Waterloo Photos User Guide
- Natasha Jennings
- Robby Szolgyemy
- Barb Yantha
A general user guide for Waterloo Photos, including steps for uploading, editing, removing, sharing and browsing assets.
Table of contents
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Updating Assets Already in the System |
What is Waterloo Photos?
Waterloo Photos is a browser based Digital Asset Management (DAM) system that has been configured to support the needs of the University of Waterloo with respect to storing, sorting and sharing digital assets, specifically image files. The vendor is Asset Bank, a company located in the United Kingdom.
Benefits of Waterloo Photos
A Digital Media Asset Management (DMAM) system will allow members of the University to easily share digital assets with both internal and external campus partners; reduce inefficiencies around manual storage and retrieval of assets; and devise a collaborative, cross-campus system for content sharing and promotion.
Log in to Waterloo Photos
Navigate to https://uwaterloo.ca/photos.
Log in with your UWaterloo username and password.
The assets available to each user will depend on the permissions set for that user, or the organizational unit(s) they are a member of.
The site may eventually be available to the general public. Assets tagged as ‘Universal’ will be viewable and downloadable by any site visitor. Asset management, including options for sharing non-universal assets, is explained later in this document.
Managing your profile
Once logged in, a drop down menu will appear (under the user name) in the top right corner of the screen. Options under this menu include managing your profile and logging out of the system.
Your profile
There are two options you may wish to configure in this area:
System alerts: Check this box to receive alert emails generated by the system (e.g. asset approval notifications).
New content alerts: Check this box if you want to receive an email when new content has been uploaded to the system. Note: content alert email frequency is managed by the admin users (e.g. daily, weekly).
Log out
Log out of the system by clicking the 'Log out' link. You will also be logged out of the system if you close your browser, navigate away from the Waterloo Photos site, or after a period of inactivity.
Exploring the home page
Authenticated users
The home page is the starting point for users of Waterloo Photos. Those with access to the system will log in to their account from this screen. Once logged in, asset access and system functionality are dependent on the permissions configured for the organizational unit (org unit) the user is a member of. These settings, including home page (featured) image and copy, can be unique to each org unit and are determined by the org unit admin.
Featured image
The ‘featured image’ is the large banner image shown at the top of the home page. Any image in the system can be marked as a featured image and displayed here. If there is more than one featured image, the image displayed will refresh when the home screen is refreshed.
Quick search
A ‘Quick search’ of the assets can be performed using the search bar in the middle of the home page. Enter one or more words into the search field and click the magnifying glass icon, or press Enter on a keyboard.
Waterloo Photos will search for matches in the metadata of the assets (i.e. the attribute values such as title or description). Users may use the Advanced Search feature for a more specific search (explained later in this document).
Browse
Users can browse assets by clicking on one of the top-level categories on the home page. Subcategories may also be available. Additional information about browsing is available later in this document.
Recently added
The ‘recently added’ panel shows a number of items that have recently been added to Waterloo Photos, and which the current user has permission to see. Clicking the 'View all' link will take the user to a search results page displaying the most recently added assets.
News
News items can be found at the bottom of the home page. News items are published by the Waterloo Photos admins and may pertain to all users (e.g. system maintenance), or may be restricted by access level (and sub-levels).
Searching for digital assets
Waterloo Photos is equipped with a fast and powerful search, which enables you to quickly find the asset you need. There are three basic ways to search for assets:
Use the search bar in middle/main body area of home page;
Use the search bar in top right corner of the page you are on; or
Search via Browse (through Categories, subcategories).
To complete a more advanced search, select the Advanced Search menu item:
Search form (granulated search options): default view on Advanced Search landing page
Search builder (similar to a Boolean search): click Use the search builder link in top right corner of Advanced Search landing page
Tips for restricted searches
To search for assets that are missing metadata in a particular attribute, you can use the string, 'isempty'.
Search for assets from specific categories by selecting the desired categories from the category picker on the advanced search page. To search the entire system, do not select a category.
Notes about searching
Adding a parent category to the search criteria will search for assets that are in that parent or any of its subcategories.
