Creating New Galleries and Folders

What are Galleries?

Galleries are where your photos live and where your clients interact with them. Each gallery is a collection of images that you upload; for example, a wedding, portrait session, sporting event, or product shoot. Galleries are client-facing, meaning this is where customers can view, favorite, download, and purchase images. You can set unique access controls, pricing, and presentation options at the gallery level.

What are Folders?

Folders are organizational containers that help you group and manage your Galleries, and other Folders. Think of them like file folders on your computer: they don’t display images directly to your clients but allow you to structure your account for easier navigation and control. You can create folders by client name, event type, season, or any system that makes sense for your workflow.

How Galleries and Folders Work Together

Folders and galleries work best when used in combination. For example, you might create a folder called “2025 Weddings” and then create individual galleries inside that folder for each wedding you shoot. This setup keeps your account tidy, helps you quickly find specific projects, and makes client-facing navigation smoother if you choose to share or display folders.

Creating a New Folder

1. In your Zenfolio account, click on the Galleries icon on the far left-hand side.
2. Click the button in your My Library panel on the left-hand side to add a new Gallery.
3. In the pop-up menu that appears, select the Folder option. You can also choose to Upload an entire folder/Gallery structure using the Upload Folder(s) option. See this support article HERE for more information.
4. When Choosing the singular Folder option, a new window will appear. Give the Folder a unique title.
5. Select the Folder location within your other Folders.
6. Click Add.

You will automatically be taken to the new Folder and can begin adjusting settings, adding more Folders, or upload Galleries. 

Creating a New Gallery

1. In your Zenfolio account, click on the Gallery icon on the far left-hand side.
2. You can then use the Add Gallery button or click on the icon in your My Library panel on the left-hand side to add a new Gallery.
   
3. Give the Gallery a Name. If you choose to utilize Auto Tag & Describe for this Gallery, the name you choose may be changed. You can always override the name given to a Gallery by Auto Tag & Describe.
4. Navigate through the Folders in your account and choose where the Gallery will be located. If you need to create a new Folder for this Gallery to be located in, you can just click on Add Folder to create a completely new Folder to add the Gallery to.
5. Click Next.
6. Choose a Gallery Preset that will determine this Gallery's initial settings. If needed, you can also create a new preset during this step. See here for more information about creating Gallery Presets.
7. Choose whether you want to allow or skip duplicates being uploaded.
8. Check the Auto Tag & Describe box if you'd like for SEO related Gallery description and tags to be created automatically from the media you choose to upload during the Gallery creation. Click Here for more information about Auto Tag & Describe*.
9. Click Next.
10. Click on Browse Photos and select your photo files to upload. Or drag your photo files into the uploader. It is recommended that you upload files that exist directly on your computer, rather than uploading from an external hard drive.
11. If you choose to upload media at this time, click Upload.

Depending on your internet connection speeds, the number of photos being uploaded, and the file size of each image; the upload may take a while. Please be patient. However, you can continue working within your Zenfolio account while the photos upload in the background. As long as you do not close the browser, or the Zenfolio browser tab, the upload will continue.

Here are some additional tips to know before uploading:

• Supported file types are JPEG, PNG, GIF, HEIC.
• Maximum size per file is 100mb.
• Recommended color profile for uploaded photos is sRGB. The use of other color profiles may not be supported, or may result in the display photos appearing discolored. If uploaded photos appear discolored, double check the color profile and re-upload as sRGB

See this guides to learn more about managing and uploading to existing Galleries.

Using Auto Tag & Describe To Generate Gallery Description and Tags

Auto Tag & Describe is a feature that utilizes AI to automatically generate gallery names, descriptions, and tags/keywords upon the upload process. Therefore, what can you anticipate if you opt to enable Auto Tag & Describe while creating a new gallery?

• On the very first use of Auto Tag & Describe in your account, a window will appear providing you with information regarding the service and allowing you to review the Gallery name, Description, Shoot Type, and tags generated.
  
   
• For future uses of Auto Tag & Describe, a temporary green confirmation message will appear briefly on your screen. Clicking on this will open the same window as referenced above, for you to review.
  
   
• Once the Auto Tag & Describe processing is finished, you will receive a notification that will be added to your Notification Bell icon (usually located in the top navigation bar). Clicking on this will open the same window as referenced above, for you to review.
  

For more detailed information about using the Auto Tag & Describe feature, click HERE.


 

*Per legal requirements, Auto Tag & Describe feature is not available for photographers based in Illinois.