How to use WordPress Gallery Feature

Posted by Michelle Harrington on Nov 7th, 2009

There is a WordPress plugin called ShadowBox JS that I recommend for enhancing the look of your image galleries if you use Word Press.  Here’s where to find the plugin and how to use it.

A bit about Shadowbox:

Shadowbox is an online media viewer application that supports all of the web’s most popular media publishing formats. Shadowbox is written entirely in JavaScript and CSS and is highly customizable. Using Shadowbox, website authors can showcase a wide assortment of media in all major browsers without navigating users away from the linking page. Shadowbox is an online media viewer application that supports all of the web’s most popular media publishing formats. Shadowbox is written entirely in JavaScript and CSS and is highly customizable. Using Shadowbox, website authors can showcase a wide assortment of media in all major browsers without navigating users away from the linking page.

To install the Shadowbox plugin from WordPress, simply click on Add New Plugin and search for ShadowBox.  Once the plugin is installed and activated here’s how to use it.  Or if you want to download Shadowbox  manually, go here.

Samples of ShadowBox in action:

Island Hemp Clothing (click on a thumbnail image)

Kauai Sea Riders (click on a thumbnail image)

How to use the Gallery Feature in WordPress:

Before you get started you’ll need to have all of your images sized and optimized for the web, target size should be about 600 pixels wide at 72 dpi.  For more information on free web-based tools you can use for image sizing and editting, check out my post on Aviary and Gabby’s post on Picnik.

1. Go to a post or page in the WordPress dashboard, click on the “upload image icon” where it says “upload/insert”.
2. Click on “select files” and choose the series of images you would like to feature in the gallery, wait for them to upload and then click “save all changes”.
3. You should notice that a “gallery” tab shows up in the add an image function box – click on the “gallery” tab.
   
4. Now click on “insert gallery” and you’ll notice a yellow gallery box shows up in the post or page.  Save or update your post or page and preview it.
5. If you’d like to add captions to your photos, click one time on the yellow gallery box and then click on the “edit gallery” image icon in the upper left corner.  For each photo click on “show” and you will be presented with the option to add a caption, a description and even a URL/link if you desire.
6. After you have added all of the image information to each image in your gallery click on “save all changes”.  DO NOT click on “insert into post” – this is for adding a single image into a post, not working with a gallery.

The gallery feature inserts rows of thumbnail images into your page or post.  When these thumbnails are clicked on it launches the Shadowbox gallery which offers a larger view of your images with controls for the user to click forward, back or close the window.  If you would like to adjust the number of images you have per row, visit the gallery settings area.

Have fun building your new WordPress Shadowbox galleries!

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Author | Michelle Harrington of Emagine Web Marketing
Michelle is a web development and internet marketing professional dedicated to helping small businesses in Hawaii achieve success online. Michelle provides free advice, tips and how to's on the Small Business Internet Marketing Blog.

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