PostPro Analytics User Manual

PostPro Analytics, or PPA, is a Creative Work Analytics platform for post-production teams. It records real work sessions from supported creative applications, stores the data locally or in a Studio Collector, and turns the resulting sessions into dashboards, tables, filters, exports and support diagnostics.

This manual release documents the code state on the feature/adobe-premiere-ae-integration branch at commit a32fd3fc22187746fe9171cdbcfb49ffa6368e54. It covers DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. No further application integrations are included in this manual.

Verification Status

The screenshots in this manual were captured directly from the native Build 148 macOS app running on the documentation Mac. No screenshots from the legacy Web GUI are used.

Most visible surfaces in this release were checked in Build 148. Remaining practical checks are marked with:

Verification required in Build 148

How To Use This Manual

Use the table of contents to jump to the area you need:

• New users should read Welcome, Requirements, Installation and First Run.
• Studio admins should read Setup Assistant, Studio Dashboard, Studio Collector and Studio Sessions.
• Editors and artists should focus on My Dashboard, My Sessions, filters and exports.
• Support should use Diagnostics, Troubleshooting, FAQ and the generated Support AI chunks.

Welcome And Product Concept

What PPA Is

PostPro Analytics tracks real creative work in post-production tools and turns it into auditable analytics. The current product scope covers:

• DaVinci Resolve
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe After Effects

PPA is not only a Resolve logger. The current direction is Creative Work Analytics for post-production teams: local tracking, Studio reporting, application-level breakdowns, rule-based analysis, CSV export and support diagnostics.

Core Idea

PPA records sessions when supported applications are active. A session can include the application, user, workstation, project, timeline or sequence or composition context where available, activity state, start/end time and duration.

The data flow is:

1. Creative application activity is observed by the local logger and integration bridges.
2. Sessions are written to the local database.
3. In Studio workflows, closed local sessions can sync to the Studio Collector.
4. My Dashboard and Studio Dashboard read the selected data source.
5. My Sessions and Studio Sessions expose rule-based tables, filters, tags and CSV export where the license allows it.

Dashboard Modes

PPA separates dashboard scope from install mode.

The product also separates local logging from Studio reporting. Local logging can continue even when a trial is expired, but analytics surfaces and exports are license-gated.

Supported Applications

DaVinci Resolve is tracked through the Resolve scripting and activity monitoring path. Premiere Pro uses the internal UXP preview panel. After Effects uses a Startup Script Bridge.

Build 148 shows Resolve, Premiere Pro and After Effects sessions in the native Studio Sessions table. Integrations Status also reports all three applications and their current health. Adobe version rows can remain Not reported when the preview bridge or plugin does not supply version metadata.

System Requirements And Installation

System Requirements

Current signed trial builds are intended for:

• Apple Silicon Mac
• macOS 14 or newer
• DaVinci Resolve Studio with external scripting enabled
• Adobe Premiere Pro 2026 for the internal Premiere preview workflow
• Adobe After Effects 2026 for the internal After Effects preview workflow
• Local network access for Studio Collector / LAN workflows

For Studio use, the Collector Mac must be reachable by workstation Macs on the LAN. The default Collector port is 9000.

Download Package

The release package is distributed as a ZIP archive that contains the PPA app. Existing release artifacts such as Build 139, Build 146 and Build 148 are not modified by this documentation system.

Typical install flow:

1. Download the PPA ZIP.
2. Unzip it.
3. Move the app to /Applications.
4. Open the app.
5. If macOS blocks the first launch, use System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway.

This manual documents the running Build 148 app. Before distributing any release package, confirm that the exact downloadable artifact is Developer ID signed, notarized, stapled and accepted by Gatekeeper.

Prepare DaVinci Resolve

Open DaVinci Resolve Studio and enable external scripting:

1. Open DaVinci Resolve Studio > Preferences > General.
2. Set External scripting using to Local.
3. Restart Resolve.

Network may also work, but Local is the recommended setup for the current portable trial and preview workflow.

