Jan Zeman

<p>Embed a Google Photos shared album directly from the source, without uploading copies to your WordPress media library.<br />
Add one shortcode, choose a gallery, slider, or carousel layout, and the plugin turns your album into a responsive photo experience for desktop and mobile visitors.</p>
<p>It is built for photographers, bloggers, clubs, families, travel sites, event pages,<br />
and anyone who already organizes photos in Google Photos and wants to show them beautifully on a WordPress site.</p>
<h4>Why Install It</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>No duplicate uploads</strong> – Keep your photos in Google Photos and show them on your WordPress site.</li>
<li><strong>Less gallery maintenance</strong> – Update the album at the source instead of rebuilding galleries by hand.</li>
<li><strong>A better visitor experience</strong> – Give people a responsive gallery, slider, carousel, fullscreen view, or lightbox.</li>
<li><strong>Photo and video support</strong> – Share mixed albums without splitting them into separate WordPress galleries.</li>
<li><strong>Mobile-friendly browsing</strong> – Let visitors swipe, tap, zoom, navigate, and enjoy slideshows naturally.</li>
<li><strong>Useful presentation options</strong> – Show descriptions, dates, counters, buttons, and image details when they help.</li>
<li><strong>Built for real albums</strong> – Caching, lazy loading, and progressive loading help larger albums stay practical.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Why People Use It</h4>
<p>Google Photos is convenient for storing and sharing albums.<br />
WordPress is where your audience is.<br />
This plugin connects the two.</p>
<p>Instead of exporting photos, uploading them to the media library, rebuilding galleries,<br />
and repeating the work after every album change, you can share the Google Photos album once and embed it where you need it.</p>
<h4>What Happens After Installing</h4>
<p>The plugin adds its own WordPress admin menu with a friendly Guide page,<br />
ready-to-use examples, a live shortcode playground, and the current parameter reference.</p>
<p>Start with a sample, paste your own Google Photos share link,<br />
preview the result, and place the shortcode where you want the album to appear.</p>
<h4>Community Inspiration</h4>
<p>The optional Community Directory helps you discover what other users are building with the plugin.</p>
<ul>
<li>Browse real shortcode examples for layout ideas.</li>
<li>Copy a configuration and adapt it to your own album.</li>
<li>Rate useful examples and share your own.</li>
<li>Add a sample page URL if you want curious visitors to find your site.</li>
</ul>
<p>Community features are optional. You can use the gallery plugin without joining or publishing anything.</p>
<h3>Credits</h3>
<ul>
<li>Uses <a href="https://swiperjs.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Swiper</a> – MIT License</li>
<li>Uses <a href="https://plyr.io/" rel="nofollow ugc">Plyr</a> – MIT License</li>
<li>Developed by Jan Zeman</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy Policy</h3>
<p>This plugin does not collect or store any user data for its core gallery functionality.</p>
<h4>Use of external Google services</h4>
<ul>
<li>The plugin fetches public Google Photos album pages from <code>https://photos.google.com</code> and image files from <code>*.googleusercontent.com</code> in order to render the galleries.</li>
<li>Only publicly shared album links are supported; the plugin has no access to private albums or any content that is not already available via a public share link.</li>
<li>The plugin does not collect, store, or transmit user credentials or personal data. It only caches album HTML and image URLs in WordPress transients for performance, and this cache is stored locally in your WordPress database.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Community Directory (optional, opt-in)</h4>
<p>The Community Directory is optional. Browsing samples loads public examples from jzsa.janzeman.com.<br />
Sign-in, ratings, and publishing are used only when you choose to connect to the community.</p>
<p>If you publish an entry, the community service stores the information you submit,<br />
such as title, shortcode, description, tags, optional sample page URL, and optional display name.<br />
You can delete your community account from the plugin admin page.</p>
<p>The community backend does not use cookies, analytics, advertising, or newsletters.</p>
<h3>Support</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Bug reports:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/JanZeman/shared-albums-for-google-photos/issues/new" rel="nofollow ugc">Open an issue on GitHub</a></li>
<li><strong>Feature requests:</strong> <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/janzeman-shared-albums-for-google-photos/" rel="ugc">Post on the support forum</a></li>
<li><strong>Privacy, account, or sensitive questions:</strong> email <a href="mailto:support@janzeman.com" rel="nofollow ugc">support@janzeman.com</a></li>
<li><strong>Leave a rating:</strong> <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/janzeman-shared-albums-for-google-photos/reviews/#new-post" rel="ugc">Review on WordPress.org</a></li>
<li><strong>Buy Me a Coffee:</strong> <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/janzeman" rel="nofollow ugc">buymeacoffee.com/janzeman</a></li>
</ul>


