Cutsio Blog

DIT Cloud Workflow: How to Upload, Review, Search, and Share Dailies From Set

The complete DIT cloud workflow for modern set-to-post pipelines. Upload ARRI RAW, RED R3D, or ProRes dailies from set, review with Visual Search, share with secure links, and deliver selects for conform.

What is the DIT cloud workflow for set-to-post dailies?

The DIT cloud workflow uploads native camera files — ARRI RAW (.ari, .mxf, .arx), RED R3D, or ProRes — from set to Cutsio, which generates streamable review assets, indexes every frame with Visual Intelligence, and retains the original files as downloadable attachments. The director, editor, and producers access the dailies through secure share links with frame-accurate commenting and approval gates, all before the DIT has finished packing the cart.

The DIT (Digital Imaging Technician) is the linchpin of the modern camera-to-post pipeline. On a professional set, the DIT is responsible for offloading camera cards, verifying data integrity, applying looks, generating dailies, and delivering organized footage to the editorial team. For decades, the dailies step has been the bottleneck — requiring the DIT to render proxies on a local workstation, organize them into folder structures, upload them to a review platform, and manually track feedback.

The cloud dailies workflow redefines the DIT's role. Instead of spending hours rendering, the DIT uploads native files directly to Cutsio. The cloud handles the transcode. Visual Intelligence indexes every frame. The editorial team searches, reviews, and approves without the DIT touching a render queue.

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What is the complete DIT cloud workflow from card to conform?

The complete DIT cloud workflow spans six stages, from the moment the card comes off the camera to the moment the assistant editor imports selects into the NLE.

| Stage | What the DIT Does | What Cutsio Does | Time Saved vs Traditional |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 1. Card Offload | Offload media to RAID, verify checksums | — | Same |

| 2. Upload | Drag native files to Cutsio uploader | Resumable upload, format detection | Eliminates local proxy render (2–8 hrs) |

| 3. Cloud Processing | Close laptop, move to next setup | Transcode, Visual Indexing, Original retention | DIT time = 0 |

| 4. Organization | Create Collections by scene/day | Auto-populate from upload structure | Reduces folder management by 90% |

| 5. Share & Review | Send share link to director | Streamable player, comments, approval gates | Eliminates file transfer step |

| 6. Export | Export selects EDL | EDL/FCPXML referencing original files | Reduces conform prep by hours |

Stage 1: Card offload and verification

The DIT offloads camera cards to a local RAID or SSD using their preferred offload tool — Silverstack, Hedge, ShotPut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve. Checksum verification is performed to ensure data integrity. This stage is unchanged from traditional workflows. Cutsio does not replace the DIT's offload tools.

Stage 2: Upload native camera files to Cutsio

Once the cards are verified, the DIT uploads the native camera files to Cutsio. The upload method depends on the format:

• ARRI RAW (.ari, .mxf, .arx): Uploaded through the enterprise raw ingestion add-on. Files can be uploaded as individual clips or in folder structures organized by scene and take.
• RED R3D (.r3d): Uploaded through the same enterprise add-on. Supports batch uploads and resumable transfers for large R3D files.
• ProRes (.mov, .mxf): Uploaded through standard Cutsio upload. No enterprise add-on needed.

Cutsio supports resumable uploads — if the set's internet connection drops, the upload picks up where it stopped. No restart, no wasted time.

Stage 3: Cloud processing — the DIT walks away

This is the critical difference from traditional workflows. Once the upload starts, the DIT's job is done. Cutsio's cloud backend handles everything:

• Transcode: Raw formats are debayered and transcoded into streamable review assets. ProRes files are optimized for streaming without quality loss.
• Visual Intelligence Indexing: Every frame of every clip is analyzed by computer vision models — detecting objects, scenes, actions, and transcribing any scratch audio.
• Original Retention: The native camera files are stored as downloadable attachments, unmodified and byte-for-byte identical to what came off the card.

The DIT can close the laptop, pack the cart, and move to the next setup. The cloud finishes the rest.

Stage 4: Organize dailies with Collections

While the cloud processes the footage, the DIT or assistant editor organizes the dailies into Collections. Recommended structure for narrative production:

Production: Feature Title
├── Shoot Day 01
│   ├── Scene 1 — Masters (A-Cam ARRI RAW)
│   ├── Scene 1 — Close-ups (B-Cam RED R3D)
│   └── Scene 2 — Exteriors (Drone ProRes)
├── Shoot Day 02
│   ├── Scene 3 — Interior (A-Cam ARRI RAW)
│   └── Scene 3 — Slow Motion (B-Cam RED R3D)
└── Selects
├── Director's Favorites
└── VFX Plates

Each Collection contains review assets for instant streaming and search. The original files are attached by format. The editorial team accesses everything through a single Cutsio workspace.

Stage 5: Share dailies with secure review links

The DIT or assistant editor generates a secure share link for each Collection. Configuration:

| Setting | Recommended Value |

| :--- | :--- |

| Password | Required — unique per production |

| Expiration | 7 days after each shoot day |

| View tracking | Enabled |

| Download permission | Restricted to editorial team |

| Commenting | Frame-accurate, timecoded |

The director opens the link from any device and watches the day's dailies. They leave timecoded comments directly on specific frames. "At 00:14:23:12 — this take is the one. Mark as favorite." The DIT and editor see the comment instantly.

