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The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers:

November 28, 2005

Sebastopol, CA--Every time you shoot, scan, or store a photograph, you are involved with DAM or digital asset management, which includes every part of the process that follows the taking of the picture through final output and permanent storage. However, most photographers, whether amateurs capturing a vacation, or professionals earning a living, don't really know the best way to systematically and efficiently manage workflow for their photography.

A professional photographer for twenty years, author Peter Krogh explains the whole DAM system in The DAM Book (O'Reilly, US $34.95). He cuts the often overwhelming task of managing digital photos down to manageable size with a solid plan, practical advice, and a workable system for filing, finding, protecting, and re-using photographs.

Having contributed to the development and testing of Adobe Photoshop CS2, Adobe Bridge, and the DNG Raw format, Krogh is uniquely suited to guide you through their use. He designed the book "for anyone who is serious about his or her photographs," promising that "once you understand the concepts that are described here, working with your digital photographs will be simpler, more straightforward, and more secure than you can probably imagine now." Adobe Systems Senior Creative Director Russell Preston Brown agrees, saying, "When I want to look good in front of a demanding crowd of photographers, I never hesitate to steal from this book. Peter Krogh definitely knows what he's talking about."

The DAM Book, produced in full color, will show you how to:

  • Transition to new, more efficient ways of archiving images
  • Understand the best methods for filing and storing information, so you can easily and quickly find what you need
  • Apply metadata and choose useful keywords
  • Set up a system that will evolve and grow with your needs and technological innovations
  • Configure the hardware needed for a stable digital archive
  • Protect yourself against the accidental loss of your images and enable full recovery should a drive failure occur
  • Leverage AdobePhotoshop CS2 with Adobe Bridge navigational software to improve your workflow
  • Integrate Bridge, Camera Raw, and Digital Asset Management software
  • Use cataloguing software to organize your images
  • Keep track of multiple versions of your images and find the best one quickly
  • Migrate your existing archive into your new DAM system
  • Import your film images into your digital archive
  • Part of O'Reilly's Digital Studio series, The DAM Book will cut down on the time you spend searching your hard drive and file cabinet for a particular image. With the DAM system, you'll be able to assign and track the data content on your photos. And, if you're a professional, the DAM system will assure that your images bear your copyright and contact information, so there will be no more photos circulating in the marketplace unprotected. Professional or dedicated amateurs alike, will wonder how they survived without it.

    O'Reilly's Digital Media Resources
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    Additional Resources:

    The DAM Book
    Peter Krogh
    ISBN: 0-596-10018-3, 304 pages, $34.95 US
    order@oreilly.com
    1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

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