Work Flow – Digital Asset Management

  • Digital Asset Management
  • Metadata, keywording

Previously I discussed Work Flow and went into a little some detail about importing and backing up.

Today I am going to briefly go into Digital Asset Management.  A good DAM program is essential for professional photographers.  Its all about being able to find your work.  Many photographers have lost sales due to being unable to find a shot.  DAM, together with key wording and metadata allows you to quickly find those photographs.

Even if you only shoot a little, I would recommend you still incorporate these techniques into your workflow.  If your a light shooter, only photographing holidays and family event, being asked maybe eighteen later for a photograph of the birth of a child to blow up at their eighteenth birthday party, and not being able to find it can be heart breaking.

So what DAM package should you use, well you need something that suits your workflow, for many thats just a well structured folder structure and correct metadata information on the image files.  For others thats a full blown DAM application.

If you want to know what I use well that is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

It works very well and also also fulfils other roles within my workflow as well.  Its available for both Windows and Apple Macintosh.  If your a Mac user then Apple’s own Aperture is well thought of.  DigitalPro V6 is also well thought of by Windows users.

The key is to have a system and follow it.

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