Xinet Collections

Xinet Portal provides a convenient Collection for more efficient downloading of multiple assets at a time (formerly known as Basket in our previous releases). Collection downloads give you the options to download XMP information with your assets. InDesign users can also drag-and-drop images directly from their Xinet Portal windows into open documents on their desktops.

If you intend to download more than one asset at a time, put the items in your Collection and download from there. Xinet will stuff and compress the collection, and your browser will automatically unstuff the assets in a much more efficient way than if you were to download them individually.

If you want to download images in a particular size or format, use the Custom Order button or the Batch Apply button in your Collection. Refer to Creating custom download orders and Creating batch image orders for details.

Types of assets that can be downloaded

Your Xinet administrator determines what you can see and download from your Xinet-hosted site. Most users will be able to download For Placement Only (FPO) images. Many may also be able to download High Resolution images and files. The options depend on how your Xinet administrator has set up your account.

For more information about FPO and High Resolution images, refer to Working with image proxies.

Working with XMP data

Whether or not XMP data is written into assets is up to your Xinet administrator. Those viewers who have permission to download high-resolution images also may export, when it exists, XMP data associated with the asset; one of the advantages of Collection downloads. There is a check box in the download confirmation dialog, which by default will not be checked. When you enable the option, the data will be delivered in a separate file having the same name as the image file, distinguished by an xmp extension to the name.

Understanding Collection Security

The contents of your Collection will be kept separate from Collections made by other users who have access to your account. So, if you fill a Collection, and the person sitting at the computer next to you also fills a Collection from the same volume, Xinet will keep track of your Collection separately. (Xinet actually keeps track of network addresses, so this is true only if you use different computers and/or different log-ins to access Xinet.)

Adding and removing assets from the Collection

You can work with Xinet on a asset-by-asset basis, for example, downloading FPOs one at a time, or you can use the Collection to perform an operation such as downloading on a set of assets all at once. Once you have assets in your Collection, you can use Xinet Collection plug-ins to perform operations on the assets inside the Collection. Your Xinet administrator determines which plug-ins you see.

When you use Collection to transfer images, the collection of images are compressed before transferring and automatically decompressed when they reach your computer. This greatly increases asset transfer speeds.

To add an asset or a folder to your Collection:

•	Click on the Add to Collection icon associated with the asset. Once clicked, the icon changes to yellow.

The first time you do so, a new window, initially called Default Collection will open where you can see the contents of your current collection. Any folders or assets you add to the Collection afterwards will be added to those already in the collection.

To add found assets from a search query:

•	Using the Marquee theme, after completing a search query, click the Collection icon at the bottom of the browser’s view to add all found assets to your Collection.

To remove an asset from your Collection:

•	Click the Remove From Collection icon.

Note: Keep in mind that when you remove items from your Collection, you are not deleting the actual assets on the server; you’re simply removing a pointer to the asset from your collection.

Viewing the contents of your Collection

To view the contents of your Collection:

•	In the Marquee theme, on the navigator, click Collection for “user name”. Alternatively, click the Collection icon at the top right of the interface.

•	In the Exhibit theme, click the Show Collection icon at the bottom left corner of the interface.

Once you the added the assets to the Collection to download, you can set a number download options.

•	Clear Collection - Remove the contents of the assets added to your current collection.

•	Administer Collection- Save your Collection for future use, clear, add to current collection, Replace Existing Collection, and delete your saved Collections. For more information, see Administering collections.

•	Download Archive Files - Set the archive format for your current Collection download, and specify if XMP data is included in your download. See Downloading archived collections.

•	Download Achieve of FPOs - Set the For Placement Only (FPO’s) archive format and specify if XMP data is included in your download of low-resolution images. See Downloading archived collections. For more information about FPOs, see Working with image proxies.

•	Request Restore - Restore archived files.

•	Batch Image Order - Set conversion parameters such as file format, color space, and image size. For more information, see Creating batch image orders.

•	Batch Keyword Apply - Set which data field metadata keywords are assigned to the group of assets in your Collection. See Applying keywords to multiple assets.

