Features in depth
General
Storage
With the Basic plan, you immediately receive 1GB of storage space when you sign up. You will receive additional 1GB of storage for every year of membership. For example, when you renew your membership for the second year, you will have a total storage space of 2GB, and so forth.
Unlimited and Premium plans do not limit the amount of storage or bandwidth you can use to display your digital art.
No ads and no minimum prints to buy
There are absolutely no ads anywhere on the site. Display your large images with the highest quality on clean, uncluttered pages. And you do not have to buy prints to keep your files online.
Upload file size
You can upload and store full size original files. Several copies of your uploaded files are kept at geographically dispersed locations so they are as safe as possible.
Supported file formats
Photographs can be uploaded in the following file formats: JPEG, TIFF, GIF or PNG.
If you shoot in RAW or NEF formats, you need to process your files first into one of the supported formats.
Online Help
Online help with detailed instructions for completing simple and advanced tasks is always one click away.
Zenfolio API
More and more tools are written by third-party developers based on the Zenfolio API. From plug-ins to stand-alone applications, you will benefit from the variety of additional options available. Available plug-ins are listed on the Free Tools page.
Referral Program
As a registered Zenfolio member you can earn referral credit when someone opens a paid Zenfolio account and includes your referral code during sign up.
New users receive a $5 discount and you receive a $5 credit. There is no limit on how many credits you can accumulate so pass along the referral code to all of your friends.
Referral credits cannot be redeemed for cash, but you may use them to pay for renewing your account, ordering prints, or purchasing other Zenfolio service.
Custom Domain Name
If you have your own domain name, it can be configured to point to Zenfolio.
Your domain name will become the URL address to your Home page, and all the visitor links will begin with it.
User Forums
Plug into the online community of passionate Zenfolio users, who will be happy to share tips on using the service, help resolve a problem, or even offer critique on a photograph.
24 x 7 support
Have a question? Our support specialists will be happy to work with you to help you get the most out of our service. Most e-mails are answered within 2 hours.
Organize
Groups, Galleries, and Collections
Galleries hold your actual uploaded files. When you upload photos, they are placed into a new or existing gallery. Every gallery can have a description including title, caption, category, and keywords. An assigned cover photo visually represents a gallery.
Collections hold links to uploaded photographs. They can include links to photos uploaded by you or by other Zenfolio members. You can use collections to showcase your best photos across several galleries or to collect favorite photos of other photographers.
Galleries and collections can be organized into Groups. Groups are similar to folders on your computer and you can have groups and galleries inside other groups.
Batch uploading
Depending on your computer's operating system and the Web browser, the Zenfolio Uploader takes advantage of different technologies to let you easily upload a large number of files in one operation. The easy to use Zenfolio Uploader includes thumbnail previews, real-time status updates, and estimated upload times.
The uploader is tightly integrated with your Zenfolio account to provide a seamless workflow and to best utilize the available Internet connection speed.
You can also use available third-party solutions to upload directly from a photo management program or from your computer.
Titles and Captions
Every photo can include a description including a title and caption.
Captions can include clickable links and formatted text. No HTML knowledge is needed, all the formatting is done using visual rich-edit tools similar to the ones found in Microsoft Word.
If you use software tools to edit keywords and descriptions using the IPTC standard, they will be transferred during the upload and displayed for your photos.
You can edit description information such as categories, keywords, captions, and titles as a batch operation streamlining the process of making identical changes to multiple items.
Sorting
Photos can be auto-sorted inside a gallery/collection based on such parameters as Date Taken, Title, File Name, and Upload Order. You can also manually arrange photos into any sequence.
Batch Operations
Delete, move, replace, and rotate can be batch operations making it easier to make changes to multiple items at once.
Batch changes can be applied to photos as well as galleries, collections, and groups.
RSS feeds
RSS and Atom feeds are available for Recently Added and Featured items for any user, as well as for any gallery or collection.
Search photos
Simple text Search queries titles, captions, categories, and keywords of photographs, galleries, and collections.
