I'm new to smugmug, but I've already uploaded over 50,000 pictures and will probably run into some suggestions for improvements as I start to manipulate and arrange this massive library.
The only thing so far is something which has been mentioned in the past, but would be essential for me since I have over 400 albums in one gallery--alphabetical sorting for albums. (I did a search on "alphabetical" and came up with a few threads that mentioned it, but no other real information.)
Thank you for the service. I've looked for something like this for over a year.
#1 Feature Request - Highlight Galleries, and Music for the Slide Shows My number one request is the ability to select images from an existing gallery to be in another gallery--a highlights gallery. Currently, to achieve this, I must upload the same image twice--once for each gallery. I know that I could achieve this effect by sorting by position and then placing the highlights images in the front. However, this is not what I want... I two different galleries sourced from the same images. My reasoning for this is that I want to archive the images in a master gallery, than have a highlights gallery which only contains the images people would actually be interested in browsing. My number 2 request is the ability to add an MP3 soundtrack to a slideshow.
As a temporary fix until this type of feature can be programmed, I have keyworded my favorite photos with the word 'feature'. I then created a link to a search on the keyword 'feature'. I placed this link in my bio. I am going to modify the link tomorrow as I do not have the time now. But it allows you to leave the photos in the original galleries but feature them. This may not be the way you want it to work, but it works for me now. I am going to see if I can call a photo and make the link more obvious. I will probably add it to my navbar list.
As a temporary fix until this type of feature can be programmed, I have keyworded my favorite photos with the word feature. I then created a link to a search on the keyword. I placed this link in my bio. I am going to modify the link tomorrow as I do not have the time now. But it allows you to leave the photos in the original galleries but feature them. This may not be the way you want it to work, but it works for me now. I am going to see if I can call a photo and make the link more obvious. I will probably add it to my navbar list.
1. Improved gallery navigation. While I'm in gallery "x", I'd like to be able to jump to adjacent galleries "w" and "y" with Prev/Next buttons or something similar. My first thought would be to place these in the breadcrumb. The links would navigate within the current category.
2. Automatic square (or any preset ratio) thumbnail generation. This is mind-numbingly frustrating to do by hand, which is why I'm waiting for it to be implemented before I do it. : If nothing else, please make these variables accessible for hackers to play with.
3. Allow users to extract selected exif data for automatic inclusion with a caption. I'm interested in the exif date specifically, but others might have other desired. I guess this could be thought of as a customization of the camera info displayed.
1. Improved gallery navigation. While I'm in gallery "x", I'd like to be able to jump to adjacent galleries "w" and "y" with Prev/Next buttons or something similar. My first thought would be to place these in the breadcrumb. The links would navigate within the current category.
2. Automatic square (or any preset ratio) thumbnail generation. This is mind-numbingly frustrating to do by hand, which is why I'm waiting for it to be implemented before I do it. : If nothing else, please make these variables accessible for hackers to play with.
3. Allow users to extract selected exif data for automatic inclusion with a caption. I'm interested in the exif date specifically, but others might have other desired. I guess this could be thought of as a customization of the camera info displayed.
Thanks for the requests! Have you thought of putting html links in your gallery descriptions as a way of handling number 1) above?
As a temporary fix until this type of feature can be programmed, I have keyworded my favorite photos with the word 'feature'. I then created a link to a search on the keyword 'feature'. I placed this link in my bio. I am going to modify the link tomorrow as I do not have the time now. But it allows you to leave the photos in the original galleries but feature them. This may not be the way you want it to work, but it works for me now. I am going to see if I can call a photo and make the link more obvious. I will probably add it to my navbar list.
When you do this, is there an RSS/Atom for the keyword-search gallery? I'm thinking this could be another way to do the "photo of the day idea". Each day I could either change the photo with the "daily photo" keyword or add the "daily photo" keyword to another photo. Would this work?
I keyworded the photo. I went back to my homepage and went to my keyword page. click on keyword to go to keyword gallery. The RSS feed link is at the bottom. It pulls the keyword gallery. If you put the keyword on a new photo, it will change.
Now, I am not sure if the pubdate will change. I will have to wait a day to see if that part will work. Because you are changing photos, it might.
I still wish that SM will get the pubdate part working.
Just to clarify what I meant by "skinnable." I realize the need to keep it clearly smugmug...but it would be great to have the ability to tune the color scheme, and style to match my site.
