How to share a photo gallery as a link

After a wedding, a family reunion or a client shoot, there are a few hundred photos on a camera card or phone and a group of people waiting to see them. Some want to scroll through, some want to download their favorites, and a client may want to choose which shots go to retouching. Sending them in a group chat often compresses the images and buries them under the conversation.

This guide covers the usual ways people share a set of photos by link, then shows how to publish a photo folder from Fabric as a single gallery page, with control over downloads and access, and how to collect picks from a client on the same photos.

How people usually share a photo gallery

Shared albums in Google Photos or iCloud Photos are the usual choice for family and friends. They’re quick to set up from a phone and people can add their own pictures. The experience depends on which ecosystem each viewer uses, and the album lives in a personal photo library rather than alongside other project files.

A Dropbox or Google Drive folder link keeps the full files and works for anyone with the link. Recipients see a file browser with filenames like DSC_4821.jpg, which suits a colleague collecting files more than a guest looking through a day’s photos.

Professional photographers often use dedicated client gallery services such as Pixieset or Pic-Time, which are built for presentation, proofing and print sales. They’re another subscription, and the gallery sits apart from the photographer’s working library. WeTransfer is used for handing over finished files, though recipients download a bundle rather than browse, and the link expires.

Step 1: Put the photos in one folder

Create a folder named for the event or shoot, then drag the photos in or click Upload a file; uploading handles large batches at once. Photographers working from a laptop can use the Fabric desktop app, which mounts Fabric as a drive so you can export from an editing app straight into the folder.

For photos taken on a phone, the mobile app can back up the camera roll automatically, either every photo or only chosen folders, and you then move the ones you want into the gallery folder. How to back up your camera roll automatically walks through that setup.

Cull before you publish. Everything in the folder will be on the page, so move rejects and near-duplicates into a separate folder first.

Step 2: Publish the folder as a gallery page

Select the folder and click Share, then open the Publish tab and click Create link. A published folder appears as a web page, so the photos are viewed together at one URL. Publishing is on every plan, including free.

Name the link, then set the options. Allow downloads, available on every plan, lets visitors save the files, which wedding guests and clients usually expect. Leave Allow indexing by search engines off for anything personal. Allow visitors to copy it to their Fabric lets anyone who uses Fabric save the gallery to their own library.

Editing the source updates the published version. Add the photos from the evening reception next day and they appear on the page the guests already have.

Step 3: Control access to the gallery

For a private gallery, add a password. Password protection is on the Pro and Team plans: right-click the folder, choose Add password protection and enter a password. Anyone opening the gallery enters it once and has access for six hours. A password on a folder also covers photos added later. There’s no password reset, so keep it in a password manager.

With engagement analytics turned on (Pro and Team), link analytics show visits to the gallery over time, with the date, location and device of each visit. Photographers delivering to a client can also put the gallery on their own domain, which is on the Pro plan; how to share files on your own domain covers the setup.

Step 4: Collect picks and feedback with a shared link

Published galleries are view and download only. When a client needs to choose images or request edits, share the folder with commenter permission instead. Commenters can draw on an image and attach a comment to the drawing, such as circling a stray hair or a sign in the background. You mark each comment completed once it’s handled. The annotations page shows how this works.

This is a workflow built from Fabric’s sharing and comment features rather than a dedicated proofing product. How to let clients proof and choose photos online sets out the full routine, including how to keep client folders separate.

Step 5: Find any photo again later

Once the gallery is delivered, the photos stay searchable in your library. Search reads what’s in an image visually, any text in it, and its colors, so “first dance” or a HEX code from the couple’s color scheme finds the right shots. Similarity search takes one photo and finds others with similar composition, color and subject.

Frequently asked questions

How do I share a lot of photos with one link?

Put them in a Fabric folder and publish the folder. It appears as a single web page at one URL, and anyone with the link can view the photos.

Can guests download photos from the gallery?

Yes, if you turn on Allow downloads when you create the publish link. The option is available on every plan.

Do people need an account to view the gallery?

No. Anyone with the link can open a published gallery in a browser.

Can I make a photo gallery private?

Yes. On Pro and Team plans, add password protection to the folder. Keep Allow indexing by search engines turned off as well.

Can I add more photos after sharing the link?

Yes. Add them to the folder and they appear on the published page at the same link. If the folder has a password, it covers the new photos too.

Can clients choose their favorite photos in Fabric?

Yes, using a shared link with commenter permission. Clients comment on or draw on the photos they want, and you mark each comment completed when it’s done.

Can I see whether my client has looked at the gallery?

On Pro and Team plans, analytics on the publish link show visits with dates, location and device. A link created just for that client tells you their visits apart from anyone else’s.

Where should I store the photos after the event?

Keeping them in Fabric means the delivered gallery and your archive are the same files. Photo storage and organization covers longer-term approaches.