Users can opt to search by subcategory, and not the parent or other subcategories, by selecting that specific subcategory.
Users might not be able to see an image depending on their permissions and the status of the asset.
Search results
The results page will show the assets that matched the search criteria submitted in your search.
Notes about search results
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner above the returned assets for additional options.
Users have the option of viewing 60, 120 or 240 items on a page. You can change how many assets are displayed on each page using the 'Items per page' dropdown in the top-right.
To see the next page of results click 'Next' in the page navigation area at the bottom of the page.
Sort the search results by relevance, popularity or specific attribute value using the 'Sort by' drop downs above the assets.
Users will see summary information for each asset returned, for example the ID, title, short description and a thumbnail. Full details of an asset can be viewed by clicking on its thumbnail or on 'View details' link.
Asset selection
Users may select assets individually with the checkbox above each item.
When checking the box immediately under the Advanced Search results all assets on that page will be selected. If the box has been selected a drop down menu will present the user with the option to select all assets on the current page or all assets returned in the search results.
If one or more assets have been selected, there are several actions available including Download, Share, Update, Delete, and More.
Download
If users have the necessary permissions, assets can be downloaded directly from the search results page, rather than adding them to a lightbox first.
Share
If users have the necessary permissions, assets can be shared via email with people outside of Waterloo Photos.
Update
Bulk Update - Start a new bulk update with the selected assets (i.e. update assets all at once).
Batch Update - Start a new batch update with the selected assets (i.e. update assets one at a time).
Find & replace - Run a find and replace on text attributes.
Delete
Selecting this option will permanently delete the asset from the system
More
Add to lightbox - Add the selected assets to the currently active lightbox. Selected items are appended to the lightbox (i.e. current lightbox contents are not removed). Any items in your selection that are already in the lightbox will not be added again.
Remove from lightbox - Remove the currently selected assets from the active lightbox. Any selected assets that aren't currently in the lightbox will be ignored.
Back to top
Saved searches
Searches may be saved so that users can quickly and easily run the same search again. To save a search, simply click the 'Save this search' link from the search results page:
Users will be required to configure some details of the saved search. If the user chooses to show a link to their saved search on their home page, it will only be visible to them. To manage saved searches, return to the ‘Saved Searches’ tab under the Advanced Search menu item.
Browsing
Users can browse the category hierarchy by clicking ‘Browse' in the menu, or by clicking on one of the top-level categories on the home page. The Browse Categories page shows all the assets in the selected category, and a list of any subcategories. Users have the option of viewing 60, 120 or 240 items on a page. Users can view the next page of assets in the category by clicking 'Next' in the page navigation area at the bottom of the page.
Summary information for each asset will be viewable, including the asset ID, title, short description and a thumbnail.
Asset details can be viewed by clicking on the thumbnail or the 'View details' link. Admin users will see all attributes. Other users may see only a subset of the attributes, depending on how admin users have configured the attribute visibility settings for the group(s) the user is in.
If desired, assets can be added to a lightbox by clicking the 'add to my lightbox' link shown next to the asset. If the asset is already in one of the users lightboxes, they will see the message 'remove from my lightbox'.
If users have the necessary permissions, assets can be downloaded directly from the browse page rather than adding them to a lightbox first. Links are also provided to select all the assets on the page or all the assets in the category.
By category
Assets can be browsed by category, and further by subcategory. The number of assets under each category or subcategory are indicated in brackets beside the label. Categories (and subcategories) are the same across organizational units. Requests for modifications or additions can be submitted via https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/group/52/create/1119.
By access level
Users may be able to view assets belonging to an org unit other than their own (as long as the permissions for the other org group have been configured in such a way) using the Browse Access Levels tab.
By popularity
Users can also browse assets by most/least viewed and most/least downloaded. This is a useful way of gauging the popularity of assets regardless of which category they are in.
Downloading assets
If users have permissions to download an asset, a download button will be visible when viewing the asset detail page. If users don't have permissions to download the asset, they may have the option of adding the item to a lightbox where permission to download can be requested. It is possible to download assets in bulk (assuming you have permission) by adding them to your lightbox and downloading from there.