For example, it would be great to change the background and font colors for the cart, so I could have a black on beige site and cart, even if the cart's branding remains smugmug.
Steve
I second this request.
And since I'm in the right thread and my mind is on it, here's what I've seen that could improve smugmug.
Improved Interface.
While you can find something if you know where it is, finding what you need to change can be a challenge. For example, some of the options for gallery customization options that affect other aspects of the site need have that information in the description along with what is already there. Perfect example--Hide Owner. It needs to say that this will disable customization and also hide your custom url. I ran into this problem and found quite a few threads on it too. If I had that information in the description, I would've known what I was doing when I turned it off.
More logical and change-friendly interface. I think the best example I can think of is vbulletin's admin area for styles. It is very easy to preview color changes and it builds the CSS for you. I'm not saying dummy it down so anyone without any understanding can do it, but just make it easier. It shouldn't require browser extensions or other programs to help you figure out the CSS change for say, a box background. And of course, for the die hard customizers, it would still be important to have a box where CSS can be directly entered.
Improved cart. I found myself with no link back to an album if I emptied the cart. Since the cart is fundamental to smugmug's income as well as its users, I think some priority needs to be assigned to its shortfalls. The ROI on such improvements would be quick and we would all benefit.
Wonderful service. The improvements would just put it over the top.
While you're on fixing stuff from the new release: there's still no "See photo in gallery"-link in single image view when clicking on a photo while browsing a keyword gallery in traditional, all thumbs or journal.
It's not a big thing, but as I'm starting to use keywords more and I don't know which styles my visitors prefer it would be really helpful to give them the connection back to the gallery in all styles.
][*]Improved cart. I found myself with no link back to an album if I emptied the cart. Since the cart is fundamental to smugmug's income as well as its users, I think some priority needs to be assigned to its shortfalls. The ROI on such improvements would be quick and we would all benefit.[/list]
Wonderful service. The improvements would just put it over the top.
I like it, works great, but dare I make a suggestion? Actually, I don't quite know what this entails and haven't thought it through, but, the popup would be super cool and more useful if it would popup over a gallery of thumbnails, or traditional layout.
I use all thumbs style a lot myself when looking for photos amongst my galleries. Its a nice clean layout of all photos in thumbnail size, no clutter. Currently, when I click on one, first it takes me to the page for that photo alone, then I click on the photo again, it goes to large size, then I have to click on it yet again to get the coolio image popup which is then original size, and by that point, who needs the popup?
In my dream world, I'd get the popup immediately when I clicked on a thumbnail in all thumbs (preferrably in L or M size). Then, I'd be able to view the larger photos via the popup while being able to still make out the gallery of thumbnails below. That would be cool.
did I describe that clearly?
regardless, you guys rock for implementing things like this so quickly!
In my dream world, I'd get the popup immediately when I clicked on a thumbnail in all thumbs (preferrably in L or M size). Then, I'd be able to view the larger photos via the popup while being able to still make out the gallery of thumbnails below. That would be cool.
did I describe that clearly?
regardless, you guys rock for implementing things like this so quickly!
Doc, I was thinking the same thing. I'd love that. Then I got to thinking about the reasons why they didn't. It has to do with all the controls you get when you click on a single image. It looks like the popup deal happens only when you already have access to the keywords, caption, etc. Makes sense in that are you sure that all users would want to have to switch to a different style to get to that info? I'm not sure what the solution is, cause I want what you want, but I'm sure there's a solution in there somewhere...
It's live. This was beast of a release to get out the door because of the new search stuff, but your coolio image popup stuff made it! We'll see what the world thinks.
This is great!
It really sets off the photos much more effectively. The controls are clear and intuitive. You never lose where you are. I see Eric's point clearly. And for some reason, when I use it on thumbnail galleries, it defaults to O size, not L.
But this is really a big step forward in displaying the shots. Nice job, guys!
It really sets off the photos much more effectively. The controls are clear and intuitive. You never lose where you are. I see Eric's point clearly. And for some reason, when I use it on thumbnail galleries, it defaults to O size, not L.
But this is really a big step forward in displaying the shots. Nice job, guys!
Choose your preferred viewing size to L and we remember that...
I didn't realized it had changed.
I think the new system is better although I've only played with it briefly. There are buttons now for features that would have left a user hanging.
