How do I add a client to a gallery if they don’t have an account yet?

You can simply use the gallery sharing feature and enter their email address. They will gain the specified access rights as soon as they register on your site using that exact email address.

How do parent gallery authorizations apply to sub-galleries?

Sub-galleries automatically inherit all authorizations from their parent gallery. However, if you add any new, specific authorization (even a general password) to the sub-gallery, it will stop inheriting from the parent, and you must define all desired authorizations on the sub-gallery itself.

What is the “Anybody” row for in the authorization panel?

This row defines the default access for anyone who is not specifically listed below it. It applies to all visitors: those who are not logged in, and those who are logged in but have not been granted explicit, personalized access to the gallery.

What is the difference between “Originals download” and “Custom downloads”?

“Originals download” provides the client with the exact, unmodified file you initially uploaded, typically with a single click. “Custom downloads” reprocesses the original file to meet custom specifications (size, format, renaming, etc.) before delivery. Because of this reprocessing, Custom downloads are ordered through the cart and cannot be downloaded with a single click.

Is there a limit on how many images can be downloaded at once for free?

The system will display a “Download all” button (if authorized) for Originals download only if the gallery contains less than 2000 files.

Private galleries and free downloads authorizations

Gallery access control

Managing a large volume of media files for diverse clients and projects requires a system that is both flexible and secure. PhotoDeck’s access permissions features give you precise control over who can see which of your images and video clips, helping you balance client confidentiality with ease of use, for every project.

Instead of managing multiple websites or scattering files across unsecured platforms, you can centralize them on PhotoDeck and easily control access at the gallery level. You can simply hide a gallery from public view, use a simple password to protect private galleries in a way that limits friction, or use the system’s client management features for personalized, login-based authorizations.

Access control examples

For the corporate photographer: Securely share a gallery of finalized executive portraits with a specific client contact from the marketing department. Your other clients, or the general public, will not even know the gallery exists.
For the wedding photographer: Set a general password for all guests to view and order prints from the main gallery, while granting the couple a login-based access to a private sub-gallery containing exclusive, sensitive, or high-res images.
For the marketing team: Group all images related to a new product launch into one gallery. Grant login access to the “Europe Team” client group, while excluding the “Asian Partners” group until the proper time.
For private archives: Offer your best clients login-based access to a searchable archive of all their past work, and rest assured that other clients cannot view this confidential content.

This flexibility ensures that every client sees only what they are supposed to, with a level of protection matching the nature of the work and the client type, simplifying the sharing process and your workflow.

Free downloads

As a professional, your gallery website is often a central hub for fulfilling client requests, whether that’s handing over final, high-resolution files, or simply providing watermarked previews for selection. PhotoDeck’s download features let you control what clients can freely download, from simple previews to full-resolution originals, and even custom-reprocessed files, turning file delivery from a chore into a seamless experience.

You decide precisely which clients or client groups are allowed to download files freely, and what those files are: the original files you uploaded, pre-generated low-res previews or custom formats tailored to their specific use.

Free downloads examples

For the assignment photographer: After a shoot, grant your main client contact access to the download of original files for all finished images. They can download the final, full-resolution JPEGs (or other originals) with a single click, without having to contact you or place an order.
For photo agencies: Enable “low-res download” for clients to quickly grab watermarked, low-resolution versions of your media for layout mock-ups and internal approval before licensing the final images.
For marketing teams: Use the “Custom download” option to automatically enforce file standards. For a specific client or group, configure downloads to always be delivered as 1000px wide JPEGs, optimized for their website, ensuring brand consistency. You can even automatically rename files and adjust metadata upon download.
For selection and approval workflows: For a job requiring client selection (e.g., culling favorites for retouching), use “Custom download” and limit the immediate delivery to only files you have marked as “FINAL”, so you can edit the others before releasing them to the client in a streamlined workflow.