Depending on the users’ permissions, they will be shown either Quick Download options, Advanced Download options, or both.
Quick download
Specify the desired use of the image.
The use must read and accept the Terms and Conditions.
The file may be sent via email (optional)*.
Click ‘Download Original’ to save the image to a local folder.
Advanced download
The advanced download tab allows the user to edit the image before downloading.
Specify the desired use of the image.
The use must read and accept the Terms and Conditions.
The file may be sent via email (optional)*.
Specify the file format.
Define the crop area (optional).
Resize fields will update accordingly.
Resize image width/height (optional).
Specify Advanced Options (optional).
Density (DPI)
JPEG quality
Rotate
Strip embedded metadata
The edited image can be previewed at any point.
Click Download Now when editing is complete.
*If ‘Send this file in an email’ is checked, the user will specify the email details (e.g. address, message) after clicking the ‘Email Original’ button. If the attachment is too large, the user may only see the option to send a download link.
Note: Admin users can determine whether or not org unit group members see the Advanced Download option via Admin menu item > Groups.
Lightboxes
Lightboxes are used to collect and collate assets. To add images to a lightbox, either browse or search an image, then click “add to my lightbox”.
Multiple assets can be added to or removed from a lightbox at one time.
A summary of the user’s lightbox(es) is displayed in the bottom left-hand side of each page under the heading 'My Lightbox'.
If multiple lightboxes have been created, the current lightbox can be set via the ‘My Lightbox' box dropdown in the left-hand navigation:
Users may create, manage, and share their lightboxes under the ‘Manage Lightboxes’ tab via the ‘Lightbox’ menu item.
Organization of a lightbox
The assets in a lightbox are grouped by the permissions that the user has for those assets.
Ready to download
Assets that the user has permission to download are shown at the top of the lightbox. This includes assets the user has always had permissions to download, and assets for which requested access has been granted.
Approval required
These assets must be approved by an admin user before they can be downloaded. Click 'Request approval' to begin this process.
Approval rejected
These are assets for which approval to download was requested, but the request was not approved. If the admin user has entered a comment against an asset, for example to explain why approval was not granted, it can be viewed by clicking the 'Approval details' link. The user can resubmit their approval request by clicking ‘Resubmit'.
Sharing lightboxes
A lightbox can be shared with desired users by clicking the ‘share' link next to the appropriate lightbox under the Manage Lightboxes tab.
The lightbox owner will then add users to a list of those able to access the lightbox and configure their ‘edit’ permissions accordingly. Once a lightbox is shared with a user they will be able to see it in their lightbox list on the Manage Lightboxes page. They can rename the shared lightbox by giving it an 'alias' and can remove the lightbox from their list when they no longer need to access it.
Once selected, a shared lightbox works like a regular one, except that the user will only be able to add assets if they've been given edit permission on the lightbox, and will only be able to remove assets that they have added. Users are only able to see/download assets where they have permission to do so, even if the lightbox is shared.
Publishing lightboxes
Publishing a lightbox allows a user to share a version of the lightbox with other people. When publishing a lightbox, the files that are generated and available to download are subject to what the admin user has defined, and the user’s permission level.
Once the assets are downloaded or published they are outside the control of Waterloo Photos’ permissions model, and it is up to the downloading/publishing user to make sure the terms and conditions of use for those assets are followed.
Users will see a 'publish' link on the lightbox page and for each individual lightbox on the Manage Lightboxes page. The multiple lightbox page will also indicate whether the lightbox is currently published or not.
Click one of the 'publish' links for the lightbox that will be shared.
Set the expiry date for the published lightbox i.e. the date the lightbox will be removed and no longer available to anyone it was shared with
Leaving the expiry date blank creates a published lightbox that is only removed by manually clicking the unpublish link.
If the lightbox is published, a link that can be copied and shared with other people will be available. The link can also be shared via email.
The lightbox owner will also be able to view and manage the published lightbox from this area.
