Canto Press Release 29/07/04

Enhanced features in version 6.0.3 lead the way with XMP support and extensive improvements in ease-of-use

July 29, 2004, San Francisco, Berlin. Canto, a global leader in Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions, today announced the immediate availability of Cumulus 6.0.3. for myCumulus, Single User, Workgroup and Enterprise. Stability and performance are still central to every Cumulus update, and version 6.0.3 takes this to another level.

Cumulus 6.0.3 now offers support of XMP files, the metadata standard for Adobe files. In addition to the long time support of IPTC, users can now not only read but also write XMP information back to the original asset.

As enhanced performance and stability form the core of all Cumulus updates, version 6.0.3 has many new features. For example, there is now improved performance when opening catalogs or collections. There is also a cache that helps to quickly reload the last pages viewed. The user-friendly aspect of this version is increased with added features such as a new sorting button, Fullscreen previews that can be made into slide shows easily and an impressive list of keyboard controls. Furthermore, the Preview window has been enhanced with more new features. WebAlbum, a tool to create Web based albums that are built on static HTML pages is now included as a Cumulus functionality.

This version is offered in four languages, namely, English, French, German and Japanese, and also boasts an updated language selector. Some languages are now offered in their local writing capabilities (e.g.: Greek, Chinese). Support for these languages include the category tree, input fields and Quicksearch function. Cumulus now lays the ground for programmers to localize it to their language of choice.

Canto prides itself upon its EJaP technology and this is highlighted further with the introduction of some new EJaPs and the enhanced EJaP API. The success of this technology echoes Canto?s move in the right direction, coupled with the support of its partners. This is reflected in the development of new EJaPs, such as Cumulus Importer 6 by a Canto Partner, Heymann Consulting that enables users to import information from a text file into a Cumulus catalog.

Cumulus? capabilities are extended further with the new Option, Photo Suite that is pre-installed in version 6.0.3. With this Option, RAW image files are now supported.

Other new and improved features in Cumulus 6.0.3 include:

Support of XMP?
Added WebAlbum
Continued support of EXIF, now version 2.2
Fullscreen preview with navigation palette, simple slide show functionality, zooming in/out and scrolling functions
Added context menu to Preview and Fullscreen preview, new buttons on Preview toolbar
Appending metadata functionality when changing fields of multiple-selected records in the Information window
Modified preferences for display can be set with the User settings
Customization of Preview background color with new settings added to the preferences dialog
Added button in Find window to easily access a list of stored search queries
Improved performance and stability on all supported platforms
Offering various languages in their local writing capabilities

Pricing and Availability
myCumulus, Cumulus Single User and Cumulus Workgroup v6.0.3 are available immediately for download. Server versions for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and Solaris, as well as Client and Single User versions for Mac OS X and Windows are offered. Upgrades for existing 6.0.x installations are offered free of charge.