Photonesto is a tool designed for photographers, allowing them to easily create an online photo gallery for their clients. Each gallery has its own web address and is password-protected. Creating one takes just a few simple steps. A brief guide can be found below.
Next steps:
1. Log in to the photographer's panel in Photonesto
The first step to creating a password-protected photo gallery is to log in to the photographer's panel. This is done by entering the email address and password for your Photonesto account on the login page.
If you don't have an account yet, you can create one here.
2. Creating a new gallery
Being logged into the photographer's panel in the photo galleries section, click the "Create" button in the upper left corner of the screen and select the "Photo Album" option.
A window will appear where you will be asked to provide a name and password for the gallery. The password can be generated using the "Generate" button or you can enter your own (it should have a minimum of 5 characters). You can also choose the photo layout here, but it will be possible to change it later at any time.
When creating a password, clients will need to enter it when logging into the gallery to gain access to the photos.
Choosing a cover photo
After creating a new photo gallery, you have been redirected to the gallery management page.
The first thing you can do, which is optional but recommended to enhance the visual aspect of your gallery, is to add a cover photo - this is the picture your clients will see first when they enter their photo gallery.
To add a cover to the gallery, click the "Add an album cover" button, and then select the photo that will serve as the cover. You can choose from over a dozen available types and specify a focal point, which is the element of the photo that should be its central point. This will help ensure the cover displays nicely on both computers and mobile devices. There is also an option to apply a watermark to the cover - in the advanced options.
After selecting the cover file, you will be shown a preview of how the chosen photo will look as a cover on both large and small screens.
Uploading photos
The next step is to add photos to the gallery.
Click the "Upload photos" button, then select the photos you want to upload.
After confirming, the selected photos will be uploaded one by one.
During the upload and processing of the photos, thumbnails will appear along with information about the file name and size.
3. Publishing the gallery
The gallery is not yet available to clients at this stage.
To change this, you need to publish it by clicking the button.
A screen will appear with information about the publication parameters. We set how long the gallery should be available to clients (3 months, 6 months, 12 months). The publication fee is calculated based on the gallery size and the publication period.
A detailed description of the fee calculation can be found here.
4. The gallery is ready
Congratulations! From this moment on, your gallery is available to clients.
In Photonesto, every gallery has its unique web address and access password. The aforementioned details are displayed in the gallery management panel after clicking the "Share with customers" button.
We log in to the client panel by clicking the visible web address and then entering the access password.
The client panel allows for browse, marking, and downloading photos, among other things. It is optimized for proper display on all devices (including mobile).
5. Managing the gallery
The gallery management panel has many different settings and options. We will introduce you to the functions of a few of the most important ones.
Publication period and password management
Below the cover photo, you'll find a button with three vertical dots. This is where you'll find options for managing the publication period and access passwords. You can also delete the entire photo gallery from here.
Deleting a photo gallery is irreversible!
By clicking on Change Passwords, you gain access to password management. This means you can set more than one password for the gallery. One password can be for guests, and another for the newlyweds, in order to hide shots they want to keep just for themselves. This way, by logging in with a different password, different photos will be displayed to both groups of users.
Welcome message
Here you can set a welcome message for your clients, which will be displayed at the very top when they enter the gallery. You can enter a title and the content of the message, as well as additional information, such as an offer and sales details or information about additional products for sale in your gallery. The welcome message is visible in the preview on the side and changes in real time as you fill it out.
Sales configuration
Here, you can enable the option to sell photos within the gallery. You can manage your offer, select a price list, and specify particular products and their prices.
Other options and settings
Below, you'll find the gallery's event history. You can also add a private note (visible only to you) or access the gallery's settings. In the settings, you can find options for language, photo downloads, and other useful features, such as allowing clients to mark photos with a star.
Summary
Delivering photos via online galleries is now a standard practice in the world of photography. Clients increasingly expect this form of presenting a photographer's work. At Photonesto, we help photographers meet these demands.
Create, manage, and sell photos with Photonesto!