Image quality & compression

In the Image Quality tab you decide how PhotoGala handles the photos your guests upload: at full original resolution (ideal for professional photography and archives) or as optimized uploads (smaller files, faster loading). It is a deliberate trade-off between image quality on one side and loading speed and storage on the other.

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Media optimization: Photo Handling with two radio options and an info box for Video Handling.

Important: applies to new uploads only

Your choice affects future uploads only. Photos that were already uploaded are not re-compressed or restored afterwards. So make this decision before your event whenever possible.

How to reach this area

1. Open the admin area of your gallery — via the profile menu at the top right (Management → Admin portal) or straight from the admin sidebar. See Open the admin area for how to get there.

2. In the sidebar choose Settings (route /admin/settings). The gallery settings open with several tabs.

3. Click the tab with the photo icon labelled Image Quality. Direct link: /admin/settings?tab=image-quality.

The tab header reads Media Optimization Settings and summarizes the idea with a few bullet points: optimize social galleries for faster loading, keep professional photography at original quality, enable smart compression for mobile sharing.

Who can change this

Only the host (event owner) and admins with settings access see this tab. Moderators usually cannot open the settings. Learn more in Roles & permissions.

Section 1 — Photo Handling

The legend asks: “How should we handle photo uploads?” Below it are exactly two choices (radio buttons — only one is active at a time):

1. Original Quality — “Best for professional photography (Full resolution)”. Photos are stored at full resolution, exactly as uploaded. Nothing is shrunk. This is the right choice for photographers, later prints, or a long-lived archive. This option is Premium (see below).

2. Optimized Uploads — “Faster loading and smaller sizes (Auto-resized)”. Photos are intelligently resized and compressed during processing. When this option is active, a green-bordered info box titled Optimization Benefits appears with the concrete effects:

   • Reduces file sizes by up to 70%
   • Faster loading on mobile devices
   • The longest edge is capped at roughly 2K (≈ 2048 px)

Which option for which event

• Optimized Uploads for social/guest events with lots of mobile uploads: faster, saves storage and bandwidth, the gallery feels smoother. The best choice for the vast majority of celebrations.
• Original Quality for professional or photographer galleries where you will print or archive later and every pixel matters.

Section 2 — Video Handling

For videos there is no toggle here, only an info box. It explains: PhotoGala’s servers handle video processing for the best performance and playback. Video compression during upload is not supported — so videos are always stored in their original quality.

Control videos elsewhere

Whether guests may upload videos at all is decided not here but in the Features tab (video upload). On brand-managed events, the video info box in this tab also appears only when video uploads are enabled for the gallery.

To close, the tab shows a green recommendation box: “Tip: Use optimization for social galleries and original quality for professional archives.”

Saving changes

1. After you pick a photo option, a red dot (●) appears next to the tab title indicating unsaved changes.

2. Click Save Changes at the bottom right. Only then does the setting take effect — for all uploads from that moment on.

3. If you leave the page with unsaved changes, a confirmation dialog asks whether you really want to leave without saving.

The Preview button at the top right opens a live preview of your gallery. Handy for an overall check, but it does not change the quality setting.

Premium & unlocking

Original Quality is the Premium option (feature “High Quality Uploads”). Without the corresponding plan, both radio buttons are greyed out and an upgrade prompt overlays the photo block. In that case uploads effectively stay optimized — you cannot select “Original Quality” until the feature is unlocked.

Tip

How to unlock full resolution is described in Pricing & upgrade. The upgrade prompt over the photo block also shows your current and next-higher plan directly.

Edge cases & troubleshooting

• I don’t see the Image Quality tab at all. On brand-managed (partner-managed) events the tab is hidden when neither high-quality uploads nor video handling is enabled. Contact your partner or consider an upgrade.
• “Original Quality” is greyed out. You lack the Premium feature for full resolution. Until you upgrade, uploads run optimized — see Pricing & upgrade.
• My old photos are still large or small. The setting applies only from the moment you save and only to new uploads. Existing photos stay as they are.
• Videos are not compressed. That is intentional — video compression on upload is not supported, videos remain at original quality.
• I can’t find a metadata or EXIF option. No such setting exists in this tab.

Next steps

• Features — enable video upload and other upload options
• Download & export — download originals or all media in bulk (important for archives)
• How guests upload photos and Take a photo
• Neighboring tabs: General · Style · Privacy & moderation