Out with the old and in with the new is just what is going to happen with the Image Gallery tool in Faithwebsites CMS!
Effective the week of February 9, 2015, we will be replacing the current image gallery tool with a totally new, modern and updated tool. All existing tools will be automatically converted (see below for more info on the conversion).
The new tool offers:
- beautiful, full size galleria presentation of your images
- collage options that cohesively displays a mix of horizontal and vertical images
- faster and easier uploading of images
- integration with File Uploads
- modern page displays - with several different types of layouts and rollover effects
- automatic resizing; automatic thumbnail creation!
- is fully compatible with finger-touch, all devices and operating systems, and is responsive
- connects with your Flickr, Google+ and Picasa accounts
The new image gallery tool really shines on your web pages, and you'll save time by simply being able to upload your full size images and let the tool do the rest of the work for you. No more needing to figure out what size works best - the tool takes care of that for you!
Because the tool produces the image display responsively, the end user will experience the full view of the image at the maximum size and resolution available on the screen they are using. It provides a pixel-perfect picture for that end user every time!
We're sure you'll love many of the new display and overlay options, and encourage you to explore and check out the new property settings to see what works best for your galleries.
As an added feature, and as part of our continuing effort to integrate your website with more social media, the image gallery can now be connected with your Flickr, Google+ and Picasa accounts. Once you've connected your accounts, your image gallery on your website will automatically show the updates from your Flickr, Google/Picasa accounts - no need to update twice!
Existing Image Gallery Tools - Automatically Converted
If you use an image gallery tool on your website, it will be converted to the new gallery automatically. We worked hard to keep some things in place for you, but with web technology changes, some items in your old gallery will be gone. You can expect:
- Your gallery will default to a simple layout and transition in the new gallery, but you can go into the tool's properties and change that yourself. We encourage you to explore and find out which type of layout you like best!
- Individual albums within the gallery tool no longer have descriptions. If you had description content, that will be available for you to copy and paste into the new gallery's description. (Each gallery only has one master description now.)
- Captions are kept, however, if there was any html (such as linking, bolding, etc.) that will be stripped to plain text. Image captions can no longer contain any html.
- Captions are not seen on the mobile version of the tool, as the screen space is so small. This is standard across gallery tools in the industry.
- Your original image sizes are maintained, so while the new gallery tool may look different, it is the same images you originally uploaded.
Going forward, we recommend that you use the best quality image and not attempt to downsize or crop ahead of time.
Note: if you have an implemented home page (your website design is a Signature Theme, Custom Design, etc.) that uses the image gallery tool, that home page tool will not be converted. This only applies to home page image tool uses. If you have questions, please contact us.
The new image gallery tool is easy to use, but if you have any questions chat with us or email support. We'll get new support documentation out very soon!
Update: This will be released live on Wednesday, 2/11/15.