What defines good image management? Manage images professionally in 2024

The term image management stands for an activity that is done almost entirely with computers these days. So this article is about image management software and the underlying databases for digital images.

From the picture library to digital asset management

The term image management was already in use before the digital turn of the century. At that time, people worked with card index boxes, inventory lists or finding aids. However, this is not about dusty picture archives, but about the status quo. Accordingly, we are dealing with the management of digital image material (including moving images), i.e. mainly photos, graphics and videos. But also multimedia content such as presentations or PDF documents can usually be processed with image management software (contrary to what you might expect).

You may already be familiar with digital asset management. This is the technical term for managing image and media material. It implies that any medium can be an asset. We will continue to use the traditional term here. But that’s not to say that it’s wrong to relate images and videos to a company’s monetary interests. On the contrary – image management should focus on the content that can develop added value, e.g. in marketing or sales. At the same time, outdated content or content that has become unusable for other reasons should always be sorted out.

Why do companies need professional image management?

Unlike pure cloud storage or file sharing services, cloud-based image management software can be used to enrich media files with relevant additional information and other metadata. These are, for example, image descriptions (captions), keywords (tags), license information, copyright notices or references to declarations of consent. This makes media easier to find and minimizes legal uncertainties. With a cloud solution, the content is also available to all actors with authorization access, regardless of location. This optimizes teamwork and speeds up production processes for high-quality content. Managing images professionally also means committing to the credo content is king. Finally, an important goal of the measures is to increase reach and improve brand visibility.

Efficiency is key

A basic principle of professional image management is to store all files centrally, in their original version and with a unique file name. If the content is required in a different resolution or format, the system always reverts to the centrally stored original file. Even when creating albums, collections, or other curated compilations, the files are not physically copied, but made available virtually. In other words, no unnecessary copies are created that remain permanently in the system; instead, file references are used. This keeps the system lean and efficient.

Basically, of course, the functional area of release and distribution is also very important. As a rule, access and editing rights can be flexibly assigned to individual users in the company. This makes it possible to better distribute content and increase the degree of utilization of existing media assets. In addition, metadata can be processed particularly efficiently with modern image management systems. Batch processing tools such as bulk indexing and renaming, auto-import, and find-replace functions can greatly speed up tasks related to metadata optimization.

State of the art – image management in 2024

Modern image database systems are also characterized by easy accessibility , intuitive user interfaces and high data security. Such solutions are mostly cloud-based and can be used after logging in via the browser without installing additional programs.
The trend in this industry is also clearly moving toward machine learning. Contemporary image managers have AI modules that save users a lot of routine work by automatically recognizing people and objects and generating appropriate tags. Manual creation of all keywords or time-consuming searches for depicted persons are now a thing of the past.

Rights management, person recognition and auto keywording with teamnext image management

Also, the crux of duplicate and triplicate files no longer exists, since duplicates can be identified as such already during upload.

Intelligent file status management is another feature that optimizes workflow. If administrative users can immediately see whether an image is still being processed, has been released for public reproduction or has been blocked, the elimination of previously necessary communication not only saves time, but also reduces “accidents” due to misunderstandings during the release process.

Define the file status. Here is a screenshot from the image management of teamnext

Conclusion

With an image database, you can maximize the usefulness of existing media files for your business while speeding up internal processes. This not only creates new freedom in creative work, but also improves the visibility and consistency of your brand. Of course, you don’t get professional image management for free, but the cost of the software, which usually depends on the number of user licenses, the period of use (month / year) and the amount of storage space used, usually pays for itself within a short time.
There are various providers in the market segment for image management software. One of them is us. In the next section you will learn how to test our solution.

The proof is in the pudding: test the image management software of teamnext

If, after reading this, you’d like to see how it all looks in practice, you can get started almost immediately by signing up for a free 14-day trial of the teamnext | Media Hub. The Media Hub from teamnext is an image management solution for companies that impresses with AI functions and intuitive usability while meeting the highest data security requirements. It is preferred by medium-sized companies in the GSA region and by large organizations within the EU.

Of course, you can also book an appointment for a free online product demo with one of our experts at any time. Simply use our contact form for this purpose.