PhotoShelter MU ClientPlus Galleries

Overview

ClientPlus Galleries are a separate type of gallery that is only available in PhotoShelter MU. ClientPlus Galleries were designed as a way to create large image collections and give provisional access to special users. This type of access could be structured as a "subscription" to a set of images for example.

ClientPlus Users

The MU comes with one hundred (100) ClientPlus seats by default. Each additional seat is a paid seat. These seats are only used to access any ClientPlus Galleries that Editors within the system create.

Creating a ClientPlus User

• Click "Organization -> Users & Permissions"
• Click the "ClientPlus" tab
• Click the "Invite a New Client" link
• Select a person from your address book, or enter their e-mail
• Select the ClientPlus galleries that the user should have access to. you can also grant high-resolution download access and access to non-JPG files (Download Original File) from this screen.
• You can choose to send them an invitation e-mail at the moment the account is created, or send it later.

Editing a ClientPlus User

You can always alter the permissions for a ClientPlus user by clicking their name. To remove a user completely, click the "remove" link next to their name.

Creating a ClientPlus Gallery

A ClientPlus gallery can be created or added to from the "Archive."

• Click "Archive"
• Click a specific archive
• Select one or many images
• Click "Copy to ClientPlus Gallery" under the Batch Actions
• Select an existing gallery, or enter the name of a new gallery

Alternately, when you are viewing a single image, you can also click the "Copy to ClientPlus" icon.

ClientPlus galleries can only be viewed by users to whom you specifically grant access. Unlike normal galleries, the ClientPlus galleries cannot alter their visibility.

All editors within the MU can view all ClientPlus galleries. Similarly, all users that have permission to create, edit or delete galleries can alter the ClientPlus galleries. There is no way to restrictively control access to a specific gallery.

What the ClientPlus User Sees

When a ClientPlus user is added, they receive an e-mail that directs them to the ClientPlus area within PhotoShelter. For reference, it can be found by:

• From the public side, Click "Subscribers -> Multi-User Clients"

From this area, the user can view a list of ClientPlus galleries as well as "normal" galleries that they have been invited to. Clicking on a gallery name will reveal the contents of the gallery.

Viewing images within the ClientPlus gallery

When a user clicks on a ClientPlus gallery, they will see the familiar thumbnail view of images. They can add the images to a lightbox by clicking the "+Lightbox" link under each thumbnail.

Clicking on a thumbnail will reveal a detailed view of the image. If the user has been granted download rights, they can click the "Download" icon.

Batch downloading images in the ClientPlus Gallery

Users can batch download all images contained in the gallery from the thumbnail view by clicking the green "Download Gallery" button to the right. This launches a Java applet within the browser and downloads each image, one after another. More information can be found here.

FAQ

What is the advantage of using a ClientPlus gallery over a normal gallery?
The ClientPlus gallery was designed with a subscription-based service in mind. For example, you might create a stock library filled with hundreds or thousands of images. You might sell a "subscription" service to this gallery for a fixed fee and unlimited usage.

The ClientPlus gallery is listed in a special area away from the normal gallery invites. Images within the ClientPlus gallery do not need to be publicly searchable. And unlike the normal galleries, there is no way to accidentally toggle the visibility of the gallery from "invite only" to some other status. ClientPlus galleries are always "invite only" by definition.

If you are assembling a gallery for a single or just a few number of users, then it's probably advantageous to use a normal gallery.

What is the advantage of using a ClientPlus gallery instead of a lightbox?
Lightboxes were designed to be inherently collaborative. You will find features like ratings, comments, etc in the lightbox which you won't find in the ClientPlus gallery structure. If you don't need a collaborative environment, then the ClientPlus gallery is a better choice.