Includes: Component, Site Module
PhotoLab
Clean photo management for Joomla 5 and 6 - with image uploads, categories, automatic thumbnails, a responsive lightbox gallery, individual downloads, ZIP downloads, a gallery module, and download tracking.
Build organised image libraries for portfolios, client galleries, product shoots, events, clubs, venues, and internal asset libraries without a heavyweight media suite. PhotoLab keeps the workflow simple: upload images, assign categories, publish a menu item, and let visitors browse or download.
About this Extension
PhotoLab is a clean photo gallery and download manager for Joomla 5 and 6. Upload images, organise them into categories, publish responsive galleries, preview photos in a modern lightbox, and let visitors download individual originals or selected images as a ZIP.
See PhotoLab in Action
Who It’s For
- Photographers and studios — publish client galleries with simple category organisation and original-file downloads.
- Creative agencies — share campaign images, product shots, event photos, and approval galleries inside Joomla.
- Venues, schools, and clubs — maintain browsable event galleries without a heavyweight media system.
- Joomla site builders — add a lightweight gallery component with native menu items, a companion module, and template-friendly output.
Key Features:
- Image Management — upload images from the administrator area, edit titles, publish or unpublish images, and delete old files safely.
- Categories — create photo categories with descriptions, then assign images for organised gallery browsing.
- Automatic Thumbnails — PhotoLab generates gallery thumbnails during upload so frontend pages stay fast and tidy.
- Responsive Gallery — display a clean image grid with lazy-loaded thumbnails, overlay controls, and polished mobile behaviour.
- Lightbox Preview — visitors can open images in a full-screen preview with previous/next navigation and direct download access.
- Original Downloads — allow visitors to download individual original images from the card or lightbox.
- ZIP Downloads — visitors can select multiple images and download them together as a ZIP archive.
- Category Filter — menu item parameters can show a frontend category filter for browsing all published categories.
- Dashboard Reporting — admin dashboard cards show total images, categories, downloads today, monthly downloads, top images, and recent download activity.
- Gallery Module — display latest, oldest, or random images from all categories or a selected category in a module position.
- Native Joomla Packaging — installs as a Joomla package containing the PhotoLab component and module.
- Lightweight Frontend — vanilla CSS and JavaScript, no framework dependency, and no jQuery requirement.
How It Works:
- Install the PhotoLab package through Joomla's extension installer.
- Create one or more categories in Components > PhotoLab > Categories.
- Upload images in Components > PhotoLab > Images and assign them to categories.
- Create a menu item for the gallery or category index view.
- Visitors browse the responsive gallery, preview images in the lightbox, and download originals or selected ZIP archives.
- Use the dashboard to monitor download activity and popular images.
PhotoLab is built for Joomla 5 and 6 using Joomla MVC conventions, native menu item parameters, package installation, and media assets that are easy to override in a custom template.
Releases
PhotoLab 1.0.0 is the first public package release of the Joomla photo gallery and download manager.
Technical Notes
- Supports Joomla 5 and Joomla 6.
- Requires PHP 8.1 or newer.
- Stores original images in `/images/photolab/`.
- Stores generated thumbnails in `/images/photolab/thumbs/`.
- Uses vanilla CSS and JavaScript for the frontend gallery experience.
- Uses Joomla package installation to install both component and module together.