Effizientes Bildmanagement mit AI

On the web, images are of enormous significance: Images create identification, trigger emotions in users and help illustrate meaning. When editing and processing images for the digital world, however, content managers are continually being confronted with new challenges. Formatting is particularly demanding. But, AI can relieve the burden on content managers by automatically calculating the focal point.

The Interesting Part of The Image In Focus

On the web, images are of enormous significance: Images create identification, trigger emotions in users and help illustrate meaning. When editing and processing images for the digital world, however, content managers are continually being confronted with new challenges. Formatting is particularly demanding. Responsive design supports a host of different device sizes, and the popular multi-channel approach further increases the number of differently cropped versions. Our teams rarely develop web applications with fewer than a dozen different image formats. Depending on the context, these applications will automatically select the portrait or landscape format with the right dimensions.  Due to the sheer number of required image formats, an automated, software-based calculation to help lighten the workload of image editors and to ensure consistency across the platform over the long term is often required. When automatically cropping images, it helps to use a focal point. This ensures that the interesting part of the image always remains in focus.

Automated Focal Point With AI

How can AI support content managers? Typically, the focal point is determined manually in the Content Management System. If large numbers of images need to be processed, for example in magazines or for user-generated content, it may make sense to have AI do an automated calculation. These services use machine learning algorithms to analyze every uploaded image and provide the necessary information to automatically determine the focal point. If necessary, the editors can then change the focal point. Apart from the time saved, there is another advantage to this solution. Setting the focal point automatically makes image editing easier for people with limited motor skills who have difficulty using a mouse.

Other Applications for AI in Image Management

AI can also help set keywords and descriptions for images. Images can be categorized automatically, which once again lightens the workload of the content manager. The images are easier to retrieve in the Content Management System, which creates new opportunities for linking them in the front end. A color scheme recognition function automatically sorts images by color. The automated calculation of the focal point increases usability and accessibility for the editorial department. Thanks to AI, the editorial staff can now focus on what matters when processing images for an increasingly complex front end with various device sizes and channels, i.e., the content. As part of the relaunch of MySwitzerland.com, we implemented the “Cloudinary” AI service for efficient image management in Sitecore 9.