Uploading Proofs
What file types can we upload as proofs?
You may upload PDFs, Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Apple Keynote files (.key), Photoshop (.psd, .psb) and Illustrator (.ai) files, images (such as .jpg, .png, .gif, .tiff and .svg), and videos (.mp4, .mov, .webm) into Hive. See the full list of supported file types.
You can also add a live website as proof for the approval.
To proof an email, send it to the action's proof email address (see How do I add an email as a proof?), or upload the email saved as a file (.eml or .msg).
How can I upload a file to the proof?
You can upload the file by clicking on "Add proof."
You can also upload a proof by dragging the file to the Approval app!
What do Preparing, Ready and Failed mean when I upload a PDF?
When you add a PDF as the card's proof or as a new version, Hive prepares the PDF first. A row with the file name and its status shows at the top of the Approval app. Only the person who uploaded the file sees this row.
Preparing: Hive is preparing the PDF. This usually takes a few seconds, and longer for a large file. The previous version stays current, and approvers continue to see it. You can close the card while the PDF is prepared.
Ready: the PDF is now the current version.
Failed: Hive could not prepare the PDF. The row shows the reason, and the previous version stays current. For example, the PDF is password-protected, damaged, or 4 GB or larger. Fix the file, then upload it again as a new version. To try the same file again, click Retry. A Failed row stays in the list after you upload a new file.
A notice can show next to Ready:
This PDF was repaired. Check for missing pages or images. The PDF was damaged, and Hive rebuilt it. Open the proof and check each page. If something is missing, export the PDF again from the app that made it, then upload it as a new version.
embedded attachment(s) could not be imported. The PDF has files attached to its comments, for example a PDF that you downloaded from Hive with annotations. Hive added the comments without these files. This can happen when a file is larger than 100 MB, cannot be read, or is a Hive file that you cannot open. Attach the files to the comments again, or share a link. See Files attached to comments in PDF downloads.
If you stay on the card, Hive also shows a message when an upload fails or when it repaired the PDF.
How do I add an email as a proof?
Each action has its own proof email address. When you send or forward an email to it, Hive turns the email into a PDF and adds it as the action's proof.
Open the action card. In the Approval app, click Add proof. If the card already has a proof, click Add new file version.
Select the Email tab.
Click Copy email address.
Send or forward the email to that address.
What the email must contain
Put the proof address in To, Cc or Bcc. Other people can also be recipients of the email.
To add the same email to more than one action, put each action's proof address on the email. Hive adds the email to each action.
Write a clear subject. Hive names the PDF after the subject.
Send the email as HTML (rich text). Most email apps do this by default. Hive makes the PDF from the HTML body. For a plain-text email, the PDF shows only the first part of the text, on one line.
What Hive adds to the proof
At the top of the PDF, Hive shows the sender's address and name, the reply-to address, the subject and the preview text. The email body follows.
Images that the email loads from the web show in the PDF.
Hive does not add files attached to the email, to the proof or to the card. To proof an attachment, save it and add it with File upload.
If the card already has a proof, the email becomes a new version of that proof.
Good to know
Anyone who has the address can add a proof to the action. Share the address only with people who should add proofs.
If an address that you saved earlier stops adding proofs, copy the address again from Add proof > Email.
The Email tab does not show when you add files to a proof folder.
Are there limits for files attached to proof comments?
For PDF, image, and Office proofs, you can attach files up to 100 MB each to comments, including files placed with attachment pins. There is no limit on the total size of the attached files on a proof.
This limit applies to comment attachments, not the size of the main proof document. It does not apply to comment attachments on video or live-website proofs. If a file is larger than 100 MB, use a smaller file or share a link instead.
Are files attached to proof comments included in a PDF download?
Yes. For PDF, image, and Office proofs, Download with annotations includes files attached to the exported comments as embedded PDF attachments, subject to the limit above. Review those files before sharing the PDF. If a file is left out, Hive shows a warning and keeps the file on its comment in Hive.
When you upload an exported PDF again, Hive can restore embedded attachments or reconnect existing files you can access. See Files attached to comments in PDF downloads for details and warning messages.
Are there Proofing keyboard shortcuts?
Speed up your proofing workflow with these handy shortcuts:
Choose a tool — In the proofing viewer, press a single key to pick an annotation tool, for example
Hfor highlight,Rfor rectangle, orFfor freehand.Find in document —
Cmd+F(Mac) /Ctrl+F(Windows) to search the text of a PDF proof.Zoom In/Out —
Cmd(Mac) /Ctrl(Windows) with+or-.Next File —
Shift+Right Arrowto jump to the next file in your proof list.Previous File —
Shift+Left Arrowto go back to the previous file.Add Comment on a website proof —
Cmd+J(Mac) /Ctrl+J(Windows) in HTML/live-website proofing.