Stage 6: Export selects for the NLE conform

After review, the assistant editor exports a selects EDL or FCPXML referencing the original camera file names and timecodes. This imports directly into DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, or Avid Media Composer.

The original files are downloaded from Cutsio to the local RAID and linked to the EDL. The conform begins. The DIT's job is complete.

How does Visual Search change the DIT's dailies workflow?

Visual Search changes the DIT's dailies workflow by shifting the director's review from passive watching to active searching — the director finds specific frames by describing what the camera saw, reducing the time the DIT spends fielding "find me that shot" requests.

In a traditional workflow, the director watches dailies and calls or messages the DIT: "Do you remember which take had the good close-up where the lighting was warm?" The DIT must then scrub through clips, check camera reports, and manually locate the frame. This creates an interrupt-driven feedback loop that pulls the DIT away from critical set-side tasks.

With Visual Search, the director opens Cutsio and types "warm close-up lead actress scene 24" — the system returns the matching frames instantly. The DIT is never interrupted. The director self-serves their own search requests.

What Visual Search queries are most useful for DIT workflows?

The most common DIT-related search queries from directors and editors:

• "Show me all the takes from Scene 24 where the focus is sharp on the subject."
• "Find the clips where the boom mic is visible at the top of frame."
• "Which takes from the car chase have the stunt double visible?"
• "Are there any master shots where both actors are in focus simultaneously?"
• "Show me the golden hour exteriors from Day 3."

Each of these is a self-service search that would otherwise require a DIT interruption.

How does Share reduce the DIT's delivery overhead?

Share reduces the DIT's delivery overhead by eliminating the need to organize, compress, upload, and track dailies across multiple platforms. A single share link replaces:

• FTP transfers
• Email attachments
• Google Drive folder sharing
• Physical drive shuttling
• Hard drive courier services

The DIT creates one link per Collection, configures the access settings once, and sends the link to the entire production team. The link works on any device. The DIT never hears "I can't open the file" or "the link expired" again.

How does Storage pricing work for the DIT cloud workflow?

Cutsio's pay-per-minute pricing model is designed for the high-volume, multi-format reality of professional DIT work.

| Traditional Cost | Cutsio Cost |

| :--- | :--- |

| Per-gigabyte cloud storage | Pay-per-minute of footage |

| Separate transcode labor cost | Cloud transcode included |

| Per-user licensing for review platform | No per-user charge for viewers |

| File transfer service subscription | Share links included |

For a typical 30-day feature shoot generating 60 TB of mixed-format footage, Cutsio's pay-per-minute model is significantly more cost-effective than per-gigabyte storage with separate rendering and review tool costs.

How does Agentic Chat help the DIT field production team questions?

Agentic Chat in Cutsio lets the production team self-serve their own footage questions without interrupting the DIT. Instead of the DIT answering "Which scene was shot at 120 fps?" or "Do we have any clean plates of the restaurant?", the team asks Agentic Chat directly.

Agentic Chat answers questions like:

• "Which clips from Day 5 were shot at 48 fps?"
• "Show me all the RED V-RAPTOR footage from the car chase."
• "Find the ARRI RAW clips from Scene 24 that have both actors in a two-shot."
• "Which takes have the drone flying left to right?"

The DIT stays focused on camera set-ups, card management, and metadata. The production team gets their answers instantly.

What internet infrastructure does the DIT need for cloud dailies?

The DIT cart needs a reliable internet connection for cloud dailies uploads. Recommendations:

| Connection Speed | Experience |

| :--- | :--- |

| 1 Gbps fiber (ideal) | 100 GB ARRI RAW card uploads in ~15 minutes |

| 500 Mbps fiber (recommended) | 100 GB card uploads in ~30 minutes |

| 100 Mbps cable (minimum) | 100 GB card uploads in ~2.5 hours — start upload at wrap |

| LTE/5G hotspot (backup) | Suitable for smaller shoots; higher latency |

For productions shooting in remote locations without reliable internet, the DIT can upload from the hotel or production office after wrap. Cutsio's resumable uploads ensure progress is never lost.

FAQ

What offload tools does Cutsio replace?

Cutsio does not replace card offload and verification tools like Silverstack, Hedge, or ShotPut Pro. Those tools handle the critical stage of transferring data from camera cards to RAID with checksum verification. Cutsio handles everything after offload: transcoding, review, search, sharing, and conform prep.

Can the DIT upload while still on set?

Yes. If the set has reliable internet, the DIT can upload cards as they are offloaded. The first clips become available for review while the rest of the cards are still ingesting.

How does the DIT handle multiple camera formats in the same workflow?

Cutsio accepts ARRI RAW, RED R3D, and ProRes through the same upload interface. The enterprise add-on handles raw formats; standard upload handles ProRes. All formats are indexed by the same Visual Intelligence engine.

Is ARRI RAW and RED R3D ingestion available for all Cutsio accounts?

Raw cinema format ingestion is available as an enterprise add-on for qualified production accounts. Contact the Cutsio sales team to enable raw format support for your production.

What happens if the DIT needs to resend dailies from a previous day?

Share links remain active until their expiration date. If a stakeholder needs access to previous dailies, the DIT resends the same link — no re-uploading, no new configuration.