Are you looking to make your website stand out with stunning visuals? Adding an image gallery to your WordPress site can transform your pages, making them more captivating and visually stunning. Whether you’re a photographer showcasing your portfolio, a blogger sharing a story, or a business displaying products, a well-crafted image gallery can enhance your site’s overall impact.
WordPress offers various methods to create photo galleries, catering to different needs and preferences. The native WordPress gallery block is great for basic setups, allowing you to quickly add and arrange photos. For more advanced features and customization options, there are numerous themes or plugins available that can provide a more polished and dynamic look.
In this article we’ll guide you through the process, whether you’re using the built-in WordPress block gallery feature or a specialized photography theme like Gleam.
Table of Contents
- Creating an Image Gallery Using the Native WordPress Gallery Block
- Create a Photo Gallery Using the Gleam theme
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Creating an Image Gallery Using the Native WordPress Gallery Block
Adding a gallery to your WordPress site is straightforward and requires no special skills. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
Access the Block Editor
Edit / create the post or page where you want to add your image gallery. Click on the “+” icon to add a new block. Search for “Gallery” and select it.
Add Images to Gallery block
You have two options to add images: upload them directly from your computer or choose from the Media Library. Click “Upload” to select files from your device, or “Media Library” to pick existing images.
Arrange Your Images
Once added, your images will appear in a grid. Drag and drop them to reorder as you like. Click on an image to add captions if needed. Captions can provide context or additional information about each image. After you’ve done the changes click the “Insert Gallery” button.
Configure Gallery Settings
In the block settings on the right, you can adjust various options. Choose the number of columns, enable or disable image cropping, and set the image size. These settings help in customizing how your gallery will look.
Publish Your Gallery
After arranging and configuring your images, click “Publish” or “Update” to make your gallery live on your site. Visit your page to see how the gallery looks. You can always go back and make adjustments if needed.
Using the native WordPress gallery block is great for quick setups and offers basic customization. For those looking for more advanced features, plugins might be the way to go. This method, however, provides a simple and efficient way to enhance your content with engaging visuals.
Create a Photo Gallery Using the Gleam theme
If you are a photographer, artist and want to display your work, then Gleam photography theme is for you. To create a photo gallery with Gleam, after you install and activate it, follow the steps below:
Install the Required Plugins
This is an essential step. You need to install the MT-Gleam plugin and ACF PRO plugin in order to have access to the image gallery options. Of course, Elementor is also a required plugin if you want to have the demo look for all the pages.
Create a New Gallery
After you complete the plugins installation, go to Portfolio > Add New ( step 1). A new gallery page will open. Go to Customization tab > Gallery Images ( step 2 ) and click the Add Gallery button. Select your gallery images from the Media Library or Upload them by drag and drop, then click the Select button.
Gleam Gallery Options
The images will appear in the Gallery Images tab. You can drag & drop each image to re-arrange the gallery images order, or select each image to add and alt image text. This is a recommended step for SEO purposes.
Then you could select a Gallery template ( step 3 ) and make the photo gallery fullscreen or not ( step 4 ). If you added multiple galleries and you would like to categorize them, select / add new gallery category from the right side panel ( step 5 ).
After you’ve done, click the Publish button and see the gallery in the live page. The Gleam also comes with an image lightbox when an image is clicked.
Conclusion
Creating an image gallery in WordPress is a great way to make your website interactive and engage your visitors. Whether you use the built-in gallery block or a specialized photography theme like Gleam, the process is simple and straightforward. We’ve walked through the steps to add a gallery using both methods, from selecting images to customizing the layout.
Now, it’s time to start creating your own galleries. Dive in, have fun, and watch your website come to life with beautiful image displays.
FAQs
Q: How do I add a gallery to WordPress?
You can add a gallery to WordPress using a photography theme like Gleam or Tilia, or the native gallery block on WordPress.
Q: How do I create an image gallery in WordPress?
A: To create an image gallery in WordPress, go to the post or page editor, click the “+” sign, select the Gallery block, select the images you want, and click “Insert Gallery”.
Q: How to make WordPress gallery SEO friendly?
A: To make your WordPress gallery SEO friendly, follow these best practices: use descriptive, keyword-rich file names for your images before uploading them to WordPress, make sure every image has alt text that describes the content of the image and includes relevant keywords, compress images to reduce file size without compromising quality, ensuring faster page load times.
Q: Can I add a lightbox effect to my WordPress image gallery?
A: Yes, our photography themes offer lightbox effects, which open images in a full-screen overlay when clicked.
Q: How do I organize images within a WordPress gallery?
A: You can organize images by dragging and dropping them into the desired order within the gallery editor.
