Dropbox wants to use cloud storage to help bring your work to life

Cloud storage
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Blackboard)

Cloud storage provider Dropbox has released a new tool aimed at users who store large media files on its servers. The Creative Tools Add-On improves things for anyone who wants to send, download, or work collaboratively on enormous files in the cloud.

Additional download quality options are a central feature of the new Creative Tools Add-On package. As Dropbox says, “waiting for those enormous files to download can slow the creative process to a crawl or bring it to a halt.” 

The Creative Tools Add-On enables users to convert large files to a more manageable size without leaving the cloud. This will mean, for example, that clients on slow web connections can convert hefty 4K videos into lower resolutions to download them faster and quickly provide feedback to an editor working in another country.

Dropbox media

Dropbox says that the previewing of large files will also be dramatically improved, with the new update as it will now be possible to stream files up to 150GB in size directly within the platform. What’s more, with videos that contain multiple languages or audio tracks, users will be able to toggle between different audio components, all without having to download any data to their local devices.

Storing a large media library in the cloud requires time-consuming organization because, once a file is uploaded, typically only a handful of parameters can be used to search for it. To address this, Dropbox is enabling metadata searches so that users can quickly locate a media file without having to know its exact name.

The final improvement incorporated into the Creative Tools Add-On pack is frame-accurate commenting for videos. This means that users can now discuss specific frames of footage stored on Dropbox and tag each other with progress updates, without having to look up precise video time codes. 

Dropbox expects the change to simply project workflows for video professionals as it will become easier for them to share and receive feedback on projects.