Using metadata to visualize the content in your collections

A user accessing a DAM system for the first time may have only a vague idea of what type of content they can expect to find. Your Fotoware DAM system can be set up to give users visual cues on how to use it: a taxonomy shown next to the thumbnail grid can reveal file types, categories, keywords, or any other information you believe users will find helpful for navigating content.

For example, a car dealership may have tagged their pictures and videos with the model year, manufacturer, model name, color, engine size, etc. All of this information can be made visual, allowing a user to select multiple values and update the archive's content accordingly.

Learn more: Taxonomies

Controlling access to assets using metadata

When users upload content to FotoWeb, the uploader's username is stored in the uploaded file's metadata. This can be used to filter archive content. A user who opens an archive containing uploaded assets may, for example, be allowed to see and edit only the files they have uploaded. While other users' files may also be in the same physical location, the FotoWeb archive uses an access list for its search, so users only see their own files.

See an example of how this can be implemented in the FotoWeb upload area.

This can be taken even further: by adding custom tags to assets in your DAM system, you can control who sees what. For example, if some of the assets in an archive should be made available on a public portal embedded on your company website, an archive manager can be given permission to tag files with a "public" tag in a metadata field, which in turn makes it available to unauthenticated guest users on the FotoWeb portal. The obvious upside is that you don't have to manage duplicate files in separate archives; it's all managed using access lists and tags in a single archive, and users only see what they're supposed to see.

How much descriptive metadata is needed?

There's no easy answer to this question. As mentioned, a substantial amount of technical metadata is added to files during ingestion or import into the DAM system.

The descriptive metadata poses a challenge, since it typically requires meaningful tags and descriptions to be added by humans rather than automated by a computer system.

Fotoware complies with the XMP standard, enabling you to create a near-endless number of fields to add descriptive information about each of your assets. However, such meticulous attention to detail may not be appreciated by users who add assets to the system: If a user who uploads 10 new files to the system has to fill in 20 descriptive fields for each uploaded file, there's a fair chance the user will give up on the entire operation.

The solution may well be to allow users to fill in only a few fields that roughly describe the assets being added. The uploaded assets can then be handed over to an archive manager who oversees them, adds metadata in accordance with company policies, and publishes the assets when all is ready.

Standard information, such as legal disclaimers, copyright information, and so on, can be applied automatically through a user-triggered process or fully automated by, for example, a Color Factory workflow.

The rule of thumb is not to make the ingestion process too complex for users - keeping it simple at this stage and having someone proficient oversee the ingested assets will help ensure metadata consistency throughout your DAM system.