TTG iPhone Portfolio
Because of their small screens, unique input methods and functional differences, mobile devices demand a new paradigm from web-designers. Web-standards can ensure universal access to a site from any device, but even standards-based designs are often unideal for mobile devices. That’s why many companies and organizations, such as Google and Flickr, now offer alternate, slimmed down versions of their sites for mobile devices.
In the last several years, mobile devices have stepped up their game, offering functionality now on par with full-blown computers. Increasingly, users are accessing the web from their mobile phones, iPods, etc. New paradigms in web content delivery are now taking shape.
As a photographer, you want your images to reach the widest possible audience.
TTG iPhone Portfolio is the first Lightroom web photo gallery engine to address the mobile phenomenon. Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch are amongst the top-selling mobile devices on the market. TTG iPhone Portfolio can be used to create lite portfolio sites tailored specifically for viewing on Apple’s devices. The web engine generates an About page, a Contact page and a single image gallery.
TTG iPhone Portfolio
To see the gallery in action, direct your iPhone or iPod Touch to http://lightroom.theturninggate.net/samples/iphone/.
About Your Purchase
Upon purchasing a TTG gallery, you will receive a download URL valid for five uses. After five uses, your URL will expire and a new purchase will be necessary to keep up with updates. Gallery updates will always be available from that same URL. Thus, the URL can be used for the initial download, plus four updates. Be sure to save your URL in a safe place, as it cannot be retrieved if lost.
HighSlide Licensing
TTG iPhone Portfolio utilizes Torstein Hønsi’s HighSlide. HighSlide is not free for commercial use. Please read the HighSlide licensing information before using TTG iPhone Portfolio.
Setup
In order for the contact form submission to reach you, the photographer, the form-to-email script needs to be configured.
First, configure and export your gallery from the Lightroom Web module, as usual.
Next, open the FormToEmail.php file. Locate “Step 2″ around line 69, and follow the instructions you find there, setting your email address and, optionally, a continuation address to which users will be redirected after form submission.
Rather than editing the PHP file for each exported gallery, users might prefer to edit the FormToEmail.php file on the front end. To do so, crack open the .lrwebengine distribution package and locate FormToEmail.php therein. Make your changes, then each exported gallery will already be configured for your address.
On Other Mobile Devices
TTG iPhone Portfolio is designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch, as explained above, but is also coded according to web-standards. That means the gallery should function in any web-browser that supports Javascript and, theoretically, that it should also work on other mobile devices as well with varying degrees of success.
I’ll keep a log here of reports on how the gallery goes with other devices.
Blackberry
According to Rob Sylvan, the gallery functions well on the Blackberry, being better on the native browser than on Opera Mini. He’s provided screenshots, here and here, from the BB 8350i using the native browser.
Requirements
TTG iPhone Portfolio requires Lightroom 2.0 or above (2.2 or above recommended).
The Form-to-Email script requires a web server running PHP.
Changelog
- v1.2 ( 2010-01-01 )
- Two verisons: one for LR2 and one for LR3; the only difference is the Watermarking controller.
- Updated to Highslide Js 4.1.8.
- Improved UI.
- The live_update.js file is no longer included in export.
- Removed Image Info pane options for Title and Caption, as they were not actually being used by the gallery.
- Bug fixes and maintenance.
- v1.1 (2009-01-04)
- Set <title> attribute.
- Expanded image borders to offset image from background.
- Usability, compatibility and load improvements.
- Page anchors to ID plate on load.
- Image navigation.
- Added a footer.
- v1.0 (2009-01-01)
- Initial release.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Matthew
This iPhone gallery plug-in is exactly what I have been looking for. Excellent work! Thanks for keeping the price righteous. Your tip for the redirect in the forum worked like a charm.
This looks like exactly what I need for a site I’m working on, but I can’t tell if it can display captions. Are captions available in this gallery, and if not, can you recommend one that displays photo captions? Thanks.
Captions are not supported. I do not know of any other options for creating iPhone sites, though.
Thanks for the quick reply. I probably won’t use it, because captions are pretty important for the site I’m doing: http://www.jongoellphotography.com
Looks really good! One thing though, does this work with the other galleries and auto load if someone accesses my site via an iPhone rather than a normal browser?
In other words is it possible to check what browser is connecting and load the appropriate site version of my website through tools you provide?
Thanks
It’s possible, but not supported by any TTG products “out-of-the-box”; there are a number of scripts floating around the Internet that do this.
How about a gallery for Blackberry’s?
You buy me a Blackberry to work with, and I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks so much for a wonderful app. I use it as a portfolio but also as an ideas gallery when I’m out shooting. I’m about to go to a location that the internet won’t work. Is there a way to save/run a portfolio off my iPhone without having it saved/loading from the internet?
There is no way to store a website locally on an iPhone. The best way to keep a pocket portfolio is to sync a folder of your images to the iPhone using iTunes. You can also save the images to the Camera Roll from Safari if you already have them online.
thanks so much for your speedy reply
Can font style and buttons be customized easily. Thanks
The typeface and size for TTG iPhone Portfolio are styled according to Apple’s guidelines for the iPhone, which specify Helvetica as the preferred typeface for ease of reading on the iPhone screen.
You do have control over all colors, though.
Hi.. can you advise a good mac webserver product? I’ve found MAMP.. looks pretty neat. Thanks!
MAMP is the only one I know to recommend, but I’ve never setup my own web-server.
I installed the MAMP in 10 minutes and it works very well. Life is much easier for testing if you don’t have to go to the internet.
This is exactly what I ended up doing, and it was so simple, glad its the route I went down. I have to say setting up the mobile version of my website was so easy, so thanks to TTG for providing something so cool!
I love this plug-in and I am very happy about it!
Is there any chance for behavior like the flickr or facebook Apps or Google’s image results on mobile devices: scrubbing to get to the next image.
This would be awesome!
Thanks!
Thomas
This is a fantastic marketing tool for all photographers! Let it be the point of difference for anyone who is serious about marketing their photography business!
I just love Lightroom and my iPhone and now we can all play nice together!
Thanks
alex