Video tutorial
Do you need help to get started with Piwigo?
In this video, you will learn the information required to start using Piwigo in under 15 minutes.
And if you prefer written text, follow the guide below.
Create your account
If you made it here, you might have already installed Piwigo on your server or created your account on piwigo.com.
But if you want to create an account on piwigo.com, visit this page.
In order to create your account, we only need 3 elements:
- Your e-mail address: choose an e-mail address you have access to. This is where you will receive the important information regarding your account. Of course, you will be able to change it in the future.
- Username: choose it carefully! Not only will it be your login to connect to Piwigo, but it will also be the first part of your gallery's web address! Indeed, all piwigo.com accounts have a web address along the lines of "username.piwigo.com". If you want, you will be able to pair your gallery with a custom domain name later.
- Your password: choose a secure password. Try to remember it, we will not be able to give it to you (but if you do forget it, don't panic, you can always request a new one).
A few seconds later, your account has been created! Next, you are invited to log in.
You can then specify whether you are a company or an individual. You can always answer later, for now this doesn't matter.
You can immediately begin adding photos on your Piwigo. Click on the button to be redirected towards the photo upload form. You can also opt to do it later.
Add your first photos
We now suggest adding the first photos on your account. We recommend doing it, as it's the best way to start using Piwigo. Click on the button: you are then redirected towards the photo upload form.
As stated on the screen, in order to host your photos, you need to create a first album. Once you have created this first album, choose some files and add them, either by clicking the "Add photos" button, or by doing a simple drag-and-drop from your computer. The list of selected files then appears on the screen.
Click on "Start upload": here you go, your photos have been uploaded to Piwigo!
To see what this looks like on your gallery, click on the "Visit" button in the top left corner of your screen. You will now discover your gallery, with its default layout.
Make your first album private
Let's go back to the administration by clicking on the Admin link in the top right corner of your gallery.
By default, the first album you created is public: this means that anyone who has a link to your gallery can view these files.
We will now make this album private, so that only you can view it.
In the left menu, click on Albums > Manage. You will access your list of albums.
Drag the mouse over you first album and click on "Edit album".
You will then have multiple options available to edit your album.
Click on the "Permissions" tab.
You can then switch your album to private mode by clicking on the available option. This way, only users with an account on your Piwigo will be able to view this album's photos on your gallery!
Remember to give yourself permission to view this album.
Click on "Save Settings" to confirm your changes.
Change your gallery's theme
Let's now learn together how to change your gallery's theme, meaning the look of the website that will display your photos.
In the left menu of the administration, click on Configuration > Themes.
As you can see, we always install Piwigo with two themes activated by default:
- Modus, in its black and white version, is the theme used by your gallery when viewing it from a computer;
- Smart Pocket, a theme that will only be displayed from a mobile phone or a tablet.
To customize the Modus theme, click on Configuration.
You can see that a list of 18 color styles appears (also called "skins"), that are variants of the Modus theme. For each skin, you can click on the "Preview" button to see a larger sample.
Choose a color style that you like (for example: Swimming Pool).
You can also change several settings:
- Size and format of your photos' thumbnails (by default, 250x250 pixels square thumbnails)
- Display a banner for your gallery
Click on "Save Settings". Click again on "Visit" in the top left corner of your screen: your changes have been applied to your gallery!
Let's now see how to choose another theme for your gallery.
To do this, go back into the administration, then into Configuration > Themes.
For example, install the Bootstrap Darkroom theme on your gallery.
In the list of disabled themes, click on Activate below Bootstrap Darkroom.
This theme is now available in your gallery, but it isn't displayed by default yet: to do this, you must click on "Set as default".
Now, click on Configuration.
As you can see, there are more configuration options with the Bootstrap Darkroom theme than with Modus.
You can browse through all available color styles using the drop-down menu.
Every time you select one of the color themes, a preview will be displayed on the screen. For example, choose the "Material Blue" option.
You can also discover all the other available options for your theme: adding a logo, a banner, a caption for the images…
Other options are available through the "Components" and "Social Integration" tabs.
Let's stop here for now and click on "Save Settings".
Go back to your gallery using the "Visit" button in the top left corner.
As you can see, your gallery's appearance has completely changed!
To go back to the administration from your Bootstrap Darkroom gallery, click on your username in the top right corner, then on Administration.
Let's go back into Configuration > Themes for one last detail.
As you can see, by default, the "Smart Pocket" mobile theme is activated in your gallery.
This theme will only be displayed if your gallery is viewed from a mobile device (phone, tablet).
You can see what this looks like by viewing your gallery from your smartphone.
If you prefer, you can disable this theme: indeed, the Modus and Bootstrap Darkroom themes are compatible with a mobile display.
This way, your gallery will have the same theme no matter the screen size.
Invite users
Piwigo is way better when used by multiple people.
Here is how to invite other people to join you.
In the administration, click on Users > Manage in the left menu.
For now, the only user on your account is the one your created with your account when signing up. It is also the one you are currently logged in with.
By clicking on the pen to the left of your user's row, you can change some information about your user:
- username
- e-mail address
- password
- ...
However, the "status" field is shaded: your user has the Webmaster status, meaning that it has all the rights over your gallery. You cannot change it.
From the user management screen, click on "Add a user".
Enter a username, which will be the username of the person you will invite.
Choose a password or let Piwigo generate a random password (it's much more secure!).
Enter the e-mail address of the person you want to invite. Check "Send connection settings by email".
Your guest will receive an e-mail with their credentials to sign in to Piwigo.
By default, your user has the "User" status in your gallery. This means that they will be able to connect to the gallery to view the private albums you gave them access to, but they will not be able to connect to the administration.
If you want to give them an administrator status, click on the pen on the left to change it. In the "Status" field, select "Administrator" in the drop-down menu, and click on "Update".
Here you go! You have added your first photos in Piwigo, changed your theme and created your first user.
What next?
It's not over! You still have many things to discover to become a pro on Piwigo, such as:
- Installing and setting up plugins to customize your Piwigo
- Organizing your photo library with tags
- Customizing your gallery
- Using the batch manager to modify your files in bulk
- And many more features that will soon become essential!