The one thing that is odd about it is that it will resize my FF window size when adding to the cart from maximized.
Test1: Maximize your FF window so that it fills the screen, and then click "buy this photo". Right before the gears turn, your window is resized.
Test2: Resize the window to a small one and then maximize it. Click "buy this photo". Right before the gears turn, your window is resized to a different size.
All these new features and 24x36 is still a specialty print rather than a regular print, even though it's 2:3 ratio and frames of that size are easier to find than 20x30.
Richard
All these new features and 24x36 is still a specialty print rather than a regular print, even though it's 2:3 ratio and frames of that size are easier to find than 20x30.
Richard
Do you think you've lost prints because of that? We may change this, at some point - no promises on if / when .. but you as a pro have the ability to alert your clients thru many ways, that there are all sorts of sizes and how to find them. If you want help with that, holler for me
Do you think you've lost prints because of that? We may change this, at some point - no promises on if / when .. but you as a pro have the ability to alert your clients thru many ways, that there are all sorts of sizes and how to find them. If you want help with that, holler for me
Well, they all know (haveing a very specific audience has it's benefits), but I just don't see the logic in 24x36 being specialty.
Open up options when logged on as yourself
Regarding the feature to allow the download of Originals...
Would it be possible to enable the download of Originals when you are logged in as yourself? Maybe I'm missing something here, but it would be nice to be able to have the option to disable the download for visitors of the site, but enable it full time for all galleries when you are logged on as yourself.
Regarding the feature to allow the download of Originals...
Would it be possible to enable the download of Originals when you are logged in as yourself? Maybe I'm missing something here, but it would be nice to be able to have the option to disable the download for visitors of the site, but enable it full time for all galleries when you are logged on as yourself.
Thanks Finalblue - this has been asked plenty. I can't say if or when it'll ever happen. For now, you'll have to continue to unlock, download, and re-lock.
What format is wxwax using in his post on the previous page :-) ? I have some customization on my site and after looking through all of my styles, I cannot see that version. Specifically the preferred viewing size stuff.
What format is wxwax using in his post on the previous page :-) ? I have some customization on my site and after looking through all of my styles, I cannot see that version. Specifically the preferred viewing size stuff.
Start a post in customization forum, and we'll try to figure it out for you, ok?
Done - New item.... I still use the default grey bar in the top right of the standard smugmug format. The one with search, view cart, and free trial.
I would think that the free trial there should automatically pass your coupon code to the signup page. I know that someone posted a way to create this so I will go search for it.
But, as a default feature, I would expect the site to pass my coupon code if someone links to the trial page from my site. Make sense?
Comments
The only thing so far is something which has been mentioned in the past, but would be essential for me since I have over 400 albums in one gallery--alphabetical sorting for albums. (I did a search on "alphabetical" and came up with a few threads that mentioned it, but no other real information.)
Thank you for the service. I've looked for something like this for over a year.
Want faster uploading? Vote for FTP!
My number one request is the ability to select images from an existing gallery to be in another gallery--a highlights gallery. Currently, to achieve this, I must upload the same image twice--once for each gallery. I know that I could achieve this effect by sorting by position and then placing the highlights images in the front. However, this is not what I want... I two different galleries sourced from the same images. My reasoning for this is that I want to archive the images in a master gallery, than have a highlights gallery which only contains the images people would actually be interested in browsing.
My number 2 request is the ability to add an MP3 soundtrack to a slideshow.
http://help.smugmug.com
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
1. Improved gallery navigation. While I'm in gallery "x", I'd like to be able to jump to adjacent galleries "w" and "y" with Prev/Next buttons or something similar. My first thought would be to place these in the breadcrumb. The links would navigate within the current category.
2. Automatic square (or any preset ratio) thumbnail generation. This is mind-numbingly frustrating to do by hand, which is why I'm waiting for it to be implemented before I do it.
3. Allow users to extract selected exif data for automatic inclusion with a caption. I'm interested in the exif date specifically, but others might have other desired. I guess this could be thought of as a customization of the camera info displayed.
Swim for Them | WellmanHouse.net | AlbumFetcher | SmugShowBuilder
Thanks for the requests! Have you thought of putting html links in your gallery descriptions as a way of handling number 1) above?
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
When you do this, is there an RSS/Atom for the keyword-search gallery? I'm thinking this could be another way to do the "photo of the day idea". Each day I could either change the photo with the "daily photo" keyword or add the "daily photo" keyword to another photo. Would this work?
