Unclaimed: Are are working at Extensis ?
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| Capabilities |
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|---|---|
| Segment |
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| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Desktop Mac, Desktop Windows, On-Premise Windows |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
Compare Extensis with other popular tools in the same category.
It is easy to use. I like the folder structure setup. The ability to create galleries is also great.
I didn't have any say in how it was set up and we weren't up to date on upgrades, so some of the downsides of what I experienced were probably due to this, but the search feature was my biggest frustration because there didn't seem to be a way to search within results.
We've now moved to a new product, but Extensis Portfolio allowed us to manage a large variety of digital assets easily.
It holds all the photos and design files we need. It helps make them accessible to the whole team as we take on new projects and pick up on older projects. The interface to access the folders it straightforwards and it's not too difficult to find and open the folders you've set up.
The search functionality is very difficult and frustrating. It's really important in a large database of files to be able to find what you need. There's multiple ways to search - a generic search and a more advanced search. The generic search doesn't seem to work at all. I literally have thought I was missing files, only to discover them using the same search but in the advanced tab (even without setting any fancy settings). I also really dislike how the application will attempt to autoload a library of images as soon as you login. I often don't need access to the main library but I still need to wait for it to load before I can use the navigation to find and open my folders I'm looking for.
It does it's basic job well - holding and storing all the photos we need on a server that can be accessed by my team.
Ease of use, interface is clean and clear and customizeable
Archaic processes, slow, discontinued support for small user options, no video player option but QT which is insecure on PC
Search and Distribution of documents
Ease of use. Simplified look and feel. The solution has the basic core functionality that makes it great for managing large numbers of image assets, especially in a photography heavy environment. The newest features have enhanced the product to compete with other vendors in the space.
The modular approach is great for companies looking to phase their approach to implementing a DAM. Some of the features would be better served as core to the product versus add-ons.
Managing and trafficking large numbers of image assets to a fast paced production team. The mobile tools help to get approvals instantly. Creative approval used to take days and with instant access decisions and changes can be made quickly and streamlined to the appropriate teams in a timely manner.
Extensis is very easy to use and provides many of the basics that a small company might be looking for such as tagging, image organization, and embedding metadata. For a small amount of images that you need help managing, it is a step above Lightroom or Adobe Bridge because of the galleries feature and ability to web publish.
For libraries and archives, it truly is not robust enough. It is not OAIS compliant nor does it allow for preservation-level metadata (the search becomes slow). We also had a strange time upgrading to 9.5 in which data was probably deleted, we were told different things by different people, and it took several weeks. We did this update to use SQL based catalogs and now are being told we have to revert back because the native databases have improved. I'm not sure that makes sense.
We use Portfolio to keep track of our digitized items. It is helpful to manage digital objects through a basic DAMS, especially with so many digitized-on-demand jobs.
I like that it's accessible via a web browser
That the version we use (web Version 2.5.3) is made in Flash. This is going the way of the dinosaur, and it doesn't inspire confidence that a program we depend on is based on a platform that is being sunsetted by its owners (Adobe).
We're managing our digital assets.
The ability to find images reasonably speedily with the necessary attached information.
In comparison to the old desktop version, to load and tag images it is slower, not as efficient, and not so easily adaptable to the variations of individual end-users. It is also more limited in terms of asset management. The software (maybe our internal setup within our organisation I accept) doesn't always function as it should when embedding metadata during the importing and exporting of images. For people who are not regular users, it not as intuitive as it should be. Colleagues seem to avoid using it which negates one of the major principles of using Portfolio in terms of distribution.
Used mainly as a library format, i.e. the identification/tagging and long-term and short-term storage of images. The efficient and fast retrieval of images with associated information. We have not used the system as a direct workflow system.
The ability to create multiple searches.
If assets are tagged incorrectly, you will not find what you need.
Tracking and cataloging over 250,000 digital assets
Embed and extract metadata. Export originals and converted images and metadata in reusable formats. It is reasonably priced.
Flash based. When the took away the desktop client it was much harder to do things you used to do. Also the netpubkish part become harder for non-coders.
Management of faculty media collections for teaching
Extensis Portfolio Standalone has been a great way to manage my thousands of images. I find keywording for multiple images easier to do in this program than on Adobe Bridge.
The Portfolio Standalone is no longer supported by Extensis. Standalone users have to update to Extensis Server to continue being current and have access to tech support. The $2,000 price is a costly deterrent for upgrading. Extensis had made larger companies their target market and forsaken individual entrepreneurs. Other software for digital asset management are Adobe Lightroom and Photo Mechanic. Be aware that in Portfolio, sometimes the paths to files get broken and it takes a while to figure out how to reconnect them. This recently happened to me when I got a new hard drive and it had a different name than my previous hard drive. I had to change the name of the new hard drive to be the same as the previous one to re-establish the paths' connections.
Extensis Portfolio allows me to have a directory of my images in one place. This is greatly helpful when looking for a particular image. The program also allows a person to have folders or collections of images (subsets from the directory) without using additional computer memory.