MediaManagement with multiple tools

[Photon]

For efficient production of multimedia content, like

• a presentation with text, clip-art and photos (e.g. MS-Powerpoint, LibreOffice Impress) or
• a multimedia show with text, audio clips, music files, photo files and video files (e.g. WingsPlatinum, Mobjects)

the fast access to all media files is required. This includes a good search interface, a player/viewer and the option for drag&drop of files to above mentioned target applications. My experience is, that there is no DAM existing, which can be used in parallel for all these tasks. This because there are good reasons to separate database of photos/videos from cliparts and music and other media files. With this you would need multiple database files open from different DAM tools at the same time. This also because switching between music, audio clips, photo, clipart, video and other files from one interface would take too long. That is the reason why I use the following DAM tools in parallel:

• Imatch (until 2012 Idimager) for all personal digital photo and personal video files
• MusicBee (until 2013 Winamp) for all music files
• JPhotoTagger for all audio clips
• JPhotoTagger as pure XMP sidecar based DAM for the majority of all other image files like clipart, logos, symbols, animated gifs, video clips, ...
  I was considering MediaPro instead of JPhotoTagger, but identified MP as too unstable and unflexible.
• Standard FileManager for large movie files
• MS Clip Organizer for some other clip art and graphic files including online search

Currently I cannot image to use just ONE tool for all DAM, because I need for example Photo, Music, Audio and Clipart graphical user interfaces opened in parallel in order to search and watch/listen and finally select and drag&drop the content fast and efficient to the target presentation tool. The individual graphical user interfaces and search options of above tools are highly convenient and efficient for the specific content.

I know that some other IM users like to use IM for music and video files. I appreciate this feature, but need it only for personal content files, e.g. holiday photo, video and audio files together with some personal office pdf, doc and txt files. For my big library of commercial music and public cliparts and other non-personal media stuff I do not think that IM is the appropriate DAM tool. I cannot imagine that you can efficiently manage personal, commercial and other content mixed in one database with a mixed set of metadata (keywords, categories, mp3-tags, ...). And there are good reasons why most DAM system including IM do not allow to open multiple databases at the same time.

Am I totally wrong with my interpretation and solution for good MultiMediaDigitalAssetManagement (MMDAM)?

Regards, Martin

[Menace]

I have currently 4 databases:

• Work (with all kind of files: images, clips, movies, jpgs, quarkxpress, documents, pdfs, ....)
• Music (all kind of musicstuff also for self education).
• Images (Private)
• Images (Nature)

Why just IMatch: I can open one file-type with a lot of different programs via favorites with only one click.
For example:
MP3-Files:
- MP3Tag --> tagging
- TagScanner --> tagging
- foobar2000 --> listening
- transcribe --> play along with and transcribe

Or I can fast build a music training charts by categories.

I would be happy, if there will be one time in the future, that I can open simultaneously more than one database, but even if not, IMatch is for me the DAILY used tool - for work and for my hobbies.

[Photon]

Thanks Menace,

initially I had also the idea to create multiple IM databases. But during sequential timeline based creation of one presentation or multimedia show you would have to open/close hundreds of times again and again the corresponding IM databases for specific content, isn't it? As long as you can open only one database file I see no useful reason for maintaining different database files.

[Menace]

No, I don't often change the database. When I am working, than it's the "Work"-Database. When I tag and sort my photos, I open this photo-database and in the evening, when I playing guitar, I open the music database.

All files are clear in their databases. Why should I mix them up? My music has nothing to do with my work; and they are also no images (yet). And I am not changing my work/hobby quickly. My music I can find fast also in foobar2000 (just for listening during the work).

In your case, using all your files for the same, like presentation? Why not a big database with all files you need for this?

[Photon]

...in your case, using all your files for the same, like presentation? Why not a big database with all files you need for this?

Thanks, these are the right questions! Yes, I need access to my assets in parallel. For efficient work with multimedia productions you need fast and convenient access to all photos, images, mp3, audio clips, cliparts, fonts, videos, movies, office files, ... that means ALL digital assets at the same time. There are multiple reasons why one big database in Imatch or other DAMs for all this mixed together is not really feasible.

First and main reason for me is the need to have different database GUIs opened for different content types. Switching back and forth such GUIs in one single database DAM would be much to slow and inconvenient.

Second reason is the need to share selected media types including its database with others (family, colleagues). Individual sharing of private photos, mp3 music, public cliparts, movies, fonts, ... and corresponding database for usage with specific applications would not be possible with only one database file for one application.

[Menace]

But their is a way:

You make different databases (small for changing with colleagues) and one big just for your special work?

[Erik]

Martin,

I have to say that I do something similar to you.  I've been managing my music catalog separately with a dedicated program (similar to MusicBee).  The primary purpose is that the software is built around audio just as Mario builds IM heavily around Photos. 

Of course I could bring that info into IM, but the program I use allows me to edit the ID3 or FLAC tags directly.  It also works well with the different environment in which I use my music files for.  I can send files to multiple media players around my home, my cell phone, to CD's, etc.   I find that my needs for music are more dynamic and require a bit of a different environment.

IM would be great if I just needed to catalog and archive my audio files, but I need a bit more than that.  I'm not sure Mario wants to get into a position where he is having to provide 100's of features for music DAM.  IM's niche is doing Photo management well while being flexible enough to manage any other file type.

As an aside, I have been having fun using IM to catalog my Slideshows (powerpoint and proshow).  The ability to tag XMP information to any file is nice, but XMP files don't necessarily do any great in other software for those file types.  And this is probably why I wouldn't use IM for MP3 or other audio files.  They have their own metadata format and software that is tailored towards that.