Capture - Using our Automated solution

Modified on Tue, 23 Jul at 10:13 AM

Introduction

Asset capture using our automated solution is a bit different from regulara camera set up. Our local iPad app that operates the automated solution does all of the work that Capture One (or similar applications) does. The local app on the iPad can select and save information such as light setting and view names (called frames). Furthermore, the app performs capture and tethering, all in one.

ProStudio will support your workflow using embedded functionality inside the local iPad app simplifying the process even more.

Pre-requisites

Ideally, ProStudio is set up with products and style guides, please refer to "Import products" and "Style Guides" for more information.

Products you aim to capture should be in a Work Order and Style Guide views should be attached to each product in that Work Order. Please refer to the Beginners guide, "Planning - Create a Work Order"

Upload matching rule should also be defined to work with any naming convention that you use in the automated bay. Please refer to System configuration, "Asset recognition rule (Upload matching rule)" for more information.

NOTE: You have to have to set your system up in our back en cloud to allow export to ProStudio. Please contact Profoto support team to get support wit this.

Set the views to match the preset on the machines

It is also important to make sure that the presets on the automated machine matches the Style Guides in ProStudio. If you have three frames on the machines, you need to have three views on the style guide. Please see Advanced features – “Set up Style Guides with automated solutions”

Control the presets from workflow

In ProStudio for workflow it is also possible to control the light settings on the automated e-commerce system. The light settings are then configured on the Style Guide to give you the option to set different style guides on different products or product types. Please refer to Advanced features, “Control Presets in Profoto Automated solution” for more information.

NOTE: This requires you to have the “ProStudio synch” module activated. Please talk to you local ProStudio admin or contact the Profoto support team to show how this is done.

The capture process

Asset capture

Assets can be captured using your existing procedure for capturing visuals with the automated solution. You simply select the preset to use and start capturing

NOTE: If you use ProStudio to control the light settings, these must be synched to the automated bay.

Asset naming in capture

Naming assets in the photo-shoot is key to streamline the content creation process. For ProStudio to work optimally, we recommend that you use a name that identifies the product. This means that you need to have a clear and consistent naming convention for the assets in the capture process. It can be the SKU number on the bar code or the product identity, i.e. anything to uniquely identify the product.

NOTE: The automated e-commerce solutions can be configured to construct the file names in a large variety of ways to accommodate your needs. In order to match the information between the automated e-commerce solution and the workflow software, the information needs to be aligned. We use the upload matching rule to match how the automation solution is configured. This means that you only have to focus on identifying the product.

Asset upload

Upload images from any of our automated solutions following these steps:

Select the assets you want to export
Select ProStudio in the export
Start the export
Assets are now exported to ProStudio
Log into ProStudio and look under Tasks
A new task has been created with all the images

NOTE: Assets are not automatically attached to the work order, so you need to import them from the task into the right Work Order

Import Assets

Once all the assets has been exported from the automated e-commerce solutions there will be a new task in ProStudio. Please complete the task following these steps:

Login to ProStudio
Select “Tasks” in the main menu
Select the task that you just uploaded
Verify that it is the right task and select the images to import
Select next

Select the Asset category
Select the Work Order to import to
Select the upload matching rule
Select next
Select Start import

The matching is done in two steps:

Identify the product - this is done using the product data
Identify the view (framings) - This is done using the style guide

This upload matching will match the asset to the related product and view (framings) which makes it very easy to validate that you have all the images that you need from the photo session. This means that you don't have to match each image to a product and view (framing), this process is automated as long as you have a consistent way of naming assets in the capture phase.

NOTE: You can have multiple matching rules to chose from when uploading, supporting multiple types of content creation bays.

Asset renaming

In many cases, e-commerce will require an advanced configuration of the asset names, names that may be tedious and time consuming to handle in the capture phase. For the most part, this means that the work after poiny of capture may be extensive when all the assets need to be renamed. This is usually involves intricate scripts and/or home grown tech solutions.

With ProStudio, this process is fully integrated by using "Asset Naming Definition" to define the naming convention for an asset. Every field that exists in ProStudio can be used to name the assets. And, if more fields are needed, they can easily be added.

Use product data and style guide fields to define naming conventions. Please refer to System configuration, "Asset Naming Definition" for more information.