ShutterGlass.com
OnlyBegotten.com
Doc
http://help.smugmug.com
http://docwalker.smugmug.com/hack/feed.mg?Type=userkeyword&NickName=docwalker&Data=pick%20of%20the%20day&format=rss200[IMG]chrome://targetalert/content/skin/new.png[/IMG]
I keyworded the photo. I went back to my homepage and went to my keyword page. click on keyword to go to keyword gallery. The RSS feed link is at the bottom. It pulls the keyword gallery. If you put the keyword on a new photo, it will change.
Now, I am not sure if the pubdate will change. I will have to wait a day to see if that part will work. Because you are changing photos, it might.
I still wish that SM will get the pubdate part working.
http://help.smugmug.com
And since I'm in the right thread and my mind is on it, here's what I've seen that could improve smugmug.
Wonderful service.
Want faster uploading? Vote for FTP!
It's not a big thing, but as I'm starting to use keywords more and I don't know which styles my visitors prefer it would be really helpful to give them the connection back to the gallery in all styles.
Thanks,
Sebastian
SmugMug Support Hero
Samir, how do you feel about this, today?
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
new way photo sizes are handled, great!
coolio popup, eh, great...
I like it, works great, but dare I make a suggestion? Actually, I don't quite know what this entails and haven't thought it through, but, the popup would be super cool and more useful if it would popup over a gallery of thumbnails, or traditional layout.
I use all thumbs style a lot myself when looking for photos amongst my galleries. Its a nice clean layout of all photos in thumbnail size, no clutter. Currently, when I click on one, first it takes me to the page for that photo alone, then I click on the photo again, it goes to large size, then I have to click on it yet again to get the coolio image popup which is then original size, and by that point, who needs the popup?
In my dream world, I'd get the popup immediately when I clicked on a thumbnail in all thumbs (preferrably in L or M size). Then, I'd be able to view the larger photos via the popup while being able to still make out the gallery of thumbnails below. That would be cool.
did I describe that clearly?
regardless, you guys rock for implementing things like this so quickly!
Doc, I was thinking the same thing. I'd love that. Then I got to thinking about the reasons why they didn't. It has to do with all the controls you get when you click on a single image. It looks like the popup deal happens only when you already have access to the keywords, caption, etc. Makes sense in that are you sure that all users would want to have to switch to a different style to get to that info? I'm not sure what the solution is, cause I want what you want, but I'm sure there's a solution in there somewhere...
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
This is great!
It really sets off the photos much more effectively. The controls are clear and intuitive. You never lose where you are. I see Eric's point clearly. And for some reason, when I use it on thumbnail galleries, it defaults to O size, not L.
But this is really a big step forward in displaying the shots. Nice job, guys!
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
I think the new system is better although I've only played with it briefly. There are buttons now for features that would have left a user hanging.
The one thing that is odd about it is that it will resize my FF window size when adding to the cart from maximized.
Sample gallery I was using: http://huntsvillecarscene.smugmug.com/gallery/1144571
Test1: Maximize your FF window so that it fills the screen, and then click "buy this photo". Right before the gears turn, your window is resized.
Test2: Resize the window to a small one and then maximize it. Click "buy this photo". Right before the gears turn, your window is resized to a different size.
Want faster uploading? Vote for FTP!
Richard
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Well, they all know (haveing a very specific audience has it's benefits), but I just don't see the logic in 24x36 being specialty.
Regarding the feature to allow the download of Originals...
Would it be possible to enable the download of Originals when you are logged in as yourself? Maybe I'm missing something here, but it would be nice to be able to have the option to disable the download for visitors of the site, but enable it full time for all galleries when you are logged on as yourself.
I hope I'm not too confusing here...
I wish I had a better answer for you.
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Guys, what about it? This is an easy one! It makes no sense to me that a person can't easily subscribe to all changes for a photographer's site.
ShutterGlass.com
OnlyBegotten.com
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=27013
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
http://help.smugmug.com
Start a post in customization forum, and we'll try to figure it out for you, ok?
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
I would think that the free trial there should automatically pass your coupon code to the signup page. I know that someone posted a way to create this so I will go search for it.
But, as a default feature, I would expect the site to pass my coupon code if someone links to the trial page from my site. Make sense?
Doc
http://help.smugmug.com