Using digital asset managers (DAMs) can be a great move to help organize your image library. But as wonderful as they can be for your workflow, you still have to make sure you don’t succumb to some of their downsides.
I recently wrote about some of the benefits of using digital asset managers, so now, let’s go over some of the things to look out for.
Moving images and folders in a DAM
When a digital asset manager catalogs the files, it references them where they are located on your computer. This also means that if you move a folder or image on your computer (and not through the DAM), the catalog will lose track of where your file is. In fact, I recently saw a post on Reddit where a Lightroom Classic user restructured their folder library OUTSIDE of the Lightroom catalog and lost a bunch of edits and other metadata once they added them back to Lightroom. Talk about an unfortunate way to learn a lesson!
The bottom line is that you MUST use your digital asset manager’s catalog to move your folders and files, that is if you want to retain your edits and metadata. Not to mention, this will prevent a LOT of frustration and time spent reorganizing your image library.
Backups and corruptions
The sad truth is that software can fail us. Most digital asset managers give you the option to backup your catalog. While it is easy to ignore, it’s a smart thing to do on a regular basis. Without regular backups, you risk losing all of the work and organization if the catalog becomes corrupted.
Thankfully, your catalog does not actually store your files. It’s basically a database that references them, so if it becomes corrupt then your images are typically still safe and sound. But the organization, metadata, and image edits within the catalog can be damaged and unrecoverable.
Another thing that can go wrong is when you don’t back up your backups! Several years back, my main computer hard drive failed, and I lost my entire Lightroom catalog. Thankfully, I had saved all of my edits to “sidecar” .XMP files, so those were still intact. However, I will oftentimes use the “pick” flag, which does not save to the metadata. So all of my “picks” were lost once they were added back into a new Lightroom catalog. I’m still feeling the repercussions of that today!
Switching digital asset manager software
If you ever decide to switch from one DAM to another, you might find yourself in for a long ride. Some digital asset managers give you the option of saving your edits either to the catalog or as sidecar files.
If you saved your edits to the catalog and want to switch DAM software, you might lose all of the edits you made to your images. But some DAM software has its own unique type of editing and the .XMP file edits might not even display or translate over to the new software. However, certain organizational elements (anything that is not saved to the metadata) will likely be lost. In other words, you might find yourself having to start all over again with the new DAM software if you choose to make a switch.
I would still rather have the DAM… if you lose your entire catalog, you still have your original files (without edits). Backups are essential and I’m glad you emphasized that.
I hear lots of issues regarding catalogs in both Lightroom & Luminar. I understand that convenience is a primary concern for most photographers, but it seems that having your DAM resident within your editing software program with its’ volatile catalog structure can be highly problematic.I’m not a fan of importing entire folders of raw images into my editing platform due to the clutter of 90% culls. I’d prefer to keep my image library separate from my working catalog with a stand-alone DAM product. Also, I haven’t seen a DAM product with version management features to differentiate various published and/or derivative… Read more »