Prepare Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro currently uses an internal UXP development plugin.

1. Start PPA and confirm the local receiver is running.
2. Open Adobe UXP Developer Tools.
3. Add/load the bundled plugin folder.
4. Open the PPA Premiere Bridge panel inside Premiere Pro.
5. Confirm Auto Send is running.

The preview plugin is not yet a final Creative Cloud Marketplace installer. After a Premiere restart, the preview panel may need to be reloaded in UXP Developer Tools.

Prepare After Effects

After Effects uses a Startup Script Bridge.

1. In After Effects, open Preferences > Scripting & Expressions.
2. Enable Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network.
3. In PPA, open Integrations Status.
4. Use Install Bridge or Repair Bridge.
5. Restart After Effects.

If the bridge is installed but stops sending after PPA or the receiver restarts, restart After Effects or use Repair Bridge.

First Run, Setup Assistant And License

Setup Assistant

The Setup Assistant is the first-run onboarding flow. It can also be opened later from the menu bar with Run Setup Assistant... or from Preferences with Run Setup Assistant Again.

The flow has five steps:

1. Welcome
2. Choose Setup Mode
3. User / Workstation Identity
4. Configuration
5. Finish

Setup stores configuration outside the app bundle in Application Support. Running setup again does not delete existing analytics databases, sessions or logs.

Single User Setup

Choose Single User (Local) when one Mac should track its own work and show local analytics.

This configures:

• My Dashboard
• My Sessions
• Local activity tracking
• Local reports
• CSV export when licensed
• No Studio Collector
• No network sync

When setup finishes, PPA opens My Dashboard. If the logger cannot start automatically, use the menu bar to start it.

Studio Setup

Choose Studio (LAN/Network) for team workflows.

Studio offers two roles:

The Studio Host exposes a workstation logging target such as http://192.168.0.81:9000. Do not use 127.0.0.1 on client workstations because that points to the client itself.

License And Trial

PPA has a 14-day full-feature trial. During an active trial, Single User and Studio workflows are available. After the trial expires, local logging may continue, but dashboards, reports, notes, exports and Studio features are locked until a valid license is installed.

Current edition behavior:

License and trial state are stored in Application Support and should survive app updates.

Verification required in Build 148: Review the final public wording for trial start, license activation and the exact notarized download package before attaching this PDF to a public release download.

Integrations And Status

Open Integrations Status

Use one of these entry points:

• Menu bar: Integrations Status...
• Settings: Integrations Status

The Integrations Status page is designed for health and troubleshooting. It should not show current project, timeline, sequence or composition work data. Those belong in dashboards and sessions.

Status Labels

Build 148 uses a reduced status vocabulary:

DaVinci Resolve Card

The Resolve card shows:

• Status
• Logger state
• Resolve API availability
• Resolve version
• Troubleshooting hint

If Resolve API is not available, enable external scripting in Resolve and restart Resolve or the logger.

Resolve Setup Instructions

Enable DaVinci Resolve external scripting and restart Resolve before starting a tracked work session. PPA uses the local Resolve scripting API for project, timeline, page and Resolve-version detection.

Resolve Troubleshooting

If Resolve is open but the card does not show an available API, confirm Resolve Studio is installed, external scripting is enabled, the logger is running and PPA is reading the expected local runtime context.

Premiere Pro Card

The Premiere card shows:

• Status
• Premiere version
• Plugin status
• Plugin version
• Last signal
• Receiver status
• Troubleshooting

Available actions include:

• Open UXP Developer Tool Instructions
• Advanced: Reveal Package

If Premiere is frontmost but no fresh snapshot arrives, the expected status is Needs Attention with a reload hint for UXP Developer Tools.

