Main pages need some cleaning up

[Daniel Chui]

I've mentioned this before in an email to Smugmug but I thought I'd say it again here and see if anyone agrees with me...

*disclaimer* let me start by saying that overall I'm very pleased with Smugmug! These are just a few nitpicks that I think may help improve site layout!

1) I don't want all of this text beneath each of my galleries. I want the option to be able to get rid of the biography info for a text; there is absolutely no reason why it should be displayed. I'm talking about "These are some of the photos that I took when... [more]". This is unnecessary clutter on my front page and this text doesn't tell the person anything about what I had to say in a specific gallery's bio information.

Some people will probably say "All you have to do is not enter any text in the white customize gallery box". This isn't an option, because I want to be able to describe the people that I photograph so that people can have an idea of each person's background, etc.

http://chewyphoto.smugmug.com/photos/9029578-M.jpg

2) Same with the "Updated on... August 17th," etc. etc. text beneath the main galleries. This is again clutter that we should have the option of turning on or off.

3) Main page gallery thumbnails... I would like the option of having our website thumbnails resemble the thumbnails I am seeing in the new "Organize Gallery" thumbnails. In my opinion these thumbnails are much more pleasing to the eye than what we currently have.

It's kinda frustrating for me that my "organize gallery" page looks prettier than my main page. It's clean and it doesn't have all of that grey-text clutter that I've mentioned in A and B.

http://chewyphoto.smugmug.com/photos/9029576-L.jpg

I really feel that changes like this (or at least the *option* to make the changes) would make Smugmug as a whole look like a more professional outfit. As is, my main page is cluttered with the descriptions I make of the people I shoot (as well as the dates I updated the gallery).

This really needs to be changed, and soon; hopefully.

I'm very happy with Smugmug customer service, though; I am hopeful that they will do something about what I have mentioned.

- Chui

[~Rachel~]

You bring up some valid points. I look forward to seeing people discuss this :)

[lynnma]

You bring up some valid points. I look forward to seeing people discuss this :)Hi Rachel!!! welcome to the forum... nice to have some sun in here :rofl
Lynn

[Daniel Chui]

Hi Rachel!!! welcome to the forum... nice to have some sun in here :rofl
Lynn
Lynma I am floored by your landscapes, they are spectacular! I especially like Lake Ogmaigjtlyaolmgoa (sp?), I really love what you did with the reflections and your framing of the horizon.

Good work!

- Chui

[~Rachel~]

Thanks Lynn! Hey I shot you off an email :D Asking you something.

[tmlphoto]

I've mentioned this before in an email to Smugmug but I thought I'd say it again here and see if anyone agrees with me...

*disclaimer* let me start by saying that overall I'm very pleased with Smugmug! These are just a few nitpicks that I think may help improve site layout!

1) I don't want all of this text beneath each of my galleries. I want the option to be able to get rid of the biography info for a text; there is absolutely no reason why it should be displayed. I'm talking about "These are some of the photos that I took when... [more]". This is unnecessary clutter on my front page and this text doesn't tell the person anything about what I had to say in a specific gallery's bio information.

Some people will probably say "All you have to do is not enter any text in the white customize gallery box". This isn't an option, because I want to be able to describe the people that I photograph so that people can have an idea of each person's background, etc.

http://chewyphoto.smugmug.com/photos/9029578-M.jpg

2) Same with the "Updated on... August 17th," etc. etc. text beneath the main galleries. This is again clutter that we should have the option of turning on or off.

3) Main page gallery thumbnails... I would like the option of having our website thumbnails resemble the thumbnails I am seeing in the new "Organize Gallery" thumbnails. In my opinion these thumbnails are much more pleasing to the eye than what we currently have.

It's kinda frustrating for me that my "organize gallery" page looks prettier than my main page. It's clean and it doesn't have all of that grey-text clutter that I've mentioned in A and B.

http://chewyphoto.smugmug.com/photos/9029576-L.jpg

I really feel that changes like this (or at least the *option* to make the changes) would make Smugmug as a whole look like a more professional outfit. As is, my main page is cluttered with the descriptions I make of the people I shoot (as well as the dates I updated the gallery).

This really needs to be changed, and soon; hopefully.

I'm very happy with Smugmug customer service, though; I am hopeful that they will do something about what I have mentioned.

- Chui
I agree that it would be very nice to have the choice to create a cleaner looking home page. Also, there does't seem to be a straight forward way to arrange the order of the home page without changing the underlying galleries around also , unless i'm missing something?:scratch

[Daniel Chui]

Recently smugmug made it so that you didn't have to "profit from yourself" in order to order your pics (previously I was getting a $.01 profit per print).

Similarly, I would like to see it so that I am recognized as the site owner and can therefore right click download my photos at my convenience. As is, I need to go to the customize gallery to download my own photos; it's a real pain!

- Chui

[PerezDesignGroup]

Similarly, I would like to see it so that I am recognized as the site owner and can therefore right click download my photos at my convenience. As is, I need to go to the customize gallery to download my own photos; it's a real pain!

- Chui First and foremost...you got a beautiful gallery!

Now about the downloading. There's a trick in Windows XP. Open up the image and left-click it but hold down the click. Now drag the image to the taskbar on the bottom and wait until the windows minimize. Then drop it onto your Desktop or a Folder in your desktop.

This also works with Photoshop if you drag it onto the Photoshop Taskbar icon.

[Daniel Chui]

Much obliged for the kind words Perez, and thanks for the trick! I didn't know about it before, but I think it will be very useful to me.


- Chui

[{JT}]

So providing the option to make the gallery title go away, as well as the updated text is easy. But, that would mean a big blank empty spot next to each image. Is it better to not have the text, but have a rather large empty gray cell next to the image?

As for making the homepage look more like the arrange galleries tool, that will happen eventually - but it is not as easy a fix as providing an option o get rid of the other things.

[Erik Olsen]

... Now drag the image to the taskbar on the bottom and wait until the windows minimize. Then drop it onto your Desktop or a Folder in your desktop.

Wow...

That's a great tip...
But it will work when the SM client is not signed in. In other words This will work for anyone on your site. So if you don't have the watermark on with the right-click protect on... folks can still steal your image, right?

Erik Olsen
www.manevideo.com

[{JT}]

Yes - that has always been the case. Right click protection is not the best method to protect your images ...


... Now drag the image to the taskbar on the bottom and wait until the windows minimize. Then drop it onto your Desktop or a Folder in your desktop.

Wow...

That's a great tip...
But it will work when the SM client is not signed in. In other words This will work for anyone on your site. So if you don't have the watermark on with the right-click protect on... folks can still steal your image, right?

Erik Olsen
www.manevideo.com

[onethumb]

... Now drag the image to the taskbar on the bottom and wait until the windows minimize. Then drop it onto your Desktop or a Folder in your desktop.

Wow...

That's a great tip...
But it will work when the SM client is not signed in. In other words This will work for anyone on your site. So if you don't have the watermark on with the right-click protect on... folks can still steal your image, right?

Erik Olsen
www.manevideo.com

I'm afraid there are even easier ways to defeat right-click protection than this.

The bottom line is that if it's been displayed on your monitor, it's a single button away from being yours forever. Once we send the bits to you, we cannot prevent you from saving them anywhere you'd like. It doesn't matter if you're smugmug, Kodak, Google, Microsoft -- it can't be prevented.

The good news, though, is that 99.999% of the population doesn't know of any way to defeat right-click or any other methods. Only the technically savvy do. So right-click is "good enough" for just about anything unless you're James Bond....

Don