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FTP Images

Overview

The preferred method of many clients, particularly editorial publications and wire services, is the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) standard. This method of file transfer allows you to copy images from one site (local or Internet) to another using either an FTP client (a stand-alone desktop application such as Transmit or Fetch) or Web site-to-site communication.

PhotoShelter supports both incoming and outgoing FTP. This page here describes the process for exporting images using FTP. Consult this separate article for information on uploading images to your account via FTP.

How do I FTP images out?

You may initiate a transfer from the Archive Browser, the Archive List, or a Gallery.

  • From the Archive Browser, select the image(s) you want to send, and choose the "Export via FTP" option from the "Transfer/Copy" menu. You may send one image, several, or an entire folder's worth.
    • [insert screenshot here]
  • From the Archive List, select the image(s) you want to send, and choose the "EXPORT VIA FTP" option from the right-hand menu. You may send one image, several, or an entire folder's worth.
    • [insert screenshot here]
  • From a Gallery, choose "FTP SITES" from the "Send Gallery To:" menu at the bottom of the left-hand control panel. When FTPing from a gallery, you only have the option of sending the entire gallery to the destination. To send only a selection, either create a new gallery or FTP out from the Archive.
    • [insert screenshot here]

When you click the "Export" function, you'll see a pop-up window with a menu of options. (If you don't see it, make sure your browser is set to allow pop-up windows from PhotoShelter.)

If you have not yet created an FTP Destination, you will see the following dialog, which prompts you to add a destination before proceeding:

A quick breakdown of what each of the fields means:

  • Name: Enter a label that will allow you to easily identify this destination. ("NCAA — Editorial" or "Yourname.com")
  • Transport Protocol: Choose the type of FTP you'd like for this transfer: Standard, sFTP (secure FTP) or SCP (secure copy).
  • Server Address: Provided by the person or group you're FTPing to, this is the Web equivalent of a mailing address. A typical address appears in the "ftp.photoshelter.com" format.
  • Path: This optional field allows you to specify a particular folder on the destination server for your images. (Many clients suggest you specify a path with your name or other identifying information for proper processing on their end.) New paths can be created on the fly if the destination server allows it.
  • Username & Password: The login information (provided to you by the recipient) allows you to access the destination server.

Once you've entered the information of your destination, click "Add Server." (You may change this information later from your FTP Address Book .) You will then see the export dialog in full. Here you will specify the details of your transfer.

  1. The first box, FTP Destinations, contains a list of all available destination servers for your account. You may always add more here by clicking the "Create new destination" folder.
  2. Select one or all of the servers to which you'd like to send images by checking the box next to its name. You may use the "Select All / Deselect All" shortcuts to select (or deselect) all of your destinations at once. To edit the path of the destination
  3. You have the option to downsize your files at the point of export. If you'd like to convert your originals to JPEGs or send smaller JPEGs out, click on the drop-down menu and select "JPEG file," at which point you'll see a second drop-down menu with size options. If you have updated any mage metadata within PhotoShelter since the images were uploaded, make sure the "Embed updated metadata" box is ticked. Un-checking this box will send the files to the destination server with the same metadata the images had prior to being uploaded.
  4. If you are sending images to a number of destinations and would like to create a new path for all of these destinations, check the "Set folder name for ALL destinations" box and insert the name of the path for your images.
  5. If you'd like to receive an email with status updates of your transfer, make sure the "Alert via email when transfer completes" box is checked. Your email address will be in the text field by default, but you may change this or add more recipient addresses (separated with commas).

Click "Begin FTP Transfer" to get started, and your images are on their way! You may close this window, log out of your PhotoShelter account, and/or turn off your computer, and the image transfer will not be affected.

Once a transfer has been initiated, the pop-up window will advance to the "FTP Transfer Status" page seen here:

The transfer log gives you the status of your current transfer

The status page auto-refreshes every 15 seconds with updated status. For a full list of transfer details, you may review the FTP Transfers status page under My Website -> Image Statistics.

FTP Address Book

Whenever you create a new FTP Destination when exporting images via FTP, it is automatically added to your FTP Address Book for future reference.

Should you ever need to make changes to your FTP Destinations (e.g. username/password change, an updated server address, etc.), they'll need to be made from your FTP Address Book , which is accessible under My Website -> Image Statistics -> FTP Transfers. (The one exception here is the path, which can be updated on the fly when exporting images.)

You may also add new destinations from the FTP Address Book; anything added here will appear in your list of available destinations when sending images out via FTP.

FTP Transfers

To view all of your FTP transfers — both completed and in progress — in one place, head to the FTP Transfers page (located under My Website -> Image Statistics).

You may filter by time (last 24 hours, last 3 days, last 10 days, and last 30 days). We display 50 transfers per page.

To view all of your image transfers (both FTP exports and downloads your clients have made), please view your Image Statistics page.

Why would I want to FTP images from PhotoShelter rather than from my own computer?
If you're FTPing images to a single site, you might consider FTPing from your own machine. However, if you have multiple destinations — or if you already use PhotoShelter as part of your archiving workflow and have your images uploaded already — it would be faster to use PhotoShelter FTP for the following reasons:

  • We can transfer to multiple sites simultaneously.
  • Our datacenters have more outbound bandwidth than the average home user.
  • Your computer does not need to be on after you've initiated the transfer.

    Does PhotoShelter support Secure FTP (sFTP) or FTP with SSL?
    Yes, we support:

  • FTP
  • sFTP (secure FTP)
  • scp (secure copy) You may choose the method when you're setting up a destination (and may always edit later from the FTP Address Book).

    What happens if there is an error during transfer?
    PhotoShelter automatically retries any failed transfers up to five times at 10-minute intervals. Having a time interval between retries provides better protection if the destination site is down or loses Internet connectivity.

    If all attempts fail, your FTP Transfers page will reflect this fact, and if you set-up an email notification, you will be notified via e-mail as well.

    Can I cancel a transfer that's in progress?
    Yes. You may cancel this from the progress meter on the pop-up window or from the FTP Transfers page.