You can set up multiple levels (or types) of free digitals within a gallery. For example, you may wish to offer certain free digitals to all gallery visitors, then a specially-created digital file for your main client (or Linked Contact), and then still give other digital downloads to vendors at a wedding.
On any given gallery, you can create up to:
- Four gallery-level free digital rules
- Plus four free digital rules for the Linked Contact
- Plus four free digital rules for each album inside the gallery
Keep in mind that free digital rules are additive, which means that a visitor to the gallery will be able to see/use all free digital rules in that gallery that they have access to.
Free Digital Settings
Below are the settings that you determine when creating each digital rule.
Templates - We've given you some basic, highly-used formulas for free digitals. You can select one and then customize it to fit your needs!
Digital Rule Name - Your clients will see this name in the gallery when selecting free digitals to download, so be sure to use a name or term that they will understand. We recommend keeping it simple! Many studios use names like Full Resolution or Social Size.
Resolution - Specify the size of the file that the customer will receive.
- Original resolution will deliver the exact file you've uploaded to the gallery.
- Social size resolution will resize your files to 900px on the longest side.
- Custom size allows you to specify the pixels on the longest side, and ShootProof will resize the file before delivery.
Download All button - Turn this option on if you'd like gallery visitors to see a Download All button in the gallery.
Download Limit - If you'd like to limit the number of files a visitor can download, use this option.
PIN - Protect digital downloads by attaching a 6-digit PIN to a set of digital rules. Only visitors who know the PIN will be able to access that particular set of free digitals.
Watermark - ShootProof can apply a watermark before delivering the files to your customers! If you'd like visitors to receive unaltered files, leave this option off.
Print Release - Enter your Print Release information here, and it will be delivered to the customer via email when he or she downloads photos from this specific set of free digital rules.
Create Free Digital Rules
- Go to Galleries > All Galleries > Actions > Gallery Settings
- Choose Free Digitals from the menu on the left
- Click Add New Rule in the section with which you wish to work
- Free Digitals that are set on the Gallery level are available to all visitors to the Gallery unless you use a PIN to limit access.
- Linked Contacts can have their own special set of rules for Free Digitals. However, the Linked Contact also has access to the Free Digitals that are set on the gallery level (see video below).
- Gallery visitors will have access to album-level Free Digitals in addition to the gallery-level rules you've set.
- Free Digitals that are set on the Gallery level are available to all visitors to the Gallery unless you use a PIN to limit access.
- Set up the free digitals and click Save
Create Free Digital Rules Just for the Linked Contact
Note: Be sure to always turn on the Require Email address option in the Gallery Settings when using free digital rules for the Linked Contact.
Create Digital Rules for Some Free Digitals
If you include a set number of free digitals in your session fee, you can upsell additional images after the session, making it easy for your client to download their free images directly from the gallery.
First, be sure to offer digitals for sale on your price sheet. Then create a Free Digital rule for the Linked Contact:
- Go to Galleries > All Galleries > Actions > Settings > Free Digitals. Click Create Free Digital Rule.
- Choose the option One Specific Person (third option).
- If the person isn’t already Linked to your gallery, click Create New Contact at the top, fill in the required fields, and click Add Contact.
- If the person isn’t already Linked to your gallery, click Create New Contact at the top, fill in the required fields, and click Add Contact.
- Now choose the template Original Size: Limit 5 per visitor from the dropdown. From here you can edit the number of digital downloads, set the resolution, and show the Download All button.
- Click Add Rule and then save the gallery setting changes at the top right.
Now when your client accesses the gallery using their email address, they'll have the option to download only the quantity of images you allow, and they can purchase the rest through the Shopping Cart.
To see what your client will experience, click Preview Gallery and enter your client's email address. Once in the gallery, you'll see the Download icon on your client's images.
**DO NOT download any images while logged in with your client's email address.
Common Use Cases for Digital Rules
Setting up free digitals with so many options can be confusing! Here are some common ways you can use them for your business. Of course, how you set up your free digitals depends on your specific business model and the needs of your business, but these may give you an idea of the many ways to use the different levels of rules.
Wedding Photographers:
-Linked Contact receives all digitals in the gallery
-The mother of the bride receives 10 full-res, non-watermarked files (use a PIN!)
-Gallery visitors receive 5, low-resolution, watermarked files
-The florist (set up a Vendor Album!) receives all full-res, watermarked files from their album only
Portrait Photographers:
- Linked contact receives 15 full-res, unwatermarked files
- Linked contact also receives all files in social media size, watermarked for sharing on Facebook
- Regular gallery visitors do not receive any free digital
School Photographers:
- one album, just for the school administrators, gives free low-res, watermarked files for use in yearbooks (use a PIN)