EverWeb suits a portfolio well: you place your work exactly where you want it, galleries open each image large on the same page (a "lightbox"), and you choose the background behind it. You can also keep private galleries for clients and sell prints. In EverWeb 4.6 and later, a contact form can also take session deposits and print orders, and collect signed model releases. Here's how to set it up.
Pages to make
| Page | What goes on it | Use in EverWeb |
|---|---|---|
| Home | One strong image or a short slideshow, your name, what you do | A full width image, or the Image Slider or Carousel widget |
| Work | One page per series or subject | Responsive Image Gallery, inside a directory |
| About | Bio, statement, photo of you | Text and an image |
| News or Exhibitions | Shows, publications, new work | EverWeb's blog |
| Prints or Shop | What you sell | A payment widget, a contact form with payments (4.6), or a link to your shop |
| Book or Contact | Enquiries, commissions, session bookings | Contact Form Advanced |
| Clients (private) | Proofing or delivery galleries | Simple Password or Membership Sites |
Menu tip: click Add Directory and call it Work, then put each gallery page inside it. The directory appears in your navigation menu, with your galleries listed under it.
Galleries
On a Responsive page, drag the Responsive Image Gallery widget from the Widgets tab and add your images. In Inspector > Widget Settings:
- Style sets how thumbnails sit: Masonry keeps each picture's shape, Cover makes a neat grid of equal tiles. Max Columns sets how many across.
- Each image has a Caption and Image ALT Text. Use the alt text to describe the picture: it helps visitors who use screen readers, and Google Images.
- Click to Open SlideShow opens the lightbox. Set Slide Show Background Color to white or black for a clean look, and choose whether to show thumbnails, arrows and the image counter.
- Untick Show Download Button and Show Social Share Button if you don't want those on your work.
On a fixed-width Centered Layout page, use the Image Gallery widget instead. Moving from iWeb or Sandvox? You can bring galleries across with File > Import > iWeb Photo Gallery From File... or Sandvox Photo Gallery From URL.... For more on lightboxes, see How do I open a popup window or enlarge a photo when someone clicks?. For more ways to show your work, see Photographers: show your photos at their best without slowing your website.
Large images, done right
Big files make pages slow, and they fill your hosting storage, which is shared with your email.
- Export for the web first. Resize in your photo app before adding images to EverWeb. Aim for under 500KB per image where you can.
- Try Export Optimized Images in File > Edit Publishing Settings. EverWeb then publishes smaller WebP copies. Colours can change very slightly, so compare a few of your images before leaving it on.
- Tick Lazy load image in Inspector > Shape Options for images further down long pages, so they load as visitors scroll.
- Keep the Assets list tidy. To swap a photo everywhere it's used, use Replace Asset.... To make your project file smaller, use Find Unused Assets.... See Replace an image or PDF everywhere at once, and clear out files you no longer use (the Assets list).
Protecting your photos
No website can stop someone saving a picture they can see on screen, and EverWeb has no setting that blocks right-clicking or adds a watermark. What helps: add a watermark in your photo app before you add pictures, publish web-sized copies rather than print-sized files, and put a copyright line on your pages. See Protect your photos online: watermarks, image sizes and copyright notices.
Private galleries for clients
| Simple Password | Membership Sites | |
|---|---|---|
| Good for | Proofing galleries, one login per client or event | Clients or members with their own login, or paid access |
| Needs | EverWeb + Hosting | EverWeb + Hosting, or another host with PHP |
| Cost | Included | Separate add-on, with a free Starter plan |
For Simple Password, put each client's gallery in its own directory, then go to Inspector > Page Settings > Password Protection > Simple Password and add a username and password. Untick Include page in navigation menu so it doesn't show in your menu. Pictures themselves aren't password protected: anyone with an image's direct address can open it. That's fine for proofing, but don't use it for confidential images. Full steps: Can I password protect my website? Simple Password and Membership Sites and Members-only pages, logins and paid subscriptions: EverWeb Membership Sites. To let clients pick their favourites, see Photographers: share private client galleries and let clients choose their favourite photos.
Selling prints
- A few prints you send yourself: add the PayPal Modern or Stripe Payment widget next to each picture. Buyers pay on PayPal's or Stripe's own page. For sizes, use Options With Prices in PayPal Modern. An option's price is added to the main Price, so set the main price to 0 if each size has its full price. See Take payments on your website with the PayPal and Stripe widgets.
- Prints with choices, packages or gift vouchers (EverWeb 4.6 and later): a contact form with payments lets buyers pick the photo, size, paper and framing, see the total and pay. It needs the Contact Forms Enhanced add-on. See Photographers: sell prints, packages and gift vouchers from your website.
- Printed and shipped for you: sell through a print lab, Etsy or Shopify, and link a Buy prints button to your shop, or paste their buy button code into the HTML Snippet widget.
Either way, add the padlock (HTTPS) before you take payments: see My site says 'Not Secure': how to get HTTPS (SSL) on your website.
New in EverWeb 4.6
- Session bookings and deposits. A Contact Form Advanced form can ask for the session type, date and time, and take a deposit by card or PayPal (Contact Forms Enhanced add-on). It doesn't check your diary, so confirm each booking by email. See Photographers: take session bookings and deposits on your website.
- Model releases, contracts and questionnaires. The Signature field (add-on), with a Consent tick box and the date, collects a signed form. Check with your lawyer or professional body that a signature on a web form is enough for your use. See Photographers: model releases, contracts and client questionnaires online.
- Files from clients. A File Upload field (add-on) accepts reference photos or a logo for a shoot. See Build a custom form: quote requests, registrations and file uploads.
- Matching buttons. Set up a Book a session button once with Button Styles in Format > Website Styles.... See Design buttons that look clickable: colours, rounded corners, shadows and hover effects.
- Flip Card widget. A card that turns over to show its back, for example a photo on the front and the story behind it on the back.
- Assets as pictures. The Assets list can show your images as a gallery of thumbnails, so you find the photo you want faster.
More for photographers and artists
- Photographers: take session bookings and deposits on your website
- Photographers: share private client galleries and let clients choose their favourite photos
- Photographers: model releases, contracts and client questionnaires online
- Photographers: show your photos at their best without slowing your website
- Photographers: sell prints, packages and gift vouchers from your website
- Protect your photos online: watermarks, image sizes and copyright notices
- Build a website to sell your art and take commissions with EverWeb
Checklist before you publish
- Every gallery opens in the lightbox and looks right on a phone: click Preview and choose Preview QR Code.
- No image is larger than it needs to be.
- Alt text and captions are filled in.
- Private galleries ask for a password on the published website (they don't in Preview), and aren't in your menu.
- Each payment button or priced form shows the right price and currency, and a test purchase works.
- Publish with File > Publish Entire Site.
Related articles
- How do I open a popup window or enlarge a photo when someone clicks?
- Replace an image or PDF everywhere at once, and clear out files you no longer use (the Assets list)
- Can I password protect my website? Simple Password and Membership Sites
- Take payments on your website with the PayPal and Stripe widgets
- Build a responsive page with Containers so it stacks neatly on a phone