Portfolio lightbox settings

When a visitor clicks an image in a Portfolio gallery on your public site, the lightbox opens a full-screen or framed overlay so they can browse without leaving the page. Every collection has its own Lightbox & Style panel in Portfolio Settings—presets, layout shell, animations, captions, thumbnails, video behavior, and backdrop. For full-page URLs with EXIF and print, see Photo detail pages.

Prerequisites

Dashboard → Portfolio → open a collection → Portfolio Settings → Lightbox & Style

Captions in the overlay: Media (global) or per-image overrides in the portfolio—see View and edit media in the library

Share button in toolbar: Portfolio Settings → Visibility & SEO → Enable Sharing

What happens when a visitor opens an image

[Visitor clicks a thumbnail in your gallery]
        |
        v
[Enable Lightbox on for this portfolio?]
        |
        +--> No --> may open photo detail page only (if Page View is on)
        |
        v Yes
[Overlay opens with your preset + layout]
        |
        +--> Prev / next (arrows, keyboard, optional thumbnail strip)
        +--> Pinch or click to zoom
        +--> Captions + counter (when enabled)
        +--> Share (when Enable Sharing is on)
        +--> Video playback (when the slide is a video clip)

Enable Lightbox

Portfolio Settings → Lightbox & Style → Enable Lightbox.

Turn this on for any gallery embedded on your site or shared with clients where visitors should browse in-overlay. You can run lightbox-only proofing (Enable Page View off) or combine overlay browsing with shareable detail URLs.

Style preset

Controls the overall look—control visibility, transitions, and caption placement.

Preset	Visitor experience
Classic	Standard overlay with visible navigation controls.
Minimal	Clean chrome; controls appear on hover.
Cinematic	Full-bleed image with subtle fade transitions.
Editorial	Emphasis on captions with an elegant bottom text area.

Lightbox layout

Layout	Best for
Fullscreen	Edge-to-edge immersive viewing (default).
Contained	Centered modal with gutters; pair with Shell size below.
Split (details right)	Image on the left; title, caption, and description in a side column when the viewport is wide enough.
Mobile sheet	Fullscreen on phones; contained modal on larger screens.
Auto	Responsive: fullscreen on small screens; contained or split on desktop.

Shell size (max) appears when layout is Contained or Split—choose Medium (960×720), Large (1200×820), XL (1440×900), or 2XL (1600×960). The live size is always capped by the visitor’s screen.

Animation

Choose how slides change when visitors move prev/next:

• Fade — crossfade between images.
• Slide — horizontal slide transition.
• Zoom — zoom-style transition between slides.

(Pinch and click zoom while viewing a single image is always available regardless of this setting.)

Display options

Option	What it does
Show Captions	Title and description under (or beside) the image from Media, or portfolio overrides when set.
Show Thumbnails	Strip of thumbnails for quick navigation within the gallery.
Show Counter	Position indicator such as “3 / 24”.
Backdrop opacity	How dark the area behind the image appears (50%–100%).

On Split and Mobile sheet layouts, captions may appear in the side column instead of under the image so text is not duplicated.

Video settings

When the opened item is a video clip in the portfolio:

Option	What it does
Show Controls	Playback bar and buttons.
Autoplay	Start playback when the slide opens.
Muted	Start without sound (required for autoplay in most browsers).
Loop	Replay when the clip ends.

Sharing in the lightbox

Share icons in the toolbar come from Visibility & SEO → Enable Sharing, not from the lightbox accordion. Turn sharing on when you want visitors to copy links or use social share from the overlay.

Suggested setups

Goal	Starting point
Client proofing	Classic or Minimal, Enable Lightbox on, Enable Page View off, captions on.
Portfolio marketing	Cinematic or Editorial, captions on, Split or Fullscreen.
Wedding reel + stills	Auto layout, enable video controls; mute autoplay unless you want sound on open.
Large wedding sets	Thumbnails on, counter on, Contained + Large shell to avoid edge-to-edge fatigue.

Implementation steps

1. Open the Portfolio used on your public gallery.
2. Open Portfolio Settings → Lightbox & Style → turn Enable Lightbox on.
3. Pick a Style preset and Lightbox layout that match the gallery’s tone.
4. Set Display options (captions, thumbnails, counter, backdrop).
5. Adjust Video settings if the collection includes clips.
6. Optional: Visibility & SEO → Enable Sharing for toolbar share actions.
7. Save, preview the gallery on your live or preview site, and click through several images—including a video if present.

What your visitors see

An overlay that matches your preset: navigation, optional caption text, optional thumbnail rail, zoom, and share when enabled. Closing the overlay returns them to the same gallery page.

Verifying your setup

• Enable Lightbox is on for collections embedded on published pages.
• Preset and layout look correct on both mobile and desktop preview.
• Captions reflect Media text (or portfolio overrides).
• Video clips respect autoplay, mute, and loop choices.
• Share appears only when Enable Sharing is on.