link Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I would like to add a photo gallery to my website and I would like to use some kind of pre packaged web gallery software. I'm working on a Mac and have Photoshop CS3 (the web gallery automation seems to always fail in some way), Adobe Go Live v7(CS), Adobe Dreamweaver (haven't learned how to use it yet, but it seems to require buying something called Fireworks?). I don't really know how to code in HTML except for the most simple things. Ideally I'd like the gallery to have a nice row of thumbnails that scroll automatically and display the chosen photograph in the middle of the page on a dark grey background. I also require that I be able to have a description of each photograph appear below the photograph when displayed. And lastly, I need to be able to insert a link to my home page so that one can return from viewing this album. I've tried jalbum, but the skins that I like just don't seem to meet all my requirements for description and home page link. So, any suggestions? Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomwatt Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Dreamweaver would be my first choice... the Fireworks program (iirc) is more or less the same as ImageReady (subset of Photoshop). The Help program should get you going enough to get an album online, then you can always go back and tinker as you please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_mussett1 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I've been working on something similar and was pleasantly surprised to find that using Keynote in my two year old copy of iWork 06 (version 3.0.2) has been able to (so far) do what I need. I'm also an HTML newbie and was surprised again when I realized Keynote will convert all the slides into HTML. I also tried using Final Cut Express - no thumbnails though, and a commercially available program named Soundslides Plus - generally good and easy to use but again no thumbnails and unless you can embed it into a Keynote slide, which I haven't tried yet, you'll need to know HTML to give the page it plays- on a design. I also suggest getting a good book on HTML and CSS so you do have a basic understanding of what is going- on behind the scenes and be able to do any fine-tuning if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Do you use Lightroom? If so, there are multiple web galleries to choose from. Some are pure HTML, some are Flash- based. Some galleries come with Lightroom, some are third party. I use the Flash-based ones on my website and blog. The benefit with Flash is that images preload in the background, making a snappy user experience. www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
link Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Thanks for the suggestions...so far. Photoshop CS3 no longer has Image Ready, but it does have a "make web album" or something like it in the automate list. Unfortunately, it always seems to leave a few pictures un-viewable for some reason, or have other bugs. I don't have Keynote, that I know of. I don't have lightroom, but I suspect that it just runs the same action that always fails with photoshop. And I need to have descriptions of each image and a link back to my home page as this will not be a stand-alone site. The Jalbum software and skins work, but I don't know how to customize the skins to do what I need. I may try to learn Dreamweaver enough that I can design this on my own, but computer programing is not my best skill and I get a headache just thinking about programing. So, I'm still open to some "easy" suggestion. If anyone can guess why photoshop fails to make a bug free site, please fill me in:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 >>> I don't have lightroom, but I suspect that it just runs the same action that always fails with photoshop. And I need to have descriptions of each image and a link back to my home page as this will not be a stand-alone site. No, LR does not run the same "action" - perhaps you should actually check LR out. They're a set of web galleries specifically built for LR and reside in the Web Gallery module. In addition to the half-dozen galleries that ship with LR, there are, as I pointed out above, 3rd party galleries as well. You can add unique descriptions, contact info, and a link back to your site. Third party galleries include a lot more. >>> So, I'm still open to some "easy" suggestion. It doesn't get any easier.... www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_mussett1 Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I'll have to take back some of what I said about the abilities of Keynote, which is an application in a suite of programs in Apples iWork and not included with your Mac; you'd have to purchase it separately. As I've learned in the last few hours, Keynote does save slides with an HTML index file, however all the slides are saved as either JPG or PNG; they are simply images of the slides created in Keynote. Any links, slideshows, videos do not work once uploaded; with-out additional coding they never will. I thought Keynote would preserve my links, etc that worked in the Keynote program but it does not. If you already own Dreamweaver give it a try or find someone (local college student?) to create an initial site for you and learn from the code written for your site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
link Posted September 26, 2008 Author Share Posted September 26, 2008 Thanks for the suggestions. I've download trial versions of Fireworks and Lightroom. The Fireworks site made through Dreamweaver is kind of lame, so I deleted Fireworks. The Lightroom web sites are not perfect, though usable so I think I'll go with that for the time being. Though I didn't really want to spend another $200 on it but there you go.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan_nikitin Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Brad, and others who use the Lightroom. Are there any missing features in the Lightroom that you will pay for if a third party software implements them? Any web gallery features. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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