By empowering your clients to securely and instantly access the correct files, you save valuable time, eliminate back-and-forth emails, and provide a superior, professional client experience.

Galleries can be protected by login or by a simple password

The Access and Free Downloads table

To open the authorization panel for a gallery, click on the Authorizations link above the thumbnails.

The first row (Anybody) applies to anyone who is not specifically listed on another row. When you add authorizations for a specific client, the Anybody row applies to everybody except that client (and others previously listed). You can optionally set and require a General password: anyone knowing the password, logged in or not, will then gain access to the gallery.

You can also add authorizations for specific clients. They will need to login to be identified. You can also give access to all members of a clients group (defined under My business / Clients) at once.

We recommend you don’t use on the same gallery both a general password and client-specific login access. While it is possible, it can be confusing.

Can enter gallery indicates whether access to the gallery (seeing its content) it allowed.

Low-res download indicates whether a button is displayed to easily download preview images. The preview images are watermarked if you used a watermark upon initial upload.
Note that savvy users will always be able to extract the preview images displayed on your site, whether you enable this or not, via a screen capture or other means. So this feature is really for your clients convenience, and you must make sure that you have a proper watermark in place if preview theft is a concern.

Originals download indicates whether FREE download of the originals is allowed. The originals are the very same files you have initially uploaded, without any modification, and are available for download in a single click.
Optionally, this can be limited to files in FINAL state. A Download all button is displayed if the gallery contains less than 2000 images.

Custom downloads let you reprocess the files to your own specifications.

Custom downloads

Custom downloads allows you to specify your own FREE download formats and sizes, rename downloaded files and automatically adjust their metadata.

Since the files must be reprocessed before delivery, they are ordered through the cart - direct 1-click download isn’t possible, but all files in the gallery can be downloaded at once.
Using the Immediately deliver only files in FINAL state option makes it easy to deliver jobs where the client must select files for retouching before delivery (to learn more, please refer to the help topic on “Galleries for professional clients”).

Giving personal authorizations to a new client

To give access to the gallery and/or to download capabilities to a specific client, click Authorize specific client and enter the client’s email address. Tick the boxes corresponding to the access rights you wish to provide him.

You can add a client’s email address even if they are not registered on your website yet : they will gain access once they register with the same email address you have specified.

Alternatively, you can also open the Send by email panel to send the gallery to a client by email and give him the proper access rights in a single step!

Sub-galleries automatically inherit from their parent…

… except if they define authorizations of their own.

For clarity and to avoid errors, if you set new authorizations for a sub-gallery, it will NOT inherit authorizations from its parents anymore, so you need to define all authorizations for that sub-gallery.

If you want a gallery to inherit from the same authorizations as its parent gallery, simply make sure you remove all its authorizations.

FAQ

How do I add a client to a gallery if they don’t have an account yet?
You can simply use the gallery sharing feature and enter their email address. They will gain the specified access rights as soon as they register on your site using that exact email address.
How do parent gallery authorizations apply to sub-galleries?
Sub-galleries automatically inherit all authorizations from their parent gallery. However, if you add any new, specific authorization (even a general password) to the sub-gallery, it will stop inheriting from the parent, and you must define all desired authorizations on the sub-gallery itself.
What is the “Anybody” row for in the authorization panel?
This row defines the default access for anyone who is not specifically listed below it. It applies to all visitors: those who are not logged in, and those who are logged in but have not been granted explicit, personalized access to the gallery.
What is the difference between “Originals download” and “Custom downloads”?
“Originals download” provides the client with the exact, unmodified file you initially uploaded, typically with a single click. “Custom downloads” reprocesses the original file to meet custom specifications (size, format, renaming, etc.) before delivery. Because of this reprocessing, Custom downloads are ordered through the cart and cannot be downloaded with a single click.
Is there a limit on how many images can be downloaded at once for free?
The system will display a “Download all” button (if authorized) for Originals download only if the gallery contains less than 2000 files.