Premiere Preview Plugin Install

The current Premiere Pro integration is an internal preview workflow. Load the bundled UXP plugin through UXP Developer Tools and keep Auto Send running in the PPA Premiere Bridge panel.

This is not the final Public Beta installation path. A packaged and signed Adobe plugin installer is still required before broad beta distribution.

Premiere Reload

If the Premiere card shows Needs Attention, reopen UXP Developer Tools, reload the PPA Premiere Bridge development plugin, open the panel in Premiere Pro and confirm Auto Send is running.

Premiere Troubleshooting

Check that the local receiver is running on http://127.0.0.1:8766, the plugin panel can send snapshots, the panel reports no network-permission error and Premiere Pro remains the frontmost app during tracking.

After Effects Card

The After Effects card shows:

• Status
• After Effects version
• Bridge status
• Bridge version
• Last signal
• Receiver status
• Scripting/network access hint
• Troubleshooting

Available actions include:

• Install Bridge
• Repair Bridge
• Open Instructions

If the bridge is installed but stale or not sending, the expected message is: After Effects bridge is installed but not sending. Restart After Effects or click Repair Bridge.

After Effects Bridge Install

Install the After Effects Startup Script Bridge from Integrations Status, then restart After Effects. The bridge sends project and composition snapshots to the local PPA receiver and keeps a file fallback in Application Support.

After Effects Repair Bridge

Use Repair Bridge when the bridge is installed but stale, missing from the current Startup Scripts folder or not sending fresh snapshots. Restart After Effects after repair so the Startup Script loads again.

After Effects Network Access

After Effects must allow scripts to write files and access the network:

Preferences > Scripting & Expressions > Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network

The simplified cards and OK status labels were checked in the running Build 148 app. In the captured preview state, Premiere Pro, After Effects and bridge/plugin version values show Not reported; support should not infer a version when the integration does not provide one.

Dashboards And Widgets

My Dashboard

My Dashboard shows local workstation analytics. It reads the local database and is intended for a single user or a Studio User reviewing own data.

Typical widgets include:

• Total Time
• Total Amount
• Sessions
• Projects
• Users
• Time Breakdown
• Time Overview
• Top Projects
• Top Users
• Recent Activity

The dashboard uses real report data. It does not use demo projects or fake totals.

Studio Dashboard

Studio Admin Dashboard reads the Studio Collector database and shows facility-wide data. It is used by the Studio Host or admin workflow.

Studio Dashboard should be used when you need:

• All synced workstation sessions
• Studio Sessions
• Studio Reports
• Network workstation status
• Facility-wide billing/export workflows

Customize Widgets

Open Customize Widgets from the dashboard. The panel has:

• Active summary widgets
• Available Widgets
• Widget Settings

The maximum number of active summary widgets is five. Widgets can be enabled, disabled, reordered and configured.

Application Widget

The Application widget is a normal optional widget. It should appear under Available Widgets when inactive and should not be hardcoded into the dashboard.

When active, it shows the top applications for the current scope/date/filter, for example Resolve, Premiere Pro and After Effects.

Build 148 shows Application as one of the configurable summary widgets. It can be enabled, disabled and reordered with the other active summary widgets.

Time Breakdown

Time Breakdown can group tracked time by:

• Page
• App
• User
• Project
• Timeline
• Workstation
• Activity State
• Database

Use By App to compare Resolve, Premiere Pro and After Effects usage in the selected report scope.

Sessions, Filters, Rules And Export

My Sessions

My Sessions shows the local workstation's session table. It is the best place to inspect personal work, confirm tracking and export visible filtered rows.

Studio Sessions

Studio Sessions shows the Studio Collector table and is intended for Studio Admin workflows. It can include sessions from multiple users and workstations.

App Column And App Filter

The Sessions table includes an App column. Current app labels include:

• DaVinci Resolve
• Premiere Pro
• After Effects

Legacy preview rows may store source_app=davinci_resolve while the activity state indicates Premiere Pro or After Effects. Build 148 normalizes those rows for display, filtering, Time Breakdown, CSV export and the Application widget.

