Extensis Corporation. (1999) Extensis Portfolio for Cataloging Digital Media. extensis.com/portfolio/
Portfolio is a cross-platform digital asset management application for cataloging graphics, 3D objects, sounds, and QuickTime movies in galleries you can browse visually or search by keyword. Version 4.1 is the latest in a string of major updates to the program since Extensis acquired Portfolio (formerly Fetch) from Adobe in 1996. Significant new features include custom URL fields, importing, find and replace, individual record views, slide shows, HTML exporting, scripting, and a client-server option.
The basic operation of Portfolio remains unchanged: Drag and drop one or more volumes or folders into a window, and the program extracts or creates a thumbnail of each file, adding the file name, location, creator, creation date, and other data to the catalog. The time required depends on your Mac’s CPU speed and the number, size, and type of files. You may then add an unlimited number of user-definable keywords; a 32,000-character description; and custom fields for date, time, decimal, integer, string, and URL data. The new importing and find-and-replace features make it easy to apply information globally either from an existing database or on an ad hoc basis, respectively.
You can view items as traditional gallery thumbnails, as a list, or in the new Record View format, which displays more information alongside a thumbnail. Although you can My customize each view, you can’t directly edit the visible fields, and there are no proportional scroll bars or tools for navigating large catalogs. The powerful Find feature allows you to select specific items that match complex criteria and even to save frequently used searches, but that’s not a substitute. Also annoying is the inability to maintain a custom sort order after performing a find. Finally, the relationship between original items, catalog records, and gallery views remains confusing due to the menu names and organization.
Portfolio 4.1 comes with tools for professionally presenting your images. You can create a splash screen for your catalogs, design custom borders for thumbnails, and use the new bare-bones slide-show capability. Addressing a longstanding shortcoming, Extensis now provides a freely distributable read-only browser, which you can burn onto CDs with your catalogs.
More ambitious users will appreciate the new HTML Export command, which can publish catalogs on the Web complete with JPEG thumbnails, but you’ll have to do some hand coding to get the look you want. If that doesn’t faze you, you’ll probably also appreciate the new support for scripting with AppleScript, which allows you to automate tasks within Portfolio and between other applications (several useful sample scripts are provided). In contrast, collaborating on catalogs with other Portfolio users on a network is relatively easy through File Sharing. An optional $2,500 Portfolio Server is available for offices that crave better performance and the ability to host simultaneous users without requiring existing Portfolio users to install new client software.
With a host of powerful new features, Portfolio 4.1 remains a valuable tool for content creators trying to keep track of digital assets. However, a confusing nomenclature and poor interface design obscure some of that power. Fortunately, the detailed user guide is well-written and free technical support is available via a toll-free call.
Linzmayer, Owen W. (September 1999). Portfolio 4.1. MacAddict. (pg. 56).
Extensis Corporation
Applications
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e-portfolio-411.img.sit
Emulating this? It could probably run under: 
SheepShaver
