SeeFile Blog

Whose Fingers Are in Your DAM?

2010-02-26T17:38:06Z

Article written by Matthew Gonnering on Ecommerce Times

In the midst of a digital asset management breakdown, you may wonder why you went to a DAM system in the first place. Stop wondering. DAM systems are the one of the best ways for large creative operations to compete in the digital age. The key to doing more good than harm is to find a DAM solution that provides the levels of granular control your organization needs.

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You suddenly start getting emails from your sales team that old logos are being used on spec sheets -- but that's just the beginning. Someone has photoshopped a new product box of unreleased software into your homepage image. And one of your distributors is on the phone wanting to know why his competitor has your new marketing material and he doesn't.

Yikes. Instead of solving a problem, have you just created a digital asset monster?!?

Improving access to assets is the promise of every digital asset management (DAM) service. Less discussed but more important are the controls available to govern access to those assets. Improper governance controls can cause digital assets to be lost, deleted, stolen, modified or used in ways that work against a company's business objectives or brand.

For example, if an outdated logo is used in your channel, confused consumers could ignore new products, undermining months of product development and launch efforts. Using dated images or old product references in new campaigns could set back your branding efforts severely. Information made public prematurely will give competitors an unfair jump on your innovative product differentiators, harming financial performance.

To avoid these problems, many DAM systems offer workflow tools that allow different classes of users to have different levels of access to assets. This includes the rights to view, comment, edit, download and forward materials.

Also required are features that allow rights to be triggered by other rights. For example, Group B should be restricted from downloading an asset until User A has approved it. These capabilities are essential for a DAM system to extend beyond being just a digital repository to become a tool for managing workflow.

Continue reading at Ecommerce Times

Why you need DAM system?

2010-01-14T15:55:04Z

I found this fascinating quote today:

"Need" is different than "Why" - and yet, most folks don't dive deep enough to move from the former to the latter. Let's take the instance of someone who is seeking a DAM solution (Digital Asset Management).digitalassetmanagement.org.uk, Digital Asset Management, Jan 2010

You should read the whole article.

SeeFile 4.7 for OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard

2010-01-13T14:29:41Z

We are happy to announce that a beta version of SeeFile 4.7 for Mac OSX 10.6.2 is available. Contact us by email at info@seefile.com or by phone at +1-617-262-2464 if you wish to install a demo of SeeFile on your Mac server.

Digital asset management defined

2010-01-13T14:12:52Z

I found this great definition of DAM today:

You can't afford to ignore the issue of Digital Asset Management, or DAM. It's more than a fun acronym. Solid DAM can make your business more efficient. Poor DAM can result in waste, confusion and many lost opportunities.digitalassetmanagement.org.uk, Digital Asset Management, Jan 2010

You should read the whole article.

Demystifying Digital Asset Management

2010-01-11T15:01:52Z

I found this fascinating quote today:

Digital Asset Management is a great way to get digital documents organized so that you can find exactly what you are looking for when you need it. That sounds easy enough, but where do you begin? This session will take you through the ins and out of D.A.M. and give you some valuable insight on how to get started and how to implement a solution to fit your needs. We will also unravel the mysteries of metadata, and use applications such as Adobe Bridge and Extensis Portfolio to build a basic D.A.M. workflow.digitalassetmanagement.org.uk, Digital Asset Management, Jan 2010

You should read the whole article.

Where can I find a DAM mentor?

2009-12-30T12:50:17Z

I found this fascinating quote today:

There are not enough mentors today (in most fields for that matter), so I have made it one of my goals to start this DAM mentor program and remain vendor agnostic.Henrik de Gyor, Digital Asset Management, Dec 2009

You should read the whole article.

What are the levels of DAM experience?

2009-12-09T13:07:09Z

Article written by Henrik de Gyor on Digitalassetmanagement.org.uk

Before I mention DAM jobs descriptions themselves, many of these positions require experience, but what are the levels of experience in Digital Asset Management? How do you qualify the experience or even rank experience with DAM?

There are several levels of DAM experience from basic (1) to increasing in complexity (7). These levels include:

1. Simple DAM user (this is often the majority of DAM users)

Searching
Collaborating
Downloading

2. Power user (aka Super user)

Applying metadata to assets
Uploading (Import)
Downloading (Export)

3. Practitioner in DAM Operations

Establishing and evolving workflow
Training
Create documentation to be openly shared
Support

4. DAM Administrator

Possibly network maintenance
Possibly maintaining servers
Maintaining database(s)
Working with API
Running reports from DAM

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Understanding the relationship of DAM system options, implications of the decisions made and configuring those system options to best suit business/workflow needs
Testing configurations to make sure they work the way they are intended to
Setting up roles
Setting permissions per role
Setting users within those roles

6. Implementation

Roll out of the DAM solution
Train users
Support users
Document the best practices
Increase user adoption

7. Customization

Identify and understand what is missing from the system which your organization may need
Explaining what is missing from the system with written documentation
Explaining the value of adding the customization since it will cost extra (time and/or money)
Possibly draft a vision what the customization may look like and how it could work
Possibly even coding the solution
Thorough testing of solution

Ultimately, the best would be to have experience in all of these hands-on experience at one point or another. If this is not an option, try to experience the most number of levels available.