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Batch Report - Customize reports about the files in your collection. Reports can display information about Keywords, provide Previews with annotations, skip the display of Previews, show All Available Previews associated with the files. Report can also number each annotation to facilitate easier discussion and be customized to show small, medium, or large thumbnails. Finally, reports can be rendered as printable PDFs in various page sized and orientations.

The following options are available:

Option	Description
Page size and orientation	Set the page size and orientation for your report. The following options are available: • Letter (8.5” x 11”) • Tabloid (11” x 17”) • A4 (210 mm x 297 mm) • A3 (297 mm x 420 mm) • Portrait or Landscape
Show Keywords	Metadata assigned to assets, keywords, can be generated into a report. Tip: This is useful information to locate keywords assigned to a group of assets.
Print Previews	Specify if preview thumbnails are printed in your report. The following options are available: • All Available Previews • Only Previews that Contain Annotations • No Previews
Show Annotations	List all annotations associated to an asset.
Show Numbers	List the annotation numbers to review when annotations and comments were added.
Thumbnails	Specify the size of the thumbnail to print. • Small Thumbnail • Medium Thumbnail • Large Thumbnail
Include all Revisions	Lists the history of annotations added to an asset. Each annotation is timestamped and displays the name of the editor who added the annotation and any notes added. Use this list to compare the annotations associated with an asset.

Contact Sheet - Create PDF contact sheets that displays the assets within their Collection. Users can specify what each contact sheet will look like. When creating Contact Sheets, users can set any of the following options:

• Users designs each contact sheet by specifying its page size and orientation

• The arrangement of columns and rows

• The dimensions of the preview

• The font size of any text fields

• Whether to include QR codes which in the resulting PDF will provide URLS of each asset

• Whether to show or hide Keywords in the contact sheet

• Whether to include information about when the asset was created or last modified

• Whether to include specific details from Image Info, Video Info, and/or Audio Info

The Contact Sheet PDF, once created, will stream in the User’s Web browser, from which it can be saved for redistribution.

•	Asset Fulfillment Request - Set administrative approval settings to your Collection files for a restoration requests before the files are placed in a retrieval area.

•	Video Reel Generator - Set Generation options, such as the output directory, width and height, quality, and format of your videos enclosed in your collection. For more information, see Creating video reels of your collection.

Administering collections

When viewing the contents of your collection, a number of administration options are available.

The top portion of the window allows you to save the contents of your current Collection with a name so that you can use that collection of assets at a later time without having to recollect the assets. You can collect other Collections of assets without disturbing a named and saved Collection.

Once you’ve saved a Collection with a name, Xinet allows you to use the contents at a later time: you make the collection an “active” Collection. What that means is that you can perform regular collection activities, such as downloading FPOs or high-res images.

To save a Collection:

1.	Type a name for the Collection in the New Collection Name type-in box.

2.	Click Save Current Collection. The newly-named Collection will be added to the Existing Collection pop-up list in the middle of the collection administration window.

To make the contents of a saved Collection “active”:

1.	Select the saved Collection by name in the Existing Collection pop-up list.

2.	Keeping in mind that your “current” collection may already contain assets and folders, click on either Add to Current Collection or Replace Current Collection.

3.	Click Close to return to the Collection window, where you’ll now be able to do something with the asset collection you’ve just placed there.

Downloading archived collections

You can download archived files or FPOs from your collection. The same configuration options are available for both types of archives. This section describes these interactions, which vary, according to permissions granted by the Xinet administrator.

To make a archived download:

1.	Click Show Collection, at the bottom of the Portal browser window, to see the contents of your Collection.

2.	On the left column, click either Download Archived Files or Download Archived FPOs. Both display the same options.

3.	In the Archive Name field, type a new name.

4.	Select an archive format.

5.	In the XMP Export section, select the Yes radio button to include XMP metadata in your download.

6.	Click Download Collection.

Creating batch image orders

The Batch Image Order plug-in quickly converts and downloads a Collection of images. It can, for example, easily convert a collection of press-ready images into web-ready images or painlessly resize a large group of images for placement within another document.

