Photo library user guide
Section 1: Getting started
What is asset bank?
Asset bank is the Council’s photo library.
The system allows the Council to organise photos in one place.
What are the benefits of using asset bank?
Central organisation of the Council’s photos will help us regulate our usage and ensure the correct consent and compliance with data protection.
Having one central system will increase photo resources across the Council, reduce duplication, save money and the amount of time needed to locate them.
User authentication
Once you are an approved user you will need to login to the library so the system knows who you are, login at http://intranet.nottscc.gov.uk/asset-bank/
If you choose, you can add the library to ‘my apps’ on your intranet home page.
You will be given the permissions granted to you by the super administrator. The system will be able to track your activity and this information will be used for reporting
purposes. In particular, where photos are downloaded for use in publicity materials records will be monitored to make sure the correct publicity proposal processes have been followed. More information about the publicity process is available on the intranet:
http://intranet.nottscc.gov.uk/index/customerscommunications/communications/
Logging in
Your username and password are the same as your pc login.
Many Mac users may not be able to login this way because they won’t be included in the Council’s active directory. If you are a Mac user and you haven’t already been issued with a separate username and password, please call Corporate Communications on 0115 977 4214.
Your profile
You can use the ‘your profile’ page to change your password and other details such as your name and email address. ‘Your profile’ page can be found next to the ‘log out’ link.
Access your profile page
Access levels explained
You will have access and permissions under one of the following user groups: • Administrator
• Communications • Photographer
• Employee/logged in user
The level of access you have to the photos stored on the system will depend on which user group you’re in:
• Administrator can view, download, upload, edit and delete photos..
• Communications can download universal photos and photos that are restricted with permission. This level of access can also upload and edit photos.
• Photographers can only upload with permission and approval.
• The employee/public user group can view and download photos (unless restricted) with approval but has no upload permission.
Photos also have access levels and are categorised as:
• Universal – everyone can see these photos but depending upon your user group access you may/may not be able to download them.
• Restricted – these photos have restricted permissions and use. Your user group access will determine if you can view/download these.
• Agreement applies – if the photo is for universal use but has some agreement requirements such as those that would apply to stock images.
Section 2: Searching for photos
Quick search
A quick search can be done from the home page.
Enter one or more words in the ‘search’ field and click ‘go’.
To do a quick search enter keywords and
click ‘go’
The system will search for matches in the metadata/attributes of the photos. It will provide you with those that match.
Advanced search
An advanced search can be done from the home page. Click on ‘advanced search’, next to the right of the ‘quick search’ field.
You can also click on ‘advanced search’ on the left-hand menu.
Narrow your search using the search criteria fields, the search results will provide you with photos that have matching metadata/attributes for ALL the fields entered. In the ‘advanced search’ area you can view your saved and recent searches.
Searching categories
To search by category you need to go to ‘advanced search’.
Select the categories you would like to search from the dropdown category list found at the bottom of the advanced search page.
You can select multiple categories by clicking ‘add’. This will add your chosen categories to the box ‘to be included in your search’.
You can remove categories from your search by clicking ‘remove’. To confirm your selections and search, click ‘search’.
Your search results
Your search results will only return photos that you have permission to see.
If photos do not appear to be displayed correctly or it looks as though there are some photos missing, your browser will need updating. Please contact the IT helpdesk on 0115 977 2010 and ask if you can have your browser updated.
If your search returns more than 20, only the first 20 results will be shown on the first page. You can view the next page of results by clicking ‘next’ in the page navigation area at the top or bottom of the page.
You can see the full details of the photo by clicking on the thumbnail or the ‘view details’ link.
You need to add photos you’re interested in to your lightbox. To do this, click ‘add to lightbox’ found bottom right of the thumbnail.
View full details of photographs and add the ones you’re interested in to your lightbox
Section 3: Photo details
You can view the full details of a photo by: • clicking on the thumbnail
• clicking on the ‘view details’ link for the photo in search results, or • when browsing the categories.
See page 10 for an example.
You can also view the consent form/s attached to the chosen photo from the image details page.
Section 4: Downloading photos
If you have permission to download, you can access the download image page directly from the image details page.
