set up, you will have to choose one or a few assets from the batch to approve or reject changes. 

You can also “Approve with Changes”. This is especially useful if you only need to change a small detail in the design and helps eliminate an extra review cycle.