Digital Asset Management Versioning

Manipulating photos and creative assets to create new results is nothing new. But being able to go through countless iterations while retaining each version with the efficiency that DAM allows, that’s new. 

Version control is a vital part of any creative workflow and allows you to tap into the full creative lifecycle at any point in time to get the best creative output. And with DAM platforms, versioning has become the lifeline to creative assets’ histories, allowing stakeholders and creative teams to delve into the creative journey behind an asset’s final stage. 

But versioning allows you to do more than access panoramic asset histories; it allows you to tap into unused creative possibilities that exist in the lifecycle. It allows you to climb into your delorean and turn back time to see what could have been without affecting what is. 

Let’s take a look at why digital asset management version control matters.

What is digital asset management versioning?

In the simplest terms, versioning is the act of keeping track of multiple asset iterations across the production cycle. But it’s a concept that has evolved over the years into something that has enhanced creative possibilities. 

Since the 1850s, image manipulation has been a constant part of photography. From creating artistic composites from negatives to altering images in the darkroom and retouching final photographs, people have been playing around with multiple versions of creative assets since long before DAM. 

But for the most part, you were saddled with only two iterations: the original and the edited image. 

With the rise of digital tools, the exploration of editing took on a new dimension. With increasing ease you could keep track of alterations as you went. You could explore possibilities and take sidepaths just to see what would happen, without affecting the original or any other iteration that had been created up to that point. 

To keep all these adventures and what if experiments organized, the versioning features of your DAM lets you keep track of the entire branching lifecycle of a creative asset. 

Now, instead of having endless iterations of a single asset strewn across a folder, every version exists snuggly stored under the latest iteration in your DAM library.

How does DAM versioning help you create better workflows?

Versioning isn’t only about creative exploration. It’s also about managing creative processes in high-speed business environments. That’s why version control is necessary in digital asset management. 

It helps you create a more efficient workflow for optimal creative output by letting you see the creative process in a new way. 

Version control lets you:

• Be ensured that you’re working with the latest asset. 
• Declutter your asset library for efficient management. 
• See the entire creative lifecycle in a panoramic view. 
• Access previous iterations easily to explore new possibilities. 
• Get a comprehensive overview of workflows. 

While each perk is worth its weight in gold, it’s the final point that makes versioning so valuable to production optimization. 

globaledit’s Versioning gives you access not only to creative asset iterations but also to the comments and markups that were attached to it at any given stage. 

These insights allow you to get a comprehensive view of creative workflows and identify challenges that can be addressed proactively in the future. 

How version control helps you distribute the best digital assets?

Digital asset management versioning gives you a retrospective view of the creative process and an asset’s creation. It allows you to compare iterations quickly and easily to see whether the current path is in fact the best. 

The panoramic view of iterations helps you compare the effect of creative changes and helps to ensure brand consistency no matter how elaborate the creative process gets. 

With version control, you also know that you’re working with the latest version of an asset at all times without having to look for the asset with the latest handle. Even when it’s decided to switch back to a previous iteration, that version is simply restored as the main asset. 

Enhanced versioning capabilities with globaledit

globaledit gives you industry-leading version control features. And then some. 

As a DAM built by creatives for creatives, globaledit lets you make your DAM the central hub of your creative workflow. 

• Integrate with the digital tools that are already a part of your workflow so you don’t have to flip between platforms. 
• Collaborate with other creatives and third-party stakeholders through comments and notifications that are visible in real-time. 
• Keep entire teams on the loop of version updates with automated permission-based notifications. 
• Distribute the right assets more efficiently with automated integrations that connect the latest edits to channels without any manual exporting needed. 

With globaledit you get to make version control a valuable part of a much larger creative ecosystem that is geared towards efficiency. 

See how globaledit can help you take version control to the next level

Sign up for a free trial today and see how globaledit can help you tap into the full potential of your creative assets’ lifecycles.