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The Asset Library

Accuracy-verified KB page for the INTERSTITIAL Asset Library, covering personal vs Studio libraries, nested folders, tags and filtering, the Explorer view, and opening the library from the canvas. Checked against functions/src/api/library.js, LibraryPanel.jsx, SaveToLibraryDialog.jsx, PanelTabs.jsx, and Editor.jsx; no invented buttons, prices, credits, caps, or roadmap claims. Two minor wording imprecisions (open-from-canvas flow and the destination dialog also choosing Personal/Studio) were corrected.

The Asset Library is a place to store images once and reuse them across every project — your own private library, plus a shared one for your Studio.

When to use

  • You keep re-uploading the same reference images, textures, or logos into different projects.
  • You made a render you’ll want again later and don’t want to hunt for it.
  • Your team needs one shared home for approved reference material.

Personal vs Studio libraries

  • Personal — private to you. Only you can see or use it.
  • Studio — shared with the members of your Studio (organization). Everyone in the Studio sees the same assets and the same tags.
  • When you belong to a Studio, a Personal / Studio switch appears at the top of the panel. Flip it to move between the two. If you’re not in a Studio, the panel stays on your personal library.

Open the library

  1. In the editor, open the right-side panel from its toggle on the edge of the canvas. When the library is enabled, the panel opens straight to it. The panel shares its space with Are.na — a tab at the top switches between the two.
  2. To add canvas images straight in, select one or more images on the canvas, then use Add to library in the selection toolbar. A dialog lets you pick where it lands — your Personal library or a Studio, and which folder within it.

Browse in the Explorer

The library opens as a single Explorer view with two stacked, collapsible sections:

  • Folders — the folders at your current level. Click one to drill in; subfolders appear as you go deeper.
  • Assets — the images that live at the current level.

A breadcrumb at the top shows your path (Library › folder › …) so you can jump back up a level at any time. Click any image to open a quick-look inspector with its details. A layout control cycles the grid between column counts and a list view.

Folders & nested collections

  • Click New folder to create one, then drag folders onto each other to nest them — folders can hold subfolders.
  • Each asset lives in exactly one folder (single-home). Move relocates it; Copy then Paste places a real duplicate somewhere else.
  • Rename or delete folders from their menus. Deleting a folder also removes the folders nested inside it.

Tags & filtering

  • Add tags to assets to group them across folders. In a Studio, tags are shared, so everyone filters by the same set.
  • The Filters panel combines several dimensions at once — tags (match any), type (Images or PDFs), aspect (Wide / Tall / Square), colour, rating, and an Untagged view. Each active filter shows as a removable pill in the search bar.
  • The search box matches on titles and tags. When you type a query or pick a filter, the search spans your whole library — every matching asset across all folders — rather than just the folder you’re in.

How it works

  • Files are stored once and referenced by their contents, so uploading the same image twice costs no extra space. The library keeps only a pointer; the actual image is fetched through a temporary, expiring link when it’s shown — images are never public.
  • Deleting an asset first moves it to Trash (reach it via the Deleted button on the breadcrumb), where you can restore it before it’s permanently removed.
  • PDFs are supported as assets, shown with a first-page preview.

Tips

  • Tag as you save — a few consistent tags make the whole library searchable later.
  • Use the Studio library for anything the team should reuse; keep works-in-progress in your personal one.
  • Filters stack — combine a tag, a colour, and an aspect to narrow a large library fast.