The saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and this couldn’t be truer for the online landscape. It’s hard to envision a contemporary website devoid of visuals.

As the owner or administrator of a WordPress website, you’re undoubtedly aware of the limitations inherent in the CMS’s default image management and display features. One method of enhancing these is by integrating a plugin that enables you to build bespoke image galleries and albums, manage your collections effectively, and showcase your photos and videos in the most captivating manner.

The official WordPress plugins repository is teeming with gallery plugins to accommodate all preferences and budgets. So, how do you select one that delivers the value you seek? To aid you in this, we’ve assembled a review of 6 widely recognized, and lesser-known but deserving of attention solutions that you might consider this year.

The plugins in the list below possess a multitude of common features while varying in others. Therefore, as you delve into their capabilities, choose the tools that provide the most crucial functionality for your specific project. 

Some features to keep an eye out for include:

• Grid styles like masonry or mosaic
• Image security measures (e.g., disabling right-click) 
• Animations (upon hover, click, etc.) and transitions
• Image enhancement (lazy loading, size minimization, etc.)
• Personalization options (fonts, colors, etc.) to align with your brand aesthetic
• Capabilities for sharing images on social media platforms
•  Options for comments 

…and more.

Let’s dive in.

The Top 4 WordPress Gallery Plugins to Try Out in 2023

#1: Smart Slider 3 

Developer: 

Nextend

Active Installations:

Over 900,000

Overview:

Starting our list is the highly popular Smart Slider 3 by Nextend, a WordPress photo gallery plugin with close to a million active installations.

Regardless of your chosen WordPress theme, this adaptable plugin allows you to create SEO-friendly, fully responsive, and easily customizable image sliders.

Using Smart Slider is akin to operating a standard page builder. You can layer elements, decide on the number of columns or rows for the slider, and so forth.

The plugin empowers you to control all the intricate details such as typography, style, element arrangement, etc. Additionally, you can optimize your sliders for any device or screen resolution.

To further simplify the creative process, the developer provides a variety of pre-built templates to choose from.

Key Features: 

Free

• Versatile media usage: Create sliders with YouTube videos, WordPress posts, images, photos, etc.
• Layered approach: Design layers using an image, text, button, YouTube or Vimeo videos, etc.
• Multiple animation options: Transition from slide to slide using vertical, horizontal, or fade animation.
• Variety of slider controls: Includes Bullet, Arrow, Autoplay, Bar, Shadow, and Thumbnail.

Premium

• Template slider access: With a paid license, you have access to the entire slider template collection (120+).
• Broad selection of background animations: Over 54 animations available for paid users.
• Background video usage: Enhance website engagement and attention.
• Text animation: Includes words, paragraphs, and individual characters.

For comprehensive details on the plugin’s free and pro features, visit this page.

Pricing:

The vendor offers two types of paid licenses (one-time payment) with similar features, except Premium priority support (unavailable under the Standard license) and the number of sites where you can install the plugin:

• Standard: $49 – 1 site
• Premium:
  • $99 – 3 sites
  • $149 – 5 sites
  • $249 – 10 sites

#2: NextGEN Gallery

Developer: 

Imagely

Active Installations: 

Over 600,000

Overview: 

Next up is another excellent tool, the NextGEN Gallery by Imagely. With over 600,000 active installations, it is not just ideal for creating simple galleries but also meets the stringent demands of professional image handlers such as photographers.

This plugin offers handy image organization features. Users can import metadata, batch upload photos, compile galleries into albums, sort or delete photos, modify thumbnails, and perform other crucial tasks.

You can select from multiple gallery and album styles with extensive customization options. Adjust your photo sizes, choose transitions, and more.

Additionally, you can use the plugin directly from the standard WordPress block editor Gutenberg by adding the NextGEN Gallery block to your content. Let’s check out some other features.

Key Features: 

Free

• Three gallery styles: Imagebrowser, slideshow, thumbnail.
• Two album styles: Compact and extended.
• Diverse photo management capabilities: Batch upload photos, import metadata, sort photos, etc.
• Gutenberg support: Add the NexGET Gallery block to your content directly within the block editor.

