How dropa works.

Create a gallery

Start a new gallery for a shoot in a few clicks.

1. 1Open the new-gallery formClick New gallery in the top bar, or press ⌘K (Ctrl K on Windows) and choose New gallery.
2. 2Name it and set the detailsGive the gallery a name, then set the session date and type. You can add your own session type if none fit.
3. 3Choose how the client receives itPick Coworking (the client reviews, approves, and leaves voice notes and comments) or Presentation (a view-only delivery in a look you choose).
4. 4Create itClick Create gallery. It opens ready for photos and stays a draft until you add images.

Upload photos

Drag your files onto the gallery, or click the upload tile.

1. 1Open the galleryGo into the gallery you want to add photos to.
2. 2Add your filesDrag files straight onto the photo grid, or click the upload tile (the large drop area in an empty gallery, or the lead tile once photos exist).
3. 3Drop folders to make sub-galleriesDropping a folder of folders creates matching sub-galleries automatically, mirroring your folder structure.

Sub-galleries

Group a shoot into sections, like Looks and Details, or Day one and Day two.

1. 1From inside a galleryUse the gallery menu and choose New sub-gallery, then name it.
2. 2Or drop foldersDrag a folder that contains sub-folders onto the gallery. Each sub-folder becomes its own sub-gallery.

Draft vs live galleries

Galleries start as drafts. Share the link whenever you're ready.

Send a gallery to a client

Copy the share link (or open the client view) and send it your way.

1. 1Open the gallery OverviewGo into the gallery you want to deliver.
2. 2Copy the client linkUse Copy link to copy the client's URL, or Open client view to see exactly what they will see.
3. 3Send it your wayPaste the link into your own email or message to the client. Include the password if you set one.

Protect a gallery with a password

Require a password before anyone can open the gallery.

1. 1Open the gallery settingsInside the gallery, open Settings and go to the Security tab.
2. 2Turn on PasswordSwitch on Password. Type one, or click Generate for a random code.
3. 3Share it with your clientSend the password along with the link. Until it's entered, the gallery shows no photos.

Access options for a gallery

Public or private, a custom URL, an expiry date, and require a name.

Let clients download (or not)

Choose no downloads, low-res, high-res, or both.

1. 1Open the gallery settingsInside the gallery, open Settings and go to the General tab.
2. 2Set the Downloads optionChoose No downloads, Low-res, High-res, or Both. This controls what the client can pull from the gallery.

Add a watermark to proofs

Overlay a watermark on the on-screen proofs to deter screenshots.

1. 1Open the gallery settingsInside the gallery, open Settings and go to the Security tab.
2. 2Turn on the watermarkEnable it, then set the text, position (center, tile, or corner), and opacity.

Coworking vs Presentation

One is for feedback and selection, the other for polished final delivery.

Invite a client to review

Use Coworking mode, then send them the gallery link.

1. 1Use Coworking modeReview tools only appear in Coworking mode. Set it when you create the gallery, or later in the Share tab under Delivery mode.
2. 2Send them the galleryCopy the gallery link and send it to your client, along with the password or access code if you set one.
3. 3Watch their progressAs they approve, select, and comment, you see it in the gallery Overview and your recent activity.

What clients can do in a gallery

Approve, select, rate, flag, comment, and leave voice notes.

See a client's selections and feedback

The gallery Overview shows their progress, and activity keeps a log.

Portfolio vs Folios vs Showroom

Browse everything, curate your best, publish themed sets.

Add a photo to your Portfolio

Bookmark any photo to gather it into your curated Portfolio.

1. 1Hover the photoHover any photo and click the bookmark icon. It fills in to show the photo is in your Portfolio.
2. 2Or use the menusYou can also choose Add to portfolio from a photo's ⋯ menu, from the multi-select bar, or from ⌘K.

Organise your Portfolio

Drag to reorder, group by gallery or job, and pin a hero.

Create a Folio

Publish a themed set of your best work as its own mini-site.

1. 1Start a new FolioPress ⌘K and choose New folio, or open the Folios tab and click New Folio.
2. 2Name and describe itGive it a name and a short description, then create it.
3. 3Fill it from your PortfolioDrag Portfolio photos into it, or add a selection with the Add to Folio picker. Only Portfolio photos can go in a Folio.

Publish and theme a Folio

Make it public, set a clean link, and pick a page theme.

1. 1Open the folio's visibility panelFrom the folio, open its visibility settings.
2. 2Make it publicSwitch it to Public. It now lives at its own page, and you can edit the link slug and copy it to share.
3. 3Pick a page themeChoose a page theme to set the mood (background, text, and accent). The layout stays the clean folio spread.

