Before you ask for a "Copy To Gallery" or Virtual Galleries, read this!

[darryl]

This is a very very old request. It comes up so often, I almost think this thread should be sticky.

The Problem
To currently copy an image to another gallery, you have to create a copy of an image, then move it. Two separate functions. If you want to do this for multiple images, prepare for a lot of clicking. It's almost easier to just re-upload to a new gallery.

The Request
Much like the Move or Bulk Move tools, users would like the ability to Copy photos directly to other galleries without the intermediary copy step.

Alternately, people have requested the ability to create "virtual galleries" so that images could simply be "linked". This would save SmugMug storage space, but probably complicate the user interface.

Recently (October 2008), in defense of this missing feature, Andy wrote:

Perhaps since we offer unlimited uploading, bandwidth, and photo storage already, maybe the best way to make sure this doesn't get abused is to leave things as they are.

Food for thought.


My response (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=943398#post943398)

Anyways, like I said, this request has been made many many times before:

http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=343790&postcount=380
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=808818&postcount=47
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=477383#post477383
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=890181&postcount=31
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=931469&postcount=144

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=101579
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=79901
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=108354
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=941510#post941510
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=933814#post933814

This Google search that turns up many more:

site: dgrin.com "copy to album" (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=5PO&q=site%3Adgrin.com+%22copy+to+gallery%22&btnG=Search)

Oh, here's some from just the last couple of weeks (hence I think this thread *really* needs to be sticky):
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=949657&postcount=216
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=958310&postcount=231
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=958250&postcount=228

I'm hoping that maybe one thread consolidating all of these requests might make a stronger case. *Shrug*.

[wslam]

I am surprised no one followed up on your excellent effort in consolidating all the threads on this feature request.

I just want to put my vote in... I think something very simple, a Virtual Gallery function... The VG contains only virtual copies of selected photos from other galleries. I do not need editing function etc. All that is needed is a 'remove from VG' function within the VG, and in all other real galleries, a simple 'Add to VG1' function. Yes, I assume we can have more then one VG. So we will need a function to define VGs like the way we define ShareGroups.

Pls let us have this!

ws

[Andy]

I'm hoping that maybe one thread consolidating all of these requests might make a stronger case. *Shrug*.
Virtual Galleries have a ton of attention and I don't think you need to make any stronger case :)

We have some other things to get out first though. Thanks!

[darryl]

Another SmugMug user recently wrote an external tool to provide this functionality:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=108475&goto=newpost

It's interesting stuff.

[wslam]

Virtual Galleries have a ton of attention and I don't think you need to make any stronger case :)

We have some other things to get out first though. Thanks!

If this is meant to be where Smugmug customers can voice out, then yes, I have every intention to dig this thread up and bring it to the front again. This feature request has been 'requiested' for at least 2 yrs...

So yes, stronger case.

Last week I wrote help (via email) about a video being stucked processing. First thing they told me is to be patient (I wrote only after waited 9 hours on a 4 min long video). And when I dig up this thread, the first thing an official replied is that I do not need to bring more attention to it?

I rely heavily on smugmug, but frankly, new services popped up very often. Is Smugmug still the best? I don't know. All I know is that my reluctance to move to another service has nothing to do with whether it's the best or not. It will simply be a logistic nightmare. I hope Smugmug understands that. High customer retention rate in this case, does not imply you have the happy customers.

[Andy]

If this is meant to be where Smugmug customers can voice out, then yes, I have every intention to dig this thread up and bring it to the front again. This feature request has been 'requiested' for at least 2 yrs...

So yes, stronger case.

Sorry, maybe you misunderstood me, or maybe I wasn't clear :D

It's got our attention!

[wslam]

Sorry, maybe you misunderstood me, or maybe I wasn't clear :D

It's got our attention!

Thank you! Hopefully we do not need to bring this up in 2 years time!

[ashishpandey]

Thank you! Hopefully we do not need to bring this up in 2 years time!

He never said what they decided about it. It just got attention :deal

[BigAl]

Another vote for a virtual gallery. The way copying works at the moment is a waste of my time and your disk space.

[DJKennedy]

Another vote for a virtual gallery. The way copying works at the moment is a waste of my time and your disk space.

I agree, being able to upload one image to more than one gallery at a time would save us time.