Create your first online album

The online jAlbum creator is instantly available in any web browser, this is the easiest and fastest way to create and publish albums. All you need is a Premium or Power account and your photos. Here is a quick walk-through to get you going.

If you have downloaded the jAlbum desktop application and need help creating your first album using it, you should see the tutorial for creating albums with the jAlbum desktop application instead.

1. Get a jalbum.net account

If you already have a jalbum.net account you can skip this step.

Before you get started you should sign up for a jalbum.net account. Also make sure that you validate your new account (click the validation link in the e-mail we sent you). If you sign up for the free 30 days trial you don't have to purchase the account right away. You also have trial storage to play with during this time.

2. Create new album

Make sure that you are signed in to the site and go to your profile page, then start by clicking the Create new album button and then Create Now!.

3. Upload your photos

Click on Upload photos and select the photos you want to upload. The photos will be rescaled before being uploaded to maximize speed. When the upload is done you can add desciptions to your photos as well as drag and drop them to rearrange the order.

4. Name your album

Now press the Info tab. Browse through the photos to choose your album cover by clicking on the right and left arrows. Don't forget to name your album, and if you want to you can also give it tags and a description.

5. Choose design

This step is optional. If you already are happy with the way your album looks you can skip this step. The default skin that is used is Turtle.

Now press the Design tab. Here you can customize the look and feel of your album. Try a few different ones until you find your favorite.

6. Privacy and widgets

This step is optional. If you want to keep your album public and just have all widgets enabled you can skip this step.

Next, go to the Settings tab. Here you can choose what Widgets you want. Widgets add extra functionality to your album, like a visitor counter, comments or an easy way to share your photos by Email, on Facebook, Twitter and Other social networks. This is also where you find privacy options. By default everyone can see your album, but if you want to you can password protect it or choose Only me. If you choose Only me you can still share the direct URL (web link) to the album but it won't be available to the jAlbum community. Have a look at the tutorial about album privacy for more information.

7. Publish your album

When you are happy with the look of your album press "Exit". This will publish your album to the Internet and add it to your user page (if you have made the album private on the Settings tab, only you will see it there).

8. Share your album with your friends

That's it! You are done! After saving your album you will land on your user page, there a window will show which presents you with a number of ways to share your album. You can copy the link to pass it on to your friends, family or colleagues. You can also add your album to a group or share it in a social network. You can always re-open the share window later on by hovering your mouse over an album thumbnail and selecting the Share option.