Last updated June 25, 2012 and refers to features in the Upload Manager v3.0.38 or newer.
What is WebGallery
On-Line Structure
The UpLoad Manager
Members Admin Area
Web Preview Area
Getting a WebGallery Account
How Images are Uploaded and Displayed
Uploaded Album Options and Settings
Using WebGallery - part 2.
What is WebGallery
The WebGallery system is a subscription based service for quickly uploading images to the internet for viewing, proofing and e-commerce sales. It is designed to operate as an adjunct to your own web site. All uploaded images reside on TimeExposure's servers but you can easily customize your WebGallery account pages to look like your own web site and link to and back from those pages so, as far as your client is concerned, the system is just part of your own web site.
On-line Stucture
In WebGallery terms, images are uploaded to an on-line WebGallery Album. Each Album can contain an unlimited number of Sets (previously referred to as PhotoGroups). You can name your Sets as you like eg Bride's home, Groom's Home, Service etc. Sets provide a way to divide up an album to make it easier for your clients to find particular images.
Each Set can also contain a note which is automatically displayed when the Set is first opened. Set notes can be used to provide a greeting to your clients and/or any special instructions.
Each Set can contain an unlimited number of images.
By default all of your uploaded albums can be accessed by your customers from an Index Page which you can rename to anything you like. eg Client Viewing Area, On-line Store etc. If you wish, you can also setup multiple Index Pages to keep your albums groups together as you like. eg Portraiture Clients, Wedding Clients.
Access to on-line Albums can be password protected at an Album level or an Index Page level.
The WebGallery system consists of two parts:
- Upload Manager
- Members Admin Area
- Web Preview Area
The Upload Manager
The Upload Manager (which replaces the old ImageLoader v2 software) is a software utility that runs on your computer and is used to prepare and upload images to an on-line WebGallery account. You can download this free software from the WebGallery Tools page in the downloads area of our web site. It also allows you to make changes to uploaded albums such as adding or replacing images
For a demonstration on how to use this software, please watch the short tutorial movie on the WebGallery Tutorial Movies page called "Installing and Using the Upload Manager".
Note: When you first install and run the Upload Manager, you will need to make sure that your have setup a WebGallery Account (see below) and your computer is connected to the Internet because it will immediately try to verify your account and password with your Member account details you previously entered on-line.
Upload Queuing
Once you start uploading a new album or update to the server, the album will be added to the Upload Queue. While this is happening, you can be preparing another album for uploading.
Members Admin Area
This is an on-line area that you can access through your Browser and is where you control the setup, configuration and management of your WebGallery account.
Once you have opened a WebGallery Account (see next section), you can log into the Members Admin Area using your WebGallery account number and password through the WebGallery login link on the bottom right corner of TimeExposure's home page OR simply log into your TimeExposure.com account's My Membership Home page and click the Login into your WebGallery Members Admin Page link in the WebGallery Information area.
If the Upload Manager is open, another more instant way is to select "Go to Member's Admin Area" (under the WebGallery menu).
Web Preview Area
This is the area that your clients will see and use to view and order items. You normally include links in your web site to this part of the WebGallery so you clients can navigate this pages.
Opening Albums
There are three ways that clients can access an uploaded album and you can setup your web site to use any or all of these methods:
1. Album Index Page
WebGallery allows visitors to order images across multiple uploaded albums on the same Index Page provided those albums are all using the same price list.
You can place links to one or more index pages in your web site. The best way to find the URL for an index page is by selecting that index page by name from the list in the Members Admin Area (Album Index Page Setup) and copying the URL from your browser's URL box.
2. Album Login Page
3. Directly into an Album
To use this method, you need to create an empty Album Index page (Member's Admin Area -> Album Index Page Setup) and upload your album to this page. For a portfolio album, you would normally set the following album attributes:
View Only, No password, Image Labels Style: None and Delete Album: Manually
To create a link to open this album, use the method described above to get the URL to the index page that you have placed the album in and then add the text "&autoopen=true" to the end of the URL. If you wish to have the album open as a slideshow then also add the text "&autoplay=true" after that.
Important: When using this feature you would normally only have one album on the index page being referred to in the URL. If you have more than one album on the Index page then the first album (sorted alphabetically by name) will be opened.
System requirements
The WebGallery system's main Web Preview page is based on Flash and requires that viewers are using both Flash 9.045 or newer and have Javascript enabled in their browsers. According to Adobe's Web Site more than 95% of users in the major countries already have this version of Flash installed on their computers.
The WebGallery automatically checks that all visitors have the required parts installed, and if not, displays a page explaining how to update their computer to the necessary level.
The WebGallery system has been designed on the assumption that the viewer has a broadband connection. A moderately fast broadband user will find that the basic viewer will load in about 5-10 seconds. Almost all functions can be done on the one page (except order review and checkout) so once loaded the only delay will be the images downloading the first time they are selected. Dial-up users will need to wait around 45 seconds for the page to first load.
Getting a WebGallery Account
In order to upload images, you must first open a WebGallery Trail account. These is initially valid for 30 days and allows you to upload up to 75 images and try out the functionality of the whole system.
To open a trial account, log into your TimeExposure.com membership area - if you haven't already joined as a member of TimeExposure.com (it's free and private) you will need to do so - then, in your My Membership Home page click on the Request a FREE WebGallery Trial link.
In the email that you receive you will find the URLs for the link that you need to access your WebGallery pages from your web site.
After (or during) your initial trial, you can subscribe to one of the plans through the Member's Admin Area. You will find full details of subscription plans and charges also on the WebGallery Plans & Pricing page.
Your WebGallery account allows you to set a different email address for receipt of orders. This is done through the Manage Your Account -> Change Ordering Details section.
