Do connections to AEM still remain for assets copied to Creative Cloud Libraries? | Community
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dmescia2
dmescia2
Level 3
January 22, 2026
Solved

Do connections to AEM still remain for assets copied to Creative Cloud Libraries?

  • January 22, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 59 views

I am investigating linking our Creative Cloud libraries to AEM as a cloud. I found the video linked below. My question is this:
If I copy an asset into a Creative Cloud library am I still able to track its use? If someone uses an asset from a library via InDesign or Express will I see that usage for the asset in AEM? 

 

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-learn/assets-essentials/creative-cloud

Best answer by AmitVishwakarma

Hi ​@dmescia2 When you copy an asset from AEM (or Assets Essentials) into a Creative Cloud Library, the item in the Library becomes its own asset stored in Creative Cloud. AEM doesn’t maintain a live link to that Library item, so it can’t reliably show where it’s later used in InDesign, Express, etc. Those placements won’t appear in AEM’s “where used” view or in the standard asset usage reports.

If you need proper governance and usage tracking in AEM, there are really two practical options:

  1. Use Adobe Asset Link or other direct AEM–Creative Cloud integrations:
    Have creatives place assets directly from AEM via Asset Link, and then check the InDesign/creative files back into AEM. In that workflow, AEM can read the file metadata and understand which AEM assets are used where.
  2. Build a lightweight custom integration for Library usage:
    Capture usage of Creative Cloud Library items via APIs/events/logs on the Creative Cloud side, and push that information back into AEM (for example as custom metadata or into a reporting/audit model). That’s currently the only way to get Library‑based usage reflected inside AEM.

So in practice, Creative Cloud Libraries are great for designers and day‑to‑day work, but they don’t behave like a fully tracked extension of AEM. If strict asset governance and usage tracking are important, Asset Link–based workflows (or a custom integration on top of Libraries) are the safer approach for now.

Thanks,
Amit

4 replies

Vishal_Anand
Vishal_Anand
Level 5
February 1, 2026

Hi ​@dmescia2 ,

Short answer: No - not automatically. If a user copies an asset into a CC library and then uses it from CC (InDesign/Express), AEM will not reliably show that usage unless the CC item remains linked to the original AEM asset or you capture usage events and send them back to AEM.
 

Recommendation: If tracking is required, either use a CC<>AEM sync that preserves the AEM asset reference, or build a small webhook/middleware to capture CC Library usage and write it back into AEM’s audit/reporting store.

​@kautuk_sahni 

dmescia2
dmescia2Author
Level 3
February 2, 2026

Thanks for the response. I’ll have one of our developers look into how/if we can build one of those. The whole point of a DAM is maintain control over your assets so Libraries are pretty much unusable without that ability to maintain the references. 

    A
    Abie
    Level 4
    February 4, 2026

    Hi ​@dmescia2 ,

    A couple of things-

    1. Why copy assets when you can use something like Asset Link connection for connect AEM Author with Creative Cloud products? This way one could manage the assets in AEM, still be able to edit/collaborate on the assets in CC products like Photoshop or Indesign. No customization needed here.
    2. I hope by usage you mean editing/collaboration on the assets? If yes, AEM Asset Link connector takes care of it.

     

    Thanks!

    dmescia2
    dmescia2Author
    Level 3
    February 11, 2026

    We do use Asset Link but it is very limited in it’s capabilities, especially with search. Libraries are a much more streamlined manner to work. Our end users would much prefer to work in that environment if its possible. If Adobe ever improves Asset Link to move away from folder navigation and allow for search and filtering in the same manner we do in the DAM I would easily be able to move users to Asset Link but in its current state its difficult to build adoption because the tool is so limited.

    AmitVishwakarma
    Community Advisor
    AmitVishwakarmaCommunity AdvisorAccepted solution
    Community Advisor
    February 12, 2026

    Hi ​@dmescia2 When you copy an asset from AEM (or Assets Essentials) into a Creative Cloud Library, the item in the Library becomes its own asset stored in Creative Cloud. AEM doesn’t maintain a live link to that Library item, so it can’t reliably show where it’s later used in InDesign, Express, etc. Those placements won’t appear in AEM’s “where used” view or in the standard asset usage reports.

    If you need proper governance and usage tracking in AEM, there are really two practical options:

    1. Use Adobe Asset Link or other direct AEM–Creative Cloud integrations:
      Have creatives place assets directly from AEM via Asset Link, and then check the InDesign/creative files back into AEM. In that workflow, AEM can read the file metadata and understand which AEM assets are used where.
    2. Build a lightweight custom integration for Library usage:
      Capture usage of Creative Cloud Library items via APIs/events/logs on the Creative Cloud side, and push that information back into AEM (for example as custom metadata or into a reporting/audit model). That’s currently the only way to get Library‑based usage reflected inside AEM.

    So in practice, Creative Cloud Libraries are great for designers and day‑to‑day work, but they don’t behave like a fully tracked extension of AEM. If strict asset governance and usage tracking are important, Asset Link–based workflows (or a custom integration on top of Libraries) are the safer approach for now.

    Thanks,
    Amit

    kautuk_sahni
    Community Manager
    kautuk_sahniCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    February 17, 2026

    ​@dmescia2 I wanted to follow up and see if your issue has been resolved. If you were able to find a solution—either from the responses above or on your own—we’d appreciate it if you could share the details for the benefit of others. Additionally, if any reply was helpful, marking it as accepted helps future members quickly identify effective solutions. Thank you for helping improve the community experience.

    Kautuk Sahni
    dmescia2
    dmescia2Author
    Level 3
    February 25, 2026

    The question was answered but the issue still exists. A libraries-AEM integration is only useful if the connection to the asset is maintained. This thread has confirmed that we should not be using libraries in CC given the current structure of AEM.

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