Lightbox actions
Assets in a Lightbox that a user has permission to download are selectable by clicking the 'Select Item' checkbox at the top of each asset. Once selected, the following actions are available (depending on the user’s permissions) from the ‘More’ drop down menu:
View as contact sheet
Allows assets to be viewed side by side. This is useful for comparing assets and for printing out a contact sheet of assets. A number of layouts are available. Layouts with more than 4 images per page are not suitable for displaying with long lists of attributes (as they would overrun the page when printing). When a page layout with more than 4 images is selected, the user will have the option of showing the ID attributes or not.
Printing a contact sheet
Contact pages can be printed by clicking 'Print' on the top right of the control panel. Depending on the browser, print settings can be changed to fine tune how the images will appear when printed (e.g. reduce margins). For best results, the following settings are recommended:
Ensure scaling is set to 100%
Do not show headers and footers
Check paper size is set to A4
Note: the printed page will only contain the assets and their attributes.
Remove from lightbox
Used to remove selected items from the lightbox.
Link items
This will make all the selected assets related items, meaning that when viewing the details of any of these assets you will find links to the others as they are now related.
View as slideshow
Adds assets to and begins a slideshow presentation of them. Various options can be configured once the slideshow has begun.
Copy or move items
Used to copy or move assets between a user’s lightboxes.
Download
Clicking the ‘Download all’ button or selecting certain assets and then clicking the ‘Download’ button will create a zip file of those assets. The assets can be reformatted before the download process, but any settings (e.g. resizing an image) will be applied to all assets selected for download.
Transferring ownership of a lightbox
When a user is removed from the Waterloo Photos system, any content they created (e.g. Lightbox) will be deleted. Note, the assets themselves are not removed from the system.
It is possible to take ownership of another user’s lightbox before they lose their permissions on the system. This user should:
Share their Lightbox with another user with adequate permissions (i.e. ability to publish a Lightbox).
The user receiving the Lightbox will need to make a copy of the Lightbox and publish that version (as their own).
Navigate to Lightbox > Manage Lightboxes
Select [copy] to create a copy of the shared Lightbox
Select [publish] to publish the copied Lightbox
Uploading assets
Getting assets ready for upload
Please curate your assets prior to uploading any assets to the Waterloo Photos system. Consider the following:
Is the image high resolution?
Is the photo professional and on brand?
Could the image be reused?
Is the photo too similar to a photo already uploaded?
Is the image in focus?
Does the image show the backs of people’s heads?
Does the subject have an awkward look?
Do you have the metadata for the image?
Asset naming convention should follow format: department abbreviation-description-date-sequential number-file extension
For example, MSC-GreenHouse-Entrepreneurs-20131023-001.jpg
Ask the photographer to change their camera settings to match the above naming convention
Upload options – Single and bulk
Upload a single asset
Click ‘Upload’ menu item.
Select ‘Upload files with your browser’ and click ‘Start New Upload’.
Click ‘Add Files’ and browse for desired asset. Assets can also be dragged and dropped into the outlined area.
When the asset has been added, click the ‘Next’ button to continue.
Enter metadata for the asset. See Attribute Guideline document for clarification.