Shared Albums for Google Photos (by JanZeman)


I was excited to see your plugin in the new section here and downloaded it. to check it out.



It was an easy install with good instructions with easy-to-understand shortcodes.  It took a while to get the yellow and red banners away, but I learned more about the shortcode with each try.  If I may offer an opinion on some of the features, I liked the image quality and speed.  I ran through most of the shortcodes; I was hoping gallery mode meant a grid of images with pagination.  In carousel mode, I feel it would be best, if clicking on one of the 3 panel images, it took you to that particular image's full, non-cropped image.



I am not sure if any of these suggestions could be accomplished by shortcode, but I thought I would give you some feedback.  Appreciate your work!






Nice, but ...

Embed shared Google Photos albums directly from the source, without uploading copies to WordPress.

Sayontan Sinha

<p>Photonic takes the WordPress gallery and super-charges it with a lot of added functionality. It adds support for several new sources and parameters to enhance the content and look-and-feel of your galleries. It supports <a href="https://flickr.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Flickr</a> photos, Albums (Photosets), Galleries and Collections, along with <a href="https://smugmug.com" rel="nofollow ugc">SmugMug</a> folders, albums and images, and <a href="https://zenfolio.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Zenfolio</a> photos, Photosets and Groups. You can also set up authentication so that visitors can see private and protected photos from each provider.</p>
<p>When used without the Gutenberg editor Photonic by default overrides the <code>gallery</code> shortcode. In case you happen to be using a theme or plugin that already overrides the <code>gallery</code> shortcode, Photonic provides you with the option to use your own shortcode for Photonic galleries. This lets your plugins coexist. Bear in mind that if you deactivate Photonic you will have to remove all instances of this custom shortcode, something that is not required if you stick to the <code>gallery</code> shortcode.</p>
<p>When used with Gutenberg Photonic creates no shortcodes, rather it creates blocks. If some of your posts were written with Gutenberg and some without, Photonic supports both scenarios.</p>
<h3>Lightboxes</h3>
<p>Of all plugins free or paid, Photonic has support built in for the highest number of lightbox scripts. This includes scripts that run on pure JavaScript without relying on external libraries, or those that require jQuery.</p>
<h4>Pure JS Libraries</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://feimosi.github.io/baguetteBox.js/" rel="nofollow ugc">BaguetteBox</a></li>
<li><a href="https://henrygd.me/bigpicture/" rel="nofollow ugc">BigPicture</a></li>
<li><a href="https://biati-digital.github.io/glightbox/" rel="nofollow ugc">“Gie” Lightbox (GLightbox)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.lightgalleryjs.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">LightGallery</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/dimsemenov/PhotoSwipe/tree/v4.1.3" rel="nofollow ugc">PhotoSwipe v4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://photoswipe.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">PhotoSwipe v5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nextapps-de.github.io/spotlight/" rel="nofollow ugc">Spotlight</a></li>
<li><a href="https://veno.es/venobox/" rel="nofollow ugc">VenoBox</a></li>
</ul>
<h4>jQuery Based Libraries</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://jacklmoore.com/colorbox/" rel="nofollow ugc">Colorbox</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fancyapps.com/fancybox/" rel="nofollow ugc">Fancybox2</a> – not GPL, so the script is not included with the plugin. See the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/third-party-lightboxes/" rel="nofollow ugc">Lightboxes</a> page for details</li>
<li><a href="https://fancyapps.com/fancybox/3/" rel="nofollow ugc">Fancybox3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://noelboss.github.io/featherlight/" rel="nofollow ugc">Featherlight</a></li>
<li><a href="https://osvaldas.info/image-lightbox-responsive-touch-friendly" rel="nofollow ugc">Image Lightbox</a></li>
