On occasion, you may encounter an issue where a product appears to be stuck at the External Post-Production step in the Workflow. The following article will walk through the steps to troubleshoot, identify the cause, and implement a solution.
Issue Overview
When using External Post Production, you may notice that products appear to be "stuck" at the External Post Production Workflow step and are not advancing to the next stage in the production process. This issue typically presents in several ways:
The Production tab shows that fewer files have been returned than are expected.
Creative Force indicates it is still awaiting assets from the vendor, even though substantial time has passed since delivery.
The vendor insists that editing has been completed, but the production does not progress.
Gathering Information
There are a few places within Creative that can offer helpful insights when determining what might cause assets not to return from your External Post vendor.
Ultimately, to understand the issue, we need to identify the details of the specific Production that is experiencing the issue.
Information | Where to Find |
Assigned Vendor |
 |
Sent/Expected/Returned Files |
 |
Transfer Settings | Studio Settings → External Post-Production → 'Edit' → Transfer Settings  |
Production Overview → Hover over 'building icon.' 
Production Tab → Column List
Sent/Expected/Returned
The first place to check is the production tab. The production tab provides three important pieces of information:
Information | Context |
Sent to Ext. Post | This is the total number of assets that Creative Force has sent to the External Post Vendor. |
Expected from Ext. Post | This is the number of assets that Creative Force expects to receive back from the External Post vendor. |
Returned from Ext. Post | This is the number of assets Creative Force has received back from the External Post vendor. |
Why it's Relevant
The files sent to ext. post would be the total number of files completed at the step prior to external post-production in the Workflow.
Depending on whether there is a Preset assigned in the Style Guide and whether External Post is set to be the Fan-Out step, this will affect the number of files expected to be returned.
For Example, if 2 assets are moved forward at Photo Review and then sent to External Post, we would expect 2 assets to be sent to External Post.
If there is a Preset with 3 variants for each photography position linked to the Style Guide, the number of assets expected to be returned changes to 8 total assets.
In order for the External Post step to be completed from a Creative Force standpoint, the number listed returned from ext. post needs to be the same as expected.
If the numbers do not align, we know that there is an issue with the number of files that are varied between the two numbers.
Detail View
To gather more information on those specific unreturned files, we can click into the details view by selecting the 'i' icon in one of two places:
Clicking on this icon will reveal a window that provides detailed information on both the files that have returned as well as the positions and variants Creative Force is awaiting.
It would be recommended to reach out to your Vendor first to have them verify that the missing files have been uploaded and meet the requirements.
File Requirements
In order for a file to be returned to Creative Force from the vendor, it must meet a number of requirements. What those requirements are depends on certain configuration options set for the vendor in the 'Transfer Settings.'
To check the Transfer Settings, note which vendor is assigned to the Production → then, head to Studio Settings → External Post-Production → then 'Edit' that specific vendor.
Specifcially, note the fields listed in the table below and how they are configured.
Information | Potential Options |
| |
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How these affect the 'requirements' for the returned files will be explained below.
Filename Mode
When Creative Force checks for returned assets, the filename must be correct as per the Style Guide setup.
Filename Only
When Creative Force checks for returned assets, the filename must be correct as per the Style Guide setup.
+
The specific folder it sits in is not relevant, as long as that folder is in the root file path defined in the 'Connection Settings' under 'Download Folder.'
Filename + Folder
When Creative Force checks for returned assets, the filename must be correct as per the Style Guide setup.
+
When Creative Force checks for returned assets, it must be in the exact file path configured in the Style Guide settings.
(Legacy) Metadata
The system monitors assets in the defined return location. When there is a match, we pull the asset back into the system, moving it forward in production.
When Creative Force checks for returned assets, they must have a matching 'Physical File ID' value in their metadata.
Physical File ID
Creative Force writes a Physical File ID into the metadata of an image when an image is sent to the External Post Vendor.
If the metadata of an image is not kept intact on export or the Physical File ID has been altered, Creative Force will not be able to recognize and pull the files back from the Vendor.
Troubleshooting Filename
If your vendor states they have uploaded the correct files to the correct folder on the FTP, but the files are not returned to Creative Force, two steps can be taken to move forward.
Verify Expected Filename
In the Details View → select the 'Expect Return Files' Icon.
Selecting the icon will download a .txt file, which you can open to view a list of all expected files and their expected file names:
For a deeper look at how to interpret the requirements of this file, please see the 'Returning Files' section of our External Post Vendor Guide. Or share the link and .txt file directly with your vendor for them to double-check the requirements.
Verify Actual Filename
Ask the external-post vendor to share an uncropped screenshot that clearly shows the following information:
The file path where the returned files are currently located in the FTP
The file names of those returned files
The associated file type extension for the assets.
With the vendor-provided screenshot and the expected return file list downloaded, open each and compare.
If all of the requirements from the .txt file and the screenshot seem to align, please reach out to Creative Force Support for next steps.
Troubleshooting Physical File ID
If you notice your vendor has uploaded the correct files to the correct folder on the FTP, but the files are not returned to Creative Force, two steps can be taken to move forward.
Verify Expected ID
In the Details View → look for the section associated with the missing asset
Next to the section titled 'Physical File ID, select the file icon to copy it.
Verify Actual ID
To verify the actual Physical File ID, you will need to download the images from the vendor's FTP and check the metadata for the Physical File ID.
To do this, head to exifmeta.com and drag and drop an image into the upload box. Or use an alternative metadata tool.
When viewing the Metadata, check for the following:
Does the image have a Physical File ID?
If yes, does the Physical File ID of the asset that was completed by the External Post Vendor match the Physical File ID listed in the details view?
Missing Physical File ID
If you confirm that the image your vendor has uploaded to the FTP is missing the Physical File ID, it likely means that it was not kept intact on export.
You have two options:
Option 1
Reach out to your vendor and ask if they can attempt the following steps:
Re-export the image and ensure the metadata has stayed intact.
Download the file that was sent by Creative Force, copy the canvas from the completed file, then paste it onto the Creative Force file, and export.
Option 2
Reset the product back to the External Post step. This will retrigger Creative Force to send new versions of the file(s) with new Physical File IDs.
2. Instruct the vendor to download the new files sent by Creative Force, open them in Photoshop, and copy the canvases from the old version of the files to the new files sent by Creative Force.
3. Have them export again, check the metadata for the Physical File ID, and upload to the FTP once confirmed metadata is intact
Physical File ID is Incorrect
If you’ve confirmed the image has a Physical File ID, and the image is still not being pulled back by Creative Force, it likely means that the Physical File ID has been altered or is from an older version of the file.
If your Physical File IDs do not match, you have two options:
Instruct the vendor to download the latest version of the file sent by Creative Force, then copy their canvases from their working file and paste them onto the latest version of the file from Creative Force. Export and upload to the FTP.
Reset the production type back to External Post, which will trigger Creative Force to send new files to the External Post Vendor with new Physical File IDs. The vendor can then download the files and copy their canvases as described above. Export and upload to the FTP.
If all of the steps above are followed and the files are still not pulled back by Creative Force, please reach out to our Customer Support team via the chat icon, and we would be happy to assist.
Expired Productions
As an alternative to the above possible issues, it is also possible that the production has been inactive in the system for too long.
As a note, Creative Force does not continue to check for returned files in Productions that started External Post more than three months ago.
When checking the Production Overview, if the Workflow step prior to External Post was completed more than 90 days ago, you will need to reset the production to External Post-Production to retrigger the process.
