Photo Gallery

- flash
- slideshow
- lightbox
- thumbnails
- ecards
- watermarks
- zoom in/zoom out
- add comments
- rate photo
- categories
- enable moderators of categories
- private albums
- registrations
- integration with googlemaps

See an example of googlemap integration here: http://www.jetphotosoft.com/gmap/demo.gmap

If you want a gallery for your personal website - which may be for photos of your family, holiday trips or hobby - you will probably not be looking for high-end features. If you are using a site builder to build your website, check to see if the builder comes with a gallery feature.
An option is simply to join one of the online photo galleries communities, and upload your photos there. You can do this at sites such as:
flickr.com
ifunpix.com

If you are running a business and you want a photo gallery, you will want one that looks professional. Business websites may use photo galleries to show pictures of their staff, store locations, or samples of products.
If you are a photographer - a photo gallery for your site is a must. Potential customers will want to see samples of your work. Be sure to choose gallery software that allows you to customize the gallery. Customizing a gallery means being able to have different 'skins' (different looks)
Photo galleries that use flash create a slick, professional look.

If you want a community photo gallery, you need to think carefully about the features you want for the people who join your website. Do you want people to be able to comment on other people's photos? Do you want extensive categories that allow many hundreds of photos to be uploaded?
Online photographs use a lot of space and bandwidth, so be sure that your web hosting can handle this before you start out. Be aware that it can become quite expensive.
The kind of sites that have community photo gallery software might include:

- scrapbooking
- crafts
- sports
- photography information

jalbum.net
coppermine-gallery.net

If you are using an outside script, you will need to install it on your site. For a beginner, this can be a little daunting.
(note: the coppermine gallery comes with Fantastico - which is a collection of free scripts. Fantastico may come included with your web hosting, making it very easy to install)
Customizing your photo gallery (changing the colors, backgrounds, inserting your logo etc) can also be difficult for someone who does not have the required html, php or flash knowledge.

If you have a business or professional website, and you want a photo gallery installed and customized, it may be worth your while to have an experienced person do it all for you.

There are websites that consist of photo galleries alone. These kinds of sites are usually owned by photographers.

Many different sites include a photo gallery on their pages, whether the gallery is to display the site owner's own photos, or to display the photos of a community.

There is lots of free photo gallery software on the internet - some of which may come with an option to upgrade if you need more features.

Research photo galleries before you go ahead and buy or download a gallery. Some galleries come with features you would never have thought of.

Features of photo gallery software might include:

Personal website

Professional website

Community websites

Some sites that offer free photo gallery software:

Installing your photo gallery