#1 DAM in Australia

Third Light (now PhotoShelter) alternative

Canto is the #1 DAM solution for organisations in Australia and New Zealand who are transitioning from Third Light (PhotoShelter)

Trusted by Australian and New Zealand marketing and communications teams

Canto vs Third Light (PhotoShelter)

	Canto	PhotoShelter
Primary Focus	100% DAM – brand portals, metadata, and user experience	Historically photography-focused; acquired Third Light but dissolving it, leaving a narrower DAM offering
AI Capabilities	Advanced - Automated tagging, facial recognition, object detection (enterprise-tier AI capabilities)	Primarily basic tagging and workflow; advanced AI features are limited or non-existent
Metadata Handling	Full custom metadata support with flexible schemas, robust IPTC & XMP handling	Basic IPTC only; custom fields often get dumped into keyword fields, losing granularity
Compliance Certifications	SOC 2 , ISO 27001 and GDPR compliance certificates available	No information available
Storage & Scalability	Scalable to enterprise-level needs; easy upgrades and flexible tiered storage	Limited (e.g., 2TB cap in standard plans); can be cost-prohibitive for large archives
Migration Support	Expert migration assistance with local DAM expert databasics, especially from legacy DAMs (e.g., custom field mapping)	Minimal help for Third Light migrations; changes often lead to data loss or rework of metadata
SSO & Security	Comprehensive SSO (SAML, Okta, etc.), enterprise security, regular feature updates	More basic SSO options; limited enterprise-grade configurations
User Privileges & Collections	Granular permission setting and user roles, dynamic asset sharing	Restricted folder/subcollection structures; fewer permission variations
Target Market	SMEs, marketing teams, higher education, agencies – needing robust DAM functionality	Photo-centric teams and smaller organisations that can live with basic metadata and storage

What customers who moved to Canto say

With Canto, we finally have a single source of truth for all our images and documents. Our team can locate the latest marketing collateral in seconds, which has dramatically increased both efficiency and brand consistency.

Alison Peak
The a2 Milk Co

Moving to Canto has been a success for more reasons than one for Destination Queenstown. Everyone can locate, use, and share assets quickly and easily due the Advanced Search functionality.

Daniela Jones
Destination Queenstown

Canto has been instrumental in streamlining our asset approval workflows. We’ve cut down on email back-and-forth, and our stakeholders now have real-time visibility into every stage of the process. It’s a game changer for our in-house creative team.

Matt Harnett
Victoria Department of Health

Before switching to Canto, we struggled with a DAM that lacked robust AI tagging and brand portal capabilities. After implementing Canto, our marketing team cut asset search time by 50% and improved brand consistency across multiple markets.

Marketing Operations Manager in Retail sector

State-Of-The-Art Security

By combining advanced encryption, robust authentication, strict role-based permissions, Australian data residency, and globally recognised certifications, such as ISO 27001, GDPR, SOC 2, CCPA, Canto ensures that your digital assets are secure and compliant with the latest regulations no matter what region you're in.

Industry Leading AI Features

Canto's industry-leading AI features set it apart as a powerhouse in digital asset management. With AI Visual Search, users can locate assets by analysing visual elements within images and videos, such as objects, colours, and scenes, even in the absence of tags or metadata. This groundbreaking functionality eliminates reliance on manual tagging and accelerates asset retrieval. Additionally, AI tagging and Facial Recognition streamline asset management.

Faster Implementation and Migration

Canto's average implementation timeline is just 21 days, thanks to seamless integrations with Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, and migration assistance from databasics. This ensures you can start managing assets quickly.

PhotoShelter provides no comprehensive approach to replicate Third Light’s advanced privileges, subcollections, and custom fields. Many organisations face a painful or incomplete migration.

Seamlessly integrated

Canto offers a powerful suite of integrations designed to fit seamlessly into your existing tech stack. From pre-built connectors to custom APIs, Canto enables effortless collaboration with your favourite tools, including marketing platforms, collaboration software, project management, and content management systems.

Recognised as the leader in Digital Asset Management in Australia and New Zealand

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What you will get

AI and DAM essentials included out of the box

Seamless transition

Databasics specialises in ensuring that the migration from Third Light to Canto is smooth and disruption-free. We offer tailored migration tools that are designed to handle the specific formats and configurations used by Third Light, reducing the complexity and risk of data loss during the transfer process.

Australia based support and expertise

Databasics understand the Australian market and are positioned to offer real-time support and service, ensuring that businesses can transition without facing delays or downtime that might come with international support timelines.

Enhanced functionality and usability

Canto not only covers all the fundamental capabilities of Third Light but also introduces advanced features such as AI-powered tagging, sophisticated search filters, and an exceptionally user-friendly interface. This means that Third Light customers can not only expect a continuity of service but also significant enhancements in how they manage and utilise their digital assets.

Compliance and data security

Ensuring compliance with Australian data protection laws remains paramount. Canto takes adherence to local regulations very seriously, providing peace of mind to businesses about the security and privacy of their data during and after the transition.

Advanced technology and innovation

Considered DAM innovator, Canto's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology sets them apart from most competitors.

Personalised hands-on onboarding and services

We listen. We deliver. databasics acknowledges the unique needs and requirements of each customer and tailors onboarding and services to those preferences. With over 30 years in DAM we are experts in the region.

About databasics

At databasics, we understand the challenges you might face when looking to replace your Third Light DAM solution.

Customers seeking a reliable Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution will find a robust alternative in Canto along with databasics' customised migration support.

Local expertise and migration support provided by databasics
Leading global DAM solution with advanced security features, seamless integrations and scalability

Third Light (now PhotoShelter) alternative

Trusted by Australian and New Zealand marketing and communications teams

Canto vs Third Light (PhotoShelter)

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What customers who moved to Canto say

Why choose Canto

Purpose-Built for DAM

Superior Brand Portal Capabilities