Turn a Folio into a gallery

Clone a folio's photos into a fresh gallery you can deliver.

1. 1Open the folioOpen the folio you want to send to a client.
2. 2Share as GalleryUse Share as Gallery. It creates a new draft gallery with the folio's photos, ready to deliver with all the gallery tools.

Browse everything in the Showroom

Your whole archive in one place, with layouts and search.

Select several photos at once

Enter selection mode, then apply a bulk action.

1. 1Start selectingEnter selection mode in the gallery and click the photos you want. A toolbar shows how many are selected.
2. 2Apply an actionFrom the toolbar you can add the selection to your Portfolio or a Folio, download them, or delete them together.

Edit a photo

Open the editor to crop, rotate, straighten, and tone, without losing the original.

1. 1Open the editorFrom a photo's menu, open the photo editor.
2. 2Make your changesCrop and reframe, straighten, rotate or flip, and adjust tone.
3. 3SaveSave to apply your changes. The edit is non-destructive, so your original is kept and you can revert later.

Download photos

Download a single original, or a zip of many at once.

1. 1One photoUse the download action on a photo to save the untouched original.
2. 2Many at onceSelect photos, or use the gallery's download options, to pull a zip of the set (all, or just the approved ones).

See a photo's details and EXIF

Open the info sheet for camera, lens, exposure, and file details.

1. 1Open Info & metadataFrom a photo's ⋯ menu, choose Info & metadata.
2. 2Read the detailsSee the camera and lens, exposure (focal length, aperture, ISO, shutter), and file details, read from the photo's EXIF.

Set a gallery's banner image

Pick which photo leads the gallery's banner.

1. 1Choose a photoFrom a photo's ⋯ menu, choose Set as header.
2. 2Fine-tune the framingYou can adjust the focal point so the banner crops the way you want.

Reorder photos in a gallery

Drag tiles into the order you want. It sticks.

1. 1Drag to reorderDrag a photo tile to a new position. A guide shows where it will land.
2. 2It locks to your orderOnce you reorder, the gallery keeps your custom order rather than reverting to a default sort.

Search across everything

One search finds galleries, photos, clients, folios, and runs actions.

1. 1Open the searchPress ⌘K (Ctrl K on Windows), or click the Search bar in the top bar. This is the command center.
2. 2Type what you're afterFind galleries, photos, clients, and folios, or run an action like New gallery. Press Tab on a result for more actions.
3. 3Or use your voicePress ⌥M to open search already listening, and describe what you're looking for.

Search by what's in the photo

Describe a scene and dropa finds matching photos, not just filenames.

Find similar photos

Pick a photo and dropa surfaces visually similar shots.

1. 1Open the command centerPress ⌘K and find the photo, or start from a photo's actions.
2. 2Choose Find similarUse Find similar to pull up photos that look like it across your archive.

Tag photos with AI

Let dropa describe your photos so search finds them.

1. 1Tag from the ShowroomOpen the Showroom. When there are untagged photos, a Tag button appears. Click it to tag them and watch the progress.
2. 2Automatic taggingPhotos also get tagged on their own at key moments, like when a client approves one or you add it to your Portfolio or a Folio.

Delete photos and the Bin

Deleted photos rest in the Bin for 30 days before they're gone.

1. 1Delete the photosChoose Delete from a photo's ⋯ menu, or select several and delete them together.
2. 2They move to the BinDeleted photos leave the client view, the Showroom, and every share link straight away, but they are kept in the Bin.
3. 3Restore within 30 daysOpen the Bin in the sidebar to restore anything for up to 30 days. After that they are cleared automatically.

Add a client

Keep a simple roster of who you shoot for.

1. 1Open ClientsGo to the Clients tab and click New client.
2. 2Fill in their detailsAdd a name (required), and optionally a company and email.

Bundle galleries into a job

A job groups galleries behind one delivery link.

1. 1Create a jobOn a client's row in the Clients tab, click + Job. Name it and pick the galleries to include, plus an optional shoot date and deadline.
2. 2Deliver itUse Deliver all to mark the job delivered and set its galleries live. Copy link gives you one link that opens all of them.

Schedule shoots on the calendar

See shoots and deadlines on a month view, and jot day notes.

1. 1Open the CalendarGo to the Calendar tab. Shoots, deadlines, and notes show on the month grid.
2. 2Add a shoot dateDouble-click a day, or use + Schedule, or the Create dock's New shoot date. This opens a job pre-set to that day.
3. 3Jot a day noteSelect a day and add a free-text note for anything that isn't a job.

