Gallery Download Settings

By creavio Team April 10, 2026 1 views

Gallery Download Settings

How clients download their photos matters more than you think. Give them too many options and they get confused. Give them no options and they screenshot your watermarked previews. Get the settings right once and every delivery is smooth.

Accessing Download Settings

Open any collection and click Settings > Downloads.

Download Options

Enable downloads

Toggle this on to allow clients to download images. When off, they can view but not download. Useful for proofing galleries where you want selections before delivery.

Download quality

  • Original — the full-resolution file you uploaded. Best for print orders and archival delivery.
  • Web-optimized — resized and compressed for screens. Smaller file size, faster downloads. Good for social media sharing.
  • Both — let clients choose. They see a dropdown with "Original" and "Web-size" options.

Individual vs. bulk

  • Individual downloads — clients click a download button on each image. Good when you want them to be selective.
  • Download All — a button to download the entire gallery as a ZIP. This is what most clients expect for final delivery.
  • Both — individual download buttons on each image plus a "Download All" option.

PIN Protection

For extra security, enable PIN protection on downloads. When enabled:

  1. You set a numeric PIN (4-8 digits)
  2. Clients can view the gallery without the PIN
  3. When they click Download, they are prompted to enter the PIN
  4. Share the PIN separately (text message, phone call, or a second email)

This adds a layer of control. The gallery link can be shared, but only the client with the PIN can actually download. Useful for boudoir, private events, or any situation where you want viewing to be open but downloading restricted.

Download Tracking

creavio tracks every download:

  • Who downloaded (if logged in via the client portal)
  • What was downloaded (individual images or full gallery)
  • When it happened
  • Download quality selected

View this data in the collection analytics and in the client's activity timeline.

Mobile Downloads

On phones, downloading a ZIP is clunky. creavio handles mobile downloads differently: each image downloads individually to the camera roll without zipping. Clients on phones will see a Save to Photos button instead of a ZIP download.

Download Limits

Optionally set a download limit per collection — the maximum number of times the gallery can be downloaded. After the limit is reached, downloads are disabled and the client sees a message to contact you. This is uncommon but available for situations where you want to restrict mass distribution.

Settings by Collection Mode

Default download settings vary by mode:

  • Gallery mode — downloads enabled, originals, individual + bulk
  • Proofing mode — downloads disabled until selections are approved
  • Review mode — downloads disabled by default (clients are reviewing, not downloading)
  • Delivery mode — downloads enabled, originals, bulk download with optional PIN

You can override any of these defaults in the collection settings.