Digital Asset Management for Photographers? But when does a photographer start thinking about DAM? Usually after your collection contains thousands upon thousands of files. Photography is part creative and part technical. The technical aspect involves not only the technical aspect of taking a photograph but also management. Moreover, the management of your business and your digital assets.
An effective DAM is an important investment at any stage of your business. Both the professional and amateur photographer understands the challenge of storing, organizing and sharing their images. So, here is what we recommend when you decide to implement a DAM.
Digital Asset Management for Photographers – what to consider
Decide what it is that you want to achieve
Firstly, you need to understand your goals. What is it that you want to achieve? Obviously, a dam for photography needs to provide safe, long term storage or photo sorting software for your digital photos. And obviously, the ability to search and find your images when you need them.
You might be looking for a solution that lets you convert images between different formats. A solution that lets you share and distribute your images to various platforms and your clients. At this stage, it is best to define your goals. Itemise them on paper and evaluate how a dam for photography will fit into your framework.
Let’s look at a couple of features that Daminion Server brings to dam for photography.
Consistent Naming Conventions
To ensure discoverability, as a general rule of thumb, it is recommended that you include some information in your filenames. You can choose to include dates, locations, etc. Choose a format, for example, “Location – Photographer – YYMMDD – Index Number” and save it as a renaming template in Daminion. You can rename your files in batches, using a renaming template on groups of folders, saving you time and creating order. Dam for photography to the rescue!
Metadata – beyond keywords and categories
We are used to the file and folder system that computer systems use. But is this the most logical way to describe vast collections? If you have been taking photos for a while the shortcomings of a folder and file structure are obvious. If you don’t remember where a file is saved or even what it is called, get ready to play Where is Waldo!
This is where the power of metadata shines brightest. Metadata goes beyond just filenames and folder structures. Using a digital asset management solution for photographers like Daminion, you leverage the power of structured metadata. Use a combination of categories and keywords to describe and annotate your files.
In addition to describing your files with structural metadata, Daminion also recognises administrative metadata. This includes camera information, resolution, light source, etc. Use Daminion to develop a tagging workflow. Develop a process for tagging with consistent rules. This will improve and further enhance searchability.
Copyright Information in every photo
In our current digitally connected world, copyright infringement spreads like wildfire. Therefore, it is not surprising that this is a major concern for photographers. So, to protect your work, you should add your copyright information to all your work. By embedding this into the file itself, you can ensure that that information travels with the file, wherever it goes.
While adding your copyright info to your files will not prevent copyright infringement, it will deter theft. Your copyright info in your photos proves your ownership. Additionally, if you sell your photos on stock photography sites, most will require stock photo rights management.
Versioning and Permissions in the Editing Process
As a photographer and a creative professional, you know that you will go through several iterations when editing and retouching your work. If you work in a team, setting permissions becomes important. For example, you can restrict access to RAW files. Or restrict access and functionality to groups of files that are backups. If you run your Daminion Server on Windows Server, you can integrate your access control with Active Directory.
Photographers will on average spend more time editing and curating images than they do taking them. Consequently, version control is a highly sought after feature in DAM for photographers. Thanks to Daminion Server’s built-in version control, you can check out your files, edit, revise them and then check them back in. Leaving only the most current version to be used. In other words, rolling back to previous versions is a breeze!
Find files lighting fast
Locate the media you need quickly with powerful search options. Use keyword tag filters in addition to text-based search.
Anytime, anywhere access & file sharing
Digital asset management systems, like Daminion, makes file access and sharing your files straightforward. While working, share files without needing to send email attachments, FTP, CDs, or file-sharing systems.
Collaboration & organisation
Easy, straightforward organization
Your valuable digital content stays secure and centralized in one place. Organize your assets to make sense to you and your team; everyone will know how to find the assets they need when needed.
Collaborate and share content
Daminion DAMS is a central hub for your team. Manage content from conception to distribution. Hassle-free review, assign and approve. When everyone is working on the same page, there are fewer miscommunications.
Broad format support
Robust media asset management
Designed for multimedia, Daminion supports image, video, and audio. Extensive previews of your original digital assets and also use export presets or customize your own to batch convert settings.
DAM for photography
A DAM provides a single source of authority for your work. When you need to quickly organize and find your work, you will love the ease and speed of Daminion Server. Combine with that smart metadata, rights management and version control for the full digital asset management solution for photographers.
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A concise checklist to help you assess if your organization requires a DAM.