Premium

• Hover icons and Pro Lightbox: Allow visitors to comment on specific photos and share them on social media.
• 20+ gallery styles: More than 20 attractive gallery styles such as Masonry and Mosaic. Choose from a variety of lightboxes.
• Enhanced gallery management capabilities: Premium plan offers hundreds of options to organize your lightboxes, labels, displays, etc.
• Variety of extensions: The NextGEN Pro WordPress photo gallery plugin includes useful extensions like Ecommerce, Proofing, Print fulfillment, PayPal Gateway, Image protection.

For comprehensive details on the plugin’s free and pro features, visit this page.

Pricing: 

The vendor offers four premium plans that vary in their feature sets and the number of sites where customers can install the plugin:

• Starter: $49 per year – 1 site
• Plus: $79 per year – 3 sites
• Pro: $109 per year – 5 sites
• Lifetime: $209 once – unlimited sites.

#3: FooGallery 

Developer: 

FooPlugins

Active Installations: 

Over 200,000

Overview: 

FooGallery plugin enables you to infuse your website with a stunning gallery in just about a minute, leveraging an array of pre-set templates. For those who wish to go the extra mile and customize their galleries, there are premium features at your disposal.

This plugin is built with a focus on SEO and performance optimization. It employs a lazy loading technique for images, ensuring super-fast rendering on all screens, including Retina displays. The quicker the load speed, the higher your Google ranking potential.

Explore the live preview feature to get a glimpse of how your gallery will appear when published. If you’re a fan of Gutenberg, you can use the dedicated FooGallery Block.

Key Features: 

Free

• Seven pre-set templates: Includes Masonry Gallery with varied image heights, Simple Portfolio, Carousel Gallery, and more.
• SEO-friendly: Provides alt and title attributes for all gallery images, integrates with Yoast SEO sitemap and AIOSEO sitemap plugins, etc.
• Performance boost: Offers various lazy loading options, easy pagination, optimized content layout shifts, and other performance enhancement tools.
• Wide customization options: Adjust thumbnail spacing, alignment, and size. Select from a range of loading icons. Modify border size, add shadows, round corners, etc.

Premium

• Three additional responsive gallery templates (PRO Starter Plan): Slider Gallery, Polaroid Gallery, Grid Gallery.
• Advanced filtering (PRO Expert Plan): Use Media Tags & Categories and multi-level filtering to sort your galleries.
• Robust image protection (PRO Commerce Plan): Prevent unauthorized image copying with no right-click protection and watermarking.
• Seamless WooCommerce integration (PRO Commerce Plan): Enhance your WooCommerce store with FooGallery. Display product info in Lightbox, filter using WooCommerce product categories, showcase sales ribbons for discounted products, and more.

For more information on the plugin’s free and pro features, visit this page.

Pricing:

FooPlugins offers three premium plans with progressively advanced feature sets, in addition to the free version:

• PRO Starter: $29.99 per year
• PRO Commerce: $99.99 per year
• PRO Expert: $59.99 per year

#4: Portfolio Gallery – Image Gallery Plugin 

Developer: 

A WP Life

Active Installations:

Over 30,000

Overview: 

Adding the Portfolio – Image Gallery Plugin by A WP Life to your WordPress site enables you to handle virtually all aspects of creating and tweaking photo galleries.

You don’t need to be an expert to set up and adjust the plugin to your liking. It’s completely responsive, making it ideal for a wide range of devices and platforms, from MacBook to Android smartphones and beyond.

The developer proudly states that it is “the first portfolio plugin with a separate category page.”

Key Features: 

Free

• Multiple column layout: Create a 2 or 3-column portfolio, adjusting the space between them as needed.
• Portfolio title options: Apply unique display options to gallery titles, including background settings.
• Masonry layouts: Effortlessly create Pinterest-style masonry layouts with images of different heights.
• Bootstrap Lightbox: Allows users to enlarge portfolio images with a click.

