Browsing Galleries and Viewing Photos in Folio
View your SmugMug galleries in grid or masonry layout, navigate the full-screen photo viewer, edit metadata, and search across your library.
Once you have connected your SmugMug account and synced your library, Folio makes it easy to browse galleries, view photos at full resolution, inspect and edit metadata, and search across your entire collection.
Gallery Grid View
Select any gallery in the sidebar to display its contents as thumbnails in the main area. The grid automatically adjusts to fill the available space.
Adjusting Thumbnail Size
Use the slider at the bottom-right corner of the window to control thumbnail size. Drag left to make thumbnails smaller or right to make them larger.
Layout Options
Two buttons next to the size slider let you switch between layout modes:
- Grid — Uniform square thumbnails arranged in neat rows and columns.
- Masonry — Variable-height thumbnails that preserve each photo's original aspect ratio, similar to a Pinterest-style layout.
Show or Hide Filenames
Click the text button next to the layout icons to toggle filename labels beneath each thumbnail.
Photo Viewer
Click any thumbnail to open it in a full-screen lightbox.
Navigate between photos
Move your mouse to reveal left and right arrows at the edges of the screen, or use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys on your keyboard. Photos load progressively — a preview appears first, followed by a higher-resolution version.
Zoom and pan
Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out, then click and drag to pan around the image. You can also use the zoom slider at the bottom-right corner. Two additional buttons are available:
- Fit — Scales the photo to fit the window.
- Actual Size — Displays the photo at 1:1 pixel resolution.
Watch videos
Video files play inline with standard playback controls. Click the play button to start playback.
Return to the gallery
Click the Back button (which displays the gallery name) or press Escape. The gallery view scrolls automatically to center on the photo you were viewing.
Image Info Panel
Press Cmd+I or click the Info button to open a panel on the right side of the photo viewer.
Editable Metadata
You can edit the following fields directly in the info panel:
- Title — Click to edit, then save.
- Caption — Click to edit, then save.
- Keywords — Uses a pill-style interface. Type a keyword and press Enter to add it. Click the X on any pill to remove it.
Click Save to push your changes back to SmugMug.
EXIF Data
The info panel displays technical details captured by your camera, including camera model, lens, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, flash status, date taken, image dimensions, file size, and color space.
Location
If a photo contains GPS coordinates, an interactive map appears in the info panel. You can edit the latitude and longitude values manually, or click the map to explore the surrounding area.
AI Tools
Buttons at the bottom of the info panel let you auto-tag or auto-caption the current photo using built-in AI features. See AI-Powered Metadata for details.
Searching Your Photos
Use the search field at the top of the sidebar to find photos across your entire library. Type a search term and press Enter. Results appear in the main area with the same grid and masonry layout options available.
The source gallery name is displayed below each thumbnail so you know where each photo lives.
Right-click any search result and select Go to Gallery to navigate directly to that photo's gallery.
You can also enter Select Mode from search results to select and download photos from across multiple galleries at once.
The Folio Interface — Sidebar, Toolbar, and Navigation
Explore the Folio interface including the sidebar folder tree, toolbar controls, menu bar extra, and breadcrumb navigation.
How to Download Photos and Videos from SmugMug with Folio
Download individual galleries, entire folders, or selected photos from SmugMug. Includes smart resume, progress tracking, and download reports.