Search results can include one specific photographer or all photographer members on the Zenfolio site. Photographers have full control over the type of search available from their visitor pages, or can remove the Search field completely.
EXIF support
When digital cameras capture images, information pertaining to the shooting conditions and settings of each individual photograph is recorded in the image file. This information contains camera details, exposure settings, file size, etc. EXIF is an industry standard making this information universally useful.
If your original photos contain EXIF information, it will be extracted and displayed in an easy to read and understand format.
Keywords and IPTC Support
Keywords are very useful in searching for your photos. There is no limit to the number of keywords and keyword phrases you can assign to each photo.
If you use software tools to edit keywords and description in IPTC standard, this metadata will be transferred during upload and displayed for your photos.
Visitor Tracking
A Zenfolio account makes it really easy to include a Google Analytics tracking code to collect a wealth of statistics information about your visitors (no coding required).
Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to collect aggregate information about visitors to your Zenfolio pages, such as the number of unique visitors over time, their location, length of visits, and much more.
Present
Personalized homepage
Your Home page is the gateway to all your photos. All galleries, collections, and groups are organized under your Home page for easy access.
Your public profile can be displayed on your Home page including your name, photo, personal message, and contact information.
Professional Layouts
You can select from a number of professionally-designed layouts for each page type: Home page (3 layouts), group pages (2 layouts), gallery/collection pages (2 layouts), and photo pages (4 layouts).
You can further customize pages by specifying which options should be displayed such as metadata, size of thumbnails, menus, etc. Change page layouts, apply visual themes, turn page elements on or off, and select display options without any HTML coding.
Elegant Themes
Visitor pages can be further customized by applying one of the available Themes. Each Theme represents a particular design style by defining colors, fonts, backgrounds, photo frames, and shadows.
There are currently twenty Themes available and we continue to add new designs. Take a look at the Demo site to see all the different Themes available.
Full screen Slideshow
Every gallery and collection comes with a full screen Slideshow unlike any you have seen before. Viewers get selectable background colors, captions, and optional shooting info to maximize the enjoyment of your photos.
It can be paused, played faster or slower, and you can read photo captions without disrupting the flow.
Dynamic pages optimized for viewing
Unique to Zenfolio is the ability to present visitors with the largest size image that fits their Web browser window without scrolling. This significantly improves viewing experience and eliminates the need to continually choose between image sizes.
Zenfolio is an industry pioneer of intelligent photo viewing and navigation through the use of advanced Web technologies, which enable blazingly fast image loading and convenient keyboard navigation. Once you try it, you'll never want to go back to viewing photos any other way.
Invitation E-mails
You can send invitation e-mails following the same visual Theme selected for visitor pages creating a continuous and elegant viewing experience.
Uncompromised image quality
Zenfolio takes the utmost care in providing the best quality display for uploaded photos. Your original files are downscaled for Web display using the highest quality resizing algorithms available.
Dim-the-Lights mode
Load the largest image size in your browser and bring attention to it with a single click on any image. This simple mode called "dim-the-lights" puts everything on the background and presents a clear view of the photo.
Links to eight image sizes and original
Every photo is converted to eight different image sizes:
- Square thumbnail (60 x 60 pixels)
- Small thumbnail (80 pixels along the longest side)
- Medium thumbnail (120 pixels along the longest side)
- Large thumbnail (200 pixels along the longest side)
- Small image (400 pixels along the longest side for both horizontal and vertical photos)
- Medium image (580 pixels along the longest side for horizontal photos, 450 pixels along the longest side for vertical photos)
- Large image (800 pixels along the longest side for horizontal photos, 630 pixels along the longest side for vertical photos)
- Very Large image (1,100 pixels along the longest side for horizontal photos, 850 pixels along the longest side for vertical photos)
All images and thumbnails are available to the owner for direct linking.
Download Originals
Originals are stored unchanged on our servers and you can download them back at any time. You can optionally allow original photos to be downloaded by visitors.
