The underlying image software that Asset Bank uses (ImageMagick) to convert from one image format to another works extremely well for ‘open‘ formats such as JPEG, JPEG2000, TIFF, PNG, GIF, etc. Also, it usually works well when converting proprietary formats such as EPS, PSD, etc. However, on occasion, conversions from some proprietary formats are unsatisfactory - this is more likely if the images are complex, for example contain layers, or were created using unusual colorspaces that are not embedded in the images.

To get round this Asset Bank includes functionality that enables uploader users to upload a ‘working file‘ representation of the image, which is then used by Asset Bank instead of the source file. For example, you could create a JPEG version of a problem image in Photoshop and then upload that, along with the source file for the problem image, as the ‘working file‘. As this working file will also be used on download to create different versions of the image it is important to use a working file of sufficient resolution - we recommend it is the same pixels dimensions as the source.

To enable this functionality, set the application setting ‘allow-image-working-files‘ (in ApplicationSettings.properties) to true, i.e.:

allow-image-working-files=true

How to upload a Working File

• Once enabled, you can upload a ‘working file‘ (e.g. a JPEG) for an existing image asset by clicking the ‘Edit‘ button and then browsing for the file in the field labelled ‘Working File‘.
• To add a working file for an image during an upload, simply give the working file the same name as the source file it represents (but keep the JPG extension), and prefix it with an underscore character. Then, ensure that the working file is uploaded to your upload directory along with the source file (i.e. they need to be ingested in the same batch).
  
  For example, if your source file is called myImage.PSD then create a JPEG version of the file called _myimage.JPG. Then upload both of these files and initiate the upload process as usual.

Note that this 'working file' / image substitute functionality can only be used for file formats that Asset Bank treats as images (in technical terms: FileFormat.AssetTypeId=2). It affects the thumbnails that are created for the asset as well as the converted versions that are available on the download page. If you would like to change just the thumbnails, or you want to change the thumbnails for assets of other file formats, see: How to use a representative image as thumbnail for asset that is showing a generic icon.