<li><a href="https://cornel.bopp-art.com/lightcase/" rel="nofollow ugc">Lightcase</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stripjs.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Strip</a></li>
<li><a href="https://brutaldesign.github.io/swipebox/" rel="nofollow ugc">Swipebox</a></li>
<li>Thickbox</li>
</ul>
<h4>Obsolete Libraries</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://fancybox.net/" rel="nofollow ugc">Fancybox 1</a> – no update since November 2010</li>
<li><a href="http://dimsemenov.com/plugins/magnific-popup/" rel="nofollow ugc">Magnific Popup</a> – no update since February 2016</li>
<li><a href="http://www.no-margin-for-errors.com/projects/prettyphoto-jquery-lightbox-clone/" rel="nofollow ugc">PrettyPhoto</a> – no update since May 2015</li>
</ul>
<p>For the non-GPL alternatives like <a href="https://fancyapps.com/fancybox/" rel="nofollow ugc">Fancybox2</a> and the obsolete libraries, Photonic has code to work with them, but you have to install the scripts yourself or rely on them from your theme or another plugin.</p>
<p>With the exception of Thickbox the lightboxes have been adapted to become touch and gesture-friendly. See the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/third-party-lightboxes/" rel="nofollow ugc">Lightboxes</a> page for details.</p>
<h3>Support for Multiple Platforms</h3>
<h4>Flickr</h4>
<p>The following Flickr concepts are supported in Photonic:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/flickr/flickr-photos/" rel="nofollow ugc">Photos</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/flickr/flickr-photosets/" rel="nofollow ugc">PhotoSets (Albums)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/flickr/flickr-galleries/" rel="nofollow ugc">Galleries</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/flickr/flickr-collections/" rel="nofollow ugc">Collections</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/flickr/flickr-photo/" rel="nofollow ugc">Single Photo</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/flickr/flickr-authentication/" rel="nofollow ugc">Authentication</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For demos of Flickr support visit the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/flickr/" rel="nofollow ugc">Flickr page</a>.</p>
<h4>Google Photos</h4>
<p>Google API Change:** With effect from 31st March 2025, Google’s Photos API is discontinued (see <a href="https://developers.google.com/photos/support/updates" rel="nofollow ugc">here for Google’s official announcement</a>). Consequently, Photonic will stop working for Google Photos**. For more details, see <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/potential-shutdown-of-google-photos-support-from-march-2025/" rel="ugc">this thread</a>. Note that while Google’s official announcement says otherwise, as of 20th April 2025 the API is still working, so older versions of Photonic will seem to work. However, there is no guarantee about when Google will truly shut it off.</p>
<h4>SmugMug</h4>
<p>The following SmugMug concepts are supported in Photonic:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/smugmug/smugmug-tree/" rel="nofollow ugc">User Tree</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/smugmug/smugmug-photos/" rel="nofollow ugc">Photos</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/smugmug/smugmug-albums/" rel="nofollow ugc">Albums</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/smugmug/folders/" rel="nofollow ugc">Folders</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For demos of SmugMug support visit the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/smugmug/" rel="nofollow ugc">SmugMug page</a>.</p>
<h4>Zenfolio</h4>
<p>The following Zenfolio concepts are supported in Photonic:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/zenfolio/photos/" rel="nofollow ugc">Photos</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/zenfolio/photosets/" rel="nofollow ugc">PhotoSets (Galleries and Collections)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/zenfolio/groups/" rel="nofollow ugc">Groups</a></li>
<li><a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/zenfolio/group-hierarchy/" rel="nofollow ugc">Group Hierarchies</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For demos of Zenfolio support visit the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/zenfolio/" rel="nofollow ugc">Zenfolio page</a>.</p>