What the Inbox is for

A link where people can send you files, straight into a review queue.

Create an intake inbox

Set a link, ask for the details you need, and share a QR code.

1. 1Make a new inboxIn the Inbox tab, click New custom inbox and give it a name.
2. 2Ask for what you needTurn on sender name, email, or a message, and add your own fields (text, email, phone, date, or a dropdown). You can add a consent checkbox and a deadline.
3. 3Share the link or QRCopy the inbox link, or show its QR code for on-set intake. You can regenerate the address any time to invalidate the old one.

Review and file submissions

Accept into a gallery, dismiss, or archive each submission.

1. 1Open a submissionIn the Inbox tab, open a submission to review its files. You can keep or drop individual files first.
2. 2Accept and fileUse Accept and file, then choose an existing gallery or a new one. The files move into that gallery.
3. 3Or dismiss / archiveDismiss permanently removes a submission's files. Archive clears it from the queue without filing.

Set your branding

Upload your logo and wallpaper, and optionally remove dropa branding.

1. 1Open BrandingGo to Settings, then Branding under Studio.
2. 2Add your logo and wallpaperUpload your logo and a wallpaper, and add your social links.
3. 3Optionally go white-labelTurn on Remove dropa branding to present the client experience as fully your own.

Design the client presentation

Pick a look, fonts, colours, and banners for a gallery's presentation.

1. 1Open the Design tabInside a gallery, open the Design tab to open the Design Studio.
2. 2Shape the lookChoose a look or mood, set the display font and weight, the shape and case, the presentation colours, and banner images.
3. 3Save to lock itEvery change previews live. Use Lock to commit this gallery's design, or save it as a template to reuse.

Save settings as a preset

Save a set of gallery settings or a look, then apply it to new galleries.

Optimise image quality and size

Choose a quality preset and optimise your existing library.

1. 1Open Image QualityGo to Settings, then Image Quality under Studio.
2. 2Pick a presetChoose Balanced or Max fidelity for how your images are prepared.
3. 3Optimise your libraryRun Optimize existing library to prepare fast-loading versions of older photos. You can stop it or restore originals at any time.

Send edits to Lightroom or Capture One

Install the plug-in and export the selections as a sidecar.

1. 1Get the plug-inGo to Settings, then Lightroom + Capture One under Studio, and download the plug-in for your editor.
2. 2Export the selectionsFrom a gallery, export the client's picks as an XMP sidecar, then bring it into your editor with the plug-in.

Reusable share messages

Write templates with link, password, and code tokens.

1. 1Open Sharing TemplatesGo to Settings, then Sharing Templates under Studio.
2. 2Write a templateCreate a message using tokens for the link, password, and access code, and mark one as your default.

Change the theme and accent

Toggle light or dark, and pick your accent colour.

Check your storage

A live meter shows how much of your space is used.

Restore from the Bin

The Bin holds deleted items for 30 days so you can restore them.

1. 1Open the BinOpen the Bin from the sidebar. It holds galleries and photos you have deleted.
2. 2Restore or emptyRestore anything within 30 days. Empty Bin removes everything for good and cannot be undone.

Your notifications

A feed of approvals, selections, comments, and new submissions.

Turn AI features on or off

A single toggle controls AI tagging in your Privacy settings.

1. 1Open PrivacyGo to Settings, then Privacy under Account.
2. 2Toggle AI taggingTurn AI tagging on or off. With it off, photos are not sent for automatic tagging.

I can't sign in

dropa is passwordless. You sign in with a magic link sent to your email.

I forgot a gallery's password

It's shown in the gallery's settings, where you can also generate a new one.

1. 1Open the gallery settingsGo into the gallery, open Settings, and go to the Security tab.
2. 2Read or change itThe current password is shown there. You can edit it, click Generate for a new one, or switch Password off entirely.
3. 3Re-share itIf you changed it, send the client the new password along with the link.

My client can't open the gallery

Usually it's access level, an expiry date, or a missing password.

My upload seems stuck

Photos upload in the background. Large files just take longer.

My client can't download

Downloads are off unless you allow them for that gallery.

1. 1Open the gallery settingsInside the gallery, open Settings and go to the General tab.
2. 2Allow downloadsSet the Downloads option to Low-res, High-res, or Both. That turns on the download option for your client.

The photos look soft or low quality

Galleries show optimised proofs for speed. The download is full quality.