When creating an SOP from a video, you can now specify an existing SOP file (PDF / Excel / Word / image) as a "Reference work procedure (optional)". You can leverage the structure and terminology of your already-prepared Excel manual to advance your video manual creation.
This feature is currently in beta. Split accuracy and text capture methods are still being improved. If you notice anything working well, issues, or have requests, please send feedback to Dive Customer Success <customer-success@episotech.com>. We'll use it to make improvements.
When to use this
- You've already created a work procedure in Excel and want to carry over that structure to your video manual
- You want to create a video manual with company terminology, equipment names, and process names aligned with your existing SOP
- You have video footage, but AI auto-split doesn't create the step breaks you intended → you want to split according to the reference material's divisions
Most Dive customers manage SOPs in Excel. The goal of this feature is to start by using your Excel manual as-is and convert it to a video manual.
Supported file formats
- Excel (.xlsx / .xlsm / .xls)
- Word (.docx / .doc)
- Image (.jpg / .png, etc.)
You can select one reference file. Office files are converted to PDF by the system at upload and provided as reference material.
Setup steps
- During video upload (or when clicking [Re-run AI] on a file), open the [Reference work procedure (optional)] (marked as beta) section at the bottom of the AI processing Options
- Click [Choose a procedure file] and select the SOP file you want to reference from your asset library
- Once the file name is displayed, check or uncheck [Split according to the document's steps] as needed (default is ON. See details in the next section)
- Click [Run] to start video analysis based on the reference file
Two modes (checkbox ON / OFF)
[Split according to the document's steps] checkbox ON — Split video to match the material's divisions (default)
- Steps are split to match the reference file's step count and order
- Titles and descriptions adopt the material's text as-is, with information extracted from the video added to the description
- Split granularity (Process / Steps / Action) and [Target step count] settings are not used (the material's divisions and step count take priority)
- Steps that appear in the material but are not shown in the video remain in the SOP without being dropped
- Best when you want to "cut the video into steps corresponding to your Excel work procedure"
[Split according to the document's steps] checkbox OFF — Use as supplementary context
- Use the reference file only as supplementary material for terminology and context
- Step split is auto-determined from the video (following the video's AI analysis results)
- Best when you want to "align only terminology and company-specific phrasing"
Typical workflow using Excel as reference
- First, take your existing Excel SOP and Create SOP from file to import it into Dive (this step alone makes it usable as an SOP)
- Then upload video footage of the actual work and specify the Excel you imported earlier (or the original Excel) in AI processing Options' [Reference work procedure (optional)]
- Keep [Split according to the document's steps] (ON by default) and run it — the video will also be split to match the Excel's divisions
- Compare the Excel SOP and video SOP side by side to review and integrate the content
This workflow lets you leverage your Excel assets and eliminate dual operation by switching to a video manual.
We'd appreciate your feedback
Since this feature is in beta, split accuracy and text capture methods are still being improved. If you notice examples that work well, cases where the split didn't match your intent, requests for additional supported file formats, or other suggestions, please send them to customer-success@episotech.com (Dive Customer Success). We'll use your feedback for future improvements.
Frequently asked questions
Q. The AI's split on the video side and the reference file's split just don't align.
A. First, try turning [Split according to the document's steps] OFF and re-analyzing. This will honor the video's analysis results for step splits while aligning terminology and phrasing to the reference file. If they still don't match, manual editing in the editor is the surest approach. Note that the issue of step count not matching the material in long videos has been fixed (the video will align to the material's step count and order throughout). You don't need to split the video into short segments before uploading.
Q. When will this leave beta?
A. We're continuing to improve split accuracy and text capture precision. Once we reach a stable state where splits consistently match your intent, we'll transition to full release. Note that we do not use customer data internally for retraining, data review, or any other purposes, so you can rest assured.
Q. Will the reference material reflect information not shown in the video?
A. When [Split according to the document's steps] is ON, the reference material's titles and descriptions are adopted as-is, with information extracted from the video added to the descriptions. Steps that appear in the material but are not shown in the video remain as steps in the SOP (since there's no corresponding video footage, that step will be very short. Replace it with newly recorded video in the editor as needed). When OFF, the reference file's terminology and context are captured, but AI won't arbitrarily add steps not shown in the video (steps are built based on video scenes).
Q. How many reference files can you specify?
A. One. Support for multiple files is a future consideration.
Q. Can you specify PowerPoint?
A. Currently, PDF / Excel / Word / Image are supported. If you want to reference PowerPoint, either Create SOP from file first to convert it to an SOP, then specify that SOP file as reference material, or export it as PDF and specify that.