Getting started with CloudSpot is super easy! You'll begin with creating your first Collection & uploading images - It's super simple and just a few steps!

A Collection is a master folder where you can keep all your images stored from a session or an event. Within a Collection, you can organize your images into subfolders! Collections are not automatically visible to your clients. So, in order to share your beautiful images with your clients, you will need to create & publish a gallery from within your Collection.

Inside your Collection, you can easily organize your images into separate folders. For example, if you're a wedding photographer you might choose to separate your images into folders titled; ceremony, family portraits, reception, etc... Perhaps you are a portrait photographer! You can easily create a collection from a portrait event like a 'Spring Mini Session' and separate your images into folders named by family. The great part about this organization is that you can have as many folders as you like nested inside a master Collection!

To create your first Collection you'll need to select the 'New Collection' button in the top left corner. From here, you will be prompted to add your Collection's name and optional event date. Once you've added a name and date, you'll find the ability to tag your Collection. A tag allows you to keep your Collections organized within your Collection dashboard! For example, if you are a wedding photographer you can tag a Collection as a 'wedding,' 'wedding year,' and 'venue' location.

Once your Collection has a name, a date, and it is tagged the way you like it, click the "Create" button. When the Collection is created you can proceed to upload image files! You can upload images into a Collection in three easy ways:

The first option is the drag-and-drop option in the middle of a Collection. With this option, Cloudspot will upload images into a default folder called "My photos".

The second option is the "Upload Folders" button. To navigate here, click on the "Add Folders" button on the left-hand menu bar. From the drop-down menu select "Upload Folders." From here you can easily select multiple folders from your computer or hard drive and drag them into Cloudspot. With this option, Cloudspot will automatically create image folders within your Collection from the folders you drop in. It's truly a great way to keep your Collection & folders nice and organized!

The third option is CloudSpot's designated Lightroom plugin where you can publish Collections directly from your Lightroom catalog. Here is the link to download CloudSpot's Lightroom plugin!

Once you begin to upload, feel free to minimize this upload window so you can continue working inside CloudSpot! As your images upload you'll see a status icon in the upper right-hand corner of your dashboard. Within CloudSpot you have the option to queue up multiple uploads at once, simply by minimizing your upload window and navigating to the next Collection you would like to create.

Once your images are uploaded you can select your Collection's cover image simply by dragging over an image into the cover image area in the top left. You also have the option to upload your cover photo from your computer by selecting "Change Cover Photo" within your collection's cover image in the top left of your dashboard.

Nice job you just created your first collection within Cloudspot!

In the next article, we'll discuss publishing and creating client galleries! Click the button below to head there now.

If you have any questions about CloudSpot's features, feel free to contact us in the chat bubble in the lower right-hand corner of your dashboard. We are always happy to help!