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Allowing downloads for some chapters only

Sometimes a gallery has photos you want your client to keep and photos you only want them to look at. Turning downloads off for a single chapter lets you do both in one gallery.

A few common setups:

  • Wedding: Ceremony and Reception downloadable, Getting ready view-only until the album is ordered.
  • Previews: a downloadable "Sneak peek" chapter while the rest are view-only.
  • Extra edits: a chapter of bonus images clients can see now and buy as an add-on.

Turn downloads off for a chapter​

  1. Open the gallery and go to Settings → Downloads.
  2. Make sure Allow downloads is on.
  3. Under Enable downloads for, switch off the chapters you want to keep view-only.

Each switch saves the moment you flip it. There's nothing else to click.

Enable downloads for only shows once your gallery has more than one chapter. With a single chapter, Allow downloads does the same job.

At least one chapter has to stay downloadable. If you try to switch off the last one, you'll see "At least one chapter must allow downloads." To make the whole gallery view-only, turn off Allow downloads instead.

What a chapter switch covers​

Turning a chapter off removes downloads for everything in it:

  • The download button on each photo in that chapter.
  • The download button on each video in that chapter.
  • That chapter on the whole-gallery download page, so it's left out of the ZIP.

Your client can still view everything, star photos for their favorites and share the gallery as normal.

How it fits with private chapters​

Download switches only decide whether a chapter can be downloaded. They don't decide who can see it:

What your client sees​

In a view-only chapter, photos and videos have no download button. On the whole-gallery download page, only downloadable chapters appear in the list. Nothing tells your client a chapter is locked, so if they ask, let them know it's on purpose.

Frequently asked questions​

Do I need to click Save after changing a chapter?​

No. The chapter switches under Enable downloads for save straight away. The other download settings use the Save bar.

Can I make single photos view-only?​

No, not one at a time. Downloads are switched per chapter, so put those photos in their own chapter and switch that chapter off.

Does this affect videos in the chapter too?​

Yes. A chapter with downloads turned off has no download button on its videos either.

Can I send a view-only chapter's photos to my client later?​

Yes. Switch the chapter back on when you're ready, or use a selection request and Send as download for just the photos they've chosen. See Sending favorites as a download.

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