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Enabling downloads and digital delivery in a gallery
Enabling downloads and digital delivery in a gallery

How to use download permissions, download presets and download passwords to allow digital delivery in a gallery

Justin Morabito avatar
Written by Justin Morabito
Updated over a week ago

You can use your Sprout Studio Galleries to deliver digital files and downloads. This is great for getting your clients their digital files (instead of mailing a USB key), allowing their family and friends to download copies of the photos, or even for sharing (and distributing) digital files with vendors you work with.

In each Gallery, there are three levels of permission for downloads:

  • Logged In Client, which is what your client can download when they're logged in.

  • Gallery Visitor is what anyone can download when they view the gallery.

  • Password-Protected Download is only available to those who know the download password. You can have as many download passwords as you'd like.

For each permission level, you can specify the Download Preset that is applied to the photos that are being downloaded. A download preset is a combination of size (web, medium, large, high-res, or original resolution) and an optional watermark. Go to Settings > Galleries & Design > Download Presets to create, edit and manage your download presets.

You can take this further and specify which folders are available for download with the "Folders Available for Download." You would uncheck the "All Folders" that are available for download to select which folders are available.

How to set download permissions for a Gallery

While editing a Gallery, you can specify the details for each permission level in the "Download Permissions" panel.

Example of using download permissions, download passwords, and download presets

Let's say you're a wedding photographer. Here's what you'd like to do:

  • Your clients have the digital files included in their package, so they should be able to download their photos high-resolution, unwatermarked.

  • You'd like the friends and family of your clients to be able to download low-resolution watermarked images individually from the Gallery so they can share them on social media.

  • You'd like to share the Gallery with the venue where the wedding was held and let them download medium-resolution images individually for use on their website.

  • The florist asked you for some photos from the wedding to share on social media. You'd like to let her download medium-resolution watermarked images so she can pick which ones she shares on social media.

You can do all of this with a few clicks in Sprout Studio Galleries. Here's how:

  • Set the download permissions for "Logged in Client" and set the download preset to be one you create called "High-Resolution Unwatermarked".

  • Set the download permissions for "Gallery Visitor" and set the download preset to be one you create called "Low-Resolution Watermarked".

  • Create a new "Password-Protected Download" with the password "venue", and set the download preset to be one you create called "Medium Resolution Unwatermarked".

  • Create a new "Password-Protected Download" with the password "florist," and set the download preset to be one you create called "Medium Resolution Watermarked."

How your client downloads their photos

While viewing a Gallery, your client can click the "Download" button below each image to download that photo. They'll only see this button if you've enabled the "Each" download permission level for them.

Your client can also click the "Download" button in the top-right corner of their gallery to download all photos. They'll only see this button if you've enabled the "All" download permission level for them. Once they click the "Download" button, they are required to enter the email address they'd like the ZIP file sent.

Note: The zip file will have the images from the folder you requested to download. So if you were in a "Getting Ready" folder and clicked the Download button, you'll download everything in the "Getting Ready" folder.

While your client is viewing their favorites in a gallery, they can click the "Download" button in the favorites bar to download just their favorites. They'll only see this button if you've enabled the "All" download permission level for them.

How to view all downloads from a Gallery

You can view all downloads from a Gallery by clicking the Activity Feed section on the sidebar and clicking the "Downloads" button. You'll get a summary of all emails that requested a download. Clicking on an email will show when it was requested and when the link expires.

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