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Managing a lifetime of digital photos and videos can be a daunting task, but the SmugMug
ORGANIZER makes it a breeze.
TOOLS vs. SETTINGS Gallery and Image tools differ from the GALLERY
SETTINGS options as these require interaction with the target galleries and photos - these
functions that can be applied in bulk or individually to a gallery and selected photos within as
opposed to blanket settings.
GALLERY TOOLS - ALL LEVELS To access the TOOLS for a gallery, select
the target gallery in the ORGANIZER to activate the TOOLS ICON - the WRENCH - click on the
wrench to view the available tools.
Choosing Captions and Keywords opens the bulk tool - we'll display each photo in the gallery
and it's filename, along with a field where you can type or paste a caption and associated
keywords. If you added captions or keywords to the photos before uploading, SmugMug will
read and display them here for you to view and edit.
QUICK ENTRY allows you to add and edit this data in batch - for a more detailed explanation
of Captions and Keywords, their benefits and how to use the tool, check out the associated
help page.
Click SAVE or Back to Gallery to return to the Organizer.
The Square Thumbnail option in GALLERY SETTINGS applies to all of the images in a gallery.
If you prefer to be selective, displaying some thumbs square, and others in their original
aspect ratio, select ADJUST THUMBNAILS to access the bulk tool and make your adjustments.
Selecting SAVE or BACK to GALLERY returns you to the ORGANIZER.
GALLERY TOOLS - PRO LEVELS - Watermarking SmugMug Pro accounts provide additional options
designed for the working professional photographer... Portfolio and Business account owners will
see a third function under GALLERY TOOLS: WATERMARKS.
Online watermarking allows professional photographers to display their work with a branded watermark
that will not appear on purchased prints and downloads. As outlined in the GALLERY SETTINGS
tutorial, setting watermarks to ON adds marks to the images currently in the gallery, and
while ON, any additional photos you upload - toggling the setting to off will disable
the application of watermarks going forward but this selection will NOT remove marks from
the current photos, or enable the use of more than one watermark design within a single
gallery.
Removing watermarks, and applying select marks to specific images is handled here in the
WATERMARKING tool. Select one, many or ALL images, and choose the custom watermark you
wish applied... or, check the REMOVE box to re render the display images without the currently
applied watermark - then click WATERMARK to initiate action on your edits, or BACK TO
GALLERY to return to the Organizer.
IMAGE TOOLS You may have noticed that the items under
IMAGE TOOLS were grayed out and inactive while we were reviewing GALLERY TOOLS. The IMAGE
TOOLS relate to specific images within a gallery - in order to access IMAGE TOOLS, you must
first select a photo or photos within the gallery.
Toggling a photo or photos to hidden removes it from your guests view, while allowing you
to keep it in the gallery collection.
HIDDEN PHOTOS cannot be seen by your guests, they are only visible to the logged in site
owner.
HIDDEN PHOTOS are denoted by a VIEW ICON with a slash through in the ORGANIZER and the gallery
so you know which are which. If you open a hidden photo in the LIGHTBOX, we'll display
without the HIDDEN ICON for your private viewing pleasure.
To toggle a hidden photo back to public view, select the image, open the IMAGE TOOLS and
choose SHOW PHOTO.
To ROTATE a photo, or create a mirror image, select ROTATE - Click on 90 left...
Mirror...
Flip...
Or 90 right.
The preview window displays how the selection affects the image. All set? Click APPLY to
save the change.
Bulk photo rotation? No problem. If you'd like to rotate photos in bulk, simply highlight
all the photos you wish to realign in the same direction - LEFT CLICK to select the
images - open the TOOLS menu and choose ROTATE... only the first image will be displayed so
you can preview the result of the edit. No worries, once in place, clicking apply will
rotate ALL of the selected images.
A BRIEF CAUTION ABOUT CROP & COLOR EFFECTS The tools for cropping and applying color
effects to photos on SmugMug are unique in that these are the only features that will
permanently change the ORIGINAL file you uploaded to your SmugMug website. Cropping or adding
a color effect overwrites the original photo, and once initiated, this action cannot be
undone.
For peace of mind, it's good practice to make a duplicate of a photo before using these
tools. This let's you apply changes to the copy while keeping the original intact. This
comes in handy juuuust in case you're not pleased with the final product, and it frees
you to make additional copies of the original and apply new edits at will.
Before we show you how to Crop and Edit color, let's break with the format and take a brief
peek at the MAKE A COPY feature found in the PHOTO EDITING tools.
To create a clone of a photo for editing, open the image in LIGHTBOX VIEW within the
ORGANIZER by double clicking on it. At the LOWER RIGHT you'll find the PHOTO TOOLS - click
on the WRENCH - from the menu, mouseover ORGANIZE and choose MAKE A COPY - that's all there
is to it! You're done - now exit the LIGHTBOX.
Give or take a few minutes, we'll generate a perfect copy of the original photo and place
it in the gallery. Where the copy lands in the image order depends on the SORT option
you're using in that gallery. For example, if sort is set to FILENAME, you'll find the
copy next to the original. If you're using a MANUAL sort by position, we'll place the
dupe in the last position of the gallery.
It's that easy, and now you can have your original, and edit it too.
CROPPING PHOTOS Photo cropping is a single application option
- while there may be exceptions, every photo requires a unique custom crop and so this
function cannot be used with multiple photos. If the CROP option is INACTIVE in the menu,
double check that you have selected one, and only one, photo for editing.
Click the WRENCH and select CROP to open the tool.
The default is CUSTOM, which lets you set your own crop parameters by moving the edge
tool like so - select a locked ratio such as 1x1 if you'd like to square the photo - and
adjust size and placement to taste.
The dark area outside the crop box indicates the parts of the photo cropping will permanently
remove.
If you're plan is to order prints after cropping, use a ratio that conforms to that of the intended
print size or the image may require further cropping in the cart - and be sure to leave
a cushion between your primary subjects and the edge of the photo to allow for bleed,
Setting a crop too close can lead to clipped subjects and disappointing prints.
When you've got the new version of your photo just so, click APPLY to initiate the cropping
process.
Give or take a few minutes, you'll see the newly cropped photo in both the organizer
and the gallery.
APPLYING COLOR EFFECTS You can apply one of five super cool effects
to your photos using the COLOR EFFECTS tool.
EFFECTS can be applied to multiple photos simultaneously by selecting more than one
image in the organizer's preview panel before accessing the tool - remember, these settings
cannot be undone, so double check your selections and be sure you've chosen only photos you
want to edit...
Choose an image, click the tool icon, and select COLOR EFFECTS to open the tool.
The first thumb displays the original photo in it's current state for comparison to the
five optional affects - click to highlight the desired color effect, and select APPLY
to initiate the process.
As always, the amount of time it takes us to process the changes can vary, but usually
within a few minutes you'll see the newly edited photo in both the organizer and the
gallery.
OUTRO Okay, that's a wrap on this guide to Gallery
& Image Tools. You can re-watch, pause, rewind if needed, and if you're watching on our SmugMug
YouTube channel you'll find a topical time-index in the description below.
For written guides on the Gallery and Image Tools, and other features and tools accessible
within the ORGANIZER, check out the associated help pages available at help.smugmug.com,
as well as the other tutorial videos in this continuing series.
And if you're EVER feeling 'lost,', or you'd just like to say hello. you can reach our
world famous Support Heroe 24/7 via email and live chat - When logged in to your account,
just click GET HELP.