Title
Description
Caption used/to be used when published
Project ID (if applicable)
Use case
Category and subcategories (if applicable)
Name Picker
Keywords
Location (should be official campus building/location if on campus)
Decade
Photographer name
Photo credit
Model release or notice of photography sign
Set Access Levels (used to determine which org unit group(s) own and have access to the asset)
Associate and organize assets within your org unit (via sub access level):
<Org unit name> open assets – org unit users view and download
Assets that anyone within your org unit can see and access should be placed here
<Org unit name> restricted assets – org unit users download w/ approval
Assets that anyone within your org unit can see, but must request approval before downloading should be placed here
<Org unit name> restricted assets for Waterloo Photos user view and download w/ approval
Assets that users from other org units can view, but must request approval before downloading should be placed here
Org unit admins will receive the download request and can approve or reject the request within the system (Approve Items menu item > Download tab)
Do not add assets to the root org unit level as they will be visible to all logged-in Waterloo Photos users
To share assets openly with all Waterloo Photos users:
View and Download Only
Assets that can be viewed and downloaded without approval by any Waterloo Photos user should be placed here
Date created
Terms of Use
Apply necessary terms of use labels to assets
Enter GPS details if desired and not included with image
Set Active Status to Active for images to be visible to others
Set an Activation date – date image will be available for view
Set an Expiry date – date image will no long be available for view
Review this asset
Select date asset should be reviewed for relevancy and possible deletion
Consider adding asset to Waterloo’s archival system
Check this box if you would like the asset considered for Waterloo's archival system
A process for reviewing and approving marked items has yet to be developed, but this attribute will be used to track requests
Set Submit Action
Submit to live – asset will be live in the system
Submit for approval – asset will need to be reviewed and approved before being published
Do not submit yet – provides a ‘draft’ of image that you can go back to
Upload assets in bulk
After completing the upload steps below, you must run a batch update on these assets to update the Title and Description fields with metadata unique to each asset. Assets should not have the same title or description. If you find they do, you should consider deleting one of the assets (avoid duplicates or photos that look very similar).
Click ‘Upload’ menu item.
Select ‘Upload files with your browser’ and click ‘Start New Upload’.
Click ‘Add Files’ and browse for desired asset. Assets can also be dragged and dropped into the outlined area.
When the assets have been added, click the ‘Next’ button to continue.
Enter metadata. Note: completed attributes will be applied to all assets in upload.
Title
Description
Caption used/to be used when published
Project ID (if applicable)
Use case
Category and subcategories (if applicable)
Name Picker
Keywords
Location (should be official campus building/location if on campus)
Decade
Photographer name
Photo credit
Model release or notice of photography sign
Set Access Levels (used to determine which org unit group(s) own and have access to the asset)
Associate and organize assets within your org unit (via access level):
<Org unit name> open assets – org unit users view and download
Assets that anyone within your org unit can see and access should be placed here
<Org unit name> restricted assets – org unit users download w/ approval
Assets that anyone within your org unit can see, but must request approval before downloading should be placed here
<Org unit name> restricted assets for Waterloo Photos user view and download w/ approval
Assets that users from other org units can view, but must request approval before downloading should be placed here
Org unit admins will receive the download request and can approve or reject the request within the system (Approve Items menu item > Download tab)
Do not add assets to the root org unit level as they will be visible to all logged-in Waterloo Photos users
To share assets openly with all Waterloo Photos users:
View and Download Only
Assets that can be viewed and downloaded without approval by any Waterloo Photos user should be placed here
Date created
Terms of Use
Apply necessary terms of use labels to assets
Enter GPS details if desired and not included with image
Set Active Status to Active for images to be visible to others
Set an Activation date – date image will be available for view
Set an Expiry date – date image will no long be available for view
Review this asset
Select date asset should be reviewed for relevancy and possible deletion
Consider adding asset to Waterloo’s archival system
Check this box if you would like the asset considered for Waterloo's archival system
A process for reviewing and approving marked items has yet to be developed, but this attribute will be used to track requests
Set Submit Action
Submit to live – asset will be live in the system
Submit for approval – asset will need to be reviewed and approved before being published
Do not submit yet – provides a ‘draft’ of image that you can go back to
Link the items together if desired
Linking items means that when an item is viewed, all other items from the upload will be shown as related items
Click ‘Start Import’.
Updating assets already in the system
If a user has permission to update an asset, they will see an 'Update Items' link in the main menu. There are two update options available:
Batch Update - Performing a batch update enables a user to search for assets to create a selection to work on, then step through each asset, one at a time, to update its metadata. So for example, if a user wanted to add descriptions to all assets in a particular category, they would use Batch Update to complete this (as each description will vary from asset to asset).
More information about batch updates.
Bulk Update - In a Bulk Update, a user again starts by searching for assets to create a group of items to act upon. They can then define changes or additions to the metadata, which will be applied to the entire group of assets in one operation. So for example, if a user wanted to move assets from one category to another, they would use Bulk Update to apply the change to all these assets at the same time (as stepping through each one individually and making the change would be inefficient).