Expected filter behavior:

• After Effects filter finds visible After Effects rows.
• Premiere Pro filter finds visible Premiere rows.
• DaVinci Resolve filter shows Resolve rows only, not every app.

The After Effects filter was practically checked in Build 148 and reduced the visible Studio Sessions table to After Effects rows. The example rule was removed and the unfiltered view restored after capture.

Verification required in Build 148: Repeat the same practical check for Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve before Public Beta.

Rules

Rules let you narrow the Sessions table. Supported rule fields include:

• Date
• User
• Project
• Timeline
• Flags
• Custom Tags
• Comments
• Description
• Page
• Status
• Workstation
• Database
• App

Common operators include equals, not equals, contains and does not contain. Date rules accept ISO-style and German-style date input.

Tags And Notes

Custom Tags are part of the reporting model. Up to ten colored tag definitions can be stored. Tags can be visible in Sessions rows and can be used in rules.

Notes / To-Do is a native dashboard area for project-linked production notes and tasks. It can reference project, timeline, user, tags, due dates, priority, status, comments and descriptions.

Some tag and note editing flows are still maturing. Treat destructive actions such as delete with care and prefer archive/complete where available.

CSV Export

Use Export CSV in My Sessions or Studio Sessions to export the current session table.

Build 148 is designed to export the visible filtered rows, not the full database. The CSV should use the user-facing App label.

Verification required in Build 148: Apply a filter, export the CSV and confirm that the file contains only the visible rows before treating filtered export as fully validated.

Practical Workflows

Track A Single Resolve Work Session

1. Start PPA.
2. Confirm the logger is running.
3. Open DaVinci Resolve Studio.
4. Work in a real project and timeline.
5. Switch pages such as Edit, Color, Fairlight or Deliver.
6. Open My Dashboard.
7. Open My Sessions.
8. Confirm the session shows the expected project, timeline, page and duration.

If nothing appears, check Resolve external scripting and run diagnostics.

Compare Resolve, Premiere Pro And After Effects Time

1. Open My Dashboard or Studio Dashboard.
2. Confirm sessions exist for the relevant apps.
3. In Time Breakdown, choose By App.
4. Optionally enable the Application widget in Customize Widgets.
5. Use the date filter or rules to narrow the period.

This workflow helps answer how much tracked work happened in each creative application.

Export A Filtered Client Report

1. Open My Sessions or Studio Sessions.
2. Apply a quick date filter such as This Week or This Month.
3. Add rules for project, user, app or status.
4. Confirm the visible rows match the intended report.
5. Click Export CSV.
6. Open the CSV in a spreadsheet tool and confirm only visible rows are included.

Use this workflow for practical billing review or production reporting.

Studio Host Setup For A Small Team

1. Install PPA on the Studio Host Mac.
2. Run Setup Assistant.
3. Choose Studio (LAN/Network).
4. Choose Studio Admin Dashboard.
5. Copy the Client Logging Target.
6. On each workstation, run Setup Assistant and choose Studio User Dashboard.
7. Enter the Studio Host LAN URL.
8. Confirm closed sessions sync to Studio Sessions.

Use the LAN IP of the host Mac, not 127.0.0.1, on client workstations.

Recover From A Premiere Preview Restart

1. Start PPA and confirm the receiver is running.
2. Start Premiere Pro.
3. Open the UXP Developer Tools plugin panel.
4. If Integrations Status shows Needs Attention, reload the plugin in UXP Developer Tools.
5. Confirm the panel shows sending status.

This is expected for the current development-plugin workflow.

Recover From An After Effects Bridge Stale State

1. Open Integrations Status.
2. If After Effects shows Needs Attention, use Repair Bridge.
3. Restart After Effects.
4. Confirm scripting/network access is enabled.
5. Reopen Integrations Status and check for OK.