How images are uploaded and displayed
Image Sizes and Effects
The Upload Manager by default, resizes all images to fit within a 500 pixels wide by 425 pixels high format. Images are uploaded at their original aspect ratio and any borders and effects are applied as part of the Preview Area Appearance that you can setup through the Member's Admin area.
HiDef Uploads
You can select individual images to be uploaded in HiDef. This is useful if your images require a lot of detail (such as a group shot) and you would like the viewers to be able to zoom into the images with higher clarity on the web site. These images are resized and uploaded at twice the basic size (up to 1000 pixels wide x 850 pixels high). After uploading, a smaller sized copy is created on the server automatically which is used when initially displaying the image. If the user selects the Zoom icon for a HiDef uploaded image, they will be able to inspect parts of the image in greater detail.
Because they are larger in size, uploading HiDef images will use up more upload credits compared to regular images (see your account plan for details).
In the Upload Manager, you can convert images to HiDef (or back to normal size) when creating a new album or adding more images to an on-line album by
- Selecting a set and clicking the Image Manager button or double-clicking the set name to open the Image Manager window
- Select the relevant image(s) and click the "HD" icon (or "SD" if changing back to Standard Def).
Uploaded Album Options and Settings
When you are preparing you album for uploading in the Upload Manager, there are a number of setting that you can choose for the album. These controls how the album is displayed and what the user can do when viewing the album.
Once you have uploaded the album, you can still make changes to these settings by going to the Member's Admin Area, selecting the album from the Album List and click the Change link.
General Album Settings
The Name of the album is the main way that the album is referred to.
Job Reference number must be unique number for each album.
Photographer's name and Job Date are optional item, but if entered will be included with any orders received.
If you set a Password for the Album, then this will need to be entered by the client before they can see the contents of the album. This password is not case-sensitive.
Album Expiry Date
The Album Expiry Date specifies the date after which the album will no longer be accessible by the public.
You can set any date, however if you choose to keep the album on the server for longer than 3 months, additional credits will be taken from your account for each additional 3 month period or part thereof. Please refer to the WebGallery Plans & Pricing page for details of these charges.
By default, the system will send you an email when the album has expired. If you wish to extend the expiry date, simply log into the Member's Admin Area and set a new the expiry date in the Change Album details page. If this change results in the album being displayed for more than 3 months, additional credits will be used.
Albums are automatically deleted from the server seven days after their expiry date.
Copyright Stamp
With the introduction of the Upload Manager, copyright stamps are now applied to all images in an album when they are displayed. So to add a stamp to your album, you need to:
- Setup a Copyright Stamp using the Manage Copyright Logo section in the Members Admin Area
- Check the Add Copyright stamp box for that album.
See this article for more information.
Proofing
Visitor to your WebGallery Albums can select and save their own favorite images.
You can use this method to get a list of their choices by checking the box Favorites Selection: Allow Clients to email them to you . This will allow your clients to send you a list of selected images (their favourites). In this case, when the client selects the "Email Favourites" system, they will get an option to either invite their friends (which is what happens if you don't have this option selected) or to send the list to you, the Photographer.
For how clients can save and share their favourites, please see the article "Sharing Favourites in WebGallery".
Price Lists & Ordering
For each Album you can select whether it is For Viewing Only or it is assigned to a particular price list (maximum of 10) which you can setup through the Member's Admin Area. If a price list is assigned, then the ordering options are enabled in the album and clients can select and order images.
Enable Orders for: Original (as uploaded), Black & White, Sepia - One or more of these checkboxes must be selected. If you select Black & White or Sepia, your clients will be able to view and order images in the uploaded album in these alternative styles. You do not need to upload different versions of the same image as the conversion takes place within the WebGallery system. It is possible to upload color images and only have them shown and ordered in B&W by only checking the B&W option (this also applies to sepia and color as well).
The WebGallery system assumes that your prices are the same for these different ordered styles.
On-Line Payment - Not required, optional or required. This is setup under the "Payment options" section in the Member's Admin area. Payment option information is detailed in part 2 of this article and also in this article on Payment options in WebGallery.
Credit Card Details
If you have setup a payment option to collect credit card details and process this through your own merchant account, then these are securely encryted and emailed as an attachment to you along with the order. You can decrypt this information using the Decode Credit Card function in the Upload Manage (under the tools menu). Encryption/Decryption is based on your account details so only you are able to decrypt details for orders for your account.
You can also use this function by:
- Dropping the email attachment file (.wgp) onto the Upload Manager icon (launches the application)
- Dropping the email attachment file (.wgp) into the main window areas of the Upload Manager.
Set Notes
If you have added any notes to a Set, they will be automatically displayed on the right-hand side of the page when the Set is first selected. Because there is a reasonable amount of space for these notes, you can now use them to greater effect. The notes are removed as soon as the first image is selected. They can be re-displayed by clicking on the Show Notes button.
If you have setup and are using a pricelist that automatically provides a discount for the first 'x' days that the album is open (see the price list setup section in the next article), then this special offer is automatically displayed at the start of any photographer's notes that you add.
Sorting Images Ready for Upload
In Upload Manager, you can sort your images for uploading by filename, creation date or a special one off order.
If the first two, then you can simply preset this in your Upload Manager Preferences, or select this in the "Imaging Sorting" section on the "Upload New WebGallery Album" window (when uploading a new album) and they will be automatically sorted prior to uploading PROVIDED you do not manually make any changes to order.
If you make any changes in the Upload Manager (eg using a drag and drop method), then they will be uploaded in the order that you set. Alternatively, you can also sort them manually using the sort popup tool located at bottom right corner of the list box in the "Image Manager" window.
More information
This article in continued in Part 2.
KnowledgeBase Article: Using WebGallery - Part 1