Using the Lightbox

What is the lightbox?
The lightbox allows you to store images that you're interested in in a personalized repository on PhotoShelter. You can add any image to your lightbox, regardless of whether it has been priced for sale. You can also create a comment on your lightbox, if for example, you are researching images for a project. You can share the lightbox with other users by providing an e-mail address. Lightboxes are a great way to collaborate with others when discussing a set of images.

What are the requirements for using the lightbox?
Although you can add images to a lightbox without being logged into PhotoShelter, having a free account allows you to save and share the lightbox. You can create a free PhotoShelter account here.

How do I add an image to a lightbox?

Click the loupe icon to add images to your lightbox

When you view an image, you will see a "loupe" icon that appears above the image. Click the loupe to add it to your lightbox. If you are logged in, you will be prompted to pick a lightbox to put it in. You can have an unlimited number of lightboxes to organize the images that you are interested in.

When you add an image to your lightbox, it is put into a "default" lightbox. You can create up to ten different lightboxes by either clicking the "Create New Lightbox" link, or clicking "My PhotoShelter -> My Lightboxes".

How do I view the contents of my lightbox?

Click the Lightbox tab to view a list of your lightboxes. There are two tabs to show lightboxes that you've created, and lightboxes that have been shared with you. Click on a lightbox name to view its contents.

A lightbox has the following properties:

Images + Ratings
Description: Project, Client, Desc
Comments
Sharing Information

Click on the trays to reveal various information about the lightbox. The lightbox can hold an unlimited number of images, but will only display 25 images per page. You can also have an unlimited number of lightboxes.

Click on the name of the lightbox to edit it. You can click the description fields to edit them in place as well.

The lightboxes that appear in the Photographer Area and on the public side are identical. Feel free to use either interface to suit your workflow.

Can I share the lightbox with another person?
Yes, click the "Share" button to invite other users to your lightbox. You need to provide an e-mail address in order to share the lightbox. You cannot share the contents of your lightbox without knowing the e-mail address of the photographer, for example. This prevents the photographer from getting unsolicited spam.

How do I share a lightbox with the Photographer?
You need to know the e-mail address of the photographer in order to share it with him/her.

Mouse over the stars and click to set a rating for an image.

Rating an Image can be done in batch, or to an individual image. The rating is tethered to a specific user and specific image within a specific lightbox. For example, even if the same image is contained in two lightboxes, the images don't share a rating. The label associated with each star cannot be changed (e.g. "Excellent"). These are global settings within the application.

Rating an Individual Image
In the thumbnail view, mouse over the stars under each image and click on the appropriate rating to set the rating. You cannot "un-rate" an image once you've set a rating, but you can always change the rating.

You can also set a rating to an individual image while you are viewing it singularly. Simply mouse-over the appropriate rating and click to set.

Rating in batch
When viewing lightbox thumbnails, click anywhere in the lightgray area to select an image. An orange border will appear around the selected images. Then you can click the "RATE" button under the lightbox name and set the appropriate rating.

Viewing Ratings Matrix
Because each user can set their own rating, we've created a matrixed view to see how everyone else that you've shared the lightbox with rated the image. Click the "Ratings Matrix" button from the thumbnail view. Ten images are displayed per page along with a column per shared user.

The matrix view allows you to see how everyone rated images within your lightbox.

Leave a Comment
You can leave a comment on an individual image, or for the entire lightbox. When viewing the thumbnails contained in a lightbox, Click the "Comments" tab that appears below the lightbox name. This will reveal a comments "tray." Click the "add a comment" link to the right of the window to leave a comment about the entire lightbox.

Leaving a Comment on a specific image
While viewing an image singularly, click the comment icon to add a comment. The comments appear in a threaded fashion under the image, with the newest comments appearing first. There is no way to edit or delete a comment once it's been made.

How do I purchase items in my lightbox?
Click the "cart" icon to add the image to your cart for purchase/licensing. Not all images that appear in PhotoShelter have been pre-priced for sale. In this case, contact the photographer by viewing his/her PhotoShelter page if you want more information on the image.