Hello and welcome to Image Relay! You might be here as a trial user, because a colleague has invited you, or perhaps a client has added you as a user to their Image Relay portal. No matter why you’re here, we’re eager to show you around and get you started on the right path. 

If you are new to digital asset management, you can find out what the core functions of our system are in this article. If you are a Master Admin and are trying to set up your new library, check out this collection that will walk you through step-by-step. Otherwise, read on!

Library

When you log in to Image Relay for the first time, you might think, “What am I looking at?” The first screen that users will see when they log in is the Library.  It is all of the top-level folders that your administrator has curated for you to see and search within. This structure can be navigated by clicking within the folder thumbnails or by the folder structure along the left side of the screen. The navigation on the left side will let you drop down and view all of the different folders. 

At the top of the screen, you will see the Library and Collections buttons. The library is an area that all of your organization can see, but Collections are workspaces just for you, and only you can see what you choose to put in there. (Read more about Collections). At the top right is the search bar, which leads us to our next section... 

Search

Searching is a core function of Image Relay; we want you to find what you are looking for quickly and efficiently. To this end, all fields within the system are searchable, from the description that a user adds when they upload, to any data that may have been embedded by a photographer in a photo, also the file name, and contents of a document. The basic search bar is at the top right of the page. Start here with relevant keywords or product information, and use the Refine tools to help whittle down your search further. You can read more about searching in these articles: 

Basic Search and Refine
Refinement Tools
Using Advanced Search Options
Searching with Boolean Operators

Download

Once you’ve found the file or folder that you need, you may want to download it to your computer’s hard drive. There are numerous ways to download one or multiple assets. You can check out the following articles to learn more: 

Downloading a Single File
Downloading Multiple Files
Downloading a Folder 

Share

There are many situations where you may want to share a file with a colleague, client or agency and Image Relay makes it easy to do that. As with many of our other functions, you can share a single file, a folder, or a selection of files from throughout your Image Relay portal. You can also set the files that you share to be downloadable or view only. The ability to download, upload, or share files vary based on the permissions level of the user.

Share a Single File
Share a Folder
Sharing Multiple Files

Understanding Permissions

Permissions are an important aspect of the Image Relay system. Each library has a Master User, who is the only person that can customize the portal, change billing information, and add bandwidth, among other functions. A library may also have a number of Admins (depending on what is included in your plan), who can upload assets, invite users, change permissions, delete assets, and have an unrestricted view of the whole library. 

The Master User and Admins set up the library so users only see what they need to see. This makes searching less confusing and also allows certain assets to be kept private. For example, someone on a sales team may only be able to see the folder labeled “Sales,” and someone in marketing may only have access to the “Marketing” and “Branding” folders. 

As a Basic User, you will not be able to see any of the admin settings such as permissions, account or keywords. 

Some users might be able to browse numerous folders, but only download from one or two folders, or not download at all. Each Image Relay portal is unique, and permissions are set for the needs of each organization. If you have a question about your permissions, get in touch with your internal administrator. (We can help you figure this out if you don’t know who it is!) 

Exploring Basic Permissions
Exploring Admin and Limited Admin Permissions

Help

Now that you’ve logged into Image Relay and started browsing, downloading, sharing and more, you may have questions. Within the Image Relay Knowledge Base, there are many more articles that can help you become an expert and also help troubleshoot any issues you may have. At the bottom right of the screen there is also a chat box. Image Relay librarians are available to help Monday through Friday during regular business hours, and will get back to you asap! We can help with all kinds of technical questions such as “How do I share my collection?” or “What kind of downloads do you offer?”

If you have questions regarding content within your Image Relay portal such as “What logo should I use?” or “Where can I find the 2019 photos?” you will want to be in touch with your internal administrator. If you don’t know who that is, we can help you figure that out too!

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