Canto Software has released Cumulus 7.5.1, a free download of the digital asset management that’s available to all customers on software maintenance agreements. Among refinements made to all editions of the Cumulus product line, Canto engineers have rolled new preview technologies into Cumulus 7.5.1, developed specifically for the company’s web client software.

The first of the new technologies generates and stores preview images on the server’s hard disk. When a user requests a preview, the cached image is displayed. Preview size and quality are configurable.

Canto’s second new web preview technology enables Cumulus to display high-resolution thumbnails in place of standard previews. This means assets stored in non-image formats, such as PowerPoint, QuarkXPress, InDesign and others, can now be previewed from any web browser, even when the creating application isn’t available. Extending the benefit further, users can specifically determine what is displayed as a preview for each asset.

The software’s original preview technology, which generates a new “live” preview for each user request, remains available. Cumulus systems that are used to manage in-progress assets will likely continue to use this option, because it ensures previews accurately reflect the current state of evolving assets, according to the folks at Canto. Go to the Canto for details, including pricing, on the entire Cumulus line.