Product Reviews

Gridiron Flow is a sophisticated visual asset management application that seamlessly tracks and handles all the files used in a document. A typical InDesign page might, for example, include numerous PSD, Jpeg and EPS files, as well as placed Word documents and PDFs. Drag this page into Flow and the application will automatically scan it, determining which files have been used. If you export the document as a PDF, Flow will recognise the link between the PDF, the original InDesign file and all the files that went into its creation.

You can choose to scan your entire drive, and Flow will catalogue all the documents, mapping which have been used where. This is a lengthy process, and the on-demand scanning means that it's a largely unnecessary step for most users.

Files are displayed in a workflow map, so you can see the relationship between placed files, the main document, and any subsidiary generated PDFs or other exports. It's a surprisingly clear view, given that there may be dozens or even hundreds of files that go into the creation of a document. Flow will automatically group similar file types together to save space, and it's also possible to group and ungroup them manually.

Even complex documents can be managed with relative ease thanks to a navigator that allows you to pan around the workflow map, and to zoom in and out for greater clarity. Particular workflow views can be bookmarked, so you can return to that position and scale with a single click.

Ingeniously, Flow can track not just which files have been used in a project, but the other projects those files have appeared in. So a company logo file might, for example, show links to a dozen different documents. And it's not just conventionally placed files. If artwork is copied and pasted from Illustrator to Photoshop, say, Flow will recognise the source of the Illustrator file and list it correctly.

After rolling the cursor over any file in the main Flow window, a small panel will appear showing its path, and a tiny thumbnail. Click on it and an enlarged thumbnail will appear in Flow's side panel, together with details of any different versions of the file that may exist on the system.

This is another of Flow's automated features: it can automatically create new versions of all the files you're working on, every time you perform a save. Selecting a particular version will

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show a thumbnail, so you can see exactly how it looked. Favoured versions can be earmarked to be kept permanently, and you can determine the versioning parameters - either in terms of the amount of disk space taken up, the number of versions per file, or which file types are to be included or excluded.

As well as the main window, Flow uses a floating Dashboard that shows basic file relationships. It also includes an advanced search feature. This is able to match not just file names, but contents such as individual layers within Photoshop documents - the nature of the search result is indicated with a thumbnail at the bottom of the panel. This always-on Dashboard is also used to alert you to possible conflicts. If, for example, you try to delete, move or rename a file that's used in a project, Flow will warn you and give you a single button to recover it.

The application provides full integration with Adobe's CS4 suite, including Flash panels in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Flash, showing both files placed within the current document and files created from it. As with all the Flow views, it's possible to doubleclick any file within these panels to jump straight to the file.

The application can produce packages of complex documents, including all the placed files, assets and fonts needed to send to a printer or bureau. Unlike the static packages produced with InDesign, these are dynamic contents, updated automatically as you work. In addition to this, it tracks the amount of time spent on each file or project, which is a real boon for billing purposes.

Although Flow works superbly for individual users, it also has a collaborative mode that allows multiple users to share workflow maps, regardless of their computer platform. This way, anyone picking up a file can see exactly where the previous user left off, and can track all the assets used in its creation. Flow works not just with Adobe applications, but with Final Cut Pro, Keynote and Pages, as well as Word and PowerPoint, Cinema 4D and many others.

Multiple workflows can be opened in different tabs, allowing you to switch between them with a click. A Breadcrumb feature shows the path of any selected file, and you can view full-size previews for any image or PDF with a click; page layout files show not just all the fonts, but the colours used in the document as well.

This may only be the first version of Flow, but it's already a mature, powerful tool that will quickly become indispensable to the graphics community. Providing perfect tracking of all project assets, even those stored offline, it creates a secure and trusted working environment that requires no additional user input.

You won't have to change your working practices in order to get the best out of Flow either: it runs smoothly in the background and is there for you to track and manipulate your files whenever you need it. Try the 30-day free demo to see how Flow can enhance your productivity.