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30 min

Segment 1: Intelligent Asset Management Foundation

Duration: 25 minutes

This segment explores how AEM Assets combines folder organization, AI-powered metadata generation, and Workfront workflow metadata to create a searchable, governed asset repository. You will experience AI search capabilities including natural language queries, semantic search, and contextual search, and learn how to prepare assets for distribution.

Exercise 1.1: Asset Organization and Folder Hierarchy

Duration: 4 minutes

Understanding Folder Structure in AEM Assets

AEM Assets uses a structured folder hierarchy that mirrors your organizational needs, whether by brand, campaign, region, or asset type. This structure provides governance and permissions while AI makes everything searchable regardless of where assets reside. The folder hierarchy enables role-based access control and creates a foundation for both manual browsing and AI-powered discovery.

Value for Your Organization:

Folder hierarchy enables role-based access control across teams

Consistent structure across campaigns simplifies navigation for all users

Supports compliance requirements with clear asset ownership

Reference Data: Folder Structure

Level	Example Path	Purpose
Brand	/content/dam/sevoi	Brand-level asset repository
Campaign	/content/dam/sevoi/campaigns/escape-beyond-ordinary	Campaign-specific assets
Region	/content/dam/sevoi/campaigns/escape-beyond-ordinary/apac	Regional variations
Asset Type	/content/dam/sevoi/campaigns/escape-beyond-ordinary/apac/photography	Content categorization

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Open AEM Assets

Log into your AEM as a Cloud Service environment

Navigate to the Assets view using the left navigation

The Assets view provides a streamlined, marketing-focused interface

Click to Preview

Step 2: Navigate to the Sevoi Resorts brand folder

In the Assets view, locate the content/dam folder structure

Click on the Sevoi brand folder

This is the brand-level repository for all Sevoi Resorts assets

Step 3: Expand the campaigns folder

Click into the campaigns folder

Locate the "escape-beyond-ordinary" campaign folder

Click to open this campaign's asset repository

Step 4: Review the folder structure

Observe the regional folders: APAC, EMEA, Americas, LATAM

Note how each region has consistent subfolders

This structure supports governance while enabling regional autonomy

Click to Preview

Step 5: Navigate to the APAC region folder

Click on the APAC folder

This contains assets targeted for the Asia-Pacific region

Regional teams have appropriate access to their designated folders

Step 6: Observe the asset type subfolders

Note the photography and banners subfolders

This categorization helps teams find specific asset types quickly

Checkpoint: Can you navigate to the Bali campaign photography folder within the APAC region?

Governance Benefit: The folder hierarchy creates natural permission boundaries. Regional marketing teams can access their market's assets while brand governance teams maintain oversight of the entire structure. This reduces the risk of off-brand content usage while enabling team autonomy.

Exercise 1.2: AI-Generated Metadata and Smart Crops

Duration: 6 minutes

Understanding AI-Powered Asset Intelligence

When assets arrive in AEM Assets as a Cloud Service, Adobe AI immediately goes to work. It generates three distinct metadata fields automatically including a Generated Title, a Generated Description, and Generated Keywords which appear in a dedicated AI Generated tab on the asset's Properties page. These are separate from any manually entered metadata; if no manual title is defined, AEM uses the AI-generated title by default across card and list views.

Beyond metadata and tagging, Smart Crop which is powered by Adobe Sensei via Dynamic Media identifies the focal point of each image and pre-generates renditions for common aspect ratios automatically. This means channel-ready variations are available without generating separate stored files for each format.

