But the prospect said it best with this analogy…

“You know when you go to a friend’s house, and you need silverware, and have to open every single drawer to find a fork… and your friend is like, ‘Isn’t it obvious which drawer the fork would be in?!’ But, if it were your house, you would put the silverware in a completely difference place, so no it is not obvious! That’s what browsing a folder structure setup by our US headquarters is like for our partners in Asia.”

Awesome.

Lightboxes are the solution to so many distribution challenges, for several reasons, but most importantly, Lightboxes save you time! No more cumbersome downloading, burning images onto a CD, and overnighting disks that may not even be the ones the recipient was hoping for… Or worse, getting lost in the mailroom shuffle!

In my past life in publishing, this would happen time and time again.  The photographer would overnight a CD of high resolution images for review… only for our photo editor to say, “I can’t use any of these! Do they have anymore they can send?” Should this happen once and sometimes twice (as it often did), you’ve eaten up a week up precious production time!

I’m sure you have many similar stories springing to mind right now… Your boss is on vacation and needs you to review and select images to use in a brochure to send to production on a tight deadline. Your PR manager needs high-resolution photos of the company’s latest product ASAP.  And so on.

For those of you who have not used the Lightbox yet, it’s easy to get started. First, some basics!  A Lightbox is simply a way to group files within WebDAM.  While logged in with your WebDAM user account, you can create and manage an unlimited number of Lightboxes, a huge time saver when working on simultaneous projects!

To add assets to a Lightbox, simply click the Lightbox icon underneath any thumbnail.  The asset will be added to your active Lightbox instantly.  Your active Lightbox (the one you are currently adding to) can be changed at any time using the Lightbox toolbar at the bottom of your browser.  From here, you can also create a new Lightbox.  To view your Lightboxes, click on Lightbox within the navigation links near the top of your account.

Note: Your individual WebDAM account may have a custom name for the Lightbox feature such as Favorites or Selections. Contact your system administrator if you are unable to locate the Lightbox.

So, let’s talk distribution.

One of the key benefits to using the Lightbox for distribution is that you can share a collection of images and other types of files with someone who normally wouldn’t have access.  For instance, let’s say you need to send a press representative several high-res product shots.  You can simply add the files to a Lightbox and utilize the Lightbox distribution features to provide access.

There are two ways to distribute assets from the Lightbox. You can email a download invite or FTP the files directly to an FTP server.

Emailing a download invite:

1. From the Lightbox page, select Email a download invite from the Lightbox Downloads menu on the left.
2. Complete the form on the next page, and click on Send Email.
3. The recipient will get an email with an invitation to download.
4. They simply need to click on the link provided in the email to access the download.

Sending via FTP:

1. From the Lightbox page, click on FTP assets to another computer from the Lightbox Downloads menu on the left.
2. Complete the form on the next page with the recipient’s server address, username, and password, and click on FTP images.
3. At this point, the recipient can retrieve the files from their FTP server.

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I know what you’re thinking. I have just one image to send. Do I really have to go through all of these steps for just one image? Absolutely not!

You can send a download invite right from the Asset Preview Page! Just click on Send Download and complete the email download form.

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Distribution tools are just one component of the Lightbox. In an upcoming post, we will address collaboration challenges and how to use the Lightbox to be even more effective in these efforts. Stay tuned!

FETCH SOFTWORKS
http://fetchsoftworks.com/

Fetch is a full-featured file transfer client exclusively for Mac users. Fetch supports both FTP and sFTP file transfer protocols to ensure compatibility with most internet providers, web-hosting companies, publishers, and more. The Droplet shortcuts and Dashboard widgets make it easy to upload files and track the progress of the upload through the user friendly interface. View your files effortlessly on the web using the WebView tool, which also allows users to copy web addresses. Tired of wasting time and energy on monotonous tasks? Simply use the Automator actions and AppleScript recording to automate repetitive tasks. Fetch assures that all your questions and concerns are addressed through their extensive online help support.

FILEZILLA
http://filezilla-project.org/

For those of you looking for a free FTP solution, FileZilla is what you have been searching for. This open source software is distributed free of charge and provides both clients and a server. Easy to use, this cross-platform FTP, FTPS and sFTP client has numerous features. Unlike other FTP solutions, FileZilla is not exclusive to Mac or PC users but is able to run on Windows, Linux, Mac OS and more. Not to mention that it is available in many different languages. Stay on task and organized with FileZilla’s powerful site manager, transfer queue, bookmarks and filename filter. For files larger than 4GB, this FTP solution supports the resume and transfer of those large files.

ACEFTP 3 PRO
http://software.visicommedia.com/en/products/aceftp/

Whether you’re a novice or a tech savvy professional AceFTP 3 Pro is a FTP client software solution for everyone. Securely transfer your files with the ease and efficiency that AceFTP Pro provides. There is no question that your files will be secure with the software’s password protection and SSL security protocol integration features. The familiar Windows XP-style interface and the dual-plane interface make AceFTP 3 Pro easy to navigate. File transferring has never been easier as this software allows users to execute multiple file transfers simultaneously, conduct server-to-server file transfers, resume interrupted transfers, open numerous FTP sites concurrently and much more.

FLASH FXP
http://www.flashfxp.com/

For Windows users, FlashFXP may just be what you are looking for. Make file transfers easier with FlashFXP as it allows you to transfer files between other local computers running a FTP server, via the Internet, or between two servers using site-to-site transfers. Some of the benefits of FlashFXP include the multi-language support, internal text editor for quick edits, internal schedule and site states to keep track of all uploads as well as downloads among many other features. FlashFXP makes this FTP solution simple to use through the FTP only and FXP views, advances queue control, enhanced drag and drop functionality and the folder bookmarks.

CoffeCup
http://www.coffeecup.com/free-ftp/

If you are looking for a simple FTP solution without the frills and unnecessary features then CoffeCup is for you. This FTP solution is a simple and reliable way to transfer your files, and the best part is its free! Simply upload files by dragging and dropping them from your computer to your server. Due to the set up on multiple server profiles you are able to transfer your files in binary, ASCII, or auto mode. Keep your files organized using the Combo Bookmarks, which allow users save the local and remote folder. This FTP solution also makes it possible for users to pull them both folders up at the same times. CoffeCup’s direct FTP also makes it possible to make changes directly on your server to save you time and energy.

If you are looking for a complete desktop image management solution with built-in FTP, check out my recommendations for the top photo workflow tools.