Does this affect me differently based on my setup?
If you've already upgraded your DAM, the main changes are Media Hub's new album hierarchy, unified share links on share.crowdriff.com, and the platform defaulting to the new experience. No required action but Media Hub users should review album permissions before May 20.
If you haven't upgraded your DAM yet, you may experience the DAM migration, Media Hub updates, search, and Collectors changes all at once. You can explore the new experience now (you'll see loose assets but not your folder structure until migration runs), opt in to upgrade early, or contact us before your upgrade date to have your classic albums placed into a single "From Classic" parent folder instead.
What's new in My Visuals?
For customers upgrading their DAM, the new experience adds unlimited folder nesting, AI and Standard search, uploads of up to 50 files at a time (10 GB per file), assisted tagging, and mobile access without a QR code.
During migration, user-added metadata (keywords, descriptions, author, location, expiry, usage restrictions) carries over automatically. Shared albums stay shared and old URLs redirect to share.crowdriff.com. AI-generated keywords from classic do not transfer - the new AI search generates its own descriptions.
What's new in Media Hub?
Media Hub is exclusively in the new experience starting May 20, with two key changes:
Unlimited album nesting. Previously limited to one folder level containing one album level. All albums under a given parent inherit the same permissions; child albums cannot have different access settings from their parent. If you need an album with different permissions, create it as its own top-level album.
New permission options. A new Restricted default keeps albums private until you're ready to share. A new permission combination - all Media Hub users can view, plus specific user groups can download - lets you control download access without restricting browsing.
What happens to my existing Media Hub album structure?
How albums migrate depends on whether your current folders contain mixed permissions:
No mixed permissions: Folder converts to a top-level album and children inherit. No structural change.
Mix of "all users can view" and "all users can download": Folder splits into two top-level albums. Download albums keep the original name; view-only albums get "(View only)" appended.
Albums with different group-based permissions in the same folder: Folder splits per permission group. The public bucket keeps the folder name; group buckets get the folder name plus the group name as a suffix.
In all cases, share-link albums (marked with "(Share link)" in the name) become their own top-level restricted albums. They stay accessible via the original share link but are not visible in Media Hub.
You'll receive a separate email if your structure requires splitting.
How do share links work now?
DAM and Media Hub share links now use the same interface on share.crowdriff.com, with three access levels: no access, can view, and can view and download.
❗Heads up: Can view" on Media Hub share links means direct viewing, not a request to download as in the previous experience.
Share links cover everything in the folder or album, including all sub-folders and sub-albums. Each folder or album has its own independent link. Expiry is optional for folders and albums, and required (up to 180 days) for loose assets. Expired folder share links can be reactivated with the same URL. Existing share links migrate automatically and redirect to share.crowdriff.com with no action needed.
Share link search (AI and Standard modes) is also available to all viewers.
How does search work in share links?
Search is available in two modes via a dropdown.
AI Mode (default) finds results by assessing visual content. Best for descriptive searches like "summer" or "people dining on a patio."
Standard Mode matches your exact search terms against descriptions, captions, location, keywords, usernames, authors, hashtags, and file names. It supports AND logic for multi-word queries, exact phrase search with quotes, word variation matching, exclusion with a minus sign (e.g., beach -cleanup), and date range filtering.
Share link search does not include metadata suggestions or album name search.
What's new in Collectors?
Collectors move exclusively to the new experience. All classic functionality is retained. The one addition is a visual editor with live preview for managing collector settings.
Settings and uploaded assets sync between classic and the new experience. Loose assets remain visible in classic and in the Collector Assets stream. Creating, managing, and organizing collectors is no longer available in classic.
What's changing with the API?
v2 continues to work and no re-authentication is required. The v2 to v3 deadline is August 31, 2026.
Content type | v2 | v3 |
Galleries (classic + new experience) | ✅ | ✅ |
Media Hub albums | ✅ | Available end of May |
My Visuals albums (classic) | ✅ (snapshot after DAM upgrade) | ❌ |
My Visuals folders (new experience) | ❌ | ✅ |
Keyword search | ✅ | ❌ |
Once your DAM is upgraded, v2 responses for My Visuals albums become a snapshot at the time of upgrade. Switch to v3 if you need responses to stay current afterward.
Can I switch back to classic after May 20?
Yes, at any time during your session via the account dropdown. However, it's not possible to revert to classic DAM, Media Hub, or Collectors once migration runs.
Will there be downtime during the DAM migration?
The migration runs automatically on the morning of May 20 and takes approximately 30 minutes. A yellow banner appears in the platform while it's in progress. Avoid making album changes during that window.
Can a child album have different permissions from its parent in Media Hub?
No. All albums under a given parent share the same permissions. If you need different access settings, create a separate top-level album. Use the contact option in the share modal to flag use cases the new model doesn't cover, as those requests inform future iterations.
How should I explain share link search to external viewers?
The search UI already shows this language, which you can also use in any onboarding materials:
AI Mode: "Finds relevant results by assessing visual content. Best for descriptive searches, like 'summer' or 'people dining on a patio.'"
Standard Mode: "Finds results matching your search terms. Best for precise searches, like specific places, events, or photographer names."
Need more help?
If you have any other questions, feel free to send us a message!