--- title: "Dynamic Media Technical Asset Guidelines" path: https://www.eonshowroom.eon.com/en/aem-basics/Dynamic-Media.html lastModified: 2026-06-09T09:38:16.669Z --- # Dynamic Media Technical Asset Guidelines ### Dynamic Media Technical Asset Guidelines Dynamic media images are images that can be manipulated and transformed on-the-fly to suit different needs. This guide will help you understand how to create, upload, and manage these images effectively. Images will still be uploadet in the local DAM, but can be published to a dynamic media server for delivery. ## One Asset, Every Device: Intelligent Auto-Reframing ![](https://www.eonshowroom.eon.com/cdm-assets/is/image/eon/iphone-1%3A1-1?fmt=webp-alpha) ## AI-Powered Precision: Perfect Framing on Any Screen ![](https://www.eonshowroom.eon.com/cdm-assets/is/image/eon/laptop_mockup_cliff%3A4-3?fmt=webp-alpha) ## Seamless Adaptability: Smart Cropping for Modern Workflows ![](https://www.eonshowroom.eon.com/cdm-assets/is/image/eon/ipad_mockup_cliff%3A1-1?fmt=webp-alpha) ### Editor Notes ## Global Change Warning (Standard) A manually saved Smart Crop is **global**; changes affect every page using that asset with the same aspect ratio. ## Avoid Isolated Crops Do not create highly specific crops (e.g., focusing on a single person in a group photo) for unique use cases, as this will break the image's appearance on other pages. ## Logos & Infographics For logos and infographics, select **"Original"** as the aspect ratio to bypass AI-driven cropping. Otherwise choose **"Image Sharpening"** option **"Normal"** or **"High"** for infographics with text. Use **transparent PNGs** only when strictly necessary; otherwise, prefer **WebP.** ## Unpublishing Rule **Unpublish Before Deleting:** If an asset must be removed, you must **unpublish it first**. Otherwise, the file will remain active and accessible on the Dynamic Media delivery server even after it has been deleted from AEM. In general, always follow the core rule: **Archive, Don't Delete.** Never delete assets without verifying their references; instead, move unused or outdated assets to an **archive folder** to prevent broken links across sites and tenants. ## Resolution Awareness A warning icon will appear in the UI if an image resolution is **too low (<1600px)** for high-quality serving on modern high-DPI screens ## Decorative Images Per SEO and accessibility best practices, only check the **"Decorative Image"** box if the image provides no informative value to the user. ## File Integrity Always ensure your assets have a valid file extension before uploading. Files without extensions (e.g., just "image" instead of "image.jpg") will fail to generate Smart Crops and require a manual "Reprocess Assets" trigger. ### Summary of the Core Features of Dynamic Media **1. AI-Powered Smart Crops:** - Function: DM uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automatically detect the main subject of an image and create precise crops for all required aspect ratios and resolution based on viewport size desktop, tablet, mobile. - Eliminates repetitive manual cropping. You only need to check and potentially fine-tune the AI's suggestion in the Smart Crop Editor. **2. On-the-fly Image Optimization** - Function: Images are transformed and scaled in real-time when requested by a user's browser, based on parameters like quality and size. - Users can control delivery quality and format (e.g., WebP) directly in the Image Dialog, maximizing performance without editing the original asset in the DAM. **3. Fast & Context-Aware Delivery** - Function: Dynamic Media ensures the smallest, best possible image is delivered to the user's device, automatically accounting for screen resolution (DPR), device type, and network speed. - Pages are automatically faster and look sharper on all high-resolution screens, contributing directly to better UX and SEO scores. **4. Centralized & Scalable Management** - Function: The single high-resolution original remains secure in your AEM DAM, while DM handles all renditions and serving via a dedicated cloud service. - Maintains a clean DAM structure and ensures all published assets are optimized consistently across the entire site. ### Advanced Image Control ## Image Parameters: Fine-Tuning Delivery Authors have direct control over how an image is rendered. These settings are found in the **Image Dialog**. - **Desired Format**: You can force specific formats like **WebP** (recommended for speed) or **PNG** (best for transparency and logos). - **Image Quality**: Always set this between **0 and 90**. Adobe recommends avoiding "100" because it triples the file size with no visible quality gain. - **Image Sharpening**: Use **"Normal"** or **"High"** for images containing text or fine details to ensure they remain crisp on high-resolution screens. - **Expert Mode**: This field is hidden by default but allows custom modifiers for advanced layout needs; use with caution. ## Understanding Publishing Modes A critical change in the workflow is how images are sent to the Dynamic Media server, which depends on the folder settings: - **Immediately**: Assets are synced to Dynamic Media as soon as they are uploaded to the DAM. This is the **recommended default configuration** for all folders to ensure that AI-powered Smart Crops are generated and available for use without delay. By using this setting as your default, any new image is synchronized instantly, ensuring the authoring preview works correctly and Smart Crops are ready for your components immediately. - **Upon Activation**: Assets only sync to Dynamic Media when you publish the page they are used on. - **Selective Publish**: This gives you the manual option to choose a specific environment (e.g., Stage or Production). ## Working with SVGs and Logos Smart Crops do not apply to all file types in the same way: - **SVGs**: Smart Crops are **not supported** for SVG files; they will always display in their original ratio. - **Infographics**: Since these rarely fit standard 16:9 or 4:3 ratios, always use **PNGs with transparent backgrounds** to allow the image to sit cleanly on any background. ### Troubleshooting ## Why is my image appearing in the Editor but not in Preview? The asset likely hasn't been published to the Dynamic Media server yet. Page publishing workflow purely publishes the DAM asset, but you will need to publish the asset to DM separately. ## What if the ratio I need is missing? Components are designed with specific supported ratios. If a ratio is missing, it is likely not supported by that specific component design. ## The Smart Crop Editor opens in a new tab—why? This is a known behavior to improve the workspace. Ensure your browser does not block the pop-up. ## Why may I not publish my asset in DAM? Newly uploaded assets in the DAM are automatically processed by Dynamic Media. The processing status is visible only in Card View. During Dynamic Media processing, asset actions such as publishing or deleting are temporarily unavailable. If the status does not update automatically, refresh your view to see the latest state. ## Missing Smart Crops / Missing File Extensions **Files** uploaded without a proper **File Extension** (e.g., missing .jpg or .png) cannot be processed by **Dynamic Media**. In these cases, no **Smart Crops** will be generated. - **Solution:** Download the **File**, rename it to include the correct **Extension**, and re-upload it to the **DAM**. - **Action (Important Transition Rule):** After re-uploading, the **Recalculation Workflow** depends on your local project status: - **If Dynamic Media is fully rolled out for your Program:** Select the **Asset** and click **"Reprocess Asset"** in the top **AEM Toolbar** to start a full background **Reprocessing Cycle**, allowing the **AI** to generate the required **Smart Crops**. - **If the Dynamic Media Rollout is still pending for your Website:** You must navigate directly into the global **AEM Asset View (DAM)**, select the **Image**, and trigger the manual **"Reprocess Asset" Action** from the main **Control Bar** to force the legacy **Rendition Workflow**. ### Advanced Asset Governance: Content Copy & Replication When copying Content packages from **PROD** to non-production environments (**Stage**, **Dev**, or **dynpg**), manually adjusted **Dynamic Media Smart Crop** selections are now automatically preserved across all environments without requiring manual editorial rework. To drastically optimize the replication performance and reduce the transferred **Data Volume**, specific **Exclude Filters** must be maintained when configuring the migration package. #### Required Regex Exclude Filters The following **Regex Patterns** can be configured directly within the **WCMS Service Portal self-service board** under your **DAM Asset Paths**: - .*/renditions/(?!cq5dam.thumbnail|cq5dam.web.1280.1280|cqdam.machine.metadata)(cq5dam|Master).* - .*/renditionsMetadata/(?!cq5dam.thumbnail|cq5dam.web.1280.1280|cqdam.machine.metadata)(cq5dam|Master).* #### Technical Background These **Filters** actively prevent legacy **Renditions** and outdated **Master Crops** from being copied into the new environment. Essential system elements (like **Thumbnails** and the standard **1280.1280 Web Rendition**) remain untouched. Once migrated, the platform automatically flags the assets to handle environment-specific endpoint differences without user intervention.