Value for Your Organization:

AI-generated metadata provide broader taxonomy coverage for discovery and filtering

Smart Crops eliminate repetitive production work for common channel formats

Assets are immediately usable across channels without designer intervention

Reference Data: AI-Generated Metadata Fields

Field	Example Value	Where It Appears
Generated Title	Tropical Sunset Pool	AI Generated tab in asset Properties
Generated Description	Palm trees silhouetted against sunset reflecting in infinity pool at luxury resort	AI Generated tab in asset Properties
Generated Keywords	Resort, Sunset, Palm, Pool, Tropical, Luxury, Travel, Vacation	AI Generated tab in asset Properties
Smart Crop	2:1 (banner), 1:1 (social square), 4:5 (portrait social), 5:8 (story)	Dynamic Media Smart Crop renditions

Note on Smart Crops and Dynamic Renditions: Smart Crop renditions are distinct from static renditions like thumbnails. Static renditions are pre-generated files stored in the DAM. Smart Crop renditions are delivered dynamically and the crop coordinates are stored and applied at delivery time, meaning one source file serves all channel formats without generating separate stored copies.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Select a Bali resort photography asset

Navigate to the photography folder within the Bali campaign

Click on one of the high-resolution resort images

Select an image with strong visual elements (sunset, pool, architecture)

Click to Preview

Step 2: Open the asset details panel

With the asset selected, the details panel should appear in the top menubar

This panel shows all metadata associated with the asset

Step 3: Locate the AI Generated metadata tab

In asset Properties, look for the AI Generated tab

This tab is separate from the Basic tab where manual metadata lives

The fields here were populated automatically when the asset was uploaded

Click to Preview

Step 4: Review the Generated Title and Generated Description

Read the AI-generated title which should describe the core subject of the image clearly

Review the description for scene accuracy and detail

Step 5: Examine the Generated Keywords

Find the Generated Keywords field in the AI Generated tab

Review the list of AI-generated terms representing the asset's main themes

These keywords are indexed for search alongside Smart Tags

You can add or modify keywords manually if any relevant terms are missing

Click to Preview

Step 6: Click on the Smart Crops or Renditions section

Locate the Renditions panel via the Dynamic Media icon in the right pane

Look for the Smart Crop renditions within the list

Step 7: Preview each pre-generated Smart Crop

Click through the available Smart Crop renditions:

2:1 for web banners

1:1 for social media squares

4:5 for portrait social (Instagram feed)

5:8 for Stories format

Click to Preview

Step 8: Observe focal point consistency

Compare how the main subject remains visible and centered across all crops

Each crop maintains the visual impact of the original without manual intervention

If needed, click Edit Smart Crop to adjust the focal point manually for any ratio

Checkpoint: Can you see the Smart Crop variations for your selected image? Do all crops maintain the focal point? Can you locate the Generated Title, Description, and Keywords in the AI Generated tab?

Use Case Example: A global hospitality brand uploads 500 images from a property photoshoot. AI has generates searchable metadata for every image and created 2,000 pre-cropped dynamic renditions (4 crops x 500 images). What would have taken a production team a week happens automatically, freeing creative resources for strategic work.

Exercise 1.3: Workfront Metadata Integration

Duration: 4 minutes

Understanding Workflow-Sourced Metadata

AI can tell us what is in an image, but it cannot tell us why it was created. That context comes from Workfront. When assets sync from the creative workflow via the native AEM-Workfront integration, they bring campaign metadata, brand information, regional targeting, and launch dates. This combination of AI-generated and workflow-sourced metadata creates a complete picture that powers governance, reporting, and downstream activation.

Value for Your Organization:

Campaign context enables reporting and ROI measurement

Launch dates support content lifecycle management and expiration

Single source of truth from Workfront eliminates data silos

Reference Data: Enriched Metadata from Workfront

Field	Value	Source
Portfolio Name	Hands-On Lab	Workfront Project
Program Name	Customer Lab	Workfront Project
Project Name	Ben - Escape Beyond Ordinary	Workfront Project
Project Reference Number	24345	Workfront Project
Campaign	Escape Beyond Ordinary	Workfront Planning
Brand	Sevoi	Workfront Planning
Launch Date	April 14, 2026	Workfront Planning
End Date	October 14, 2026	Workfront Planning

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Keep the asset details panel open

With your previously selected asset still active

Click on the Info button in the right sidebar

Open the Tab for Planning

Click to Preview

Step 2: Review the Campaign Planning fields

Locate the Campaign field showing "Escape Beyond Ordinary"

This metadata came automatically from the Workfront workflow

Review the Brand field showing "Sevoi"

Review the campaign activation timing fields

Step 3: Compare AI-Generated and Planning/Execution fields

Scroll between the AI Generated tab and the Workfront-sourced fields

Note how AI tells you "what" (sunset, pool, tropical)

Note how Workfront tells you "why" (campaign, audience, timing)

Together they create complete asset context

Click to Preview

Checkpoint: Can you see how the Workfront metadata adds business context to complement the visual metadata from AI?