For the full list, see Keyboard Shortcuts in Hive.
Can I upload multiple proofs?
Yes. Add two or more files at the same time with Add proof > File upload, or drag them to the Approval app. For a card's first proof, select one option:
Upload as folder (selected by default): Hive puts the files in one proofing folder. Approvers can give a decision on each file.
Upload as combined file: Hive combines the files into one PDF proof.
Upload individual files as subactions: Hive makes one subaction for each file. Asset cards do not show this option.
If the card already has a proof with one file, Upload as folder does not show, and Upload as combined file is selected by default. See Upload multiple files as one proof.
Can you review the proof at the same time as someone else? Can you see who else has the file open?
Yes, concurrent reviews of the file are supported for collaborative reviews. Their comments will appear live during your review.
How do you replace a proof?
If you mistakenly uploaded a proof, upload the correct file. It becomes the latest version, ready for review and routing. A PDF becomes the latest version when it shows Ready. You can also use the trash can icon to delete the proof.
When overriding a round in progress, is the previous proof version kept?
Yes. When you upload a new proof while the round is in progress, the previous version moves to Show previous versions. The new file becomes the current version. For a PDF, this happens when the upload shows Ready. Until then, the previous version stays current. See What do Preparing, Ready and Failed mean when I upload a PDF?
Which approval decisions stay when a new proof is uploaded?
When you upload a new proof and an approval round is waiting for a response, Hive shows the Approval round in progress dialog. Your choice controls which decisions stay.
Continue round: the round does not change. All decisions stay. Hive does not ask any approver again (see below).
Reset round and upload: Hive restarts the first stage that is not complete. Complete stages do not change.
After Reset round and upload, in the restarted stage:
Approvers who approved the whole proof (Approved or Approved with changes) keep their decision. Hive does not ask them again.
For the other approvers in a proof folder, files that did not change keep their Approved or Approved with changes decision.
Files that changed, new files, and files that show Changes requested wait for a decision again.
All stages after the restarted stage start again from the beginning. No decisions stay in those stages.
If you select Don't ask again, Hive does not show the dialog again in this browser. Hive then continues the round each time.
If the round uses Restart round unless all approved, Hive does not show this dialog, and the upload does not reset the round.
If you select Reset round in the round menu, Hive clears all decisions in the round.
What happens when I upload a new version after an approver requests changes?
Hive does not ask the approver again. The approver stays on Changes requested and does not get a notification or an email about the new version. All other decisions stay.
To ask the approver to review the new version, use one of these options:
Another approver still has to respond: when you upload the new version, select Reset round and upload. Hive sends a new request to the approvers in the restarted stage who did not approve.
No approver is waiting for a response: Hive does not show the Approval round in progress dialog. After the upload, open More on the round, select Reset round, and then select Reset. Hive clears all decisions in the round, approved decisions too. Then select Request approval. Hive sends the request at this step, not when you reset the round.
To keep the decisions on the current round: open More on the round and select Duplicate round. In the new round, select Request approval.
The proof opens on its own. To see the previous version next to the new one, click Compare in the proof viewer. In a narrow window, Compare is in More (⋯).
You can also upload a new version from the proof viewer: open More (⋯) and select Upload new version.
Who gets an update when an approver decides?
The people assigned to the action get an update in Hive.
If the action has no assignee, the person who requested the approval gets the update.
When an approver selects Request changes, the assignees also get an email if they turned on email for Approval requests in their notification settings.
If you requested the approval and you are also assigned, you get one update.
Can I export only selected comments from a website proof?
Yes. In HTML/live-website proofing, you can export selected comment threads together with their replies.
Open the HTML/live-website proof and its comments panel.
Click Select in the comments panel header.
Check the comment threads you want to include. Replies are included with their thread; you do not select replies separately.
Open the proofing toolbar’s menu and choose Export selected comments.
With no threads selected, the menu shows Export comments and exports all comments. A selected thread remains selected if you later hide it with a filter, so check the selected count before exporting.
These steps apply to HTML/live-website proofing. For PDFs, use the PDF viewer’s available download options.
I clicked a PDF and it opened a proofing screen — did I create a proof?
No. When you click a PDF, Office, Keynote or video file in a card's attachments, Hive opens a read-only preview in the proofing viewer. A Preview label shows at the top.
Hive does not create a proof, start an approval or notify anyone.
The card's proof does not change.
Hive creates a proof only when you click Start proof review (or Add as new proof version).
Can I proof a file without the Proofing & Approvals add-on?
Yes. Your organization gets 50 free proof reviews. Open a PDF, Office, Keynote or video file in a card's attachments, then click Start proof review.
One review is the first proof on a card. New versions, comments and approvals on that card are free.
The 50 reviews are for all workspaces in your organization. They do not reset.
After 50 reviews, a workspace admin must buy the add-on. Members can click Send request to ask the admins.