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There are very few instructions needed to use our system. Upload a few events, and receive a few orders, then come back and learn about the additional features. We don't have an "Instruction Manual". With few exceptions, most features of the program are visible by visiting Dashboard Screens. But take a few minutes and acquaint yourself here with the features we offer. When you have questions, and need additional functionality, you might remember you saw it listed here.

You will NOT be asked for any payment information when you register. You have 30 days to use your fully functional Gallery.

Piclocity has merged with the Preview Gallery Company


Preparing Images For Display on Your Gallery
(Click a question)

  • Once you set your print prices, which are all set-able per event, you are ready to upload your event.

    When you create a Product Catalogue (price group), you save it. You can name it anything you like. Use a name that applies to the Event Type for that Catalogue.

    When you are ready to upload your event, you can select an Event Type (Proofs, Wedding, Portrait, etc)

    Give your Event a "Name".

    Select a Product Catalogue.

    Decide whether you want to Hide the Event (protect from public viewing), and if you want to set a "Shut Off" date. you can reactivate the Event at any time.

    Click "Upload"- We will resize your images and upload them while you go about doing other tasks on your computer. A 1000 image Event will usually take about 30-40 minutes to upload.

    You are done!!!

    Send your clients to: www.previewgallery.com/yourgalleryname

    If you "Hide" the event (Password Protect) you can send your client a link to their event. A link will be created on the Manage Event screen, click on it, and it will open your email system, and you can email the link to your clients.

    What is Preview Gallery?

    Preview Gallery is the actual location of your Events. This system keeps your clients insulated from Piclocity. We feel it is unprofessional to have a "2 Sided" website, that asks YOUR clients to choose a path. With Piclocity, how you do business, and what you pay always stay- "Your Business, not your client's.

     

  • You can browse to a folder of images, or a main folder, with categorized folders inside.

  • There is a "hierarchy" the Toolbox follows.

    1. If you have a main folder with images and Folders inside, the name of that folder will be the name of the event image folder.

  • 2. If you have categorized folders inside the main folder, when the folders upload, the main folder name will be the event/image folder name, and the names of the sub-folders will be used as "categories".

  • You can create as many categories as you like. In fact the more time you take to organize your event into specific groups, the easier it is for your customers to look at the event.

    And if you break the portraits sessions into a few folders, it will allow the images to open "very fast".

    There is no exact limit to the number of images you can have for event, but, we do suggest you have no more than 250 images in any single folder. You can create any number of sub-folders with up to 250 images in each. Do not create an event with one main folder that contains more than 250 images.
  • There are a number of ways to get to Events.
     
  • 1.  You give your clients a direct link using the path:
    www.previewgallery.com/maxader     (yourgalleryname)

    2. You can create a Hyperlink on your own website, and use that link to your Gallery.
     
  • 3. If you "Hide" the event (Password Protect) you can send your client a link to their event. A link will be created on the Manage Event screen, click on it, and it will open your email system, and you can email the link to your clients.

    4. You can go to the Manage screen, select an Event, and send the client an email at any time.

  • Upload images as Album Pages- If you design albums in Photoshop or other programs, you can display them on your Gallery in a "Side by Side", left and right side album format. Place the album JPG's in a folder. We assume the pages are named in numerical order. Make a few test uploads to see how your pages look.

    Making "Panorama" album pages- If you design your own albums in Photoshop, or another program, you have to create them as double spread Pano's.

  • NOTE: Set your print prices and create a "Price Group. Give your Price Group a name. Then, When you set your Shipping/Payment Options, you select the new Price Group you created and apply your settings to that specific Group. When you upload your Events, you can select a Price Group, and the Groups contain all the information for each Event.


    Select a print size and give it a price. By "Un-checking" the size from the list, that size will not appear in your shopping cart.

    You can create packages in your shopping cart. There are 2 types of packages you can offer.

    Package type "A" - One pose for all prints ordered
    Package type "B"- Different poses for every size ordered

    You create packages in the Products/Prices screen.
    You can offer Reduced Prices for Individual Prints ordered when your client orders a package.
  •  
  • When clients are ordering, once they select a package, the higher priced Additional Prints column will close.

    You can also create a third set of prices for individual prices for "Special/super Packages" you may offer. If the customer orders your Special Package, you can offer even lower prices for additional prints ordered.

     When you have your new Price List as you like it, close the Price Page and you will be asked if you want to save and rename it. Give it a name that applies to the event type you will be using this new price list with.
  • Example: When you create the Product Catalog, you will set the options to allow 10 customers to each receive 1 5x7 print. You only give the Coupon Codes to those 10 people (the bridal party participants). Each coupon can only be used once by an individual. Their use it tracked by their email address.

    Another example: You photograph a sports event or a fund raiser with 500 attendees. You can give everyone your "card". On the card is a Coupon Code for a free 4x5 print. You will set the quantity of coupons to 500. Each person can order their free print.
    On the Price Screen you will see this box. You have 3 options available.

    1. You can offer items by Print, Dollar, or Percentage Discount.
    2. You can offer all 3 on one event.
    3. You can offer any or all items to one or multiple clients

    You create Coupons for individual Events. Go to your Manage Event Screen, select and Event, on the top left of the screen, you will see the Coupons button.
     

     

     

    This is how it works.

                 a- You select the coupon offer.
                 b- You select the Discount Type.
                 c- Select or enter the value.
                 d- Enter the Quantity of coupons you want to make available.