Governance Benefit: With automated metadata enrichment, compliance teams can easily audit which assets are associated with which campaigns, verify brand usage across markets, and track asset utilization. When a campaign ends, the end date metadata can trigger automated review or archival workflows.

Exercise 1.4: AI Search Capabilities

Duration: 5 minutes

Understanding Intelligent Asset Discovery

AEM Assets provides multiple AI-powered search modes. Omnisearch (the standard search bar) factors Smart Tags and AI-generated metadata fields into results alongside standard metadata. Contextual Search allows users to type natural language text prompts and AEM automatically converts them into search filters. Search results that match all terms in metadata fields display first, followed by results that match terms in Smart Tags only.

Value for Your Organization:

Contextual Search converts natural language prompts into search filters automatically

Global teams can search in their own language and terminology

Semantic search surfaces relevant content even without exact keyword matches

Reference Data: AI Search Capabilities

Capability	Example	How It Works
Synonym Understanding	Search "ocean" finds assets tagged "beach," "sea," "coastline"	Conceptual matching via Smart Tags and generated metadata
Misspelling Tolerance	"trupical" returns "tropical" assets	Fuzzy matching in Omnisearch index
Multilingual Search	Spanish/German query finds English-tagged assets	Natural language processing via Contextual Search
Natural Language	"pool umbrellas for summer social media"	Contextual Search converts prompt to filters

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Click on the search bar in AEM Assets

Locate the search bar at the top of the Assets view

Click to activate the search field

AI Search is enabled by default

Step 2: Search for Poolside Umbrella

Type: poolside umbrella

Press Enter to execute the search

Step 3: Observe synonym matching results

Review the search results that appear

Notice assets related to pools, patio umbrellas, and outdoor lounging scenes

AI understood "poolside umbrella" includes related concepts via Smart Tags and generated metadata

Step 4: Clear search and try a misspelling

Clear the search field

Type: trupical paradise (intentional misspelling)

Press Enter to search

Observe that results still show tropical/paradise content

Step 5: Try a natural language search using Contextual Search

Clear the search field

Type: pool umbrellas for summer social media

Press Enter and review results

Step 6: Search in another language (Spanish)

Clear the search field

Type: sombrilla de piscina (Spanish for "pool umbrella")

Press Enter and observe results

Step 7: Try German search

Clear the search field

Type: Poolschirm (German for "pool umbrella")

Verify results show luxury resort content tagged in English

Checkpoint: Could you find relevant assets even with the misspelling? Did the multilingual search return expected results?

Use Case Example: A multinational consumer goods company operates in 40 countries. Previously, regional marketers could not find assets unless they knew the exact English tags. With multilingual AI Search, the Japan team searches in Japanese, the Brazil team searches in Portuguese, and everyone finds the same relevant assets.

Exercise 1.5: Collections for Internal Team Collaboration

Duration: 3 minutes

Understanding Collections in AEM Assets

Collections allow teams to organize and share curated sets of assets without moving files or disrupting folder governance. Unlike folders, a collection can include assets from different locations across the DAM. AEM supports three types: Lightbox (a personal, per-user collection), Standard Collections (manually curated and shareable), and Smart Collections (dynamically populated based on saved search criteria).

