Galleries
Create image galleries — named sets of photos with per-image captions and photographer credits — for your website.
Overview
The Galleries collection lets you group photos into named sets. Each gallery has a title, an ordered list of images, and display settings that control how it appears on your website. Every photo can carry its own caption and photographer credit.
Gallery Tab
The Gallery tab is where you name the gallery and add its photos. Click "Add Image" to add a row, upload or pick a photo, and optionally give it a caption, sort order, and photographer.
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Yes | The name of the gallery. Displayed on the website and used to generate the slug. | Studio — Black & Steel |
| Description | No | Optional short context shown above the gallery. Keep it to 1-2 sentences. | Editorial studio set, shot on a high-key white backdrop. |
| Images | Yes | The photos in this gallery (at least one). Each image has its own caption, sort order, and photographer credit. Drag rows to reorder, or set Sort Order. | (list of image rows) |
Image rows
Each photo in the Images list has these fields:
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Yes | The photo, uploaded to or selected from the Media library. Alt text is set on the media item itself. | (upload: studio-01.jpg) |
| Caption | No | Optional caption shown beneath the photo on the website. Max 200 characters. | Leather and lace, backlit. |
| Sort Order | No | Lower numbers appear first. If left blank, photos use the order of the rows in this list. | 1 |
| Photographer | No | Photographer credit for this specific photo. Shown on the website when "Show Credits" is on. | Erin Fish |
Drag the handle on the left of each image row to reorder, or set the Sort Order number. If you leave Sort Order blank, photos display in the order of the rows.
Alt text (for accessibility and SEO) is set on the photo in the Media library when you upload it. The Caption here is separate — it's the visible text shown beneath the photo on the website.
Settings Tab
The Settings tab controls how the gallery is presented. These are hints the website template reads — exact behavior depends on the site.
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display Mode | No | How the gallery lays out on the website: Grid, Masonry, or Carousel. The website template decides how to interpret this. Defaults to Grid. | Grid |
| Enable Lightbox | No | When on, visitors can click a photo to view it full screen. Defaults to on. | On |
| Show Captions | No | Show the per-image captions beneath photos. Defaults to on. | On |
| Show Credits | No | Show the per-image photographer credits. Defaults to on. | On |
SEO Tab
The SEO tab optimizes how the gallery appears in search results and social shares. All fields are optional — sensible defaults are used if left blank.
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Title | No | Override the page title used in browser tabs and search results. Defaults to the gallery title. | Studio Gallery | Brittany Elleway |
| Meta Description | No | The description shown in search results. Defaults to the gallery description. Keep under 160 characters. | A high-key editorial studio set. |
| Meta Image | No | The image shown when the gallery is shared on social media. Defaults to the cover image. | (upload: social-share.jpg) |
Sidebar Fields
These fields appear in the right sidebar of the editor, outside the main tabs.
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slug | Yes | URL-friendly identifier. Auto-generated from the title as you type. Used in the website URL (e.g., /gallery/studio-black-and-steel). | studio-black-and-steel |
| Cover Image | No | The thumbnail used for the gallery in listings. If left blank, the first image is used. | (upload: studio-cover.jpg) |
| Status | Yes | Controls visibility. Draft galleries are not visible on the website. Published galleries are live. Archived galleries are hidden but preserved. | Published |
| Featured | No | Feature this gallery on the homepage or at the top of gallery listings. | On |
| Published Date | No | The date the gallery was published. Used to sort galleries (newest first). Defaults to now. | 2026-06-20 9:00 AM |
| Display Order | No | Manual ordering among galleries in lists (lower numbers appear first). Overrides date sorting where the template supports it. | 1 |
Changing the Status to "Draft" immediately hides the gallery from the website. Use "Archived" to retire a gallery while keeping it on file.
Creating Your First Gallery
- Go to Galleries
Click "Galleries" in the left sidebar of the admin panel.
- Click "Create New"
The button at the top-right opens a blank gallery form.
- Name the gallery
On the Gallery tab, enter a title. The slug is generated automatically. Add an optional description.
- Add your photos
Click "Add Image", then upload or select each photo. Give each one a caption and photographer credit if you want them shown.
- Choose display settings
On the Settings tab, pick a display mode and toggle lightbox, captions, and credits.
- Pick a cover image
In the sidebar, set a cover image (or leave blank to use the first photo).
- Set status to Published
In the sidebar, change the status from "Draft" to "Published" when you're ready for it to go live.
- Save
Click Save. The gallery appears on the website after the next rebuild (usually 1-2 minutes).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many photos can a gallery have?
There's no hard limit, but very large galleries take longer to load. For big sets, consider splitting them into multiple galleries.
Do I have to add a caption and photographer to every photo?
No — both are optional per photo. If you leave them blank, nothing is shown for that photo. You can also hide all captions or credits at once on the Settings tab.
What does Display Mode actually do?
It's a hint to your website about how to lay the gallery out (grid, masonry, or carousel). The website template decides how to honor it; not every site supports every mode.
What if I don't set a cover image?
The first photo in the gallery is used as the cover automatically.
Can I reuse a photo across galleries?
Yes. Photos live in the shared Media library, so you can select the same photo in more than one gallery.