Great DAM heritage still sets the benchmark

The digital revolution certainly has altered the creative landscape forever. Creative people have an immense array of tools and systems at their disposal to bring creative ideas to life in any medium; the only limiting factor is their imagination.
 
Like all revolutions there are side-effects attached. For the digital photographer on of the side effects is file overload. We are all drowning in files. At one end of the spectrum this is just an annoyance as you cannot find the file when you need them. For creative professionals, it is mission critical. Lose files and you risk losing a client. The risks are just too high.
 
 
 

 
 
You need the right software (and hardware) and workflow systems to manage projects professionally.
 
The choices are still very limited, with only a few products on the market that have been engineered to meet the demands of real asset management. And Expression Media (formally iView Mediapro) from Microsoft is the best option out there.
 
 
 
Expression Media (EM) has been innovating in the field of Digital Asset Management for over 10 years. This heritage (a 6th generation product) has resulted in a feature-rich  professional application that;
 

• Catalogs video, audio, image, code, css, web, Office (100 file types)
• MAC / Windows
• is a visual database
• has advanced metadata management
• has geo Tagging with MS Virtual Earth
• can effectively edit, sort, store and distribute your media files
• allows you to effectively work with colleagues, peers and clients.

 
Browser style applications displaying media files in folder hierarchy are good if you have a limited number of files in a folder but rapidly slow down as the numbers get high or the files get large. It is not uncommon for professional media archives to contain in excess of 100 000 files which will break most browser applications but not EM.
 

One of the most valuable features is EM’s ability to provide cataloging of media files and projects that have been archived. Whether it is on CD / DVD or external Hard Drives or on a remote server you will be able to find, view and perform basic functions on the archived files. This feature is a huge time saver and ensures ALL files are easy to find.
 
Why do DAM professionals the world-over recommend using EM for robust DAM workflow? Simple. Browser based products just don’t cut the mustard. For the same reason you use the best cameras, lenses and printers you can afford, you need to use the best file management software - software that is not going to let you down when you need it. Software that can adapt and integrate with your workflow. And EM is top of its class.
 
Case Study - Ken Duncan
We recently audited Ken’s digital workflow. This audit resulted in us developing a custom workflow using Expression Media. The aim of this workflow was to provide a digital workflow that enables Ken to continue working as he always has rather than asking Ken to change the way that he works in the field. This is one of the strengths of EM. There are many ways to 
 
do the same thing so we can easily design the workflow around the photographers preferred working approach. Ken’s workflow (The DAM Bible!) delivers;

• simplified field editing
• Improved file management and naming
• Automated RAW to DNG conversion and backup
• Improved metadata management
• Robust and tested file & data recovery procedures
• Complete documentation and training

A combination of EM and CalDigit VR storage is now Ken’s preferred working system. Ensuring that Ken can focus on what he does best and not have to if his images and metadata are safe and secure.
 
If you want to get your DAM system under control then do what Ken did and call us for assistance - +61 2 9799 9422
Download Expression Media at: www.expressionmedia.com.au 
To read more about Expression Media:www.expressionmedia.com.au, www.microsoft.com/expression/products/overview.aspx?key=media, www.thedambook.com/, www.iview-multimedia.com