Collections
A collection is a set of photos a visitor picks out. It is how your client tells you which ones they want for an album, for prints, or simply which they loved.
How a client makes one
They tap the star on a photo and it is saved to their current collection. On a computer the star sits on the thumbnail when the pointer is over it. On a phone they open the photo first. A pill at the bottom of the screen shows the collection name and how many photos are in it, and opens Your selections.
The first star asks for their email, because that is what ties the list to them. Give the same email on another device and the same collections come back.
From Your selections they can:
- Look through what they have chosen and remove anything.
- Create more collections, one for the album, one for prints, one for family.
- Switch which collection they are adding to.
- Leave a note on any photo.
- Send to photographer, with a message for you.
Your settings
Settings → Collections has one main switch and three under it.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Allow collections | Visitors can gather photos into named collections. On for new galleries. |
| Collection notes | Visitors can leave a note on a collection and on individual photos. On for new galleries. |
| Allow submission | Visitors can send a collection to you and notify you. On for new galleries. |
| Lock after submission | Prevents changes after sending. Off for new galleries. |
Turning Allow collections off removes the star from every photo. That is right for a straightforward delivery where you just want the client to have the pictures. A "pick your favorites" prompt they do not need is a task they did not ask for.
Turning Allow submission off leaves the stars but removes the send button. The visitor still builds a list and you still see it, they just do not press anything to hand it over.
Lock after submission is worth it when the selection starts work you are about to do. Without it a client can keep adjusting after you have begun the album. Leave it off for a general favorites list where there is no harm in them changing their mind.
Selection requests
Rather than one general pile of favorites, you can create collections for the client to fill. Each one has its own brief and its own limit. Click Selection requests at the bottom of the chapter sidebar, or the same button under Settings → Collections.
New selection request asks for:
- Recipient email. Required. The collections appear for whoever opens the gallery with that email.
- Collections, up to ten at a time. Each has a name, an optional Max photos limit, and an optional Brief of up to 500 characters that the client reads above the collection.
Five templates fill a row for you: Album picks (40), Retouch list (10), Print order (20), Sneak peek (5) and Favourites (no limit). Every name has to be unique for that recipient.
Click Continue to share and CoreHue creates the collections. It then opens the Send preset collection message, already addressed to that person. Sending publishes a gallery that is still a draft or unlisted, and the composer tells you so before you send. Cancelling the email keeps the collections. You can invite them later.
This works far better than "let me know which ones you like". A client given a clear task with a number completes it. A client given an open invitation sits on it for three weeks.
Where the selections land
Open Activity → Collections. Every collection in the gallery is listed, whether the client made it or you requested it, with the email it belongs to and the count against the limit. A collection your client built themselves carries a Submitted tag once they send it. A selection request you created shows when you last sent it instead.
Each has a ⋯ menu:
- Send preset link and Share preset link, on requests you created, to invite or re-invite that person.
- View collection, which opens the collection as your client sees it.
- Edit selection request, to change the name, limit or brief.
- Download collection and Export CSV.
- Copy to new chapter and Copy to new gallery, which build the selection into real photos.
- Copy file names, for pasting into your editing software.
- Send as download, which emails a download link to one person.
- Delete collection.
Click the row itself for Collection Details. It shows the name, email, count, status and dates, your brief under Client instructions, and the note they sent. Every photo is listed with its chapter, when it was added and any note on it. Download Collection and Export sit at the top.
A collection is either Active or Submitted. A submitted collection can be sent again as an update, unless you locked it.
Sending a selection to someone else
Send as download is for the album designer, the printer or the retoucher. Pick a size, then write the email. They get a link that gathers that collection into one file and stays live for 48 hours. It works even on a draft or unlisted gallery, because the link itself is the key.
Getting good selections
Ask for a number. "Pick your 40 favorites" gets done. "Let me know which you like" does not.
Say what it is for in the brief. People choose differently for an album than for a print.
Use separate requests for separate purposes rather than one list you then have to interpret.
Point them at the instructions. Choosing your photos is written for your client.