1. Installation & Requirements

What You Need:

• A WordPress website (version 5.8 or higher recommended)
• WooCommerce plugin installed and activated
• PHP 8.0 or higher
• GD Library enabled on your server (required for watermarking)
• ZipArchive enabled on your server (required for ZIP downloads)

How to Install:

1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.
2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
3. Click Choose File and select the photoez.zip file you downloaded.
4. Click Install Now, then click Activate.
5. You will see a new PhotoEZ menu item appear in your left sidebar. That means you are ready to go!

2. Initial Setup (First-Time Configuration)

Before creating your first gallery, take 5 minutes to configure your global settings.

Step 1: Upload Your Watermark

1. In your WordPress sidebar, click PhotoEZ → Watermark.
2. Under "Upload / Replace Watermark", click Choose File and select a transparent PNG file of your watermark (your logo works great).
3. Click Upload Watermark PNG.
4. Under "Position & Opacity", set your preferred watermark position (Center is recommended for maximum protection) and opacity (50-70 is recommended).
5. Click Save Settings.

Step 2: Configure Your Global Settings

1. Click PhotoEZ → Settings in your sidebar.
2. Fill out the following sections:

• Studio Name & Logo: Enter your business name and upload your logo. This will appear in your client emails.
• Extra Image Price: The price you charge per photo when a client selects more than their included amount.
• Admin Notification Email: The email address where you want to receive alerts when clients submit their selections.
• Delivery Email Message: Write a personal message that goes in the body of the delivery email.
• Mail Server (SMTP): To avoid spam folders, check "Enable Custom SMTP" and enter your mail server credentials. Click "Send Test Email" to verify.

3. Configuring Your Watermark

Your watermark protects your images while clients browse their proofing gallery. PhotoEZ automatically applies your watermark to every preview image the client sees.

4. Creating Your First Gallery

1. In your WordPress sidebar, click PhotoEZ → Galleries.
2. Click Add New at the top.
3. Give your gallery a title (e.g., "Smith Wedding" or "Johnson Family Portraits").
4. Scroll down to the Gallery Command Center.

Section 1: Client Access & Settings

• Client Email Address: Enter your client's email. This is required for the automatic delivery email to work.
• Free Download Limit: Enter how many images are included for free (e.g., 10).

Section 2: Proofing Images (Watermarked)

• Click "Add / Edit Proofs".
• Select all the images you want the client to review from your WordPress Media Library.
• Click "Use as Proofs".

Click Publish (or Update) to save your gallery!

5. Sharing the Gallery with Your Client

1. Open the gallery you just created.
2. In Section 1 (Client Access), locate the field labeled "Client Link".
3. Click "Copy Link".
4. Send this link to your client via email or text message.

Note: The link contains a secure token. Only people with this exact link can access the gallery. You do not need to create a WordPress account for your client.

6. How the Client Selects Photos

When your client clicks the link you sent them, all of their images are displayed in a beautiful grid with your watermark applied.

• How They Select: The client clicks the green circle on any image to select it. Clicking the image itself opens a full-screen lightbox to browse.
• Submitting (Free Route): If the client selects photos within their free limit, the button says "Submit Selections". Their choices are saved instantly.
• Submitting (Paid Route): If the client selects MORE photos than their limit, the button changes to "Pay & Submit". PhotoEZ adds the exact extra cost to their WooCommerce cart and redirects them to checkout.

7. Receiving Client Submissions

You will receive a beautifully formatted HTML email when a client submits their gallery.

To view exactly what they picked:

1. Go to PhotoEZ → Galleries and Edit the gallery.
2. Scroll down to Section 3: Client Selections.
3. You will see thumbnails of every image they picked, along with the exact filename underneath it so you can easily find them in Lightroom.

8. Uploading Final Edited Photos

Once you have finished editing the client's selected photos:

1. Scroll down to Section 4: Final Delivery (High-Res) in the gallery.
2. Click "Upload / Edit Final Files".
3. Select the final, high-resolution, unwatermarked images.
4. Click Update to save.

9. Delivering Photos to the Client

This is the magic moment! When you are ready for the client to download their photos:

1. In Section 3 (Client Selections), find the Status dropdown.
2. Change it to "Delivered (Ready for Download)".
3. Click Update.

10. How the Client Downloads Their Photos

When the client revisits their gallery link, the watermarked proofs are completely hidden. Instead, they see a beautiful download page.

• Download All (ZIP): Clicking this button dynamically packages all their high-res files into a single ZIP file and downloads it instantly.
• Download Individual: Clicking the button under any single image downloads just that one file.

11. Understanding the Dashboard

Your PhotoEZ Dashboard is your command center. It is designed to help you instantly see what needs attention and move quickly through your workflow.

📊 Clickable Status Cards

Each status card at the top of the dashboard is clickable. Clicking a card automatically filters your gallery list to show only those galleries.

• Pending: Galleries waiting for client selections.
• Client Selections Made: Clients have submitted and paid. These galleries are ready for editing.
• Ready to Deliver: Client selections are in, but final edited images have not yet been uploaded.
• Delivered: Final photos have been uploaded and the client has been notified.

🔔 Needs Editing Indicator

Galleries with paid selections automatically display a "Needs Editing" badge in the Activity Feed and a notification bubble next to the Galleries menu in your WordPress sidebar.

💰 Revenue Tracking

The dashboard separates revenue into:

• Booking Revenue (if using the Booking Add‑On)
• Gallery Upsell Revenue from extra image purchases

This gives you clear insight into how much income comes from sessions versus post-session upsells.

12. Settings Reference Guide

Setting	Location	Description
Studio Name & Logo	Settings → Branding	Your business identity, used in emails
Primary Brand Color	Settings → Branding	Controls button and highlight colors
Extra Image Price	Settings → Pricing	Cost per photo above the free limit
Gallery Expiration	Settings → Pricing	Days before a client link expires
Admin Email	Settings → Email	Where submission alerts are sent
Delivery Message	Settings → Email	Body text of delivery emails sent to clients
SMTP Settings	Settings → SMTP	Custom mail server configuration to avoid spam

14. Security & Protection

PhotoEZ includes multiple layers of built-in protection to keep your work and your clients safe.

🔐 Secure Client Links

Every gallery uses a unique secure link. Only someone with the full link can access the gallery.

🖼 Watermarked Proofing

Clients only see watermarked previews until payment is completed and final files are delivered.

🛡 Spam & Abuse Protection

PhotoEZ automatically prevents rapid repeat submissions and protects your galleries from automated abuse.

📦 Secure File Delivery

ZIP files are generated on demand and automatically deleted after download to keep your server clean and secure.

✅ Permission-Based Admin Actions

Only authorized administrators can delete images or modify gallery settings.

13. Troubleshooting & FAQ

Q: My client says the gallery link doesn't work.
A: Check that the gallery is set to "Published" (not Draft). Also verify the token in the URL matches the one shown in Section 1 of the Gallery Command Center.

Q: The watermark is not appearing on images.
A: Go to PhotoEZ → Watermark and verify a PNG file is uploaded. Then click "Clear Cached Previews" and refresh the gallery page.

Q: The client's email went to spam.
A: Go to PhotoEZ → Settings and configure the SMTP section with your actual mail server credentials. Use the "Send Test Email" button to verify.

Q: The "Download All (ZIP)" button gives an error.
A: Your server may not have ZipArchive enabled. Contact your web host and ask them to enable the PHP zip extension.

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