Canto is the only DAM Solution you should be looking at!
Updated February 27, 2024
Canto is the only DAM Solution you should be looking at!
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Other
Overall Satisfaction with Canto
My team uses Canto every day for our graphic design projects. It's a great media manager and has really helped us to streamline the process of sorting, tagging, and searching for photography assets. With the Adobe Creative Suite integration, we're able to import seamlessly into our signature print and digital work without having to download it to our devices. When my department first started looking for a DAM solution, we were on multiple
platforms (Google Drive, Dropbox, Internal S: Drive) and it was difficult to find anything.
platforms (Google Drive, Dropbox, Internal S: Drive) and it was difficult to find anything.
- Facial recognition technology helps us tag key staff automatically.
- The in-tool search and tagging features are very robust, allowing us to find the specific assets we need fast.
- The AI driven auto tagging is a nice addition and helps broaden what we can look for.
- The ability for outside vendors to seamlessly upload content straight into the tool saves a lot of work for us.
- The ability to selectively share out specific assets or folders with other departments or principals is a great way to really capitalize on our assets without creating extra work for my team.
- The price point is a bit high, so I'd like to see either more features to justify that or a price drop.
- The Adobe Connector interface is functional but could be a bit more drag and drop, right now it's a little clunky, if effective.
- Right now you can't share collections between users, it would be great if we could do that for major projects rather than having to create a new album or tag.
- Powerful search engine
- Automated tagging and facial recognition systems
- Integration with Adobe Creative Suite
- Ability for outside users to add content
- Ability to share content to outside users
- Improved team efficiency
- Better collaboration
- Increased ability to share assets, which in turn makes it easier for other users in our organization to create better content (email, social, website, print, etc).
- Better quality final assets as we have everything in one place now - meaning we always see all of our options for photography.
- Google Drive and Dropbox
Before we made the switch to Canto, our assets were spread out over several platforms: Google Drive, Dropbox, Email, and our internal S Drive. There really was not a way to find things easily, and often some team members would have some assets, but not even know about others. It was certainly a cost to move away from these free supports and into a paid system, but the benefits are beyond words.
Do you think Canto delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Canto's feature set?
Yes
Did Canto live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Canto go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Canto again?
Yes
Canto Feature Ratings
Using Canto
4 - Our team, Communications, covers a wide range of areas for Minnetonka Public Schools through Canto. Some of the top areas that we provide support for include: creative direction, traditional and digital publications, social media, alumni relations, email messaging, website management, content marketing, feature storytelling, video, podcast and general support to the District and individual schools in their communication needs.
4 - Everyone in our District who uses Canto is on our team. This includes the Creative Director, the Communications Specialist and two Communications Interns. Skills that we frequently employ in tandem with canto include graphic design, photo editing, creative writing, layout, social media, marketing, email management, and a general familiarity with digital asset management tools.
- Management for our photography assets (organization)
- Development of social media graphics
- Development of print publications
- Development of marketing materials
- Facial recognition tools has streamlined our photo use process
- Sharing resources and images via Canto links is more secure than our previous method (Google Drive)
- Expand use to school-level admins
Evaluating Canto and Competitors
Yes - We were on a variety of free systems but didn't have an explicit DAM. We used Google Drive, Dropbox, and our internal S Drive. While each was good at storing assets, they were not great at anything else! We really needed a tool that could be searchable, sharable, and fully integrated with our graphic design tools.
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
At the end of the day, we really needed a product that had outstanding features. Our team works on many projects in a year, and we needed something that would take us from spending hours on finding and sharing assets into really being able to spend that time on the design itself. Canto fit the bill perfectly.
I don't think I'd change our process or the final selection we made. Evaluation has and should be about what the product offers, its usability, and the onboarding process - all of which were stellar. The only negative I can say about Canto is that it is a bit higher on
the price scale when compared to its competitors. However, it is
essential to remember that you get what you pay for!
the price scale when compared to its competitors. However, it is
essential to remember that you get what you pay for!
Canto Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Change management was a minor issue with the implementation - Change management was a minor issue for our implementation process. Our previous system (or rather, systems) made the shift a welcome change and although there was a little learning curve, our team was all-in on developing a new process that worked for us going forward. Nothing to really complain about.
- Pulling existing assets into the new system from various other areas (some had import tool, some did not)
Canto Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
No, we did not purchase any additional/premium support for Canto. The first reason is that I feel the base level of support is all you really need - I have never felt that I am not a valued customer or getting what I need out of the product. Second, we are already paying a lot for Canto, so it would probably push us out of budget.
Again, I have to go back to our onboarding process! Canto was outstanding and our rep really took the time to dig into any questions, concerns, or issues we encountered while getting used to the product. They really explained how tagging, sharing, searching, etc. all work, and how we could integrate with other systems, I can't say we've had a problem since!
Using Canto
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using | None |
- Tagging
- Dynamic Search
- Image upload
- Image sharing
- Facial recognition
- Building out folders structures
- Nothing I can think of!
Yes, but I don't use it