Download your chosen images and
photographs from the image details page
Administrators have permission to download all photos. Communication group
members have permission to download universal photos but can also download some that are restricted with permission.
There are two download options: • Quick download, and • Advanced download.
In ‘quick download’ the file size you download will be determined by the usage type you select. You should consider your primary usage when making the selection because the file size will be predetermined depending on the answer you give.
‘Advanced download’ will allow you to specify which file type and size you need and you may choose to use the ‘advanced download’ option to ensure the file you download will suit a number of usage types.
The download image page allows you to download the original file. In advanced download you can also re-size and convert the file type.
To save space you can make your photo a compressed zip file before you download it. Check the checkbox labelled ‘compress (zip) the file before it is downloaded’.
Usage type
Before you can download you will be asked to indicate ‘usage type’ for the photo and confirm that you have read the terms and conditions of use. These are both mandatory requirements.
You won’t be able to download the photo/s unless you have indicated usage type and agreed to the terms and conditions.
As mentioned above, if you use ‘quick download’ it is recommended that you determine your usage type on the basis of the intended primary use.
If the file size of the primary use chosen affects the additional usage selected, a message will appear to tell you that what you have selected may not be of suitable quality for all your intended usage.
If this happens, you can:
• Download using the advanced download option and specify a file type that would be suitable for all your intended needs.
Section 5: Lightbox
Your lightbox is similar to a shopping basket. Your lightbox is where you put the photos you’re interested in.
A summary of your lightbox is displayed on every page in the area ‘lightbox’ under the left-hand menu.
You can see the details of your lightbox by:
• clicking on ‘lightbox’ in the left-hand menu, or
• clicking on ‘view contents’ in the ‘my lightbox’ summary area under the left-hand menu.
The ‘lightbox’ page shows you all the photos you have added to your lightbox. You can also view full details for each photo or remove them from your lightbox.
To view photo details, click on the ‘view details’ link shown on the thumbnail (bottom right corner).
To remove a photo, click on the ‘remove’ link shown on the thumbnail (bottom right corner).
Photos in your lightbox are grouped by the permissions that you have for them. Photos you have permission to download are shown at the top of your lightbox. This includes photos you always have permission to download, and photos that you have requested and granted permission for.
Photos that need approval before downloading will be highlighted for you to request approval. Click on the button ‘request approval’. Your request for approval will be sent to a super administrator.
If your request for a download is rejected, you will receive a comment from a super administrator to explain why your approval was not granted, you can view the note by clicking on the link ‘approve details’.
If you don’t need permission to download a photo, photos will simply be categorised as ‘ready to download’.
Download lightbox
To download the contents of your lightbox go to the lightbox page and click ‘download all’.
As mentioned in section 4, you have the option of a ‘quick download’ or ‘advanced download’.
In both ‘quick download’ and ‘advanced download’ you will be asked to specify the intended usage of your download. You need to provide this information and agree to the terms and conditions before being able to download. If you can’t provide the information needed or you don’t agree to the terms and conditions, you won’t be able to download.
In ‘advanced download’ you can resize and convert photos. If you reformat the size this new size will apply to all photos in your download.
When you click the ‘download now’ button, the photos will be resized and compressed into a ZIP file, which you can then download.
Some royalty free photos have a standard licence attached to them. This means their duplication is limited for printing purposes and in most cases cannot be used for the production of giveaways. Where this is the case, this information will be highlighted in the photo details and you may be asked to provide more in depth details about print quantities.
If you don’t have permission to download certain photos, but you have permission to request approval you will need to add the photos to your lightbox and then click on ‘request approval’ on the ‘my lightbox’ page.
In the ‘request approval’ page you can add notes against each photo and click ‘submit’ to send the request to an administrator.
When your download request is approved or rejected by an administrator you will receive an email.
You can also see which photos have been approved when you log into the system by going to the ‘my lightbox’ page. You will also be able to see any comments left by an administrator by clicking on the link ‘approval details’.
All approved photos are listed under the section ‘ready to download’.
Auto expiry of usage rights
To comply with data protection and to keep our photo library up to date and relevant, some photos have a pre-set auto expiry.
The standard auto expiry on photos is 3 years.
When a photo expires, an email will automatically be sent to anyone who has downloaded it.
