How do I set up free digital downloads? 🎦

Free Digital Settings

Below are the settings you go through when creating each digital rule:

Rule Settings

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.

Require access with 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.

Include a 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.

Media Configurations

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!

Size - Specify the size of the file that the customer will receive.

Amount - If you'd like to limit the number of files a visitor can download, use this option

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.

Download All button - Turn this option on if you'd like gallery visitors to see a Download All button in the gallery. That button allows the client to download all of the media types (Photos, Videos, and Slideshows) that are toggled on in this rule. 

Create Free Digital Rules for Photo Downloads

• Go to Galleries > All Galleries > Actions (the stacked dots) > Settings
   
• Choose Free Digitals from the menu on the left
   
• Click Create New Rule 
   
• Assign where in the gallery you want visitors to be able to download from
  • Gallery level downloads are available to all visitors to the Gallery unless you use a PIN to limit access.
     
  • Album-level downloads show for all visitors to an album. These will show in addition to any gallery-level rules you've set.
     
  • 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)

In the Rule Settings tab: 

• Give the rule a name
  • This name is client-facing, so we recommend giving it a name related to the file size 
     
• Toggle on Require access with PIN (optional) if you want clients to enter a PIN to download
   
• Toggle on Include a Print Release to add a print release that will be included with their file download
   

In the Media Configurations tab:

• Toggle on next to Photo Downloads 

• Set the image size available for download
  • Original resolution is exact file you've uploaded to the gallery
  • Social size resolution resizes your files to 900px on the longest side
  • Custom size allows you to specify the pixels on the longest side and ShootProof resizes the file before delivery
     
• Choose if you want to limit the download number 
  • Every email address that logs into the gallery is counted as a unique gallery visitor and therefore gets to download the number set here
     
• Optionally add a watermark to the free digitals

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 (Linked 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.
     
• In the Rule Settings tab, give the rule a name 
   
• In the Media Configuration tab, choose the template Original Size: Limit 5 per visitor from the template dropdown
   
  • From here you can edit the number of digital downloads, set the resolution, and show the Download All button. 

• Toggle on Photo Downloads
   

• Click Save on the bottom 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 Hidden 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)