Creating a Catalog. A catalog is created by selecting the File>New Catalog menu
option, assigning a name, and saving the file. Assets are added to a catalog either through a
menu selection (Catalog>Catalog Assets) (FIG. 9) or by dragging and dropping one or more
assets onto the Cumulus window.As each asset is processed it appears as a record in the
catalog (FIG. 10). If the assets are image-based, each will appear as a thumbnail image in
the right side of the main Cumulus window.

FIG.9: The Cumulus 5 Catalog
menu.(Screen capture courtesy of
Canto)

FIG. 10: As each image is added to a catalog it appears briefly in a
preview window. (Screen capture courtesy of Canto)

The cataloging process intelligently gathers whatever metadata is associated with each
asset, and enters it in the appropriate record fields. This includes such things as the size of
the file, its type, and its creation date. In addition, the programrecords the assets’ folder
hierarchies and shows them on the left side of the Cumulus window. The hierarchy listing
is similar to that of a hard drive, but is not linked to it. Moving or deleting the directory
categories has no effect on their hard drive counterparts.

A cataloged asset is a record that contains a pointer to the actual asset. Cumulus does not
make a copy of the original, it only creates a record that makes it easier to find the asset and
the information regarding its characteristics. Removing a record from Cumulus has no
affect on the original, although the programdoes provide an option to removeboth the
record and the asset. This does not, of course, affect digital assets that are stored on read-
only media, such as CD-ROM.

Creating Categories.Categories are used to give structure to a catalog. Although
they may be added at any time, it is best to establish them at the start, so that the process of
organizing assets can begin immediately.

Categoriesare created by selecting the Category>NewRoot Categorymenu option. A new
categoryhas the default name of Category, which is highlighted when it is created. The
user need only type in a new name. Subsequent categories appear indented under their
parent category, although these subcategories can be moved up or down within the
hierarchy.

A record may be assigned to one or more categories, and a categorymay be assigned to one
or morerecords. The process is accomplished by simply dragging and dropping, the record
to the category, or the category to the record.

After the categorization process has occurred, the user can easily locate assets that are held
within a particular categoryby double-clicking the categoryname. This reveals a list of all
of the records within that category. Multiple categories can be opened simultaneously, and
any or all of their records can be displayed.

Viewing Records. Records can be displayed in one of two ways, either as
thumbnails or details. Thumbnails are visual presentations, which the user can elect to
display in small, medium, or large format, the actual size of which is determined by
settings entered in the Application Preferences Window (FIG. 11). The details view is
entirely text-based, and appears similar to the layout of a spreadsheet (FIG. 12). The user
can display a large preview version of any image asset whether using the thumbnail or
details view (FIG. 13).

FIG.11: Thumbnails, shown on the right side of
the screen,can be displayed in a variety of sizes.
(Screen capture courtesy of Canto)

FIG. 12. The Cumulus 5 details view.(Screen capture
courtesy of Canto)

FIG.13: A large version of an imageasset can be displayed by selecting the Asset>Preview… menu option.
(Screen capture courtesy of Canto)

The targets of a search are determined in a number of ways, but ultimately result in a
collection. A collection is a very useful feature. According to the Cumulus User Guide:
“The collection enables you to find, display, save, print and e-mail specific sets of
records outside of the normal category definitions. If the group of records you’re
looking at right now is something you could use—as a subset of a largerproject, for
example, or to e-mail to a co-worker—youcan save it as a collection and recall it from
your hard disk wheneveryou need it.

Another important feature of the collection is that it stores not only a set of records,
but also the viewing preferences you defined for those records. A collection can thus
be saved and displayed with fonts, colors, fields, etc. that would not otherwise apply
to any single category.”*
________
*Canto Cumulus 5 Single User Edition Users Guide, Canto Software, 1999.