Diagnostics And Troubleshooting

Diagnostics

Use diagnostics when tracking, dashboards, sync or integrations do not behave as expected.

Useful surfaces:

• Menu bar diagnostics
• Preferences status sections
• Integrations Status
• My Sessions / Studio Sessions diagnostics
• Engine commands exposed to support

Support may ask for:

• macOS version and Mac model
• PPA build number
• Creative app versions
• Whether the issue is My Dashboard or Studio Dashboard
• Whether the data source is Local DB, Collector DB or Archive DB
• A screenshot of Integrations Status
• Exported CSV if the issue is report/filter-related

Common Issues

Resolve Is Open But No Sessions Appear

Check:

• Resolve Studio is installed.
• External scripting is enabled.
• Resolve was restarted after the preference change.
• PPA logger is running.
• The current dashboard is reading the expected local or collector database.

Studio Client Does Not Sync

Check:

• The Studio Host Collector is running.
• The client sync target uses the host LAN IP and port 9000.
• The client is not using 127.0.0.1 as a remote target.
• Firewall settings allow the connection.
• The client has closed sessions available to sync.

Premiere Shows Needs Attention

This usually means the internal preview plugin is not sending.

Action:

1. Open UXP Developer Tools.
2. Reload the PPA Premiere Bridge plugin.
3. Open the panel in Premiere.
4. Confirm Auto Send is active.

After Effects Shows Needs Attention

This usually means the bridge is installed but not sending fresh snapshots.

Action:

1. Confirm scripting/network access is enabled.
2. Click Repair Bridge.
3. Restart After Effects.

CSV Contains More Rows Than Expected

Build 148 should export the visible filtered rows. If the CSV contains rows outside the visible table:

1. Record the active filters/rules.
2. Export again.
3. Send the CSV and a screenshot of the visible table to support.

This remains a Build 148 verification item until a filtered export file has been compared with the visible table.

Known Limitations

• Premiere Pro uses a UXP development-plugin workflow in the current internal preview.
• After Effects requires manual scripting/network permission.
• Some After Effects installations may have non-writable Startup Script folders.
• Adobe application and bridge/plugin version fields can show Not reported in the current preview integrations.
• Resolve and Premiere Pro App filters still need the same practical validation performed for After Effects.
• Filtered CSV output still needs a file-level comparison with the visible table.

FAQ

Is PPA only for DaVinci Resolve?

No. The current product scope is DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects.

Does Setup Assistant delete my data?

No. Setup Assistant stores configuration and does not delete analytics databases, sessions or logs.

Why can logging continue after a trial expires?

PPA preserves activity data. After expiration, local logging may continue, but analytics surfaces and exports are locked until a valid license is installed.

What is the difference between My Dashboard and Studio Dashboard?

My Dashboard reads local workstation data. Studio Admin Dashboard reads the Studio Collector and is intended for facility-wide reporting.

Why should clients not use 127.0.0.1 as the Studio target?

On a workstation, 127.0.0.1 means that same workstation. A Studio client must use the LAN address of the Studio Host Mac.

Why does Premiere need UXP Developer Tools?

The current Premiere integration is an internal preview plugin. It is not yet packaged as the final distribution path.

Why does After Effects need a bridge?

After Effects uses a Startup Script Bridge to send project/composition snapshots to PPA. It also needs the After Effects scripting/network permission.

What does Needs Attention mean?

PPA found something relevant, but a user action is needed. Examples include reloading the Premiere plugin, restarting After Effects, starting the receiver or enabling Resolve scripting.

Does CSV export include all database rows?

Build 148 is intended to export the currently visible filtered rows. A file-level comparison with the filtered table is still required before Public Beta.

Can I use this manual as a support AI knowledge source?

Yes. The generated support-ai/chunks.jsonl and support-ai/manifest.json provide stable IDs, article references, summaries, verification flags and source commit metadata.