Xinet Pilot is a Xinet-aware media browser that will replace the Asset Browser plugins, and a quick look shows it works extremely well so far. North Plains describes it as a powerful hybrid of web browser and production navigation technology that provides Xinet-related tools within creative media environments.

Instead of an Asset Browser plugin, Xinet Pilot is a service that runs directly from the desktop. By launching it once, you can use it across Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign seamlessly. You can drag and drop files from the Xinet Pilot into the three Adobe programs, but you can also upload files to the server and apply metadata on the fly.

The really exciting part about Pilot's upload ability is that it will respect the Template Permission settings for Uploader, Enabled and "Required". So it will work like the Uploader Application in that respect, that we can set data fields to be required. Great! But unlike the Uploader Application, Pilots uploads are limited to singular assets. That's right, one asset at a time. (So far)

North Plains has said that they’ll be “depreciating” Asset Browser plugins and migrating to Xinet Pilot. North Plains has also promised to evolve Pilot in future releases and it will support Adobe Creative Cloud. I'm speculating that people are going to love Xinet Pilot and the first feature requests are going to be for multiple asset uploads.

There's not a lot of configuration options in this first release, but I imagine that will be coming also. Not everybody likes the 'executive black' background. North Plains is rightly taking the approach of providing the right user experience and tools now, and hopefully providing aesthetics in those later updates.

If you haven’t climbed into the pilot’s seat yet, you should.

This is an update to one of our most popular blog posts:

Adobe is embracing the cloud with a streamlined service that issues a monthly charge for its apps. Lots of people aren’t happy, and the other day our COO stepped in to detail his skepticism. 

It’s not all bad news. In fact, some of us love clouds.

There will never be an ideal time to take the Adobe apps to the cloud, and there is always going to be a very uncomfortable transitionary period. Now is as good a time as any, especially when Creative Cloud is hosted on Amazon Web Services. The immediate benefits to the developers at Adobe and their ability to push updates faster is the real sell.

A common complaint is that people don’t want to have a persistent online connection to use Photoshop. You need to be online when you install and license your software, and annual membership users will need to validate every 30 days. Users will still be able to use products for 99 days even if you’re offline. This has proven true, we havent heard any complaints about 'not being able to work without being connected'

When it comes to coordinating with a group or team, files created by the Creative Cloud apps can be shared like any other file. For example, you can share files through Email, FTP, and so on. You have 20 gigs of storage space that you can use to sync files between your devices and access them whenever you want.

Creative Cloud doesn’t wall you off from other users who aren’t members of Creative Cloud either. You can let non-member view the files in a browser. Viewers can view relevant metadata, turn layers on and off and even download files for editing, all without knowing what Adobe Creative Cloud is.

People have been concerned with retaining ownership over what they create through the Creative Cloud, but as the myths article explains, Adobe claims no ownership or copyright over any of your work. It’s all yours.

The biggest issue we've seen is what our biggest fear was- the latency and delay in opening, saving, and working from the cloud is crushing production. Internet pipes are still too costly for anything similar to the experience creatives and studio folks are used to with local high performance file servers. Once the dream of CFOs and financial planners, pushing these assets into the cloud is driving up labor costs due to the sheer inefficiency of trying to access enormous files across the WAN.

At this point, it's clear the CC suite of applications has been a great success for Adobe, and usefull to the end users. Production though, is still being kept local due to access speeds and times

Adobe is forcing everyone into the cloud. I'm torn, for several reasons.

It's all good for Adobe. It’s a nice, regular, ka-ching. Smoothed revenue generation. As soon as you license, the clock starts. You have to act quickly to get the lower upgrade price. It's still pretty ham-handed, and the replies are not too favorable to Adobe. They’ve been catching heat on Facebook and Twitter too.

The $20 per month for an upgrade from CS6 seems like a good deal. Like the first free sample from your corner purveyor of joy. But no information of what happens once they have you. How much are you interested in trusting them?

Secondly, the feature set across the board is pretty mature. I haven't been overwhelmed by the last two releases. Some "nice to have" stuff, but nothing that's a slap my forehead, how could I have lived without that. A lot of our customers don't upgrade quickly, but wait for things to settle down in a dot release. Many skip a version. That's no longer a money saver.

You could wind up paying for new features you're not ready for. Is there a graceful way to downgrade if things blow up? Or revert?

Lastly, it depends on how well the licensing is executed. Putting production at risk is never a good idea.

Just try explaining to your client you blew the deadline because Adobe had an issue with your license.

I'm quite curious as to others’ reactions. How do <you feel?

Calling all New Yorkers! The Art and Practice of Managing Digital Media 2013 conference series begins in the Big Apple on May 2 and May 3. This program is built by and for the digital asset management community. Media, entertainment, advertising, healthcare, retail, government, and education are among the industries represented, and with 500 professionals already registered, it's a great opportunity to network and learn.

Some notable topics throughout this two day event:

-Telling your Brand Story: DAM's Evolution in 2013

-The Impact of New Meaning Based Computing on Understanding Rich Content – Why Does This Change How We Interact with Our Customers?

-Seven Secrets to Making the Most of Your Digital Assets 
 

Sponsors include NAPC partners North Plains and Adobe, and the speaker lineup includes DAM veterans such as David Lipsey of Optimity Advisors, Tracy Askam of HP Autonomy and Holly Boerner of American Express Publishing.

Good DAM contributes directly to the bottom line. Whether you're new and looking to develop a sound business case or want to share your vast DAM knowledge with colleagues, this is an event you won't want to miss. 

If you happen to drop by the event, be sure to look for us! 

Exciting news this week from the DAM front: Xinet released their much awaited upgrade, WebNative Suite 17. It seems every nook and cranny of the product has something new and luscious in it. Details here, but I gotta give an overview:

• Massively reworked search engine, producing both faster results and more flexible criteria
• Text content searching across a wide variety of document types
• Richer Asset Timer, with even more built in functionality
• Fine grained administration delegation, allowing security and delegation (all within the familiar Xinet GUI)--
• 3D CAD file support 
• Versioning from within the Adobe Suite