    If you enter "1" as the Quantity, the coupon can only be used one time for that event. Enter 1000, and the coupon can be used by 1000 different people.     You can give the Coupons to select people, or to everyone. You can set all three options, and give the different Coupon Codes to the respective people who you want to have each Coupon.
          You can work with your shipping charge options and either have everyone pay for shipping, even for free prints, or not pay for shipping, by setting the lowest shipping point to "0" purchase amount has "0" shipping charge. Then make the next level "up to-$50"- shipping cost $4.95...just examples, you set your own charges.
          This is an incredibly versatile tool. It can open new doors to photographing events and creating interest in your business in ways never available before. In many cases the logistics involved in the offering of complimentary prints or discounts, and the implementation of the process kept many photographers from taking assignments that might have generated much additional revenue.

  • Yes. Every feature/price/sales tax, is saved online.  You name the Price Group/Product Catalog anything you like. You might want a setup for weddings, another for children and another for family groups. They may have different prices and shut off dates, but each type of event always has the same configuration. You save the configurations and select the one you need when you upload an event. You can even change any prices/features/options for a particular event when you are ready to upload that event. This is fully customizable, yet very flexible system to use. Everything is visible on the screens, there are no hidden features that you have to search through pages of instructions to find.

  • Create your new Price Groups first, then make your Payment/Shipping settings.
  • Yes. We don't require you to create actual Passwords to protect your client's images and privacy.

    We do it this way: when you upload your event, and you want to protect it, simply check the "Hide Event" box on the Upload screen. The event will not appear in the list of events you have online. 

    You will be asked whether or not you would like to send your client a link to their event. Say "Yes".  You will be given a link to send them.
  • No. We will resize your images for you. All you do is organize your images into "Windows/MAC" Folders, and name your folders as you want them to appear on the web. We never alter your original images, we just copy and resize them.


  • We employ every available option to protect your images, but ultimately if your are concerned about copyright protection, use our watermark tools (In the PC Upload Utility). As we create protective methods for you, the powers to be, find a way to remove their effectiveness.
  • Yes. You will find a calendar on the Manage Event Screen. Set a Shutoff Date for your event. When it expires, your viewers will see a message to contact you to see the event again.

Changeable Settings (Manage Screen)

  • On the Manage Screen you will find the "Home Page" Icon.

    You can change the slides from ours, to your own. Use full resolution images and we will resize them for you. After replacing the images, upload them. When you go to your Gallery to review them, you may have to refresh your screen.

    You can also edit the text. Make it entirely your own. Use standard shortcut keys for Bold, Italic, etc (Control B, I, etc.)

    If you would like your own "Logo" to appear in the top bar of your Home Page, send us an image with these dimensions: 92 x 960 pixels at 72 DPI.

    Future versions of the Gallery will include Homepage Templates with various layout options, and the ability to change Text and Page colors.

  • Go to the "Customization" screen in your Dashboard.

    The email address you enter here will be displayed on your Gallery. If you have a different email address for your PayPal account, you enter that on the "Shipping/Payments" screen in the Dashboard.

  • In the "Shipping/Payments" you will find the place to enter your state's sales tax. Your instate clients will be charged sales tax, out of state will not be charged.

  • 1. When you set up your Gallery for the first time, we give you a 500 image capacity Gallery to use for 30 days. There are no restrictions, you can set your prices, and generate sales immediately.

    2. If you use our Partner Labs to print your orders, there is NO CHARGE to use Preview Gallery. No hidden charges, no hype, NO CHARGE.
     

  • Yes. You can rename the event, not the individual categories.
  • Yes. You can add and remove images, but not additional folders, nor can you remove folders/categories. (Manage Screen)
  • Yes. Select that option and change your event name.
  • No. But all you need to do is send us the Product Catalog (send it as a regular attachment in an email).  Tell us the size(s) you want to add and we will do it for you.

What clients see and do on your Gallery

  • No. Your Gallery is completely "Insulated". If a client does not have your exact Gallery address, they will be stopped from proceeding further. We do not believe it is in our user's best interests to allow their clients to browse through a list of their competitors, or be allowed to see what they pay for prints and services. Click this link and see where you arrive. www.previewgallery.com
  • When your clients order a package, the available prices in the columns change. Look at the 2 screens below.



    Before ordering a package, they see the prices above available. After ordering a package, the price columns switch and the reduced prices are available.

  • If you create a third price group, for a Special Package, you will see 3 columns.

Receiving Orders

  • When your client places an order, you receive it by email with the order information. You can go to your Dashboard and send us your order.
  • If you have designated the event as an eXpress Order. You may have sports/school events that will contain images that will almost al be used for orders. You can have us print and ship these order to your customers for you.

    We do not suggest uploading entire weddings or events that might contain large numbers of images that will not be ordered from.

    Uploading large numbers of High Resolution images is very time consuming. 1000 images can take 10 hours, depending on your connection speed. Internet service providers will begin limiting your bandwidth in 2009, and uploading unnecessary images can be limited, or may cost you more for your internet service.

Other

  • Go to: www.piclocity.com/register.php

    You are welcome to upload events and receive orders for 30 days. After 30 days, or if you decide to subscribe to an annual plan, contact us for payment arrangements.
  • The "Sales Reports" screen, in your Dashboard lists all of your sales, monthly. You can print a copy of any order. If you loose an email order, go to the Reports screen and print a new copy.