Our gallery is powered by Piwigo open source photo management software. It is tailored for photographers, artists, and individuals who want to showcase their images in an organized and visually appealing way.
Documentation
In Piwigo, user permissions are handled mainly through user groups and album permissions. The typical workflow is:
- Create a user
- Add the user to a group (optional but recommended)
- Give that user or group permissions on specific albums
- Enable upload rights
Below is the practical setup most sites use.
1. Create the user
Admin panel:
Users → Manage → Add user
Fill in:
- username
- password
- status
User status options matter:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Guest | Not logged in |
| Normal | Basic user |
| Uploader | Can upload photos |
| Administrator | Full control |
If you want them uploading images, set Status = Uploader.
2. Assign the user to a group (recommended)
Groups make album permissions easier.
Admin panel:
Users → Groups → Add group
Example groups:
- Contributors
- Ornament Makers
- Gallery Editors
Then:
Users → Manage → Edit user → Groups → Add to group
3. Grant the group access to albums
Now decide which albums they can see and upload to.
Admin panel:
Albums → Properties → Permissions
Steps:
- Select the album
- Click Edit permissions
- Check the group (or individual user)
This controls view access.
4. Allow uploads to the album
For upload capability:
Albums → Properties → Edit
Enable:
✔ Allow uploads
You can also allow:
- upload directly to album
- upload to pending moderation
Many sites enable moderation so uploads must be approved.
5. Allow editing of their images
Users can normally:
- edit their own uploads
- change title, description, tags
They cannot edit other users’ photos unless they are:
- an administrator
- or a plugin grants that capability.
6. Useful plugins (optional but very helpful)
Several plugins extend permissions in Piwigo:
Community
Community
Allows:
- front-end uploads
- user upload categories
- moderation queues
- contributor workflows
Most public Piwigo galleries use this.
User Collections
User Collections
Each user gets a personal album to upload images before publishing.
7. Typical real-world setup
For something like our WoodCentral ornaments gallery, it can be configured as
Group:
Ornament Contributors
Permissions:
Album: Ornaments
Allow uploads: Yes
Moderation: Yes
Workflow:
User uploads photo
↓
Admin reviews
↓
Approve
↓
Visible to public
Important limitation
Piwigo permissions are album-based, not image-based.
You can allow users to upload/edit within albums, but fine-grained per-image permissions are limited unless you use plugins.
See also: Feedback Forum
Changelog
- 2026-05-13 | Updated to v16.4.0