Read the full article at digitalassetmanagement.org.uk

More Trouble for File Sharing: Virgin to Monitor in UK

2009-11-27T15:38:50Z

From ReadWriteWeb by Jolie O'Dell

Virgin Media, one of the UK's leading providers of television / broadband / mobile / phone services, has announced plans to use deep packet inspection technology to track illegal file-sharing activity among around 40 percent of its UK users. Users whose activities are being monitored will not be informed of this fact.

The tech comes from Detica, a company better known for working with government data and intelligence agencies than media files and P2P networks. Their CView product is designed to help put an end to illegal filesharing, and with ISPs showing interest, it's unlikely that Virgin's deal will be the last we hear about.

In a lengthy document on illegal filesharing, Detica outlines how CView can be used to baseline the level of illicit filesharing then continue to measure the same activity as punitive measures are rolled out. The company believes that every ISP has an obligation to reduce illegal filesharing "by an agreed percentage over a period of time," a goal that can only be achieved through accurate, thorough measurement of user activity - this is the very reason Detica created CView.

]]> Beyond measuring user activity on P2P networks, CView will not collect data on individual users. Raw traffic data and identification information is reportedly deleted in the closed system and cannot be accessed by a human operator. CView gathers data on peer-to-peer packets in user traffic and then inspects the packets to see whether the content is being shared illegally.

Although the tech only examines aggregate traffic data, and although a Virgin spokeperson states that records will not be maintained on individual users, privacy concerns are right behind raining-on-our-parade concerns when one examines the question of monitoring user behavior. Isn't warning, fining, censoring and/or restricting access for infringing users the next logical step?

Give us your doomsday scenario - or your vote of confidence for the Detica/Virgin partnership - in the comments.

Cloud, The New Taste of the Internet

2009-11-10T13:25:39Z

By REUVEN COHEN from Elastic Vapor

Lately there seems to be a minor debate among the clouderati about the semantic differences between the term "the cloud" versus the use of "cloud computing". So I thought I'd jump into the fray.

As someone who spends his days eating, breathing and sometimes drinking cloud computing, it's fun to see how the debate has recently devolved into a debate purely focused upon the finer semantic nuances of the various terminologies. The debate seems to generally focus on the varied usages within the companies that are attempting to "cloud-ify" themselves & their products/services. This cloudification seems to be the trend du'jour within the technology industry, an attempt to augment marketing materials and or product positioning to include cloud related buzz words, whether they make sense or not.
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As a marketing term, cloud has enabled us to broadly define the movement away from the desktop / server centric past to the cloud [Internet] enabled future. Wikipedia's cloud definition says it well, "it is a paradigm shift where technological details are abstracted from the users who no longer need knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them". Yup, enough said.

This message is to of you -- the ones who are jumping on the cloud bandwagon, let me say this as plainly as possible. Regardless of whether it's "the cloud" or "cloud computing" it all comes back to the fact that it's a buzzword. A way to say we're cool, we're now, we're new, with out saying it directly (a neologism). It's the New Coke of Computing / the new taste of the Internet.

So what is The Cloud? It's the Internet. And what is Cloud Computing? It's the next big thing in computing, it's using the Internet.

How can I use DAM to assist with preliminary research?

2009-11-02T13:52:24Z

By Henrik de Gyor from Another DAM blog

A Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution can be used for preliminary research even before considering other external sources/vendors to acquire new assets or before creating new assets. You may already have what you need internally, so it may be worth looking inside your organization first. A DAM should able to provide users with "for placement only" (FPO) assets for consideration in a project. These FPO assets could be watermarked by the DAM to easily discern between a lower quality FPO asset (which can not be published as is) and the approved asset for use in a project with the proper rights cleared. Provided you have a fair number of assets for a project with enough metadata to find what you have on hand in a DAM, searching the DAM first may yield less research time for a project.

Realistically, once you acquire and/or create new assets, you may want to add them to the DAM in a timely manner so others may find it too. This makes it easier to reference and use these assets again whenever it fits the need of a project.

DAM user can create a DAM lightbox (or special collection) of specific assets found in the DAM for a particular project which could can shared and collaborated over with other DAM users, regardless of geographic location. These digital lightboxes could even be created and edited before meetings to discuss the project to streamline the process.
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If you want to maintain brand consistency, you could store your organization's logos in the DAM so the same, current set is easily searched, distributed and used from a single source (the DAM) rather than fragmenting distribution along with your brand.

