DAM for photographers
Top 12 Digital Asset Management Software for Photographers
If you have so many pictures on your laptop that you can’t find the necessary one when needed, you might be interested in digital asset management software. The post below will help you learn more about the options designed for photographers to manage images and group them in libraries efficiently.
DAM stands for digital asset management. Such options allow you to use a common database with metadata that contains the names of separate files and extra information. DAM enables you to administer a database and keep information organized. To avoid wasting time, look through these short reviews, and find the best option for your needs.
1. Filecamp – Best for Unique Custom Branding Options
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Metadata editing
- Batch processing
- Fast search filters
- XMP technology support
Filecamp is a photo organizing software designed to help companies manage their assets. It also enables users to share videos and brand guidelines. With it, you can assign different access rights to users.
Filecamp allows creating a media portal for distributors all over the globe or sending a download link to team members. Plus, you can apply custom branding features in Filecamp. The interface is fully customizable, and you can personalize the log-in screen for certain customers.
Thanks to advanced search options, you can instantly find the necessary file by keyword, author, type, and expiry date. You can search for media assets by keywords, XMP metadata, and auto tags. To review and approve creative works, you can use built-in commenting tools.
2. Adobe Bridge – Perfect for Batch Processing
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Metadata editing
- Batch processing
- Search filters
- XMP technology
Adobe Bridge has convenient preview, systematization, editing, and photo publishing functions. This software has a batch editing system called Adobe Portfolio (Complete Adobe Portfolio Review). Since files are uploaded directly to Adobe Portfolio, you can create a platform with assets you’ve imported.
In case you want to export files directly to Adobe Stock, you don’t need to re-tag your photographs since the keywords will be added automatically.
Adobe Bridge also supports an XMP (file-labeling) technology that is particularly useful in Adobe Suites. First off, it enables you to find a file with minimum time and effort. Plus, it can clear cache for old files that you don’t need anymore.
3. ACDSee – Best for Multiple Cameras
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Supports multiple formats
- Cross-platform
- OneDrive integration
ACDSee is one of the oldest and most reputable photo catalog software (Best Photo Catalog Software List) on the market. It was developed almost with the appearance of digital photography. With it, you may create a backup schedule by setting dates. Plus, it stores your backups in the file locations of your choice. This function is important for photographers since their assets won’t be lost if something happens with their PC.
This digital asset management photography software is a perfect solution for photographers working with several cameras. It uses metadata to organize images and sorts them based on the original source.
For example, your photos will be characterized by the metadata that includes the info on the camera it was taken with or the PC the file was created on. The tool has a convenient batch processing feature, so you can instantly rename hundreds of shots, resize, edit, or rotate them.
4. Luminar 3 – High-Level File Control
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Post-editing tools
- Complete control over your assets
- Tones of educational content and tutorials
Luminar 3 is a photo management program with photo editing features. It has effective post-editing tools, like filters, layer functions, which makes it similar to Lightroom and Photoshop. What’s more, it has complex editing features, including the generation of the old paper texture.
This digital asset management photography software allows you to manage, edit, delete and organize images. It might come in handy for family or product shooters who take hundreds of shots during a session.
You can find numerous articles, guides, and tutorials to master photo techniques and cope with photo editing and camera settings. For instance, to understand how to set low-key lighting, you just need to study the blog section at skylum.com.
The developers enhanced the Luminar 3 DAM system and made it more powerful. It’s really easy to organize and sort photos. You fully control your valuable assets and manage them as you like.
5. Adobe Lightroom Classic – For Smart File Management
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Handy search features
- Keywords mapping
- Extended synchronization options
The most impressive thing about Lightroom Classic CC is that it automatically saves your photos to the cloud. Plus, it has basic file organization features, like importing, keywords, metadata, and collections.
Even if you don’t know anything about digital asset management for photographers, this software is easy to master since it has an adaptable interface. The search system is really convenient as it can find all matching search terms belonging to any image you’ve ever worked with.
Developers created this software especially for photographers, so it has all features a shooter might need. Plus, it has effective identification options. You can easily find your assets by previewing the thumbnails of your photographs and videos, using keywords, copyright information, or captions.
6. DxO PhotoLab 2 – Cutting-Edge Photo Organizing
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Quick and well-organized DAM
- Impressive noise reduction features
- Simple UI
PhotoLab is a digital asset management photography program with a DAM module called PhotoLibrary. Its interface is responsive and simple to use. Here, you will find all the necessary options, including rating, sorting, search tools, etc. It automatically imports keywords in an XMP format by DxO.
