Link sharing
Share footage they can search.
Send your footage library to the people you make it with: clients, producers, social media and marketing teams. They search it like you do, pick the moments they want with notes, and their picks land in your Sift, ready for your timeline. In any browser, with no app or account.
In short: Link sharing is an add-on to Sift. You pick folders, or clips from search or Selects, and Sift puts small 540p copies online (never the originals) behind a short link like watch.siftclips.com/Xg71nKdX9TGm. The people you share it with open it in any browser, search what was said, what’s on screen and who’s in it, play any moment, and save clips to Selects that show up in your Sift. Every Sift includes one free link; plans start at $29 a month.
No editor needed. Sift works on its own as a desktop app on Mac and Windows: search, preview, build Selects and share footage by link without opening an editor. The editor panels are optional.
How teams use it.
One link turns your footage into a library other people can search. Instead of “can you send me the shot where…” emails, they find it themselves and tell you exactly which moments they need.
A day with Link sharing.
- You sync your footage in Sift as usual. It’s already searchable on your computer.
- You share a folder, a Selects reel or a search. Invite people by email, or copy the link and post it in your team chat.
- They search and pick. On a phone or laptop they search by what’s on screen, what’s said or who’s in it, play any moment, and tick clips into Selects. A note on each clip says what they need (“4K of this”, “cut before the laugh”).
- Their Selects land in your Sift. Every pick arrives with its in and out points and notes. Saving again updates the same list, so there’s one place to look.
- You deliver. Send the picks to Premiere, Resolve or Final Cut in one click, or use Gather files to copy the originals into a folder to hand over.
Want to feel it first? Search our live demo: it’s the same page the people you share with see.
What it costs.
Sift stays $99 a year. Link sharing is added on top only if you need more than the free link.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free link | Included with Sift | One link: up to 10 minutes of footage, open for 3 days |
| 100 hours | $29 a month | Up to 100 hours of footage online across your links |
| 500 hours | $79 a month | Up to 500 hours of footage online across your links |
Plans are paid monthly through Polar. Cancel anytime. Links keep working for 2 weeks after a plan ends.
What goes online.
Searching happens on your computer. Your footage isn’t uploaded to be searched, with or without Link sharing.
Only what you put in a link goes online: small 540p copies of those clips, never your originals, with what the page needs to search them (thumbnails, what was said, picture tags and the names you’ve given people). Delete a link and it stops at once. Footage no link uses is removed from the cloud within hours.
Who can open it.
- Only the people you invite. Type their email addresses; each person opens the link from their own invite.
- Or anyone with the link. Choose Copy link and send it however you like.
- Links can’t be guessed. Each one ends in 12 random letters and digits, and an address that tries many wrong links is blocked for an hour.
- Downloads are your call. Turn downloads of the small copies on or off for each link.
- No passwords. Nothing extra for you to send or for them to remember.
How it works.
- Pick
Choose folders, or clips from a search or a Selects group.
- Share
Type the emails of the people it’s for, or choose Copy link. Decide whether downloads are on.
- They search and pick
They search, play any moment, tick clips into Selects and press Save. The Selects show up in your Sift.
Why editors use it.
Your producer types a line someone said or a name and lands on the moment, instead of scrubbing through a folder of clips.
What they pick arrives in your Sift, ready to send to Premiere, Resolve or Final Cut Pro.
Sift already knows where your footage is. It makes the small copies and puts them online for you.
Your originals stay on your drives. A link carries 540p copies, removed when the link ends.
Questions
What do people need to open a link?
Just a browser on a phone, tablet or computer. They don’t need Sift, an app or an account.
Does it upload my original footage?
No. Sift uploads small 540p copies of what you choose to share. Your originals stay on your drives, and nothing is uploaded to be searched.
How long does a link stay open?
The free link is open for 3 days. You can delete any link sooner, and it stops at once. Footage no link uses is removed from the cloud within hours.
Do links need a Sift subscription?
Yes. Links work while your Sift subscription or free trial is active, and pause 2 weeks after it ends.
What happens if I cancel a plan?
Your links keep working for 2 weeks after the plan ends. Your $99 Sift subscription isn’t affected, and neither is the footage on your computer.
Does it change what I pay for Sift?
No. Sift is still $99 a year and includes one free link. Plans for more footage are a separate monthly add-on: 100 hours for $29 or 500 hours for $79.
Can people comment on frames?
No. Link sharing is for finding, watching and picking: people search, play moments and send Selects back. It isn’t a frame-by-frame review and approval platform.
Updated 2026-10-28
Keep reading.
Try it on your own footage.
Free for 3 days or 25 searches. No card. Then $99 a year for one computer, Mac or Windows. Everything in Sift, including the optional editor panels and one free link to share footage.