A rendition is an alternate copy of a file or an alternate file that is associated with an original file. For example, a rendition can be a copy of an image in a different format or in a different resolution.

If a file has multiple renditions, Digital Asset Manager designates one rendition as the primary rendition, which will appear in file lists. You can display all of a file’s renditions by clicking the renditions icon or by selecting View > Renditions.

You can create renditions outside the repository and import them in, or you can generate renditions within Digital Asset Manager.

You can generate new renditions of the same file format. To differentiate the multiple renditions of a file in the same file format, each rendition must be given a description during creation, in the Rendition Description field.

Digital Asset Manager may automatically generate new renditions when you check in and version a file if it was selected during rendition creation. See Creating a rendition through transformation for more information on automatically updating a rendition upon versioning.

You can also configure lifecycles to automatically generate a PDF rendition at each lifecycle state. See your WDK-based administration guide for more details.

A transformation is the automated rendering of a file from one look or format to another. Transformations let you automatically transform the look and format of an existing file in order to create a new rendition for the object or a new object that is related to the original object. Transformations let you store a file in multiple formats, sizes, orientations, and so forth. Examples of transformations include resizing, flipping, cropping, and correcting colors.

When transforming a file, you choose either a preset transformation task or a transformation profile and enter any applicable transformation parameters. The transformation profiles that are available for a given file depend on the file’s format and the supporting EMC Documentum products installed and configured for the repository.