If you are using the Batch Image Order plug-in for the first time, its order form will present a number of parameters you'll need to set in order to customize downloading. This is where you provide information about conversion parameters such as file format, color space, and image size.

After your first custom Batch Image Order, the form will subsequently show the currently-loaded conversion configuration. However, you can alter these settings at any time by selecting the name from the Saved Configuration drop-down menu.

To create a Batch Image Order:

1.	Click the Collection icon on each asset (files or folders) to add to your collection.

2.	Click Show Collection, to display the assets selected.

For more information, see Viewing the contents of your Collection.

3.	From left pane of the browser window, click Batch Image Order.

4.	Specify the option for download and click Download or Save This Configuration.

There are a number of parameters you can set for a batch conversion, each with its own sub-options. You may set parameters, in any combination, for Resolution, Dimension, File Format, Color Space, Unsharp Masking, and Clipping Path/Mask settings. For more information, see Setting parameters.

Note: Image conversion is a computationally-complex operation, especially conversions of large images. Consequently, it may take a few minutes before your download begins.

5.	Optional - Click Download to download your collection immediately. For more information, see Creating batch image orders.

6.	Optional - Click Save This Configuration to use these settings again. For more information about this option, see Managing batch download configurations.

7.	Click Close.

Setting parameters

To enable a Conversion Option, check the check box next to it. When you do this, the form presents that option’s configurable parameters.

•	Convert Resolution

First, use the pop-up menu to select whether you want to specify image resolution in dots-per-inch (DPI) or dots-per-centimeter (DPCM). Then, specify the value of the output resolution in the type-in box on the right side. It must be an integer greater than one.

Note: You must use the same units of measurement when you tell the Batch Order tool to Convert Resolution and Convert Dimensions. If you have previously set dimension measurements so they are at odds with those you’ve just established for resolution, the dimension units will convert to match those for resolution. The opposite will happen if you set resolution measurements first and then change those for dimension.

•	Convert Dimensions

You may scale images up or down in size, and you can constrain image dimensions in several ways. As with resolution, you may select units of measurement. In this case, you may choose between pixels, cm, and inches. Remember that the units of measurement you choose may change those you've selected for resolution.

You may constrain dimensions by height, width or both. If you choose to constrain just height or just width, your images will retain their original aspect ratios. You may constrain either dimension to a range of sizes. If you don't want a range, type in the same value for both Min and Max. If you don't care about preserving the aspect ratio and want to specify absolute dimensions, click on both the Height and Width options and provide Min and Max values for each.

When the aspect ratio of the image is deformed, extra space in the new image can be dealt with in two ways. If Stretch Image is selected, then the image is deformed to fit its new dimensions. If Leave Blank is selected, white space will be added to the border of the new image, with the original image centered.

•	Convert File Format

You can have the Batch Order tool convert all images to a single format by selecting the Convert File Format option and then selecting EPS, GIF, JPEG, or TIFF from the pop-up list. If you select either EPS or JPEG, you must also specify the compression level. A text box where you may type in an integer between 5 and 95 appears when you select EPS or JPEG. The integer represents the percentage of compression that will be performed on the images. Greater amounts of compression will speed up downloading, but may compromise image quality later on.

If you would like each converted image to bear an extension corresponding to the new image type, select Yes in the field labeled Add filename extension. Otherwise, select No and no extensions will be added.

Note: Filenames which already have an extension will bear a new extension corresponding to the selected image type regardless of whether Yes or No is selected.

Note: If an output format is not chosen, Batch Order will attempt to maintain each asset’s original format. If the original format is not a supported output format, however, it will be converted to a JPEG. Supported output formats include GIF, JPEG, TIFF, EPS, and BMP.

•	Convert Color Space

If you want to order all images in a given color space, click on the Convert Color Space option, and select the appropriate mode from the pop-up list. You may choose between CMYK, Grey, LAB, and RGB.

Note: The Convert Color Space setting interacts with the Convert File Format setting, since some file formats don’t support all color space options. For example, GIF is limited to RGB, and JPEG is limited to RGB and Grey. Therefore, your color space options will be constrained by the file format you select.

