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Supported File Types

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PhotoShelter supports all major image formats including JPG, TIFF, RAW files, PSD, DNG, SVG, and PDF. When you upload images into your PhotoShelter Image Browser, you are essentially placing them in your own geographically redundant archive. This means you'll have direct access to them any place, any time (as long as you have an internet connection). We recommend uploading your highest quality images so you can rest assured they're safe and secure.  

Recommended File Formats

JPG
The most common file format stored in PhotoShelter is JPG. The relatively small file size (compared to TIFF or RAW) makes it ideal for online storage, and most clients expect JPG files.
TIFF
Like JPG files, TIFF files are easy to store. However, they are uncompressed files, so they require more bandwidth during upload and storage space.

 

Limited Support File Formats

RAW files
RAW files are supported for archival use only and will be displayed as resized JPGs on PhotoShelter. Our image processor creates JPG previews for RAW files, so you may notice color and/or display variances when viewing them in the Image Browser or on your website. RAW files downloaded from PhotoShelter as resized JPGs will retain those display variances in programs like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, so we recommend downloading and delivering RAW files in the Original File format when possible.

NOTE: PhotoShelter uses your camera’s generic color profile as a reference when converting to sRGB for web display. For a better visual experience, pleasure ensure that your color profile is set to sRGB prior to upload.
RAW files are uncompressed and do not store metadata. Any IPTC metadata applied to RAW files in PhotoShelter will not be applied upon download
XMP
XMP sidecar files can be uploaded alongside RAW files using the Desktop Uploader and Incoming FTP only. The metadata contained in the sidecar files will be applied to RAW files with the same filename upon upload. Downloading RAW files will not download the XMP sidecars. In other words, XMP files are processed upon upload and not kept as original entities.
PSD
Like RAW files, PSD files are uncompressed. They are ideal for archival purposes, but not ideal for printing and delivery.
DNG
Like RAW files, there are complications with DNG delivery. If you deliver them in JPG format, the files will be converted and delivered without any edits you may have made. We recommend using DNGs strictly for archival purposes. You may also notice a slight difference in the display of the DNG when it is uploaded due to the way we serve it up for the web, but the original DNG when downloaded as the original file is retained.
PDF
When displaying within a public gallery, only the first page of a multi-page PDF will be viewable in the image preview. If downloaded as the original file, all pages will be intact.
SVG
SVG files containing HTML will render as images within PhotoShelter. SVGs containing JavaScript or CSS will not be rendered as images; they can be uploaded, stored, and downloaded, but no preview is available.
EPS
PhotoShelter generates an image preview of an EPS file’s contents. Because this image is adjusted for web display, the image may not look exactly like the original EPS file. While you can add metadata to EPS files within the Image Browser, we do not support embedding metadata on EPS files upon download. If you upload an EPS file with metadata already attached, that metadata will remain on the original file upon download.
GIF
Playback is not available within PhotoShelter, so GIFs will render as a static image. If downloaded as the original file, a GIF can be played back.
HEIF
You can upload HEIF and HEIC image files shot on the latest Apple and Android devices. We don't recommend using high-efficiency image files for delivery, since older operating systems may not support these file formats.
PNG
PNG files can be uploaded and stored in PhotoShelter, but any transparency will not be retained in galleries or as embedded images. However, PhotoShelter will honor transparent PNGs for custom watermarks and in your site’s logo.
HDR
Because of the high degree of variation in the way cameras and photo editing software can process HDR files, we provide limited support for the display of these files. If the display on the website looks strange, you may want to convert the HDR files to JPG or TIFF and re-upload.

 

Note on Downloading: RAW and DNG files are unprocessed and we are not guaranteed to convert them correctly upon downloading as a resized JPG the way an image processing program like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop would, so the colors will likely be off. File types such as PSD, TIF, GIF, and PNG can support layers and or transparency, whereas JPGs do not, which can cause a discrepancy in visual appearance when downloaded as a JPG.

 

Unsupported File Formats

Video
Video file formats are not supported and cannot be uploaded to or hosted on PhotoShelter. Our responsive website templates include an integration with Vimeo designed to pull either all user videos or an album from your Vimeo account directly onto a custom page on your site. Videos hosted elsewhere, like on YouTube, can also be embedded onto a custom page of your site.

 

Size & Resolution

We recommend that you upload your highest quality images to your Image Browser. PhotoShelter automatically handles the resizing of images and gives you the ability to offer different sizes to your clients. Having the high res file simplifies print and digital sales because it doesn't require you to re-upload an image. However, if you choose to upload low-res images for efficiency, you may always replace them later, either at the point of sale or via the Web Uploader.

It should be noted that we never alter the original image uploaded to PhotoShelter; we will only apply adjustments to the screen-resolution versions and generate conversions on the fly.

If you’re interested in the recommended minimum dimensions for display on your site, we suggest uploading images that are at least 2040 px on their longest side. This size image will work well with all of our templates as it’s the largest Maximum Image Display size that you can set in your Security Settings.

 

Color Profiles

Images for display on the website are converted to sRGB. If the image is untagged, it will be tagged as sRGB for display. We use sRGB for maximum browser compatibility. Images exported for printing will also be converted to sRGB. Keep in mind that we retain the original file which is an exact copy with the original profile intact.

Note: If you’re uploading film scans, be sure that your digital files have a color profile applied (ideally sRGB) prior to upload. Uploading photos without a color profile attached can create display issues for those photos on your site.


Filename Best Practices

Filenames contain a file extension that helps your computer interpret the type of file being viewed (e.g. .JPG or .TIF). We strongly advise against removing file extensions from your filenames. If you download a file missing the file extension, your computer will be unable to recognize it as an image file and will treat it as a document. 

When creating filenames, it’s best to use dashes (-) or underscores (_) to separate characters in the filename. We recommend that you avoid using spaces or special characters in filenames, as some programs will interpret this incorrectly, potentially causing errors.

 

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