Understand the Desktop Proofing Viewer

IMPORTANT

This article refers to functionality in the standalone product Workfront Proof. For information on proofing inside Adobe Workfront, see Proofing.

The Desktop Proofing Viewer is designed for proofing interactive content, but you can also use it to proof static and video content.

Unlike the Web Proofing Viewer, the Desktop Proofing Viewer is an application that runs on your workstation. However, you access it from Workfront or from Workfront Proof when you launch proofs, rather than running it as a standalone application (for more informationabout installing the Desktop Proofing Viewer, see Install the Desktop Proofing Viewer).

Comparing the Desktop Proofing Viewer to Other Proofing Viewers

Desktop Proofing Viewer vs. Web Proofing Viewer

Two main characteristics distinguish the Desktop Proofing Viewer from the Web Proofing Viewer:

  • The Desktop Proofing Viewer lets you review interactive content such as a website, a streaming video, or an interactive banner; the Web Proofing Viewer lets you review only static and video proofs.

  • The Desktop Proofing Viewer runs on your local computer as an application; the Web Proofing Viewer runs in your browser.

    NOTE
    • If your organization cannot use the Desktop Proofing Viewer app for security reasons, your Workfront administrator can configure your system so that you can review interactive content, bundled in a ZIP archive file, in the Web Proofing Viewer.
      • Proof management tasks such as creating and browsing through proofs occur in Workfront or Workfront Proof. The Desktop Proofing Viewer is only for reviewing proofs.

For more information about the capabilities of the various proofing viewers, see Differences between the Web Proofing Viewer and the Desktop Proofing Viewer overview

Desktop Proofing Viewer vs. Legacy proofing viewer

You might not have access to the Legacy proofing viewer because it is supported by Flash, which has been deprecated in most environments.

The Desktop Proofing Viewer includes the following enhancements over the Legacy proofing viewer:

  • Review unsecured (HTTP) sites, not just secure (HTTPS) sites.
  • Review iFrame-protected sites (sites that cannot be viewed within an iFrame).
  • View content with preconfigured resolutions for various devices.
    For example, you can see how content displays on various standard desktop resolutions, or on individual devices such as an iPhone 8.

The Legacy proofing viewer will be removed from Workfront with the 2018.3 release at the end of the 2018 calendar year.

The Legacy proofing viewer is not included for customers acquiring Workfront after the 2018.2 release in July 2018.

User Setting for Opening Non-Interactive Proofs in the Desktop Proofing Viewer

Though the main purpose of the Desktop Proofing Viewer is proofing interactive content, you can also use it to proof static and video proofs.

Users can configure the Desktop Proofing Viewer to launch automatically when they open proofs of all kinds, including static and video proofs. For more information, see Configure proofing viewer settings.

Entering a Proof URL

If you launch the Desktop Proofing Viewer directly from your workstation, you can open a proof by specifying the proof URL. To do this, you must have proof URL of the proof you want to view.

We recommend that you open proofs directly from Workfront. For more information, see Review a proof.

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