Tip #30

Use the Request Manager to manage the many requests for images and brand assets that you receive.  Approve or deny access in one click.

Tip #2

Ensure users are abiding by your image usage guidelines by adding a Terms and Conditions of Use every time someone downloads.

The search tool in WebDAM is the go-to tool for system users trying to find the digital assets they need. The Power Search page gives users the ability to further specify their query with date ranges, file orientations and more. These same search tools are also available to the system administrators and contributors in the backend of the system. The difference with the backend search lies in what can be done with the results…in batch!

Scenario 1:

You are tasked with the project of archiving all digital assets uploaded prior to June 2010.

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Problem: These assets are housed in several different folders. How do you find the right assets and move them quickly?

Solution: Search by the date uploaded and move the resulting assets to your designated archival folder, all at once!

How: From the Admin Homepage, click on “Search Assets” under the Folders & Assets menu. Enter your date range into the “Date Uploaded” field. Once your results display, use the multi-select tool to choose all of the assets. From the “Move” drop down (right-side), choose the folder you want to move the assets to.

Scenario 2:

You’re working on the marketing effort for a new product launch and are responsible for making all of the digital files associated with the launch available in WebDAM so your design, web and marketing teams can readily access them. You upload all of the assets into the appropriate folders and tag them with the product name as a keyword so your users can find them easily.

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Problem: Your boss comes to you and says pull them off WebDAM – they are not approved for distribution yet!

Solution: No need to remove them from the system; you can simply deactivate them until your boss returns with approval.

How: Perform a search on the backend of the account by the product name used to tag the assets. Once the results display, check all using the multi-select tool and click on “Deactivate.” And, when you do receive approval, follow the same steps to get to the search but search inactive assets in the advanced search, then locate, select the assets – click on “Activate.”

The applications for both the backend search and batch actions are endless. Need to reorganize your DAM? Try out the batch action to move your assets into different folders. Have digital assets that you don’t want your users to see just yet? Don’t worry about taking them out of the system, simply search and deactivate!

We would love to hear how WebDAM solved your “I need it now” problem. Drop us a line.

With this new time-saving feature, system administrators receive an email daily letting them know that new assets have been uploaded into WebDAM. No need to visit the Upload Tracker to see the latest upload report.  Receive email notifications instead!

To get started with Upload Notifications: From the Admin Homepage, go to the Global Preferences Page. Click on the Assets tab and select the option to “Receive email notification of uploads.”

This process is known as digital media distribution and is a key component to digital asset management. A DAM’s core functionality includes managing, searching, organization and archiving assets, but what happens when you’re inundated by internal and external requests? Without distribution, this creates a difficult situation for busy content managers. So how does digital asset management facilitate distribution of digital media?  Let’s take a closer look at the different approaches to distribution:

• Self-service
  • The self-service model provides your stakeholders with direct access to your photos, videos, brand assets and other types of digital files. Within WebDAM, that means web access to view, search and download what they need through a browser.  However, the self-service model can be as simple as a shared file server made directly accessible to the requester. With the self-service model, the requester accesses what they need with no interaction by the content manager.
• Requests
  • Under this approach, the digital asset management system facilitates requests by providing the requester with a mechanism to contact the content manager for file-access permission. Within WebDAM, this includes providing the requester with preview and search capabilities to confirm the assets of interest. Once identified, the requester can submit a request for review and approval by the content manager, all using an online system. This type of request mechanism saves the content manager a significant amount of time by bypassing the search-and-identify process—all while limiting database access for the requester.
• Fulfillment
  • Fulfillment requires the content manager to do the legwork. The content manager takes the request, searches for potential matching assets, and provides the requester with access to only those selected assets. Fulfillment, unlike self-service, grants access to only a limited selection of files based on the requester’s specific guidelines. WebDAM facilitates this process with its Lightbox and email distribution features, providing an efficient means for selecting and sending files.

So which distribution method is best for you? All of them, in fact! Each distribution method can be appropriate depending on the situation. For example, if a member of the press makes a one-time request for corporate photos, fulfillment may work best. However, if your web team needs regular access to brand assets and product photography, self-service allows them anytime-anywhere access. Regardless of the method, an efficient process for distribution of photos, brand assets and marketing collateral can lead to more efficient production, saving time and money for everyone involved.

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.

Adobe Bridge CS4
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/bridge/
Adobe Bridge lets you browse, locate, organize, view and tag your digital photos. Bridge is included in all six editions of Adobe Creative Suite 4. This is the perfect solution for less advanced workflows looking to centralize and access local files.

Photo Mechanic
http://www.camerabits.com
Photo Mechanic touts itself as both an image browser and workflow accelerator and is a very popular tool amongst professional photographers. Offering a thumbnail view of your images in a contact sheet display window, Photo Mechanic makes it easy to compare and select the best in a group. Batch processing and IPTC and EXIF metadata support make it easy to organize and catalog large volumes of images.

Microsoft Expression Media
http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto/expressionmedia2
Organize, share and protect your digital assets quickly and easily using Microsoft Expression Media 2 (formerly iView MediaPro). This software handles organization, cataloging, metadata, editing, presentation, publishing and archiving. Streamline your tasks by simplifying the process of transferring an image from your camera to print.

Adobe Lightroom
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom
Spend less time importing, editing, managing and showcasing your images with the help of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. The software’s top new features make it essential for today’s digital technology workflow. These features include (but are not limited to) enhanced organizational tools that sort and filter large volumes of data using powerful metadata, multiple monitor support to easily and efficiently manage image workflow, streamlined Photoshop CS4 integration and volume management to manage and organize images across multiple drives.

Apple Aperture
http://www.apple.com/aperture
Lightroom’s biggest competitor, Apple’s Aperture 3 makes it quick and easy to import photos onto your Macintosh computer, even making it possible to preview and adjust images as they are being imported. Organize your files anyway you choose, whether it be through faces, places or descriptive keywords and captions. Aperture 3 allows you to compare images side by side to make selections, flag specific images and add color labels.

How can these tools integrate with your digital asset management workflow? Like WebDAM, all of the above include IPTC and XMP support so your metadata is completely compatible between applications. To further streamline your workflow, each of these tools integrates FTP so you can connect directly to your WebDAM account from your desktop to seamlessly publish your assets to the web to archive, share and distribute throughout your organization.

What are your favorite desktop tools for photo editing and image workflow?