Breathe in, and breathe out…and relax! Getting organized doesn’t need to be stressful, in fact, it helps reduce stress in the long run. Getting organized also means being able to quickly find the files you need, or even better, letting other people find the files instead of you. In this session you’ll learn practical tips on file naming, folder organization, keywords, and other organizational tricks you can start using immediately with our without an actual DAM system.

2. Agenda
- Are you a rich media hoarder?
- What is Digital Asset Management?
- How can these DAM tools and
techniques help me?
- How to get started with DAM
Edward Smith
Product Manager and Editor of
- Q&A DAMLearningCenter.com

4. “A supply or accumulation that is hidden or carefully
guarded for preservation, future use, etc.”
(dictionary.com)
http://www.cmswire.com/cms/digital-asset-management/digital-asset-
management-are-you-a-rich-media-hoarder-015768.php

5. “Now where did I save that graphic?”
“Yes, please bother me every time you
need a logo.”
“Why are there so many copies of the
same photo?”
“Your PowerPoint presentation is so
big, it has it’s own gravitational pull!”
“Why is my face on that billboard?”

6. ♫ ♫
“…the ingestion, annotation,
?
cataloguing, storage, retrieval and
distribution of digital assets”
(wikipedia.org)
Being able to quickly find, organize,
and convert media files.
DAM involves technology,
processes, and people.
(Also, an endless source of unfunny
puns)
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/resources/articles/
what-is-digital-asset-management/

7. Find—type a keyword into a box: In-app find—find from a palette
within an application:
Advanced find—choose from categories:
Web portal find—your own stock website:

8. “Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or
controlled to produce value…” (Wikipedia)
“They’re only assets if you can find them”
A rich media file plus metadata

9. Metadata is “data about data”
• Information (metadata) about rich media files (assets)
• Metadata can be created automatically (awesome!)
• …or entered manually by hand (lame!)
3 things you can use metadata for:
• Index (keywords and other stuff you can search)
• Informational (the 5 W’s)
• Rights (where and how a rich media file can be used)

10. • Standards: Adobe XMP, IPTC, EXIF, Office, QuickTime
• Send information with the file:
• Extracting: Reading information from the file
• Embedding: Writing information into the file
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/resources/tools/metadata-planning-tool/

11. http://www.damlearningcenter.com/category/topics/keyword-lists/

12. Q: Does search make filenames irrelevant?
A: No, dummy!
• Keywords can auto-generate from filenames
• Filenames are the original metadata—all other people and programs
understand them
• Filenames can affect how files are sorted (by date, alphabetically)
• There are advantages to uniquely named files
• some%20systems%20break%20spaces%20in%20filenames.jpg
• Don’t use these characters on the Mac:
/:*?“<>|[]&$`
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/street-smarts/file-naming-best-practices-for-
digital-asset-management/

14. • Keywords can also auto-generate from folders
• Folders help people access rich media from both inside and outside of a DAM
• Folders provide another level of organization in addition to metadata and galleries
• Folders can be used as a “hot folder” or drop box for automatic cataloging into a
DAM
• Folders provide an absolute location (file path)—a place where you can go back to
find it
• Do you really want to put hold 4,294,967,295 files in one folder?
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/resources/articles/best-practices-for-folder-
organization/

15. • Create an empty set of folder templates to copy from
• Determine folder direction: what folders come before others?
• Determine level of granularity: at what level do people create their own
folders?
• Try not to “float” folders to the _top or z_bottom
• The structure shouldn’t require putting one file in more than one folder
• Consider starting over with a new folder structure
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/resources/articles/best-practices-for-folder-
organization/

16. Single Catalog:
• One place to look when searching
• One place to setup metadata and other settings
• One place to manage and maintain
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/street-smarts/how-many-catalogs-belong-in-a-
digital-asset-management-system/

17. Multiple catalogs:
• Different workflows (metadata schemas)
• Different access controls for different departments
• Different starting points for a search
• Another “level” of organization
• Performance advantages for flat file (non-SQL) databases
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/street-smarts/how-many-catalogs-belong-in-a-
digital-asset-management-system/

18. • Keep highest resolution copy and provide derivative formats as
needed using batch convert/transcode
• Video requires more space and processing power for proxy clips
• Not all formats support non-proprietary metadata (DNG > RAW)
• Beware of resource forks on older Mac files (like PS fonts)

21. http://www.damlearningcenter.com/street-smarts/best-practices-for-video-
in-digital-asset-management/

22. • Get the right people involved (including IT!)
• Focus on solving problems, not features
• Try before you buy
• Start small—build on small successes
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/best-practices-guide/

23. DAM helps organizations:
• Save time
• Save money
• Increase revenue
• Make life easier!
http://www.damlearningcenter.com/street-smarts/how-to-calculate-roi-
for-digital-asset-management/

24. @DAMGeek
www.damlearningcenter.com
Download a copy of this presentation:
www.damlearningcenter.com/24hourphotoshop
Questions?