Tips on Managing Consent
Skyfish Consent helps your team understand exactly how images may be used, no matter whether the consent was created through the Digital Consent workflow or uploaded as a regular consent. The system uses clear indicators and download rules to prevent misuse and make consent boundaries visible across your media library.
Helping your team use images correctly
Skyfish shows consent status directly on images using three indicators:
Active consent
Expired consent
No consent required
When an image has active consent, users will see the purpose and expiration date before downloading.
If the consent is expired, the image appears faded out and cannot be downloaded, ensuring it isn’t used accidentally.
If no consent is required, the image displays the “no consent required” icon and can be downloaded freely.
These indicators apply to both:
- files linked to a Digital Consent, and
- files managed through the regular (uploaded) consent workflow.
Finding all files affected by a consent
When a consent expires or is ended early (for example, by deleting it after a withdrawal), Skyfish automatically prevents downloads and disables share links and PowerPoint embeds so the material cannot be used accidentally.
In the consent overview, you can instantly see all images linked to a particular consent. The number of linked files is shown under the “Files” column. Click the number to view the full list of linked images. From here, you can unlink one file or remove all links if needed.
This makes it easy to review which images are affected and ensure they are no longer used once the consent is no longer valid.
Managing access to consent details
To protect personal data, consent documents are restricted.
- Only admins and consent admins can access the full consent overviews
- Users cannot open the original consent files, whether PDF uploads or Digital Consent documents
- Admins can fill in or edit the purpose and expiration date for uploaded consents
- Users only see the essential information needed for proper image use (purpose and expiry)
This keeps personal data secure while still giving teams the guidance they need.
Images that do not require consent
Some images do not require consent, such as:
- Stock images
- Images with no identifiable people
- Images used only for internal communication
- Images that fall under specific legal exceptions
Admins can mark an image as “No consent required” in the File Info panel.
Once set:
- The “no consent required” icon appears
- The file is treated as cleared for use
- Team members can download it without restrictions
This helps avoid confusion when browsing mixed collections.
Using existing consent PDFs already stored in Skyfish
If you have older or manually signed consent forms stored in Skyfish as PDFs, you can still incorporate them into the consent workflow.
To add them:
- Right-click the PDF
- Select “Convert to consent”
- The file will move into the “Consent overview”
- Admins can then assign purpose, expiration, and link the consent to files
This makes it easy to transition from legacy consent handling to the newer system without losing existing documentation.
Working with both digital and regular consents
Skyfish supports both consent types seamlessly:
- Digital Consents
- Issued online
- Signed digitally
- Auto-returned to Skyfish
- Used for linking and lifecycle management
- Regular (uploaded) consents
- PDFs from external workflows
- Uploaded manually
- Converted using “Convert to consent”
- Fully supported within the same tools
Everything, including icons, expiration handling, download blocking, and file linking, works the same across both types.
My team needs to be informed about how they are allowed to use images. Can this tool help with that?
Skyfish Consent improves how teams work with images requiring consent by making it clear to all users how a particular image may be used. When viewing an image, users will see one of three icons:
Active consent
Expired consent
No consent required
If the consent is active, users will see the expiration date and purpose before they can download the image. Images with expired consent appear faded out and cannot be downloaded. If no consent is required for an image, users will see the icon and are free to download.
How can I see all the images affected by a consent expiration?
When a consent for an image expires or is withdrawn, it is necessary to stop using that image immediately. With the Skyfish consent tool, you can instantly find all the images you have linked to a particular consent in the consent overview. The number of linked files is listed under the column header “Files”. Just click on the listing to view all linked files and, if needed, unlink one or all of them from the consent. Once the consent expires for an image, the system automatically prevents downloads and disables share links and PowerPoint embeds so it cannot be accidentally misused in the future.
Can I make sure users are not able to see the details of any consent form?
Only admins and users designated as “consent admins” have access to the consent overview, where all consent files are stored. Any file uploaded as a consent is automatically added to this overview. To protect personal data, users cannot open or view the original consent files. Instead, admins can enter key details such as the expiration date and usage purpose when uploading a consent. This information is then visible to users, while the full consent form remains restricted.
What if I have images that don’t require consent?
Consent is required for any images containing identifiable individuals. Images that do not require consent may include stock images, images with no identifiable subjects, and images intended for internal use only. Images of this kind can be marked as “no consent required” in order to make it visible to users that the image may be downloaded freely without consent. To do this, admins need to open the file info and click on the “Not required” button. Afterwards, the “no consent required” icon will appear on the image to guide users.
I have consent forms on Skyfish as pdfs already. How can I add them to the consent tool?
If you have consent forms stored on Skyfish that are not yet labelled as such, converting them to consents is easy. Just right click on the file and select “convert to consent” from the menu. This will automatically relocate the file to the consent overview.