Organization, access, and task delineation are pertinent to yearbook creation since the responsibilities and production tools are likely to be shared by a collection of users.

Pelican and LumaPix take vastly different approaches to multi-user functionality, marking a key distinction in the overall workflow and usability of the programs. Pelican Software Yearbooks! Desktop 2010 is strictly a network-based application, meaning a yearbook file can be accessed by a small group of users on the same local network. LumaPix YearbookFusion, alternatively, offers a remote server that projects can be save to, and accessed online, by a number of users from any location.

Remote storage folder and path in LumaPix

For Pelican Software’s Yearbooks! Desktop 2010, multi-user registration will have to be requested from the start to ensure the software’s registration code is compatible with multiple computers. When it is configured this way, multiple contributors working on the same local network can each access the same yearbook data file. However, only one person can alter the files at a given time.

YearbookFusion, on the other hand, employs a cloud-like approach to multi-user integration. Lumapix offers a remote storage server that can be accessed online by approved users at alternate locations, away from the local network. This is significantly more versatile than the localized Pelican Yearbooks!, enabling users to collaborate remotely and share the creative decisions that give sentiment to the album, without getting bogged down with the logistics of merging the parts.

(Photo courtesy of LumaPix)

In its remote interface, LumaPix guards against overwriting other contributor’s' work by including a “locked for editing” function. A pad lock icon appears when a project is in use, and access is blocked while it's being updated.