Production, Archiving and Picture Desk Management
Merlin Picture Desk System
Merlin is designed for today's demanding publishing environments: one place to manage and archive all content for both print and multimedia, one place to share content across a department or enterprise and one source to repackage content for new uses and revenue.
- Manage millions of objects
- Rely on fault-tolerant MSync systems
- Build huge enterprise-scale configurations or focused departmental solutions
- Use fast, precise industry-specific search tools
- Create easy, flexible, drag-and-drop workflows
- Link pages with the source objects that appear on it
- Link objects to the original assignment, outtakes and rights information
- Import RAW camera files
- Run content and system usage reports
- And much more...
Merlin Picture Desk software is configurable, flexible and extensible, and will let you handle both print and multimedia file formats:
- Photos: JPEG, TIFF, PSD, RAW and others
- Graphics: TIFF, EPS or native formats like Illustrator™ or Freehand™
- PDF files with full-text indexing and searchable content
- Multimedia files such as QuickTime™, MP3, WAV, AVI
- Text as ascii, XML, SGML, and HTML
- Video formats with the Merlin Video Picture Desk System
The Merlin Picture Desk system supports other metadata standards like IPTC and XMP. Merlin uses SQL databases running off-the-shelf operating systems and standard hardware platforms. Users can access content from any web browser, and power-users creating and maintaining content can use the Merlin rich client application on a Macintosh™ or Windows™ computer. The Merlin Picture Desk system fits easily into almost any IT environment.
MSync assures a fault-tolerant system
Merlin's MSync software solves the need to have a highly fault-tolerant system, even one which has geographically dispersed components. Using intelligent replication, all picture desk data between two or more hardware systems (independent CPU and disk storage on each) is completely redundant. It accommodates asymmetrical hardware selection and MSync does not require enterprise versions of database or operating system software, significantly reducing the total cost of ownership. With MSync, if the primary server hardware fails, the secondary server takes over and users continue working as if nothing has happened. Once the primary server is back on line, the secondary system syncs it up, and operation returns to normal.
Different options. One picture desk workflow.
An integrated solution that saves time and speeds production
Merlin Picture Desk, Trax and Scrounger can be used independently, and with great benefit. But together they combine to create a unique and completely integrated workflow. Complete picture desk with assignment management and outtake management.
Information is entered once and shared among the products, linking content, metadata and related information.
For example:
- You search and find a story in the picture desk software
- Click and see the page and all the photos and graphics for that assignment
- Click again to see the original assignment contacts and rights information
- Looking for a new angle? Click and see every photo from the shoot
- As you find related items, drag and drop them into a project folder
- When done, drag and drop the project folder to the editor's "in" folder
- Then drag and drop the selected content to production for a follow-up
In addition to the fully-licensed Merlin Picture Desk System, we offer a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), hosted version of the same robust asset management toolset.
Learn more about the Merlin Hosted Picture Desk System.
To find out more about the Merlin Picture Desk System:
- Click here to request a live demo
- Click here to receive product literature
- Email us at
- Call Rande Simpson at 912.635.9980