Administrators, Editors, and Contributors can use FTP (file transfer protocol) to upload all file types directly to their organization’s PhotoShelter for Brands account. All you need to do is create a new Incoming FTP username and password and share the upload settings with the user who is going to upload their files to your PhotoShelter for Brands account.
Benefits of FTP
- Upload your whole file archive as it is today: select entire folders for upload and everything inside those folders will move into PhotoShelter for Brands intact
- Upload directly from camera to PhotoShelter for Brands with a wireless transmitter or Ethernet cable
- Upload directly into an existing collection or gallery in PhotoShelter for Brands
- Supports the upload of all file types
- Only way for an Administrator or Editor to direct exactly where their Contributor's upload lands within the PhotoShelter for Brands Library (what makes this a popular upload method for live events)
- Unlimited number of incoming FTP connections
Limitations of FTP
- Must have an FTP Client installed on your computer or an FTP-enabled camera
- Error messaging controlled by FTP, and may not be as descriptive as our other upload methods
Step 1: Download an FTP Client
Step 2: Determine the Library Destination for the Upload
Step 3: Add a New Incoming FTP User
Step 4: Enter these credentials in your FTP Client (or send them to your Contributor)
Step 5: FTP Images into the PhotoShelter for Brands Library (Admin & Editors)
"I can't select a destination to upload to in my FTP client"
Failed Transfer Error "Prohibited Directory Name"
Can I FTP from a Mobile Device?
Use Case: Incoming FTP to Organize Uploads from an Event
Step 1: Download an FTP Client
In order to transmit photos via FTP, you’ll need to use a FTP client. The FTP client is the application that you use to connect to the PhotoShelter FTP server, select your files to upload, and initiate the transfer. There are many free FTP clients available to download from the Internet. Our documentation will reference the settings in FileZilla, but as long as your FTP client of choice has similar options, then you can do the same in that client. If you don’t already have a FTP client set up, we recommend FileZilla, as it’s free and relatively easy to use.
Step 2: Determine the Library Destination for the Upload
- In your Library, create a new collection or gallery (if one doesn't already exist) as the destination for the file upload
- Choose a gallery if the user will select and upload files into your PhotoShelter for Brands account
- Choose a collection if the user will select and upload at the file folder level uploading it and everything inside into the PhotoShelter for Brands account (preserving the file folder structure)
Step 3: Add a New Incoming FTP User
- Login to your organization's PhotoShelter for Brands account.
- Click Media and then Upload Methods in the top navigation bar.
- Click >>Add a new incoming FTP user
- Choose a member of your Library Staff to associate with these FTP credentials. You can search by typing in a name or email address.
- Choose an optional upload destination by typing in the name of a gallery or collection.
- Choose a gallery if the user will upload files into your PhotoShelter for Brands account
- Choose a collection if the user will be uploading whole file folders and everything inside of them into the PhotoShelter for Brands account (preserving file folder structure)
- You may also add an optional note about what these credentials are being used for.
- After clicking next, create a Username and Password (it defaults to a system generated username and password, but these fields are editable) and then click save.
- Your new FTP user will be enabled by default, but may be disabled by clicking "yes" to toggle that setting to "no" on the Incoming FTP overview page.
Step 4: Enter these credentials in your FTP Client (or send them to your Contributor)
If you’re an Admin or Editor and have set this up for a Contributor, make sure to contact your Contributor and provide their username, password, server (ftp.photoshelter.com) and the port (21). These are the details they will need to complete their upload.
Step 5: Set the FTP Client to do one transfer at a time and FTP Images into the Library
- In your FTP application (e.g. Transmit, FileZilla, or Cyberduck), set the number of simultaneous file transfers to one (1).
Example: If using Transmit, go to Preferences > Transfers
- Then, set the server to ftp.photoshelter.com and the Port to 21.
- Enter the username and password that you created as a new incoming FTP user (see steps above).
- Select File > Upload in the FTP client navigation and select the files for upload. Alternatively, you can drag folders from your desktop directly to the FTP client upload window.
Note: If dragging a folder directly to your FTP client upload window, that folder will also appear within your destination folder on your PhotoShelter site. We generally recommend uploading individual images rather than folders to prevent complicated gallery nesting in your Library. That’s it! The transfer will begin automatically and speeds will vary based on your internet connection.
FTP Tips & Troubleshooting
"I can't select a destination to upload to in my FTP client"
This is to be expected. In the FTP Client, you do not have access to view the upload destination (nor anything else inside of your organization's account, for that matter). The destination your files are uploading to is predetermined (see Step 2) and you are completing a "blind" upload. The confirmation message you see upon completion of the upload is your confirmation your files were transmitted.
Failed Transfer Error "Prohibited Directory Name"
If you see failed transfers with the error “Prohibited Directory Name,” we suggest editing your settings to skip file and folder types that our server will reject (such as hidden files and hidden folders on your computer). To do this in FileZilla, follow these steps:
1. Click “View” > “Directory listing filters.”
2. Click “Edit filter rules...”
3. Add a new filter with the blue “New” button. Name it “Special Filter” or anything you’d like (the name is inconsequential).
4. Set the filter to:
- Filter Conditions: “Filter out items matching all of the following”
- “Filename”; “Begins with”; “.”
- Check the boxes under “Filter applies to” for both “Files” and “Directories.”
5. Click “OK”.
6. On the next screen, check the box next to the “Special filter” you just made, Useless Explorer files, and “Temporary and backup files.”
"Can I FTP from a Mobile Device?"
Yes! Search the Apple App Store or Google Play store for a free FTP client application. If the files you would like to upload are on your mobile device, you may also be interested in the PhotoShelter for Brands Uploader Mobile App.
Use Case: Incoming FTP to Organize Uploads from an Event
One of the most common use cases is for organizations with live events or sports teams. Admins and/or Editors first create empty Galleries in the PhotoShelter for Brands Library before the event(s). They then make sure the photographer is set up as a Contributor on the account, inviting them as a Contributor within the account’s Library Staff, if they need to. Next, the Admin or Editor will set up multiple unique incoming FTP usernames and passwords, each corresponding to a specific Gallery within the library for each specific event. They share these details with their Contributor (a simple spreadsheet with a row for each event name, date, FTP username and password will do). That way, when the Contributor is done shooting a specific event, they reference which username and password they should use to complete their upload using their FTP client of choice.
If you're setting up your camera with wireless FTP, first you'll need to add an FTP user using the instructions above. After that, you can set up FTP on your camera. This process varies based on the camera and wireless transmitter models you're using--here's an example of the process for a Nikon D4 camera and WT-5 transmitter.