In Portfolio

There is something that they call Quick Find in the their toolbar. Type in a keyword and enter.

If you want to see a list of words used, you either select the Master Keywords palette, if you have made such a list, or select Catalog Properties from the Catalog draw down menu and select the Statistics tab. If you then click on the Calculate button, it will show you all terms currently inputted.

You can then click on a term in either palette and it will find all those images to which it has been assign. Unfortunately this list has to be recalculated each time, you open the Catalog Properties palette

In Cumulus

Descriptive term search is equally simple. Click on the folder with the right term.

This method shows you all the assigned terms and their hierarchy. Because of the hierarchical arrangement, can search on a root category or its sub. It is important to remember that even though it mimics your folder structure, it is not mirroring it.

In Portfolio

You can select Edit Original from the Item drop down menu or select Copy Original.

The first time you select Edit Original, you will be asked to choose an application, which will be come the default editing application.

From this same drop down menu you can also manage your files, such as moving, renaming, and deleting files. It is best to do that within your image management program so that it knows where your file is. The next version does alert you if a file has been moved, but you still have to find it.

You can also select Find Original and it will show its location.

In Cumulus

In the Asset drop down menu you have a choice to open with the creating application or other. It will ask you to select the other.

Under the Asset drop down menu you will also find file management commands and also ones to print and email images.

To find the original simple select Show Location in the Asset drop down menu.

Of course the future access of your images will probably be from the Web. Both programs try to address this issue in several ways. So far neither have really developed a plug and play system, but considering what they are doing and the low cost, it may be worth the effort.

In Portfolio

Minimally you can create HTML pages from your catalogs in selected Gallery views by selecting Export - HTML for the File drop down Menu. These then can form a static catalog which people can view from the Web. They can't access the originals and you must update the web catalog every time you add images.

In the new version you can ship this off with a Portfolio browser on a CD-ROM.

Portfolio has PortWeb which they define as a Plug In for your web server which allows it to access your Portfolio server. Again the web installation is relatively easy, but the modifying of the HTML templates has many pulling their hair out. Be prepared to learn or have some who knows HTML, forms, and parameters.

In Cumulus

You can do much the same thing. Again in the File drop down menu, select Output to HTML.

Canto already has a browser which can accompany a the HTML files and give you a readable program only. It is a separate program.

Another separate Program is the Web Publisher. It is basically a program which allows your web server to access your Cumulus server. It works quite smoothly. The only difficulty you might have is when you attempt to modify the HTML templates which they provide. You must be very careful.