8.	Perform Unsharp Masking

This option allows you to automatically apply “unsharp masking” algorithms to images. It is particularly useful in situations where images are being scaled. You may choose between these options:

Sharpen non-CMYK images
Basic sharpening when scaling
Custom (where you set Radius, Threshold, Percentage Strength and Limit)

•	Remove Clipping Paths/Masks

This option allows you to remove clipping paths and masks which may have been used during image editing but are no longer needed. It will also remove those masks that Photoshop sometimes automatically inserts.

To disable any conversion option, uncheck the check box next to it.

Managing batch download configurations

Once you’ve set up a Batch Conversion configuration, you can save it for easy re-use. There are two types of saved configurations: global and user-defined. Global configurations are prepared by the Xinet Administrator and are identified by the symbol “**” in the select box in the top right corner of the plug-in window. These configurations can be loaded and modified, but they cannot be deleted by anyone other than the Xinet Administrator. User-defined configurations can be saved, loaded, and deleted.

Saving:

If you want to save a configuration so that you can apply it to another collection of images:

Click Save This Configuration type a name in the text box, click on the button labeled Save This Configuration. Your saved configuration will now appear in the pop-up Saved Configurations list for you to use for future Batch Image Orders.

Deleting:

If a saved configuration is currently loaded and is not a global configuration, a button labeled Delete This Configuration will be visible. Clicking this button will permanently remove this configuration from the select box in the plug-in window.

Applying keywords to multiple assets

Batch Keyword Apply enables you to associate the same group of keywords with the group of assets in your current Collection. Clicking on the Batch Keyword Apply icon opens a dialog box.

Creating custom contact sheets of your collection

The Contact Sheet option appears in the collection panel to allow you to create PDF contact sheets that displays the assets within their collections. You can specify what each contact sheet will look like setting a number of options.

Note: The Contact Sheet plug-in performs error analysis as users enter display information, offering assistance, for example., Too much text for image height and font size, when one specification conflicts with another.

To create a contact sheet of your collection:

1.	Set any of the following options:

• The user designs each contact sheet by specifying its page size and orientation

• The arrangement of columns and rows

• The dimensions of the previews

• The font size for any text fields

• Whether to include QR codes which in the resulting PDF will provide URLs to an mview of each asset

• Whether to show or hide Keywords in the contact sheet

• Whether to include information about when the file was created, last modified or last accessed

• Whether to include specific details from Image Info, Video Info and/or Audio Info

2.	Click Generate Contact Sheet PDF.

The PDF, once created, will stream in the user’s browser, from which it can be saved for redistribution.

Creating video reels of your collection

When Video for Xinet is in use, a Video Reel Generation collection plug-in allows Xinet Portal users to assemble existing video assets, PDFs, InDesign documents, Office documents, and images into new videos. The image below displays the options available for both the Exhibit and Marquee theme.

To download a generated video of your collection:

1.	Open your collection to view the contents.

• Using the Exhibit theme, click the Open Collection icon located at the bottom left corner of the interface.

• Using the Marquee theme, click the Collection icon located at the top right of the interface.

2.	In the Collection control panel, in the let pane, click Video Reel Generator.

3.	Specify the settings used in your video.

4.	Click Start Generation.

5.	In the confirmation box, click Download.

Creating custom download orders

This feature works in slightly different ways, depending on the style your administrator has assigned for your use. This section describes the Exhibit-style Custom Order. If you are using another style, the interface may vary from the one described here. Functionality, however, will be similar.

The Custom Order form allows you to convert a single image into other sizes and formats before you download it. Once you open the form, Xinet presents a preview of the image at the top of the screen. Type-in boxes and pop-up lists allow you to transform the image during the downloading process.

When you are satisfied with the new parameters for the image, simply use the Download button. The image you download will be a GIF if the image has a mask or a selected clipping path; otherwise it will be a JPEG.

If you want to process and receive multiple images, all with the same Custom Order attributes, read Creating batch image orders.