Users will be asked to remove the photo from their computer and phase out its use on publicity material immediately. This may mean some redesign is needed to make sure expired photos currently used on materials are replaced with something else. If the photo has been used on the web, it will need to be taken off.
Section 6: Emailing photos
Emailing photos to a partner organisation
It is possible to share some photos with colleagues in partner organisations.
Before agreeing to share photos in this way you need to check if you have the correct permissions. To do this, ‘view details’ on the thumbnail. You can also refer to the photo consent form.
If there isn’t consent to share with a partner organisation, you must not email or share it with anyone outside the County Council. This would be in breach of data protection. If you have permissions to share photos, you can email them as follows:
Single: Go to the ‘download image’ page, add as much information as you can about how the image will be used. Finally, tick the box ‘send this file in an email’
Multiple photos: Go to the ‘download lightbox’ page and tick ‘send this file in an email’. Next click ‘email now’.
You will be taken to the screen below where you will need to enter the email address/es and a message. Select ‘include link to item’. Do not send the file as an attachment, there is no auto expiry on attachments.
Please keep a record of what the emailed photo will be used for, this will be needed for auditing purposes. The recipient will be asked to agree to the terms and conditions of the download before being able to download the photo. This places responsibility on the recipient to use the photo appropriately and for the agreed purpose.
Photos that have been emailed will expire after 24 hours. If an attempt is made to download the shared file after this time, a message will appear to tell the recipient it has expired.
Section 7: Uploading photos
If you have permission to add photos you will see the link ‘upload’ in the left-hand menu.
Photos can be added:
• one at a time by selecting ‘single upload’ • as a batch by selecting ‘bulk upload’.
Single upload
To upload a file, go to ‘upload’ on the left-hand menu and select ‘single upload’. You will be taken step-by-step through the upload process. Next browse for the file you would like to add and click ‘upload’.
Your file will be uploaded to the server.
When your file upload is complete you will be asked to add metadata for the file. See ‘adding metadata/attributes’ further on in this section for more information about this. The more information you can provide, the easier your photo will be to find. Photos with no metadata/attributes added will be archived.
You will be able to add photos to one or more categories and give it restricted or universal access.
For more information about access levels see section 1.
When you have entered all the required information, click ‘submit’.
Your new photo will be added to the system and will be available to other users immediately, provided you don’t need approval and you have added the correct metadata/attributes (including keywords). If you need approval, your photo will be loaded to a holding area until it is approved.
Bulk upload
To link consent forms with photos you should bulk upload consent forms and photos that relate, together, and check the ‘link to other items’ box at the bottom of the attribute information.
To link consent forms with photos already loaded to the system you should add the items you wish to link to your lightbox. Next, open your lightbox and ‘select all’. Select ‘more actions’ and ‘link items’. These items will now be linked, even when you delete them from your lightbox.
To upload a number of files you would like to add go to ‘upload’ on the left-hand menu and select ‘bulk upload’.
Click ‘start new bulk upload’.
You will be directed to the ‘start import’ page which will provide you with step-by-step instructions for starting your bulk upload.
You will need to add attribute values and metadata for all the photos you import. You will be asked to confirm metadata status. Select ‘incomplete’ so you can use the batch update facility (explained in section 8) later to add the specific metadata for each photo.
Once you have started your bulk upload you can visit other areas of the site and go back to your bulk upload later by clicking ‘bulk upload’ in the left-hand menu. Adding metadata/attributes
When you load single or bulk photos you will need to add metadata. Please talk to the super administrator if you need some guidance or support with this.
The size of your photos will be automatically set.
If your agreement type is set to ‘agreement applies’ you will need to add what the ‘agreement’ is by clicking on the highlighted text ‘agreement’. A new window will open and you will need to add details of the ‘agreement’.
The file name will automatically be set as per the name of the original file you uploaded.
The title should relate to the name of the photoshoot/event/occasion and link with the given title on the relevant photo consent form.
You will need to provide a description of the photo, for example you may want to include the location and date together with any other information about it.
Next you are asked to enter some keywords. You should consider featured colours, place, expressions, in addition to the more obvious keywords that would relate to people. There is a keyword guide to help get you started if you aren’t sure what type of words to include. The keyword guide isn’t an exhaustive list, but a starting point. The date created is automatically set.
