Websites and delivery
Test gallery access as the person receiving it
Editorial team · Reviewed
A gallery can look correct to its owner while giving a recipient the wrong download or sharing permissions. Test the actual recipient view before treating a delivery link as finished work.
A practical sequence
- Check which folders and images the recipient can see.
- Verify password or link access using a separate recipient context.
- Test the intended original, web-size or disabled download policy.
- Explain expiry, favorites and support in the delivery note.
Work through an example
A vendor is meant to receive a small credited selection, while the couple receives the full delivered gallery. Reusing the couple's link for the vendor could expose private photographs or grant broader download access than intended.
Where judgement matters
A watermark is a display treatment, not a complete access-control policy. Keep original-file authorization and public previews separate. Recheck access when a folder is moved, a link is forwarded or a download policy changes.
Make it usable
Open the working tool and work through the decision with your own inputs. Adapt the structured template to preserve the choices and responsibilities. Keep an original copy so later changes remain understandable.
Work the decision
A practice case
An original fictional scenario. Numbers are illustrative inputs; this is not a customer result or a provider performance claim.
A client may download full-resolution photographs while a vendor can receive only selected web-size images with a watermark. Both may visit the same gallery, but they need different grants. A hidden button is insufficient if the underlying download URL still serves an unauthorized original. Include one image hidden from the vendor and one expired grant in the rehearsal so the review covers image-level restrictions as well as gallery access.
| Decision | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Define recipient, image scope and allowed variant. | Access to the gallery cover does not imply permission to every photo or every resolution. |
| Apply expiry and revocation at retrieval. | A stale interface should not continue issuing fresh download links after access ends. |
| Verify the actual output file. | The downloaded resolution and watermark need to match the reviewed policy, not only the label on the button. |
Make one usable artifact
Test client and vendor access using separate sessions. Record visible images, available variants, expiry behavior and the outcome after revocation.
Then test the difficult case
A vendor guesses an original image identifier from an allowed preview. Confirm the server denies that retrieval without revealing a private file path.
Use the linked tool or structured template below to record the result. Confirm it against the actual people, agreements and permissions before using it for an event.