Cumulus 8 - Canto

ASSETS/RECORDS 23• Open an existing collection. (See “Open Collection,” p. 236.)• Save a collection. (See “Save Collection As,” p. 236 and “Save Collection,”p. 236.)• Search through a collection. (See “Searching,” p. 42.)• Send a collection by e-mail. (See “Export,” p. 242.)• Send a link to a collection (See “Send Collection Link,” p. 236Assets/RecordsIn Cumulus, each asset is represented by one record. Cumulus is able tocatalog every sort of digital asset such as Photoshop® image files, videoclips, sound clips, or QuarkXPress® page layouts. However, a digital assetcan also be a spreadsheet file or even a data stream such as an entry in adata bank that Cumulus is keeping track of for you. Records can containa thumbnail image of the asset. Records can (and should) be categorizedfor easy maintenance and searching. (See “Categories,” p. 29, for moreinformation.)Records are not actual copies of the asset. They merely "point" to the originalfile. This saves disk space and avoids confusion caused by maintainingmultiple copies of an asset. Records contain information on theassets, which is called metadata. Using metadata makes it possible forCumulus to track your assets and find their records at lightning-speed. Arecord is the sum of metadata stored on an asset. The metadata is kept inRecord Fields.Canto is setting the pace in the asset management field with its TAG files,which hold all of the information that can be viewed in the Asset Informationapplication – and more. TAG files have been developed by Canto tobe the standard file format for the storage of metadata in the field of assetmanagement. Cumulus can create TAG files when cataloging assets froma location where the user is allowed to save files. For how to activate thisoption, see “Browse for Assets,” p. 239.All records contain at least some searchable information in their recordfields on the asset file they represent. Generally, the range of informationeach record includes depends on the kind of asset represented.However, Cumulus makes it possible to determine precisely what sort ofinformation should be kept on assets. Remember, this can be defined differentlyfor each catalog as each catalog has its own properties. It is thecatalog settings that determine what information is stored on the assetsin the record fields.As it comes ‘out of the box,’ Cumulus has many record fields ready to befilled while cataloging, depending on the nature of the asset. Not all ofthe record fields that Cumulus supports are activated with Cumulus’default settings.Example of an Asset Information ViewAsset InformationThe information stored on an asset can be viewed and edited in the Informationview or in the Information window. What you see depends on:• the fields selected to be displayed in the current Record View Set.• the fields of the catalog the asset is cataloged in and whether thesefields contain any information or not.Example of an Asset Information Window