If you upload a video and immediately try to use it in a contribution or storytelling tool, there’s a chance that you might not be able to view it right way. If this is the case, you’re probably seeing either a grey screen with a play button, or an illustrated screen that says “Sorry. This video will be available for viewing shortly.”
This is because, in order to play any video on the Internet, the file must be converted to a web-friendly file format and optimized to stream online.
This conversion process begins as soon as you start uploading, but it may take longer to complete than the actual download. Most of the time, it’s only a few seconds more and then you can watch it, but depending on the quality and length of the video, and the file’s size, it can take minutes or even hours.
Don’t sweat it – you can still place the video and continue creating your LifePost. When the video’s ready it will automatically replace the gray screen or “Sorry, this video will be available for viewing shortly” message.
Note that if you’re not seeing either the gray screen or the “Sorry” message, or if it’s been more than a couple of hours since you uploaded and your video still won’t play, it could be a sign of a different problem. Use the red Help tab on the side of your screen to let us know, and be sure to include information like your browser and operating system (e.g. “Windows computer, Firefox browser” or “iPhone, with Safari”).