<h4>Instagram</h4>
<p>In mid-September 2022 Meta / Facebook / Instagram changed its rules to disallow individual developers (i.e. developers not operating as a business) from meaningfully using its API. As a result, Photonic no longer works for Instagram photos. The code is still in place though, and can be used by someone with a business wishing to adopt it.</p>
<h4>Native WordPress Galleries</h4>
<p>Your existing galleries are left intact. However you can add a <code>style</code> parameter to a native gallery to open it up to Photonic. The <code>style</code> parameter can take any of the values documented on the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/layouts/" rel="nofollow ugc">Layouts</a> page.</p>
<h3>Other Photonic Goodies</h3>
<h4>Gallery Wizard</h4>
<p>The WordPress Classic editor shows up with a button that says “Add / Edit Photonic Gallery”. Clicking on it launches a wizard that helps you interactively build out a gallery with just a few clicks.</p>
<h4>Gutenberg Support</h4>
<p>The Gallery Wizard can be accessed via Gutenberg / the Block Editor as well. While creating a block, just look for Photonic. Please refer to the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/gutenberg-support/" rel="nofollow ugc">documentation</a>.</p>
<h4>Video Support</h4>
<p>Photonic provides gallery and lightbox support for <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/videos/" rel="nofollow ugc">videos as well</a>. Videos of the following sorts are supported:</p>
<ul>
<li>External videos from YouTube or Vimeo can be opened in any of the lightboxes apart from Image Lightbox, Thickbox or BaguetteBox</li>
<li>Self-hosted or external videos in MP4 formats can be opened in any of the lightboxes apart from Image Lightbox, PrettyPhoto, Strip or Thickbox</li>
<li>Videos hosted by external service providers (Flickr, SmugMug etc.) can be opened as a part of a gallery in any of the lightboxes apart from Image Lightbox, PrettyPhoto, Strip or Thickbox. Some lightboxes have issues with specific features. Please refer to the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/third-party-lightboxes/" rel="nofollow ugc">Lightboxes</a> documentation for more.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Deep-Linking and Social Sharing</h4>
<p>Photonic provides deep-linking support for non-WP images, and by extension, supports social sharing to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.</p>
<h4>Beautiful Layouts</h4>
<p>Photonic displays your galleries in multiple forms:</p>
<ul>
<li>A grid of square thumbnails (the default)</li>
<li>A grid of circular thumbnails (like Jetpack)</li>
<li>A neat justified grid</li>
<li>A masonry layout</li>
<li>A “horizontal” masonry layout, for those who prefer having their masonry layouts sorted horizontally</li>
<li>A tiled, random mosaic (a much improved variant of the Jetpack Tiled Gallery layout)</li>
<li>A slideshow, using the <a href="https://splidejs.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Splide</a> script</li>
</ul>
<p>See the <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/layouts/" rel="nofollow ugc">Layouts</a> documentation page for details and examples.</p>
<h3>Obsessively Comprehensive Documentation (OCD)</h3>
<p>Photonic’s <a href="https://aquoid.com/plugins/photonic/photonic-documentation/" rel="nofollow ugc">documentation</a> is comprehensive to the point of obsession. And yet, if you find something missing, please feel free to get in touch via the support forum.</p>


Photonic Gallery & Lightbox for Flickr, SmugMug & Others

This free gallery plugin works very well with the Media Library Assistant. I prefer the dynamic MLA shortcode over the fixed pre-selection of images. The resulting carousels look great. Best of all, this plugin is free.

The support by the developer is very quick and friendly. He looked almost immediately at my support ticket and it was solved within an hour.

Great and free carousel slider

Galleries on steroids! A stylish lightbox & gallery plugin for WP, Flickr, SmugMug and Zenfolio photos and videos.

Shared Albums for Google Photos (by JanZeman) vs Photonic Gallery & Lightbox for Flickr, SmugMug & Others