Key takeaways

In this module, you learned how to:

• Smart crop is a two-step process split between an admin and a content author. First, a DAM administrator creates an image profile that defines the desired output dimensions and applies it to a folder — assets uploaded to that folder will automatically receive smart crop renditions, and existing assets must be reprocessed to get them. Second, a content author uses the smart crop action to fine-tune the crop focus point on individual images, adjusting which area of the image is centered without changing the dimensions set in the profile.
• Assets uploaded before Dynamic Media was enabled will not have Dynamic Media renditions. Dynamic Media requires a Pyramid TIFF and smart crop renditions that are generated during the upload pipeline. Assets that existed before Dynamic Media was activated never went through that pipeline, so they simply don't have those renditions. The fix is to reprocess the assets (or the entire folder), which reruns them through the microservices and generates everything that was missed.
• The shareable URL and embed code buttons only appear after an asset is published. Dynamic Media URLs serve content from a CDN, which requires the asset to be publicly available. An unpublished asset will not show those buttons in the interface. The exception is assets that were previously published on a shared CDN from another AEM instance — they may already show URLs because the CDN has them cached from a prior publication.
• A shoppable banner's hotspots can each be configured independently to trigger different actions. Each hotspot you place on an image can be set to trigger a quick view (often a product popup), link to an external URL, or link to an experience fragment within AEM. Multiple hotspots on the same image each behave independently, and new hotspots can be added to an existing shoppable banner at any time without recreating it from scratch.
• Brand Portal is a separate cloud application — not part of AEM itself — designed for external asset distribution. Authors publish approved assets from AEM to Brand Portal along with their metadata profiles. Recipients — including external partners, franchisees, or field personnel — can then access those assets through Brand Portal as authorized users or even as guests, without ever needing an AEM login. Metadata is visible in Brand Portal but read-only, protecting the integrity of the asset record.