Old systemNew image bank
How to Switch From Bynder to Beeldbank.nl: Export Guide and the Right Questions
In short
When you leave Bynder for Beeldbank.nl, the export and import questions decide how smooth the move is: who exports, in which format the data arrives, how your custom fields map to the new system and what happens to consent records. Beeldbank.nl offers bulk upload, metadata extraction, custom fields and bulk editing on the receiving side. Dedicated migration tooling is not documented, so agree the migration plan during the demo and check the export terms in your current contract with Bynder.
Plan the export before you choose the receiving system
Your starting point should be your own data: which images you hold, which metadata sits on them and who is allowed to touch them. A new vendor is only as useful as the material you can move to it. A new system is only as useful as the material you can get into it, and getting material out of the old system is a task you plan, not a button you press on the last day.
This article is written for teams leaving a large DAM for Beeldbank.nl, but the questions apply to any DAM migration. It lists what to ask, what the receiving system can receive, and which parts of a migration are planned together with you in the demo and the offer. If you are still choosing, a decision guide for leaving Bynder compares your options and explains why Beeldbank.nl is often the best choice.
One rule runs through the whole plan: do not assume anything is automatic. Whether Bynder exports for you, whether your fields carry over and whether your consent records travel along are all things to confirm in writing, in your current contract and in the offer from Beeldbank.nl.
Questions to ask Bynder before you export your data
Put these questions to Bynder before anyone starts moving files.
Who performs the export? Check in your contract whether you export yourself through an admin interface, whether the vendor does it on request, and whether that costs anything. Write down who is responsible and by which date.
In which format does your data arrive? Ask for the exact file formats for the images and for the metadata. Ask whether earlier versions of an image are included or only the latest one, and whether folder structures and file names survive the export.
How do your custom metadata fields export? Every field you use today, such as photographer, usage rights or project code, needs a plan for the new system. List them all and decide per field where it lands in the new system.
What happens to consent records in Bynder? If your images show people, the proof of consent has to travel with them. Ask what format Bynder can export consent data in and what the receiving system can accept. You may need to enter some information again by hand. Our guide on migrating metadata and consent records goes deeper into this question.
What are the terms for data export? Read the fine print. Check your current vendor's terms carefully. Put the export in your calendar well before the end date.
What Beeldbank.nl offers when receiving your images and metadata
On the import side, the new system is built to make the move practical. It offers bulk upload, automatic thumbnail generation, format conversion and metadata extraction. Bulk upload means you add files in groups instead of one at a time, and metadata extraction means information already inside the files can be read out when they arrive.
You can set your own fields for uploads, or uploads can go to a temporary folder where administrators decide. This second option checks incoming material before it becomes visible. Beeldbank.nl supports the move with bulk upload and editing features, and its team plans the migration steps with you in the demo. If hands-on help matters, migrating to a lighter DAM in days describes the demo, setup and optional Kickstart.
Topics to verify in writing before migration
| Topic | Beeldbank.nl can do | From Bynder |
|---|---|---|
| Moving files in | Bulk upload, thumbnails and format conversion | Check contract for export format |
| Metadata in the files | Metadata extraction | Verify embedded metadata is kept |
| Custom fields | Your own fields: Tekst, Lange tekst, Nummer, Link, Datum, Enkele keuze or Meerkeuze | Ask for list of your current fields and values |
| Correcting after import | Select all files, a range or specific files and change information in one action | Applies after you have left |
| Checking incoming material | Uploads can go to a temporary folder where administrators decide | Applies after you have left |
| Your data after you leave | Customer owns all rights; Beeldbank.nl keeps only hosting rights. Customer must export in time before termination. | Check what happens to your data after you terminate |
How to map your Bynder custom fields to Beeldbank.nl field types
The most important part of a move is the metadata. Images are files and files can be copied. Fields are decisions someone once made, and they have to be translated.
The new system offers these field types: Tekst (short text), Lange tekst (long text), Nummer (number), Link, Datum (date), Enkele keuze (single choice) and Meerkeuze (multiple choice). Start by writing down every field you use today and match each one to a type from this list. A field with a fixed set of options, such as a usage-rights label, fits Enkele keuze with the same options. A field where several values can apply at once fits Meerkeuze. Free notes fit Lange tekst.
If a field does not map neatly, you have two choices. Simplify the field before you export, or fix it after the upload. For the second route, bulk editing is the tool: you select a group of files, either all of them, a range or a few loose ones, and change their information in one go. That makes it realistic to correct a mapping mistake across many files without opening them one by one.
Plan Your Migration to Beeldbank.nl Together in the Demo
No dedicated migration tooling is documented, and you should not expect a one-click import button from your old system. What exists are the upload and editing features described above. That is enough to build a practical plan, but the plan has to be agreed with Beeldbank.nl in writing.
Use the demo for that. Bring a short list: export folders, format, field mapping, consent handling and the timeline. Ask the vendor to confirm each point, preferably in the offer.
If you are moving photos from shared network folders at the same time, read the practical migration checklist for switching DAM vendors, because those steps apply here too.
Data ownership: what happens to your images after you leave
Read the terms of both vendors before you migrate. The new vendor's terms state that all rights to your data remain with you or your rights holders. It only obtains the rights needed to host, secure, maintain and support the service. In plain words, your images and the information you add to them stay yours.
The terms also state that you are responsible for exporting your data in time before the agreement ends. After termination it may delete the data. The practical lesson is: put the export in your calendar well before the end date and test it.
Ask your current vendor for the equivalent terms. What are you entitled to export, in what form and until when? Do not rely on memory or on what a salesperson said once. Get it in writing.
A vendor-neutral checklist before you start the export from Bynder
Before you start, run through these points. None depends on a specific vendor.
- Decide what moves. Not every file deserves a place, so agree who may decide to leave things behind.
- Export a small test batch first. Open the files, look at the metadata and confirm that nothing is lost or garbled.
- Keep the original export untouched as a backup and work on a copy.
- Write the field mapping down in one document that the whole team can read.
- Start the export well before your current contract ends, so a problem does not collide with the deadline.
- Keep consent records and the images they belong to together, so that proof is not separated from the picture.
Further reading on your migration
If you want to see what you can stop paying for when you leave Bynder, what you can drop shows what a smaller system can do.
Once the plan is agreed, the order is simple: confirm in writing, export, map fields, upload in groups, correct with bulk editing and let a few colleagues search the new system before you switch the old one off. Each step is small. The risk sits in skipping them.
Information desk: quick answers
- Does the new vendor have an automated tool from your current DAM?
- No such tool is documented. it offers bulk upload, metadata extraction, custom fields and bulk editing, but dedicated migration tooling from Bynder is not described. You export from Bynder and upload to it, and the plan should be agreed during the demo.
- What happens to my custom metadata fields when I move from Bynder to the new vendor?
- Do not assume they transfer by themselves. Map each field in Bynder to a field type that it offers: Tekst, Lange tekst, Nummer, Link, Datum, Enkele keuze or Meerkeuze. A field with fixed options can become a single-choice field with the same options. Agree this mapping before the upload.
- Who is responsible for exporting my data from Bynder?
- Check your Bynder contract. Many vendors require that the customer exports its own data in time before termination. it's terms state that you are responsible for exporting your data in time before your agreement ends, and that it may delete it afterwards subject to legal retention and its backup policy.
- Can I bulk-edit metadata after uploading to the new vendor?
- Yes. In it you can select a group of files, whether all of them, a range or a few specific ones, and change their field information in one go. This helps to correct a field mapping mistake after the upload without editing every file separately.