Value for Your Organization:

Standard Collections can be shared with configurable view or edit permissions

Smart Collections automatically surface the latest assets matching defined criteria

Collections work across folder boundaries, enabling cross-campaign curation

Reference Data: Collection Types

Collection Type	Behavior	Best Use Case
Standard Collection	Manually curated, static, shareable	One-time project deliverables, curated asset sets
Smart Collection	Dynamic, auto-updates based on saved search query	Ongoing campaigns, approved regional asset pools

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Navigate to the Collections view

In AEM Assets, locate the Collections option in the left navigation

Click to open the Collections interface

You will see existing collections organized by Standard and Smart Collection types

Step 2: Create a new Smart Collection

Click the Create Collection button

Select Smart Collection as the collection type

Name it: APAC Campaign Approved Assets

Step 3: Add filter criteria

In the smart collection configuration, apply the following filters:

Brand = Sevoi

Region = APAC

Status = Approved

These criteria will dynamically include all matching assets from across the repository

Step 4: Save the collection

Click Save to create the Smart Collection

The collection will immediately populate with matching assets

Note the count of assets included

Step 5: View the collection contents

Click on your newly created collection

Review all assets that match the criteria

Note how assets from different folders appear together in one view

Step 6: Observe cross-folder aggregation

Notice assets from both photography and banners folders appearing together

Users do not need to know folder structure to find the right assets

Step 7: Test dynamic updating

Navigate back to an asset folder

Approve an additional APAC asset (if not already approved)

Step 8: Refresh the collection

Return to your Smart Collection and refresh

Verify the newly approved asset automatically appears

Checkpoint: Can you see how your Smart Collection automatically includes approved APAC assets from multiple folders?

Use Case Example: A regional marketing manager in Singapore opens their "APAC Approved" Smart Collection and immediately sees every approved asset tagged for their region. When new assets are approved, they appear automatically in a living, always-current asset portal.

Exercise 1.6: Asset Approval for Distribution

Duration: 3 minutes

Understanding Approval Status as Governance

Not all assets in the repository are ready for broad distribution. In AEM Assets as a Cloud Service, each asset can be assigned one of three review states via the Status dropdown in the Basic tab of asset Properties: Approved, Rejected, or No Status (the default). When setting an asset to Approved, an Approval Target field appears, allowing you to direct the asset to Content Hub, Delivery (Dynamic Media with OpenAPI), or both, depending on your environment.

Value for Your Organization:

Precise governance over which assets reach external distribution channels

Approval Target field directs assets to the correct downstream channel

Visual indicators make approval status immediately clear

Reference Data: Approval Status

Status	Purpose	Access Level
Approved	Finalized, ready for distribution	Content Hub users + AEM Assets users (per Approval Target)
Rejected	Flagged as non-compliant or off-brand	AEM Assets internal users only
No Status	Work in progress or awaiting review (default)	AEM Assets internal users only

Note: When setting an asset to Approved, the Approval Target dropdown determines whether the asset is published to Content Hub, Dynamic Media with OpenAPI (Delivery), or both. The default target is determined by which services are enabled in your environment.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Select a Bali resort photography asset

Navigate to the campaign photography folder

Select one of the high-quality resort images

Choose an image you consider campaign-ready

Step 2: Open the asset properties panel

With the asset selected, access the properties/details panel

Navigate to the Basic tab

Step 3: Locate the Status field

Scroll through the Basic tab to find the Status dropdown

Note the current state (No Status by default)

This field controls distribution eligibility

Step 4: Change status to Approved

Click on the Status dropdown

Select "Approved" from the options (Approved, Rejected, No Status)

If the Approval Target field appears, select Content Hub, Delivery, or both based on your environment

Step 5: Save the properties

Click Save or Apply to commit the change

Wait for confirmation that the change was saved

The asset is now approved for distribution to the selected target

Step 6: Note the visual indicator

Observe the visual badge showing approved status on the asset card

This makes status immediately visible when browsing

Other users can quickly identify approved assets

Step 7: Select 2-3 additional campaign assets

Hold Ctrl/Cmd and click to select multiple assets

Choose assets that are campaign-ready

Step 8: Bulk approve the selected assets

With multiple assets selected, access the Bulk Metadata Edit panel

Change the Status field to "Approved" for all selected

Save to apply the change to all assets simultaneously

Checkpoint: Can you see the approved status indicator on your selected assets?

Governance Benefit: Approval status creates a clear gate between work-in-progress content and distribution-ready assets. Creative teams can continue iterating without risk of premature usage. When assets receive approval, they automatically become available to broader audiences through Content Hub, enabling self-service while maintaining brand control.