Getting around your SmugMug site.

  • Updated

Get familiar with your SmugMug site's key features with this quick guide. 

Your checklist:

Navigate your SmugMug site

The Global Navigation Bar that persists at the top of your site when you are logged in offers quick access to key tools and settings:

  • Upload: Add photos or videos.
  • Library: View all photos and videos on your SmugMug account.
  • Organizer: Manage your folder, gallery and page structure.
  • Site: View your website pages. Use a logged out browser to see your site as a visitor.
  • Selling Tools: Access your selling, order branding, and business tools (for Portfolio/Pro users).
  • Profile Icon: Edit your profile, access your Account Settings, and log out of your account.

The Section Bar provides page-specific tools for galleries, folders, or pages.

Visitors do not see the Global Navigation Bar or Section Bar.

Manage your Account Settings

Access your Account Settings from the profile icon at the top right to control site level settings

 

 

Create Folders, Galleries and Pages.

Use the Create button in the organizer to add new content to your site. 

 

Your SmugMug site consists of three main components that have specific purposes:

  • Folder: Categorize your content with folders. Nest up to four subfolder levels per folder. Folders do not hold or display photos. 
  • Gallery: Galleries hold photos and videos; cannot contain other folders or galleries.
  • Page: A web page that you can customize for any purpose; examples include an "About Me" or "Contact" page.

Upload photos and videos

Use the Upload button (available on any page) to add new photos and videos to galleries. 

Upload options:

  • Desktop: Drag-and-drop photos from your drive, using SmugMug's built in uploader or use our desktop app. 
  • Mobile: Upload via SmugMug’s mobile app or use your favorite web browser.
  • Lightroom Plugin: Publish photos directly from Lightroom.

Supported file types:

For prints, upload high-resolution JPEGs to ensure high quality, large format prints. You can use your gallery settings to limit the resolution of photos displayed on your site.

Set your privacy settings

Control the visibility of and access to your site and  folders, galleries, and pages.

Use your privacy settings to control access:

    • Site-level settings: Apply to your entire site, and are always inherited. Set these in the privacy tab of your account settings.

 

    • Folder-level settings: Inherit the site privacy settings, but can be more restrictive than the site setting. Folder visibility and access settings are inherited by all subfolders, galleries, and pages within the folder. Set these on the security and sharing tab of your folder settings.

 

    • Gallery-level settings: Inherit site and folder privacy settings, but can be more restrictive. Set on the security and sharing tab of your gallery settings.
    • Page-level settings: Inherit site and folder privacy settings, but can be more restrictive. Set on the security and sharing tab of your page settings.

Exception: Public subfolders, galleries, or pages can exist within an unlisted folder.

Organize Your Content

Library:

Displays all of your photos and videos to you when you’re logged in, in one unstructured view. Use the library to search your photos, edit your photo information, and recover recently deleted photos and videos. 

Organize:

Manage your site structure and settings:

Site:

Your shareable public-facing website. Control your visitor experience through your custom design tools and your privacy settings.

Business and Selling Tools

For Portfolio and Pro users, the Selling Tools menu allows you to:

Access additional selling tools via your Account Settings > Business Tab.

Customize your site design

Create a look that’s unique to you and your brand. Personalize your site in the Customize Design menu:

  • Ready-to-Use Designs: Choose from our pre-built design starting points.
  • Content Blocks: Add elements like navigation menus, social icons, and carousel photo displays.
  • Themes: Customize fonts, colors, and backgrounds.
  • Layout: Control page widths, margins, and sidebars.

Protect Your Photos

Manage whether or not your photos can be saved directly from your gallery.

Share Your Photos

Share public or unlisted pages by copying the URL from your browser. Use the gallery share tool to copy direct links to individual photos and embed codes. 

Master these features to navigate, organize, and customize your SmugMug site. Refer to this guide whenever you need clarification.

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