Within the MediaStorm platform, a “Media object” is a robust container that wraps an original source file and various other attributes together in a single encapsulated package, which can then be referenced from Titles and Releases. The Media object includes:
- Original “source” media: This would commonly be a high-quality master file, but it is also possible for the source to be a reference to an external resource on, for example, Vimeo or YouTube.
- Associated metadata: Includes inherent properties of the media itself (duration, dimensions, etc.) as well as user-defined metadata (title, description, credits, tags, etc., defined in further detail below). Upon ingest, the Platform will attempt to intelligently populate some of these fields by, for example, mapping EXIF / IPTC data embedded in an image, or retrieving video metadata from Vimeo or YouTube.
- Image previews: Presented at different crops and aspect ratios.
Media Library
The Media Library list view provides an overview of all media objects belonging to an organization, in a table layout that exposes certain properties of each object. This view supports search, filtering, and sorting based on multiple attributes. It also allows the user to perform bulk actions on multiple media objects at once.
Add Media
To add media to the Media Library, choose the “Add Media” action button in the Right Sidebar, then select an import source from the list of available options:
- File Upload: Upload one or more media files from your computer. Drag and drop files onto the outlined target area, or select the “Choose Files” button to choose files using a standard dialog. Once all the desired files have been added to the queue, click “Start Upload” to initiate the import process. Files accepted with this upload option are:
- Images (in .jpg, .png or .gif format). Please note: Best practice when uploading images is to always upload the highest resolution version of the images you have on hand.
- Audio files (Currently only in .mp3 format) are accepted.
- Web URL: Add a media file from a URL. Images (in .jpg, .png or .gif format) and audio files (in .mp3 format) are accepted. Note: to use this feature, the URL must point directly to the media file itself.
- Vimeo: Import videos from Vimeo.com. You may import a public video by entering its URL or Vimeo ID in the provided field. Alternatively, if you have connected your Vimeo account to the MediaStorm Platform (in the Organization Settings area), you may choose one or more videos from your Vimeo account. Connecting your Vimeo account enables import of your private videos. Note that we will also import metadata from Vimeo.
- YouTube: Import videos from YouTube. You may import a public video by entering its URL or YouTube ID in the provided field. Click the "bulk import" mode to input multiple URLs/IDs at once (each URL or ID should be on a separate line). Video metadata is retrieved from YouTube on import.
Step 1: Add Media
When the import process completes, a summary of the import results is displayed, indicating the number of items added and highlighting any failures or warnings.
Image size recommendations
Prior to uploading, we recommend sizing image files to between 4,000 - 6,000 pixels along the longer dimension. Storing high-resolution images ensures the greatest degree of compatibility with current and future output formats supported by the Platform.
When images are published as part of a Release, the Platform will automatically generate optimized versions at various resolutions, as appropriate for the particular Release destination.
Image Previews
Each media object has multiple associated “preview” or thumbnail images, using different aspect ratios. A standard set of aspect ratios needed for each media object is predefined in the Platform’s settings. Upon ingest, an image is automatically created at each of these specified ratios.
When using media objects from Vimeo or YouTube, the preview image is generated from the poster frame configured on those platforms. If the poster frame is updated in Vimeo/YouTube, the media must be re-imported to receive the updated preview image.
A master file is created when media is added to the media library and then used to generate preview images. A set of preview images will be automatically created from the master file. Image previews represent different aspect ratio views of the master file and can be overwritten.
Override image previews
It is possible for a user to override any of the auto-generated versions by uploading a replacement image. In this case, the system will enforce that the user-uploaded image conforms to the correct aspect ratio for the specific preview being replaced.
To use a custom preview image:
- Click the edit icon in the preview thumbnail
- Upload a custom image
- Click “accept” to close the window and activate the custom preview image
To use a custom crop on a preview image:
- Click the edit icon on the preview thumbnail
- Drag the cropping frame to the desired crop
- Click “accept” to close the window and activate the custom crop
Metadata
Each Media element has associated Short and Long Description, as well as specific SEO metadata fields.
All metadata fields can be edited via the media item's General tab.
Short and Long Descriptions
The Short and Long Descriptions are fields that can be selected to be displayed in various sections of the MediaStorm Platform, such as within Slideshows and on Pages.
The Short Description is best kept to 240 characters or less.
Enter descriptions in these fields and hit the Save button.
SEO Fields
Optional SEO fields can be added to each Media item.
These fields allow for specific descriptions to be written into the page code for each media item that are separate from what displays on the page itself.
This allows Platform users more control over what search engines display when listing their pages and items.
Note that these fields are optional. If they are left blank, search engines will use the title and description fields.
These can be edited by clicking the Show SEO Fields button beneath the Long Description.
This opens a tab that displays and SEO Title and SEO Description fields.
The SEO Title will be displayed in browser tabs and search results.
The SEO Description will be displayed in search return results. As such, it should be limited to 160 characters or less.
After entering these fields, make sure to click the Save button.
ALT text (For image items)
Alt text, which is short for Alternative Text, is rendered when the original media item can't be displayed.
For this reason, it is important to maintain the broadest accessibility for all users, including those who are visually impaired.
Additionally, Alt Text may be important to some to help with Search Engine Optimization.
That's because At Text is written into a page's source code, and search engines may take it into account when determining how to index a page and its contents.
Adding Alt Text to an image
To add Alt Text to an image, first navigate to the Media tab and find and click on the item.
That will open the image into its General tab, where metadata is added and edited.
Scroll down on this page to find the Alt Text field.
Enter something that describes the image but is short and descriptive. A good tip is to write it as if to describe the image to someone who can't see it.
After entering your text, make sure to hit the SAVE button.
Note - If the image is already published as part of a Release, the change will take effect the next time the Release is published.
Transcripts
Adding transcript information is as easy as copy/pasting the information to the text field.
The MediaStorm platform syncs the captions/subtitles you have setup within your Vimeo account for that video. The "refresh" button syncs up the available track list with the latest data from Vimeo. The checkboxes control which track, if any, is on by default when the player loads. Currently this feature is only available for Vimeo videos. More functionality for YouTube is forthcoming.
Release Preview
To preview a media object as it would appear when published in a standard Player Release, navigate to the "Preview" panel.
Video: Arranging Media Overview