Video logging software that gives the editor a head start.

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Start with a useful log, for free

An assistant can spend a shift replaying clips and typing names, or use ClipLogger to prepare a first pass with your roster, your logging fields and a supported vision model. Review the answers, mark the useful ranges and hand the editor selects they can understand.

The base app is free on a supported Apple silicon Mac. Browse existing folders, drill through a nested shoot, scan filmstrips, use code replacement and search by meaning or recorded fields. Run a local model when the Mac has time, or choose Rush when hosted processing is worth paying for. Write the log beside the media so the work survives a change in paid services.

For a small university department or an indie crew, that is a useful place to start before buying a shared MAM. A hosted review portal, multi-user catalog or live sports logger may still solve a separate need.

A map of the available approaches

These categories overlap. Iconik, Axle AI, and CatDV document working with existing or hybrid storage, so they should not be described as services that force every original into a new cloud library. Iconik, Axle AI, CatDV.

LucidLink documents block-based file streaming, while Shade combines a cloud filespace with search and review. Frame.io's review workflow occupies another part of the production chain. LucidLink, Shade, Frame.io.

NeoFinder catalogs disk contents and metadata; Photo Mechanic emphasizes fast selection and captioning; OffShoot focuses on verified transfers. Curator Logger explicitly addresses live logging and sports data workflows. Those specialisms matter when building a shortlist. NeoFinder, Photo Mechanic, OffShoot, IPV.

The test for a video department

Take one real shoot and five retrieval requests. Measure the assistant's hands-on logging time, the editor's retrieval time, and how much correction the log needs. Include the receiving NLE, because a perfect-looking source log can still create a poor handoff.

Use the same fields and clips in every trial. Separate model processing from human review, and separate both from transfer time. Keep a record of the exact software version, Mac, source codec, and network conditions so the result can be repeated.

Give the next assistant something to build on

Use the same palette for the season, import the roster once, and let the team spend its attention on identities and editorial decisions instead of repeated typing. Your archive can carry readable filenames and written sidecars into the next project.

ClipLogger also handles interviews, concerts and commercial shoots through the same field system. It currently needs an Apple silicon Mac and does not offer native RED R3D playback or a hosted video-review portal. Start with one logging session, or use the comparison desk for the actual costs, feature differences and cancellation details of a tool you are considering.