Multi-Ad Cumulus was developed to succeed Multi-Ad’s current asset management solution, Multi-Ad Search, which existed solely as a single and multi-user Macintosh application. Now, Multi-Ad Search users and new customers will benefit from the new Multi-Ad Cumulus application, available in single-user and network versions, for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX platforms.
- Multi-Ad Cumulus specifically tailored to manage digital assets for newspapers, Yellow Page directory publishers, advertising agencies, and direct mail houses
- Multi-Ad Cumulus developed to succeed Multi-Ad Search, previous MAM solution
- Integrates with Multi-Ad's Creator2 page layout software for a streamlined workflow
- Tracks document status, including number of ads or documents created, linked images, and stage of completion
The new application, Multi-Ad Cumulus, builds thumbnail catalogs of all advertising images and layouts, staff photographs, daily newspaper wire photos or other graphic materials for efficient use and reuse. It also facilitates catalog search and download via the Internet or corporate intranet. Multi-Ad Cumulus will perform faster and easier searches than Multi-Ad Search, offer greater workflow customizability, and tighter integration with Multi-Ad's Creator2 page layout software, as well as Multi-Ad's Ad-Builder, SCAN, Food Photography and FotoStop subscription services.
Two significant features of Multi-Ad Cumulus include web publishing and tighter integration and document tracking with Creator2. New to Multi-Ad Search users, Multi-Ad Cumulus network edition offers the ability to publish image catalogs on the Internet or an intranet, allowing users to access the database using a standard Web browser and simplifying management for system administrators. Newspaper chains or other multi-office enterprises can use the system's Web publishing capabilities to share ads and images corporate-wide. Web publishing facilitates catalog access by both internal and off-site employees, offers the ability for customers to exchange proofs of ads and images, or to resell graphic assets. The Cumulus Internet Media Server has a fully customizable interface and integrates well with many third-party e-commerce solutions.
Additional features of Multi-Ad Cumulus are a suite of AppleScripts which integrates into Multi-Ad's Creator2 page layout software for streamlined workflow. Users can send files from a Cumulus catalog to Creator2's Files Palette and also search Cumulus databases by file name or category from Creator2 without switching applications. Cumulus can also automatically catalog Creator2 ads and linked images, track document status, including number of ads or documents created, number of images linked to those documents, and stage of completion. This added functionality answers a critical industry need for document management capabilities at very low cost.
Cataloging media assets with Multi-Ad Cumulus Assets can be located on and easily retrieved from hard drives, network volumes, CDs, CD jukeboxes, or Zip, Jaz or SyQuest drives. The Cumulus database engine allows users to quickly search file information such as file type, resolution and descriptive data that is automatically captured during cataloging.
Images in Creator2, GIF, PDF, EPS, TIFF, JPEG and other popular file formats can be viewed without having to launch the original application. Users can then quickly drag-and-drop the desired high-resolution images to Creator2, Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, Macromedia Freehand, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop and most other publishing and image editing applications. Images can also be copied, moved and deleted within Cumulus; in the network version, these functions require password authorization.
Multi-Ad Cumulus Network is priced at US$2,500 for the server and 5-client licenses; additional clients may be purchased.