What is the Media Manager?
The new Media Manager is a powerful and versatile plugin specifically designed for managing media files. With this tool, files of various formats can be efficiently listed, clearly displayed, and directly edited. It is ideally suited for use in different areas such as products, product groups, and Page Builder Stories, enabling a structured organization of media content. Starting from the Premium Edition, the Media Manager replaces the previously used simple media file system, allowing users to benefit from extended features and improved user-friendliness.
Why a Media Manager?
Product images play a central role in a successful online shop. High-quality and detailed images are not only crucial for the purchasing decision of potential customers but also directly impact visibility in search engines. Search engines like Google rate pages with attractive and well-optimized images more positively, which in turn has a beneficial effect on rankings in search results. The correct presentation of your products through professional images can therefore significantly contribute to increasing the conversion rate and improving the discoverability of your shop. With the new Media Manager in Smartstore 4, your workflow is significantly optimized and made more efficient. The powerful tool enables faster management and editing of your media content, simplifying and accelerating the entire process. Additionally, you benefit from innovative media features, including the ability to add ALT tags and titles to images. These functions are particularly valuable for search engine optimization (SEO), as they help make your image content more indexable and significantly increase the reach of your products in search results.
How do I get the Media Manager?
The Media Manager is included in the software starting from the Premium Edition. This means that users in both the Premium Flat and the two Enterprise Editions, which are specifically designed for the B2C (Business-to-Consumer) and B2B (Business-to-Business) sectors, can access the Media Manager. However, in the Community Edition, this functionality is not available, so users of this edition cannot use the Media Manager.
Media Manager Features
Assign files
In Smartstore 3 and all previous versions, it was only possible to assign media files to one single entity at a time, such as a specific product or product group. Reusing the same media file in multiple places was not possible without additional effort. For example, if the same image needed to be assigned to multiple products, the image had to be uploaded separately for each product and linked individually. This resulted not only in higher storage requirements but also in increased administrative effort for shop operators.
With the introduction of the new Media Manager in the current version, this process has been significantly simplified. From now on, a single file can be assigned to multiple entities simultaneously without the need to re-upload or duplicate the media file. This saves storage space, reduces redundancies, and makes managing media files much easier.
Import files
A particularly user-friendly and convenient feature of the new Media Manager is the multi-file uploader. With this practical function, you can upload one or multiple files to the Media Manager simultaneously. The uploaded files are automatically integrated into your Smartstore shop and are then available for further use. The upload process can take place directly within the Media Manager, allowing you to manage your media files quickly and easily. Alternatively, you can also upload files directly in the "Edit Dialog," ensuring seamless integration into your workflow. This flexibility makes the Media Manager an efficient solution for managing and uploading files.
Organize files
The new Media Manager serves as a central hub for managing media files of all kinds. In this area, you will find all media files uploaded anywhere in the shop, providing you with quick and easy access to your entire media archive. Here, you can not only upload new media files but also conveniently edit existing ones. Additionally, you can reassign edited files to other products or use them within Page Builder Stories to create engaging content.
The Media Manager is divided into four main sections, each serving a specific function and ensuring a structured organization of media management. The top bar contains the toolbar with various controls and options. On the left side, you’ll find the folder navigation, allowing you to browse through different directories. The central content area in the middle displays the contents of the currently selected folder. On the far right, the preview window is positioned, providing a detailed preview and additional information about a selected file.
The toolbar at the top of the Media Manager contains various buttons to facilitate file management. Here, you can create new folders, import new media files, and sort the arrangement of files in the content area according to your needs. Just above the central content area is the filter bar. This allows you to define precisely which files should be displayed in the currently selected folder using specific filter options. This makes it easy and effective to quickly find certain media files. To the right of the filter options, there is the quick search field. The integrated search function supports common wildcard characters such as the question mark (?) and asterisk (*), enabling flexible and advanced searches.
The folder navigation is located on the left side of the Media Manager and represents the structure of your media archive. The first three or four folders are virtual folders. This means that they are not physical folders but rather intelligent search filters that automatically organize certain files based on criteria. Due to this special functionality, it is not possible to create new subfolders within these virtual folders. They are exclusively used for dynamically sorting and filtering media files.
Unlike virtual folders, regular folders allow you to create new subfolders. These physically existing folders serve to structure and manage media files used in different areas of the shop. The "Catalog" folder, for example, lists all media files used within the catalog, including images and videos linked to products, product groups, or manufacturers. When you create new subfolders, they are automatically integrated into the path of the respective files. Note the URL property in the preview window, which provides detailed information about the exact storage structure of the media.
The preview window on the right side of the Media Manager serves two essential functions. Firstly, it provides a detailed display of media files, allowing for quick and easy visual or content-based reviews. Secondly, it allows you to define various SEO properties for your files or assign relevant keywords or tags to them. The preview window supports a wide range of media formats. In addition to all common image formats, video and music files can be played directly from your server or hosting provider. Even very large video files are played without delays and in high quality, with seamless navigation within a video.
This powerful technology is not only used within the Media Manager but is also deployed in the front end of your shop. This means that, for example, embedded videos within product descriptions are streamed directly from your server or hosting provider. As a result, you benefit from smooth and lag-free playback without having to upload your videos to external platforms. This seamless integration ensures full control over your media files without relying on third-party providers.
New in Version 6 – The Pixlr Plugin for the Smartstore Media Manager: Integrated, powerful, and AI-assisted image editing
With the introduction of Smartstore 6, editing images is easier and more efficient than ever. By directly integrating the powerful Pixlr online editor into the Media Manager, there is no longer a need to use external image editing programs. Thanks to Pixlr's AI-assisted technology, shop owners can quickly and professionally edit their product images and marketing materials. Whether for simple tasks like cropping and resizing images or advanced optimizations such as background removal and applying creative effects – the Pixlr plugin offers numerous possibilities. This solution not only saves time but also simplifies the entire workflow for online shop operators. As the editing takes place directly in Smartstore, the user experience remains seamless and intuitive. For more information and details on image editing with the new Pixlr plugin, visit our information page. https://smartstore.com/en/plug-in-seamless-image-editing-in-smartstore-using-pixlr/
The "Media Manager" plugin is a proprietary development of Smartstore AG for the Smartstore e-commerce software and is included starting from the Premium Edition.
Do you have any questions about the "Media Manager" or would you like to give us feedback? You can reach us via the contact form, by email at info@smartstore.com, or by phone from Monday to Friday between 10 AM and 4 PM at +49 231 5335 0.