NOTE: This feature is available in the Standard, Professional, and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and myStratus Desktop.

Each StudioPlus product (Spectra, myStratus, and InSpiredByYou) includes a Stratus Drive account with 5 GB of online storage. One way to use your Stratus Drive is for image storage. For Spectra users, this may simply be one way you choose to back up your images. For myStratus users, this can dramatically increase the efficiency of your digital workflow. For example, you can upload just the preview images to Stratus Drive and then view them from anywhere with your Stratus web app. Or, upload all the images and then download them at a different location, for example if you have a retoucher that works remotely. 

This topic will cover setup, uploading/downloading images, and automating the process.

Setting up Image Syncing

There are two things to set up in your software to get the most out of the Stratus Drive syncing feature -- purge settings and session statuses.

Purge Settings

Purge settings determine how long image files should remain on your Stratus Drive before automatically being purged. Because storage can quickly get out of hand, these settings are important in maintaining just the files you need and not taking up storage space with those you don't. Follow these steps to set up your purge settings:

1. In Spectra/Stratus go to Maintenance > Preferences > Company (Studio) Preferences and open the Digital tab.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the Digital tab to the Stratus Drive Purge Settings section.

   

3. Enter the number of days each type of file should be stored on your Stratus Drive before being purged.

4. Check Never Purge for any file type(s) that should never be purged.

5. Click OK to save your preferences.

Session Statuses

If you choose to automate the process of uploading and downloading images to/from your Stratus Drive using the Control Center, session statuses will need to be created that signal when a session is ready to be uploaded or downloaded. Look at the Automatic Syncing section below for instructions.

Syncing Image Files

Manual Syncing

Images can be synced from sessions, invoices, and production orders. Follow these steps to manually sync image files to your Stratus Drive:

1. Open the session, invoice, or production order in Spectra/Stratus. (Or, select a session or production order on the Workflow hub.)

2. Go the the Action tab of the ribbon. (The image below is from a production order.)
   
   

3. Click the Sync Folders drop-down arrow and choose which files should be synced. Previously uploaded images can be deleted off the Stratus Drive from here as well.

4. Save and close the record when finished.

Automatic Syncing

NOTE: This feature is available in the Standard, Professional, and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and myStratus Desktop.

You can use the Control Center to automatically upload and download image files on a regular basis. Follow these steps to set up the Control Center jobs:

1. Go to Maintenance > Session > Session Statuses and set up two statuses that indicate when a session is ready to "Upload to Stratus Drive" and "Download from Stratus Drive." See also: Session Statuses

2. In Spectra/Stratus, go to Utilities > Control Center.

3. Enable the Stratus Drive Image Upload job and choose the following:

   • Schedule - Choose the days and times for the upload to occur.

   • Computer - Select the computer that should run this job.

   • Notification - Enter the appropriate email settings for notifications.

   • Other Options - If you are running the Enterprise edition of the software, you can choose to run the job for a local studio or all studios.

   • Session Status - Choose the session status for the images you would like to automatically upload.

4. Enable the Stratus Drive Image Download job and choose the following:

   • Schedule - Choose the days and times for the download to occur.

   • Computer - Select the computer that should run this job.

   • Notification - Enter the appropriate email settings for notifications.

   • Other Options - If you are running the Enterprise edition of the software, you can choose to run the job for a local studio or all studios.

   • Session Status - Choose the session status for the images you would like to automatically download.

5. Close the Control Center when finished.