You can open photos using the folder tree, star ratings, pick and reject tools to manage your assets. Plus, it’s possible to use keyword tags and apply them to several chosen photographs in the Customize view on the left of the Metadata panel. When you hover the cursor over the thumbnail, the keywords pop up. If you want to add a keyword to some photos, you can choose it from the recently used ones.
What’s more, you can search by using camera or shot settings. For example, you can enter a date, focal length, f-stop, and ISO setting.
7. PhaseOne Capture One Pro – Hassle-Free Photo Management
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Quick import
- Impressive photo-adjustment tools
- Keyword tagging
If you are looking for a digital asset management photography tool, PhaseOne Capture One Pro 8 is exactly what you need. Apart from effective management and editing tools, it has an appealing UI.
You can use various photo import, library management, and image editing features. The software has a user-friendly DAM module. It allows you to avoid importing duplicates. This way, you can keep your library neat and organized. Plus, there is a lens correction feature that is compatible with almost all cameras.
8. Photo Mechanic – Deep Metadata Capabilities
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Quick photo import
- Effective metadata capabilities
- Direct upload to customary services
Photo Mechanic is a perfect choice for tagging and browsing your digital assets. It enables you to quickly import files from the camera, preview them, make selections, and tag images with different types of IPTC metadata (captions, keywords, and copyright notices). If you need to get things done in a flash, this digital asset management photography software will help you do that.
Thanks to IPTC Stationary, the program stands out among similar alternatives. It allows encoding and decoding your files with other photo editing software. Moreover, you can add tags, color classes, and ratings near each image to simplify the search.
9. iMatch – Professional Tool for Search and Access
MAIN BENEFITS:
- User forum
- Supports third-party plug-ins
- Fast file search
Although iMatch has professional features, it is suitable for complete beginners. It enables you to control and organize your photos where they are initially located. Thus, you don’t have to move them to special folders since this digital asset management photography software will easily find them.
It supports the most popular metadata formats, including IPTC and XMP. Plus, the software has an advanced metadata editor that allows generating quick lists and performing batch editing. It has numerous templates and tools for workflow automation.
10. MediaValet – Great for Beginners
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Safe file sharing
- Neat interface
- Archive versions
Thanks to its cloud-based global network, MediaValet has extensive sharing options. All manipulations are performed in the Internet environment. The software allows safe browsing of permission-based categories.
This digital asset management photography software also helps boost sales and find the latest media files. It enables you to search for the necessary content on any device. Plus, in the MediaValet library, you can create, collaborate, and preview MS Office documents, images, PDFs, video clips, and 3Ds. The platform supports AI-driven object, text, color, and face recognition, so the sorting and searching process is really fast and convenient.
Thanks to the automatic tagging features, media files are grouped into categories and subcategories, and users can easily find the necessary photo. The software integrates with Wrike, Workfront, Slack, OKTA, Active Directory, WordPress, Drupal 8, Adobe Creative Cloud, Sharepoint, Office 365, Hootsuite, etc.
11. WebDAM – Reliable and Efficient Digital Management
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Appealing thumbnails
- Search by keywords
- Expanded sharing options
WebDAM is considered to be one of the most reputable cloud-based digital asset management photography solutions. It is developed for users looking for something powerful and reliable to organize their media files. The software provides a great number of helpful tools and guarantees a flawless user experience. This platform is a perfect option for teams since it speeds up the workflow.
All manipulations, like sharing, managing, or sorting, are carried out on the cloud. Also, you can work with any file type and enjoy easy-to-apply options. WebDAM is a powerful analytical tool that you can use to track the feedback your files receive.
Depending on how much you are ready to invest in the software, you will get more and more helpful features for managing your assets.
12. Widen Collective – Best for Configuration and Customization
MAIN BENEFITS:
- Metadata and tagging
- User-friendly navigation
- Online knowledge base
Widen Collective is designed for marketers, salespeople, and partners who constantly need to update media content on their businesses. It allows you to manage, share, and distribute photos and other content on the net. What’s more, it guarantees a fast and convenient searching experience.
The digital asset management photography platform leaves most of the competitors behind thanks to its effective search features and flexible metadata models. Moreover, you can control access levels by assigning various roles and permissions to user teams.
You can use the software as an autonomous digital asset management tool or create a huge management system. Apart from basic DAM features, Widen Collective provides some add-on apps to organize your brand management, marketing resource management, or product information management system. This way, you can build up a system tailored particularly for your business needs.
For instance, Portals enable you to share media collections, while Entries allow generating product content for e-commerce distribution.
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