Asset Source
Also known as: Custom Asset Source
Definition
A data provider that supplies a collection of assets (images, videos, fonts, stickers, templates, shapes, filters, or any other asset type) to the CE.SDK asset library. Every asset visible in the editor’s library comes from a registered asset source.
Local vs. Remote Sources
Local Source
A finite, in-memory collection managed directly in the engine. Assets are added at initialization and the engine handles search and pagination automatically.
The correct choice for small, stable collections that are bundled with the integration: custom stickers, a fixed set of brand logos, or a curated shape library.
Remote Source
Connects to an external data provider via a query callback that fetches, filters, and paginates results on demand.
The correct choice for large collections (stock photo libraries, brand DAMs with thousands of assets) where loading everything upfront is not practical.
Built-in Default Asset Sources
These ship with CE.SDK and are available via the default asset source setup.
Images
A curated library of royalty-free images served from the IMG.LY CDN, available for use in design and photo editing workflows.
Stickers
A collection of vector and raster stickers across multiple style categories (emoticons, sketches, 3D stickers, and more) insertable as graphic blocks.
Shapes
Vector shape assets (rectangles, ellipses, polygons, stars, and custom paths) for use as block geometries or decorative elements.
Filters (LUTs)
A library of color filter presets based on LUT files, applied as effects on graphic blocks for consistent color grading across designs.
Fonts / Typefaces
A typeface library surfaced in the typography panel, covering a range of styles for text blocks.
Templates
Pre-designed scene files covering marketing materials, social media formats, business presentations, and print-ready graphics, in blank and styled variants across design, social, print, and presentation categories.
Color Palettes
A set of configurable color palette assets accessible in the color picker panel.
Crop Presets
Predefined aspect ratio options surfaced in the crop tool, covering common social media, print, and display formats.
Page Presets
Standard page dimension presets for common canvas sizes, surfaced when creating or resizing a scene.
Upload
A user-facing upload source that allows end-users to add their own images, videos, and audio directly into the editor session.
Audio
A library of royalty-free audio clips for use in video compositions.
Video
A library of stock video clips for use in video compositions and placeholders.
Third-Party Remote Asset Source Integrations
These require separate API access and a server-side proxy to protect credentials.
Unsplash (Attribution required)
Connects to Unsplash’s public API to provide searchable, royalty-free stock photography directly in the editor. Requires attribution per Unsplash’s licensing terms. Enables access to a broad, high-quality image library without hosting assets.
Pexels (Photos & video)
Connects to the Pexels API for royalty-free stock photos and videos. Similar integration pattern to Unsplash. Enables a second royalty-free source with different content coverage and no attribution requirement for most use cases.
Getty Images (Licensed content)
Connects to Getty Images’ licensed content API for premium editorial and commercial photography. Enables platforms that require commercially licensed imagery to surface Getty content directly in the editor asset panel.
Airtable (No-code backend)
Uses an Airtable spreadsheet as an asset backend, with images, tags, labels, and metadata pulled from table rows. Search is fully configurable against any field in the table. Enables non-technical teams to manage a curated asset library via a spreadsheet interface without building a custom CMS.
Soundstripe (Audio & music)
Connects to Soundstripe’s licensed music and audio library for use in video compositions. Enables royalty-free music selection without leaving the video editor.
Custom / Brand DAM (Any backend)
Any URL-addressable asset collection can be registered as a remote asset source by implementing the AssetSource interface and returning CE.SDK’s asset format. Enables proprietary brand libraries, internal DAMs, and custom content backends to appear in the editor alongside built-in sources.
IMG.LY Premium Templates (Self-hosted)
A self-hosted archive of premium template assets purchased from IMG.LY and served from the customer’s own infrastructure. Enables a branded template library separate from the default demo templates, suitable for production deployments.
Connecting a Custom Asset Source
This sequence applies whether the content is a brand DAM, an internal media library, or any URL-addressable asset collection.
Define what the source provides
Determine asset type (images, templates, fonts, stickers), whether the collection is finite or requires queried pagination, and whether assets need authentication or a proxy to fetch.
Register the source with the engine
For finite collections, use a local source and add assets at initialization. For large or dynamic collections, implement a remote source with a query function that accepts search terms, page size, and cursor parameters and returns the CE.SDK asset format.
Map assets to CE.SDK’s format
Each asset needs at minimum: a unique ID, a URI pointing to the asset file, a thumbnail URI for the library grid, and the block type and fill type CE.SDK should create when the asset is applied. Optional fields include dimensions (for correct aspect ratio), kind (semantic identifier on the created block), and attribution data.
Create an asset library entry
Register a library entry that references the source by ID and configures the panel appearance: grid columns, item height, background type, and icon for the dock button.
Add to the dock
Insert a dock button that opens the library entry. For sources that should augment an existing panel (such as adding brand photos alongside the default images tab) update the existing entry to append the new source ID rather than creating a separate entry.
Handle the replace context
If the source should also appear when a user clicks Replace on a placeholder block, configure a replace-specific library entry that controls which asset types are eligible for replacement on which block types.
Links
Documentation and references for this concept.
Custom Asset Sources Guide
How to register and build asset sources for any content provider.
Airtable Asset Source Demo
See CE.SDK connected to Airtable as a live image asset source.
Pexels Asset Source Demo
See CE.SDK connected to the Pexels stock photo API.
Unsplash Asset Source Demo
See CE.SDK connected to the Unsplash image library.
Getty Images Asset Source Demo
See CE.SDK connected to the Getty Images stock library.
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