Teams often use one tool for every visual conversation. That blurs two jobs. A mood board agrees the look before anyone shoots. A contact sheet reviews the frames afterwards. Using the wrong format at the wrong time creates notes that cannot be acted on.
Mood board: direction before the shoot
Build a mood board when the open questions are colour, styling, location, or framing. The canvas is freeform on purpose. You can place stills, video, a brand PDF page, and short labels together so the client approves a direction rather than a folder of loose references. Share a private link if they need to comment on specific elements.
Create that board in the mood board maker. For a tighter pre-production method, see how to build a shoot mood board .
Contact sheet: review after the shoot
Once you have a take, the question changes to “which frames do we use?” A labelled grid preserves order, shows coverage, and gives every image a filename the edit can follow. A freeform board is a poor selection tool because it hides sequence and invites the client to judge layout instead of frames.
Build the review in the contact sheet editor and download a PDF, or share a proofing link when you need structured selects.
Keep both in one job
- Agree the mood board. Lock colour, wardrobe, and hero framing.
- Shoot against that board, not against a new set of references.
- Send a contact sheet of the take, grouped in the same order.
- Collect filenames or proofing selects, then deliver finals.
The board does not replace the sheet, and the sheet does not replace the board. One is the brief; the other is the evidence. If you are unsure which review format to send after the shoot, use the contact sheet vs proofing gallery checklist.