How do you use DAM to assist with preliminary research?

Selecting An Asset Management System

2009-11-02T13:47:44Z

From Browserwire.com

We have been looking into getting a digital asset management system to house, manage, and retrieve our graphical, marketing, and other files. In researching this online, we found that there wasn't a lot helpful information out there. So, to save you some time, here some some things to look for when picking an asset management system:

Hosted (SaaS) or in-house client-side application
Ease of use and user-friendly interface - This one was key for us as we found many solutions with complex, multi-stepped, and poor UIs.
Disk space - default capacity and scaling up options
Subscription and setup fees
Number of users and admins supported and upgrading options
Ability to brand interface
File upload & download options - single file, batch uploads, ftp
Basic and advanced search capabilities
Supported file formats
Preview mode of static versus multimedia files - being able to view a streaming file snippet within the tool is a great feature
Ability add metadata, keywords, captioning, etc.
Auto-rendering multiple file sizes of a single file
Report generation and alerts
Localization support
Lightbox/favorites
Third-party access - e.g. for agencies you work with, you can send them a pick-up link for a file without the need to login to access the file.
Access rights - security and password protection capabilities.
Customer references

10 Pre-Press Tips For Perfect Print Publishing

2009-10-28T13:58:55Z

By Marco Kramer on Smashing Magazine

A lot of designers think CMYK is the way to go when designing for print. We will, of course, always use CMYK-based ink, but this does not mean you have to work with CMYK files. You can work with RGB images to perfectly optimize your print colors and save a great deal of time in the process.

1. Use RGB Color Mode For Photoshop Images

For several of the following tips to work, you will have to create and save all of your Photoshop images and artwork in RGB color mode. If you're a veteran designer, you probably think this goes against what you've been taught, which is to use CMYK color mode. Well, technology has come a long way, and nowadays RGB color mode is better because it produces a wider range of colors and allows you to use one image for several media, including print and Web.

Think of it this way: RGB colors (red, green, and blue) are created with light. That's why your computer monitor and TV use RGB colors to produce its fantastic range of colors. CMYK colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and key, or black), on the other hand, are created by putting ink to paper. "Ink-on-paper colors" will never be as bright or saturated as the colors on your computer screen or TV, no matter how much ink you add to the paper. So, to get the widest range of colors possible, you need to save all of your Photoshop files in RGB color mode. Most of the time, you won't even have to think about it, because almost every photographer will supply you with RGB images. All you have to do is keep them in that mode.

2. Specify The Right Color Settings

To successfully use an RGB image in Adobe InDesign, you first need to specify the appropriate color settings. Fortunately, Adobe has made it really easy for you to specify the right settings and quickly apply them across its Creative Suite. This is where Adobe Bridge comes in.

To specify a color setting in Adobe Bridge, choose Edit - Creative Suite Color Settings and then select your region: either "North America Prepress 2," "Europe Prepress 2" or "Japan Prepress 2." If your region isn't displayed in the dialog box, select "Show Expanded List Of Color Settings Files" at the bottom of the dialog box. After clicking "Apply," the setting you have specified will be applied to Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat.

]]> 3. Ditch Photoshop EPS Files And Use PSD Files Instead

After your images and artwork have been saved in RGB color mode and you've specified the right color settings, it's time to start designing. Do you still keep a copy of your native Photoshop (PSD) files and save TIFF or EPS versions, which you then import into InDesign? If so, you're missing out on some valuable opportunities.

If you've been using InDesign for a while, you probably already know that it honors transparency effects in PSD files, but that's not all. When you import PSD files, InDesign also honors clipping paths, spot colors, alpha channels, duotone colors and vector information (such as Smart Objects). You can even access all the layers in a PSD file by selecting "Show Import Options" when you import an image or choosing Object - Object Layer Options after importing an image. With all of these time-saving opportunities, saving all of your Photoshop images in the PSD file format is a no-brainer.

4. Accurately Simulate CMYK While Working In RGB

Keep in mind that even though you're importing RGB images with bright and saturated colors, InDesign actually shows you what the CMYK equivalent of each image will look like. So, how does InDesign make that color conversion properly? Well, because you've specified the appropriate color settings in Adobe Bridge, InDesign will use those settings to accurately display each RGB image when it's converted to CMYK color mode.

InDesign even goes a step further and shows you exactly how the colors in a layout will appear when printed on a certain type of paper using a specific output device. Simply choose View - Proof Setup - Custom. Then choose an output device from the "Device to Simulate" pop-up menu, and select the "Simulate Paper Color" option. After clicking "Okay," the color of your pages will change, and your images will appear darker and less saturated. So, to get a good idea of how your layout will appear when printed on coated paper using a sheet-fed printer, choose "U.S. Sheetfed Coated v2." This feature is great because it gives you an accurate idea of how your colors will appear when they're printed.