More information about bulk updates.
Versioning vs. Replacing
Versioning allows a user to edit an asset, upload a new 'version' (e.g. an updated logo), then save this newest version of the asset. The latest version will be visible, and the older one hidden from view. Doing this is quicker than deleting the asset, then uploading a new one (as you would need to enter in the metadata again). It also allows you to see the history of an asset.
When looking at the current version of an asset, a user can click ‘View all versions’ to review previous versions and the option to ‘Discard this version’. The 'Discard this version' link allows the user to roll back to the previous version. If selected, a warning notice will appear requiring user action. If relationship data has been added since the second to last version, then the notice will give a specific warning that the relationship data will be lost. If the user confirms the discard, then the asset will be rolled back to the previous version.
Waterloo Content Management System (WCMS) integration
Digital assets from Waterloo Photos can now be added to many of the content types within the WCMS. The content types that support the Waterloo Photos integration will display an upload link, as pictured below.
How it works
When adding a Listing page image or using the Upload an image tool for the specified content types, content maintainers will now see a Waterloo Photos link.
From the WCMS
Select Waterloo Photos from the list of upload options and click Browse button.
A new window will open and you will be prompted to log into Waterloo Photos using your WatIAM credentials.
From Waterloo Photos
Browse for an asset and click the Select for CMS button to the right of the image you would like to upload.
Select the intended use for the asset from the Download drop down.
Read and then check the Terms and Conditions box.
Click Select for CMS button.
Click Return to CMS button once upload is complete (This will close the Waterloo Photos window).
Once back in the WCMS
Click the Upload button.
Add image Alt text.
Insert image into the body of the supported content types, if desired.
The assets users have access to will depend on their permissions for Waterloo Photos and any restrictions asset owners have applied to their own photo(s).
Need more help?
Get help browsing for assets in Waterloo Photos.
Learn more about uploading images in the WCMS.
Important note about image size
If an image selected from Waterloo Photos is too large for the WCMS, an error message indicating so will appear. Please attempt to upload a lower resolution version of the asset. The initial error message will still appear on the WCMS screen, however, the photo URL will have updated. Please click the Upload button to add the lower resolution version of the asset.
Important note about known file upload bug
Remote image files (including those uploaded from Waterloo Photos) may be added to the WCMS file list in duplicate or triplicate, instead of just once. This is a known bug.
Resources for org unit admins
Additional resources for org unit admins can be accessed via the ‘Training and support resources’ menu item within the system, or from the IST Waterloo Photos service catalogue entry. Admins can also search the Asset Bank resources.
Support, training or technical requests can be submitted via https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/group/52/create/1119.
Frequently asked questions
What is an attribute?
When a user views an asset, they will see attached to it a series of data fields. This is often known as metadata; in Waterloo Photos we call these fields’ attributes.
Attribute fields are varied and serve many purposes. Generally, they describe the asset and can be used to help users search for and locate assets. They also help manage the behaviour of the asset. For example, there are a range of attributes which help admins manage who is able to see the asset and how it is delivered to them.
Requests to edit existing attributes (e.g. name, required field, visibility) or add new attributes to the system can be submitted via https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/group/52/create/1119.
What is a category?
Categories represent a descriptive hierarchy for browsing assets. They allow users to easily navigate the system and locate assets of a specific nature. Categories are not related to permissions. By default, Waterloo Photos will hide any categories from a user if that category is comprised only of assets that they do not have permissions to see, or if there are no assets filed under that category.
Access levels are a separate browsable hierarchy that are related to permissions. Access levels are created by the org unit admin. Permissions on the access levels can be set by the org unit admin on a group by group basis. For example, users who are members of the IST Web Dev group can be given permissions to the assets in the Web Dev access level. However, users who are part of the IST Communications group will not have permissions to the assets in the Web Dev access level.
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Need help?
Contact us via https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/group/1616/create/1119 for support.
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