There are several WordPress gallery plugins online.
Sadly, not all of them give exceptional results.
Some of these plugins slow down the speed of websites. Others come with fewer customization options. And most of the time, you would have to go over a series of tutorials to create your first gallery.
Working with a WordPress gallery plugin doesn’t have to be so hectic.
In short, everyone should be able to create a clean, fast-loading gallery in under 5 minutes.
Wondering if this is even possible?
Well, in this guide, I’ll be unveiling a simple (but powerful) WordPress gallery plugin you could use to build gorgeous galleries in record time.
Say hello to Modula!
Modula: A Clean, Highly Customizable WordPress Gallery Plugin
Modula is a top-rated WordPress gallery plugin that’s easy to use, highly customizable, and mobile-responsive.
Packed with loads of features, Modula helps photographers and creatives build outstanding portfolios and add stylish video/photo galleries to their WordPress website in only a few clicks.
Modula has both a free and paid version.
The free version comes with everything you’ll need to create your first beautiful gallery.
The premium version comes with additional functionalities that further protect your files, speed up your website, and make your galleries appear much more unique.
Modula Lite vs. Pro: Features Overview
Whether you are a photographer looking to sell photos online or a creative looking to showcase some of your best work, Modula has the perfect set of features for you.
Modula Lite comes with lots of great features that allow you to:
- Create a stunning photo gallery and add a variety of styles
- Add and customize image captions
- Add social share buttons to your gallery so visitors can easily distribute your gorgeous work across various social media platforms
- Optimize your images to make your galleries load faster
- Customize your gallery further using CSS
Modula Pro allows you to do much more.
In addition to the list above, Modula Pro enables you to:
- Enable/disable image filtering/sorting
- Choose from 40+ hover & loading effects to spice up your gallery
- Create stunning video galleries by importing videos from YouTube & Vimeo
- Group your media files into albums to have an organized gallery
- Import & re-use the settings from your existing galleries when creating new ones
- Grant access to multiple users so they can also edit, add and delete galleries
- Make files in your gallery downloadable (and not just viewable)
- Set up EXIF metadata to display alongside your images in the lightbox
- Add a “zoom” option that enables visitors to zoom in/out of your images when it displays in the lightbox
- Password protect your galleries and allow only a few people to access your files
- Turn your galleries into sliders and enable an option that allows your images to display as a slideshow
- Deactivate the right-click mouse function, thereby preventing people from downloading your images (without your permission)
- Automatically add a watermark to every photo in your library
- Create unique indexable URLs for images in your galleries to make them rank in Google for specific keywords
- Speed up your website by optimizing your images even better
- Link out to other galleries using a shortcode and without having to create a dedicated page for them
Creating Your First Gallery using Modula Lite
Ready to build your first Modula gallery?
Below are the easy steps to follow.
Step 1: Install/Activate the Modula Plugin
Assuming you already have your WordPress hosting provider picked out and the website set up, open your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins – Add New.
Type “Modula” into the search bar and then install the plugin.
Remember to activate it afterward.
Step 2: Create a Gallery
Navigate to Modula – Galleries – Add New to create your first gallery.
Next, name your gallery and then upload the photos you’d like to appear in it.
If you already have these images in your WordPress media files, import them from there. Otherwise, upload the photos from your PC.
You can rearrange the images by dragging them around.
Step 3: Customize Your Gallery
After adding photos, scroll down the page to find the gallery settings.
Modula Lite limits the features you can access. Nonetheless, the free version still allows you to edit your gallery’s appearance, add image captions, enable social sharing buttons, and optimize your images.
Step 4: Save & Publish Your Gallery
After tweaking the settings, click on Save Gallery.
Next, copy the shortcode and paste it wherever you want the gallery to appear.
You should have a beautiful gallery that looks like this:
And when someone clicks on an image, it appears like this:
Unlocking More Features with Modula Pro
You can gain access to the premium version of Modula for as low as $25 to unlock even more advanced features. See the pricing plans here.
After purchasing Modula Pro, download the .zip files emailed to you (or ones on your Modula dashboard) and upload them to your WordPress website (as plugins). The files should include both the main plugin and a series of add-ons (only available to premium users).
Modula Pro works perfectly only when you have the free version installed also. Be sure to install/activate the free plugin before installing the premium version.
After installing the premium plugin and add-ons, navigate to Modula – Settings and then input your license key.
Quick Tip: Instead of uploading Modula Pro and the add-ons manually, you could install only the Modula Pro plugin, activate your license key, and then install the add-ons via Modula – Extensions.
Now, you should have access to additional features.
Having activated your license, you can now password protect your gallery, create video galleries, make your galleries display as a slideshow, create albums, add loading/hover effects, and do other advanced customizations.
Modula WordPress Gallery Plugin: A Smart Option?
There are several free & premium WordPress gallery plugins available.
But if you’re looking for a plugin that’s easy to use and gives applaudable results, then Modula is your best bet.
Modula Lite is available for free and comes with sufficient features to help you build a catchy gallery. And you could upgrade to the premium version at any time to gain access to loads of amazing add-ons.
So, what are you waiting for?
Join over 80,000 savvy professionals using Modula, and start creating eye-catchy galleries from now on!