You can also specify the largest image size that can be downloaded by your viewers. If you use the watermarking feature, downloaded images will have watermarks included. The Zenfolio Downloader is a free tool making it easy to download back original full size files previously uploaded to your Zenfolio account.
Remove Zenfolio branding
For additional customization, you can replace the Zenfolio logo and links with your own name to make it look more personalized. Combine that with your own domain name and this powerful option makes the site look uniquely yours.
Protect
Flexible Access Control
Groups, galleries, collections, and even individual photos can be made Public or Private. Public items are visible to everyone and private items are only visible to their Owner.
In addition, groups, galleries, collections, and photos can be protected with a Password assigned by you. You can also include a Password Hint to make it easier for people to remember the password.
Alternatively, access to groups, galleries, collections, and photos can be limited to a list of registered Zenfolio users who would be allowed to view the items. Anyone can get a completely free Visitor account to be added to the list.
Right-click protection
Right-clicking on an image does not show the standard browser popup that allows downloading images. The Zenfolio menu is displayed instead. Dragging images from the browser onto computer’s desktop is also restricted.
Watermarks
You can create and assign custom watermarks with full control over placement and opacity. Supported watermark file formats include JPEG, TIFF, GIF, and PNG with transparency. Watermarks are applied to the downsized display images, not your original uploaded photo.
Print and Sell
Easy ordering
Ordering prints and photo products is easy and convenient. Choose from several photofinishing labs offering a full range of paper finishes, products, and prices. And every print is backed by a 100% Quality Satisfaction Guarantee you can count on.
Variety of Products
In addition to over 30 print sizes, you can order t-shirts, mugs, magnets, mouse pads, and many other products. These photo products make for excellent gifts especially when your favorite photos are on them.
Shopping cart designed for photographers
Zenfolio offers the most powerful and flexible Shopping Cart of its kind built from the ground up for photographers. The Cart features such innovations as ordering products from multiple vendors, adding services such as mounting and framing, and precision cropping.
Customizable price lists
You can create any number of your own price lists and earn a profit on selling your photos. Price lists can include products from partner labs, your own custom products, or digital products. Assign your own prices by using formulas or by directly typing prices for each product.
Selling Digital Products
Zenfolio provides you with tools to complement traditional printed products with digital downloadable products, often expected by customers today — all in one integrated Shopping Cart experience. You specify which downloadable products you offer for sale, select standard or custom license terms, and set prices. Customers can add these products to a Shopping Cart and download them immediately after completing the checkout.
Guide to Digital Products on Zenfolio »
Selling Custom Products and Self-Fulfillment
You can setup and offer for sale your own custom products and use your own PayPal account during Cart checkout so that payment goes directly to you. If you do your own printing, or use a local lab, this is the most flexible option. There is a 4% service fee charged on all custom orders.
Sales reports
Review and download detailed sales reports compatible with any spreadsheet program. Reports include Orders, Products, Customers, Coupons, and Photos based on any time period and sorted any way you want.
Coupons
You can create Coupons, including percentage and amount based discounts. You can provide your friends and family with "at cost" coupons which discounts marked-up prices to base prices.
Generic Packaging
The ability to hide vendor name from the Cart checkout flow and any order-related correspondence is available.
Checking this option also ensures that products are packaged in white non-branded boxes with no vendor name displayed anywhere.
Review and Approve orders
A very powerful option is to review and approve orders before they are sent for fulfillment to a partner lab. This allows you to upload better quality files to be used for printing, adjust cropping, specify color correction settings, and more.
Not only does this save you time on post-processing, but it makes uploading many low resolution files much faster.
Backprinting
Also available is the ability to specify up to 25-characters of custom text to be printed on the back of ordered prints. These can be file name or date, a thank you note, copyright information, or studio name.
Payment of Profits
Payments of profits can be sent to you by check ($3 fee applies) or through PayPal (no fee). You can request payments at any time and as often as you like.