Premium

• Unlimited filter options: The plugin provides a separate category page, enabling you to add filters to your galleries without relying on WordPress categories.
• Dual layout option: Give your page a dual layout. One is a minimalist design, while the other adds a touch of elegance to your site. Apply this arrangement to as many pages as desired.
• Additional hover effects: Premium subscribers get three more hover effects with smooth transitions – Image with title & caption on hover, Image with title and slide-in icon on hover, Overlay Zoom.
• Easy image uploads: Use the default WordPress media uploader to upload multiple images simultaneously, including cropped ones.

The plethora of features and user-friendly interface make the Image Gallery Plugin one of the top WordPress gallery plugins to try in 2023.

Pricing: The Premium plan is currently priced at $39. It offers numerous features not available in the free plan, such as:

• 2 template designs
• A video gallery
• 3 additional hover effects
• Ajax loader with animation
• Sorting controls
• Custom border on thumbnails
• URL Filtering

Conclusion

The top-rated plugins we’ve just discussed offer an array of features, from robust image protection to broad customization options, that can enhance the functionality and aesthetic appeal of your WordPress gallery.

Even with all those great features, though, optimizing, customizing, and integrating the plugins into your website may require expert help. 

If you lack the necessary technical expertise, you could consider enlisting an offshore WordPress development company. These companies can provide affordable, highly skilled developers to ensure your website’s gallery functions exactly as you want it to, handling everything from plugin installation and configuration, to creating a custom gallery tailored to your specific needs.

The post The Top 4 Gallery Plugins for WordPress to Use in 2023 appeared first on Cular Ta Stick.

One of the main activities of a graphic designer is the creation of a company’s corporate identity, i.e. the development of a logo, color scheme, font, etc.

A graphic designer can also work in the field of printing: create layouts for advertising printing products (calendars, booklets), design packaging, souvenirs, and make layouts for books and magazines.

Main clients of graphic designers

• Publishers
• Editorial offices
• Design bureaus and studios
• Advertising agencies
• Private customers and companies

Basic skills and knowledge required for a graphic editor:

Knowledge of the basics of design: the basics of painting and drawing, color (use of color) and composition
Special knowledge in the field of graphic design: types and genres of graphics and graphic techniques, working with fonts, typography, use of images, publishing and graphic design
Proficiency in professional graphic design software (QuarkXPress, Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDraw)

What skills will also be useful for a graphic designer

• Ability to draw by hand
• Knowledge of 3D modeling programs
• At least minimal experience in advertising or printing
• Experience in creative work – PR, content, photography
• Elementary art school or relevant art courses

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What a designer does is plan, design, develop, and create graphic material. But there is practically no such thing as a generalist designer, because this profession is applicable to different areas of human activity. We have long been familiar with interior, landscape, clothing, and website designers.

A designer is a creative person who knows how to creatively bring their ideas to life, has an excellent sense of aesthetics and harmony, and knows how to create a good composition. The main job of a designer is to create a visual project:

• A sketch of a garment;
• Web pages;
• Animation;
• Badge or logo;
• Banner;
• Interior;
• Video screensavers;
• Newspaper ads, etc.

A designer always has a notebook and a pencil with them, because inspiration can come at any time. Before creating a project, an idea arises that needs to be captured. Even though the method of fixing a sketch on paper is somewhat outdated, it is still considered the most effective.

Next, the designer transfers the idea to a computer. To do this, you need to have a high level of proficiency in such graphic programs as InDesign, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator. The final stage of a designer’s work is to bring the project to life. This can be tailoring, creating bottle packaging, a mobile app, printing a picture on a T-shirt – all of this is the result of the designer’s work and a key indicator of success.

The main advantage of working as a designer is the ability to work as a freelancer, remotely, or in the office. A designer always has room to grow and improve their skills. Moreover, the salary of a designer is considered one of the highest in our country.

Employment prospects

The design profession is so versatile that it is not difficult to find a job, especially for a good specialist. It all depends on the chosen design direction. So, a designer has the opportunity to get a job:

• At a publishing house, in printing, newspapers and magazines;
• In modeling agencies, clothing houses, factories for sewing clothes, shoes, accessories;
• IT company;
• In various companies and firms specializing in the manufacture of materials;
• In private homes, office centers, buildings of administrative importance that require landscaping;
• In organizations engaged in architectural design;
• Interior designer;
• Foot designer, etc.