You will need to set the active status to:
• Inactive – if the photo can be viewed but not downloaded by anyone. This option is suitable if you want to temporarily suspend the use of a photo. Not all users will be able to see photos with inactive status.
• Active – if the photo can be viewed and downloaded. All users can see photos with this active status.
• Expired – if the photo has expired and has been archived. Not all users will be able to see photos that have an active status of expired.
You can set the activation date and the expiry date. Where photos feature people and are bound by photo consent, the expiry date should be set for three years from the activation date.
Next you will need to add your photo to a category. Select the categories you would like to add your photo to from the drop down menu. You can add your photo/s to more than one category as well as sub-categories
Select the access level for the photo, you can choose from: • Universal – all users can see and use the photo.
• Restricted – only certain users will be able to see and download this photo. • Agreement applies – if the photo is for universal use but has some agreement
requirements such as those that would apply to some stock images
You will need to select the usage rights as either internal or external: • Internal – the photo may only be used by the County Council.
• External – the photo may be used by the County Council and partner organisations
Photo consent
Photos featuring people should not be uploaded unless there is a photo consent form to accompany it. Any photos uploaded without supporting photo consent will be archived. The Council’s photo consent form has been revised and is available to download from the intranet
http://intranet.nottscc.gov.uk/index/customerscommunications/communications/usingph otos/
To add photo consent forms you can photograph or scan them before saving them ready for upload.
It is possible to have a photo consent form providing consent for more than one photo, if the location/event is the same and people are photographed more than once.
See information about ‘bulk upload’ on page 18 about linking photo consent forms with photo files.
Photo consent forms should be entered into the same category as the relevant photo/s as well as categorised in photo consent.
Section 8: Batch update
If you have permission to add or update photos you will see a link ‘batch update’ in the left-hand menu.
To start a new batch update: Click ‘start new batch update’.
Enter the search criteria that will be used to select the photos that will form the batch to be updated. If you would like to update photos you have uploaded in bulk, set the metadata status to incomplete and all photos that are flagged as incomplete will be matched in your search.
Click ‘search’.
Photos that match your search criteria will be shown.
You can now change the attribute values and metadata of each photo and save the update by clicking on ‘save and continue’.
If you do not want to change the photo click ‘skip’. This will take the photo out of your batch.
Each time you click ‘save’ or ‘skip’ you will be presented with the next photo until you reach the end of your batch.
To pause your batch update, click ‘cancel’. You will be able to resume it later by
clicking on ‘batch update’ on the left-hand menu and selecting ‘return to current batch update’.
Section 9: Update single photos
You can update photos details by clicking on ‘view details’ on the photo thumbnail. This will take you to the ‘image details’ page.
If you have permission to update a photo you will see an ‘edit’ button to the right of the photo. Click ‘edit’, update the photo and click ‘save’.
Section 10:
Approving photos for upload
If you have permission to approve photos for upload you will see a link ‘approve items’ in the left-hand menu.
The ‘approve items’ page enables you to:
• approve items that have been added by a user who has permission to ‘upload’ but needs approval, and;
• approve downloads for users who have permission to ‘download after approval’. If there are items waiting to be approved for upload, you will see a link enabling you to approve them using ‘batch update’.
The new photos will be presented one after another allowing you to check and change their attribute values and metadata and flag them as approved. To approve the photo simply tick the box ‘approved’.
Section 11:
Approving photos for download
If you have permission to approve downloads you will see a link ‘approve items’ in the left-hand menu.
Alternatively, you will see a box in the bottom left corner of the home page ‘unsubmitted’ items.
Click on either to approve items.
The ‘approve items’ page enables you to:
• See the photos that the user wants to download, and; • What the user wants to do with the photos.
For each requested photo, you can enter the following information:
• Approval status – choose ‘approved’ if you want to approve a photo for
download, or ‘unapproved’ if you want to reject it. You can also select ‘pending’ if you want to leave this photo in the queue and deal with it later.
• Message – you can add a message to the user which is useful if you need more information. In this instance you should add your message but set the approval status to ‘unapproved’.
• Expiry date – set the date you would like the photo to expire. After this date, the user won’t be able to download the photo directly and will have to request permission again to download it.