If you use Photoshop, you may be wondering, "Wouldn't it be nice if Photoshop could do the same trick, so that I can see what happens to my RGB images when they're converted to CMYK?" Well, of course it can. Just choose View - Proof Colors, and make sure that "Working CMYK" is specified by choosing View - Proof Setup- Working CMYK. When you proof colors, you're not actually changing the color mode of the image, so you can continue working in RGB color mode while simulating CMYK. This is yet another reason not to convert your Photoshop files to CMYK.

5. Selecting the Right CMYK Output Profile For The Job

There are many different kinds of paper, such as recycled and brownish paper for newspapers, glossy paper for magazines, uncoated paper for stationary and bright-white coated paper for high-quality brochures. As you can imagine, each type has different characteristics when it comes to printing. The recycled paper sucks up more ink, and if you don't take this into account, your beautiful full-color photos will become too dark, and the ink will blur over the paper, creating an ugly brownish effect.

So, how do you optimize artwork for all of these different kinds of papers? Well, that's the easy part. Standard CMYK inks have been tested on every type of paper to the extreme. The way cyan, magenta, yellow and black are printed on a specific type of paper is documented in an ICC profile. All you need to do is download these free "Color Profiles" and select the right one when you export a PDF using InDesign (Export - Output - Color Conversion & Destination). If you're not sure what kind of paper your printer will use, simply ask them. Most printers would rather answer a simple question than clean up colors afterward.

The information provided by the color setting that you specified in Adobe Bridge is used by InDesign to determine how to convert RGB images to the CMYK color space when you output a document. By using InDesign instead of Photoshop to make that conversion, you gain the benefits outlined in the following point.

Read the full article on Smashing Magazine

Six stock photography trade associations start collaborating

2009-10-27T12:32:12Z

I found this fascinating quote today:

On october 16, 2009, six trade associations representing more than 50,000 photographers as well as 800 agencies and archives across UK, Europe and North America, gathered to pursue an open dialogue.ChrisH, Media Management and Licensing, Oct 2009

You should read the whole article.

The Future Is Big Data in the Cloud

2009-10-26T13:25:26Z

By Ping Li, in Gigaom.com

While when it comes to cloud computing, no one has entirely sorted out what's hype and what isn't, nor exactly how it will be used by the enterprise, what is becoming increasingly clear is that Big Data is the future of IT. To that end, tackling Big Data will determine the winners and losers in the next wave of cloud computing innovation.

Data is everywhere (be it from users, applications or machines) and as we get propelled into the "Exabyte Era" (PDF), is growing exponentially; no vertical or industry is being spared. The result is that IT organizations everywhere are being forced to grapple with storing, managing and extracting value from every piece of it -- as cheaply as possible. And so the race to cloud computing has begun.

This isn't the first time IT architectures have been reinvented in order to remain competitive. The shift from mainframe to client-server was fueled by disruptive innovation in computing horsepower that enabled distributed microprocessing environments. The subsequent shift to web applications/web services during the last decade was enabled by the open networking of applications and services through the Internet buildout. While cloud computing will leverage these prior waves of technology -- computing and networking -- it will also embrace deep innovations in storage/data management to tackle Big Data.
]]> A Big Data stack
But as with prior data center platform shifts, a new "stack" (like mainframe and OSI) will also need to emerge before cloud computing will be broadly embraced by the enterprise. Basic platform capabilities, such as security, access control, application management, virtualization, systems management, provisioning, availability, etc. will have to be standard before IT organizations are able to adopt the cloud completely. In particular, this new cloud framework needs the ability to process data in increasingly real-time and greater orders of magnitude -- and do it at a fraction of what it would typically cost -- by leveraging commodity servers for storage and computing. Maybe cloud computing is all about creating a new "Big Data stack."

In many ways, this cloud stack has already been implemented, albeit in primitive form, at large-scale Internet data centers, which quickly encountered the scaling limitations of traditional SQL databases as the volume of data exploded. Instead, high-performance, scalable/distributed, object-orientated data stores are being developed internally and implemented at scale. At first, many solved this problem by sharding vast MySQL instances, in essence using them more as data stores than true relational databases (no complex table joins, etc.). As Internet data centers scaled, however, sharding MySQL obviously didn't.

Read full article at Gigaom.com

Canon introduces EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR Camera

2009-10-20T15:06:04Z

Fan of Canon products? Here is a review of the newest EOS-1D digital camera by Rachel King on ZDNet. SeeFile supports RAW files, including CR2 files from Canon's digital cameras.

Excerpt of the review:

Canon has just announced its newest EOS-1D series model: the Mark IV Digital SLR Camera. The two prime highlights of this 16.1-megapixel CMOS sensor camera are improved its AF system and full HD video capability.

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Reaf full article.