The post Designer – the profession of the future appeared first on Cular Ta Stick.

It is known that at present representatives of the profession “designer” skillfully combine several skills at once: and creative worker, and competent designer, and competent technologist. That is why, from such specialists are required not only artistic, but also engineering knowledge, the maximum of which can be obtained by choosing a particular design specialty.

• A graphic designer is a specialist in the creation of printed and electronic advertising, paper and white goods, the layout of books and magazines, the design of various design solutions.
• WEB-designer is a specialist in the development of Internet advertisements, website design, blogs, educational programs, multimedia and other electronic resources.
• Video designer – a person specializing in the design of video clips, music videos, as well as the creation of computer special effects.
• 3D visualizer – a staff member engaged in the development of special three-dimensional models for use in manufacturing, industry, advertising or animation.
• Industrial designer is an expert in the design and construction of production equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, furniture, household appliances, electronics, etc.
• A clothing and footwear designer is a creative worker involved in the development of fashionable clothing, accessories and footwear.
• An interior designer is a professional who creates harmonious, practical and functional interiors.
• A motion designer is a professional who makes videos using 2D graphics. Motion design is an in-demand and promising area for work today.
• A bioprinting designer is a specialist who creates digital mock-ups of organs and living tissue.

Of course, this list is not complete, because depending on the need, a professional designer can perform a wide range of work. This is probably why most specialized universities pay special attention to the development of universal artistic skills, mastering which future specialists will be able to find work in a wide variety of industries, advertising or business.

The post Design specialties appeared first on Cular Ta Stick.

A professional designer must be versed in several areas at once:

• fashion history
• properties of different types of fabrics
• fashion drawing (drawings of future models)
• development of patterns
• design and modeling of clothes
• analysis and forecast of fashion trends
• sewing

Advantages of the profession of fashion designer:

• Demand. The need to dress fashionably will never disappear, and there are few people who can create truly beautiful models. Think about it, how many fashion designers do you know?
• Opportunity for career growth. Hard work, diligence, talent, and self-confidence will definitely lead a fashion designer to success. Your own line of clothing or accessories – what can you dream of?
• Constant creativity. People with a creative mindset need to realize their potential somewhere. The fashion industry is a great place to express yourself and bring your ideas to life.
• Good income. The work of a fashion designer is always well paid. Even at the beginning of your career, when you don’t have many orders. If you don’t stand still, but continuously develop and work, your income will grow.
• Travel and new faces. Fashion shows all over the world, meetings with suppliers from different countries. It’s a great opportunity to see the world while doing what you love.

Cons of being a fashion designer:

• Lack of free time, especially at first. You will have to spend long hours at work to become successful or at least earn an income from your business.
• Unpredictable income. One month you can earn a fortune, and the next month you can be left without orders. Your income will depend on many factors: experience, skill level, popularity, and others.
• Stress. Multitasking mode is the right companion for a fashion designer. Meetings with customers, a tight work schedule – all this will have to be combined and managed.

Where to study to become a fashion designer?

Way #1 is self-education.
If you are disciplined enough, you can try to learn the basics of the design profession on your own. To do this, you’ll have to read a lot of specialized literature about fashion, the secrets and subtleties of fashion design, and more. YouTube has a lot of videos on any topic. But this method has a significant disadvantage: you have no one to turn to with a question. And, whatever one may say, learning through trial and error will take longer. Therefore, it is better to go straight to a specialized university/college or take courses.

Method #2 is to graduate from a university or college in your specialty.
You need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to pass a creative competition for professional aptitude when entering. The main advantage of studying fashion design at a university or college is that you will have a diploma. This can come in handy if you want to get a job in a large company in the future.

Method #3 – courses
Despite the short period of study, really good courses can provide you with all the knowledge and skills necessary for a fashion designer, as well as practical skills.

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