The Gallery Groups Plugin is a feature-rich extension for Photo Selector, a PHP-based image management application designed for professional photographers and content creators. This plugin introduces advanced gallery organization capabilities, allowing users to create collections of galleries that can be easily shared with clients or collaborators. To utilize this plugin, you must have Photo Selector version 1.28 or later installed.
Core Features and Functionality
This plugin transforms how photographers manage and present their work through these powerful capabilities:
- Unified Gallery Collections: Group multiple galleries into themed sets (e.g., wedding events, product lines)
- Rich Group Descriptions: Add contextual information that appears in both user-facing and admin interfaces
- Client Sharing Tools: Generate unique shareable links for entire collections with access control options
- Advanced Export Options: Download selection lists in Excel (XLSX) format for entire gallery groups
- Rating System Integration: Import ratings directly from tethering applications like Tether Display
- Granular Organization: Filter galleries to show only ungrouped items during management
Practical Workflow Benefits
Photographers can streamline their post-production workflow using these practical applications:
- Client Presentations: Share entire project collections with descriptive narratives instead of separate galleries
- Batch Operations: Apply actions to multiple galleries simultaneously by managing them as groups
- Access Log Auditing: Monitor engagement through collective access logs showing all interactions within a group
- Project Archiving: Delete entire projects cleanly with the “delete all galleries when deleting group” option
- Rating Consolidation: Aggregate ratings across multiple sessions when importing from tethered shoots
Getting Started with Gallery Groups
After installing the plugin on a compatible Photo Selector installation:
- Access the new “Groups” tab in your admin dashboard
- Click “Create Group” and provide a title and descriptive content
- Select existing galleries to include or create new ones within the group
- Configure sharing settings and generate client access links
- Use the Excel export feature to download comprehensive selection lists
The interface maintains Photo Selector’s intuitive design philosophy while adding new organizational capabilities alongside existing features like image tagging, commenting, and batch selection.
Version Evolution and Updates
- v1.09: Stability improvements and bug fixes
- v1.08: Performance optimizations and UI refinements
- v1.07: Requires Photo Selector v1.25+ with compatibility updates
- v1.06: Enhanced integration with Photo Selector v1.23 features
- v1.05: Group descriptions now visible in admin panel and client view
- v1.04: Excel (XLSX) export functionality for selection lists
- v1.03: Tether Display rating imports and collective access logs
- v1.02: Optimization for latest Photo Selector core
- v1.01: Ungrouped gallery filter and bulk deletion options
- v1.00: Initial plugin release with core grouping functionality
Resources and Live Demonstrations
Explore these resources to experience the plugin’s capabilities:
- Official User Manual – Comprehensive usage guides
- Live Group Demo – Interact with active gallery groups
- Admin Panel Demo – Test drive management features (Password: Pass01)
This plugin transforms Photo Selector into a more powerful collaboration tool, particularly valuable for photographers managing complex projects requiring client feedback and multi-gallery organization. The continuous updates demonstrate active development focused on improving workflow efficiency for professional image management scenarios.
