In our previous posting on Web Photo Galleries: Upsides, some of the attractive features of photo editor based Web Gallery creation software held center stage – it is called the Upside. Now we discuss some of the Downsides to current Web Gallery Creation Software.
No Comprehensive Tool
In the previous review, the issue of a lack of a complete Web gallery creation tool was mentioned. I have yet to find a tool that allows users a comprehensive set of choices:
1)Display method: HTML Only, Flash-based, JavaFx/javabased, SilverLight-based.
2)Image sizing and thumbnail creation options including framing, coloring, spacing, tabling and styling;
3)Image slideshow control including fades, transitions, background music, fullscreen mode, skipping, etc;
4)Ability to add comments, ratings, and links;
5)ability to filter, sort or otherwise control the order of display of the images;
6)ability to customize and save the above settings for re-use.
Of course users of such free CMS such as Coppermine, Gallery 2,and PHPWebGallery will argue that is exactly what these LAMP tools provide to users. But the problem is that installing and/or managing these Web Gallery applications can be challenging for many potential users. But they do offer users more control over the layout and look of their galleries. And some allow integration with popular web blogs like WordPress and Drupal.
The Updating Game
Another problem with our Web creation programs is that they are good at creating nhew galleries on a website; but most have no provision for making updates and changes to the images once they are posted. For example, one or two of half a dozen images are updated – what do you do ?Users will have to adopt one of two strategies:
1)Delete the existing website by writing over the existing one – reasonably fast for small galleries; more painful and error prone for big galleries;
2)Get into the FTP game and delete specific images and then reload them form your PC. But again, this assumes a willingness to use FTP programs and getting into the nitty gritty of website development.
The situation gets even more complicated if the Gallery uses Flash display(then only option 1 works) as either the thumnails or the complete images are buried in a .swf file – unavailable for update or deletion. But even updates to HTML driven galleries can be quite complicated – as manifest, metadata, or other summary files have to be updated along with the image files.
Integration With Other Tools
We have already noted that some of the serverside CMSContenet Management Systems like Coppermine and Gallery 2 can integrate with popular blogs. But many users may want to add a contest feature or shopping cart for selling their images. Again, the basic photo edit Web galleries are just out of the legue for providing these type features. Again two strategies come to mind:
1)For web savvy designers and developers, the baic gallery may very well provide the raw material for integration with an ecommerce system – the real problem will be a)installation of a connection and b)keeping the two system synched together. be careful that you have the people with the right skills to do this;
2)the second is to use these needs as a signal that you will need to graduate up to either a commercial gallery or one of the free CMS Galeries which often provide such features or plugins to manage them.
As one can see , setting up and using a Web Gallery depends on what you want to do – and where your skills and inetrests lie. I have found the best approach is to set up a quick gallery using the gallery creation software available in most photo editing tools. Then let the photographers/designers interests and needs dictate where they want to go from a simple and inexpensive start.