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Migration

How to Export Galleries From PhotoShelter, in Stages

PhotoShelter's documented way out is outbound FTP: originals sent from its servers to yours, one gallery at a time. Pull the archive in batches, rebuild only the galleries clients still open, and cancel last.

Updated 30 September 2026

The short answer comes first.

PhotoShelter documents an outbound FTP export. You open a gallery, select the images, and PhotoShelter sends them to a server you name, as originals or as converted JPEGs.

That is the real way out, and it is a good one. It runs on PhotoShelter's side, so your computer does not have to stay on.

What it is not is a single account-wide button. Every route PhotoShelter documents works gallery by gallery, so the export is a staged job, not an afternoon.

This guide lays out that job in an order that does not break a working business. Every PhotoShelter statement below comes from PhotoShelter's own pages and help centre, listed with their dates in the Sources section.

Stay on PhotoShelter if this is your business

Read this before you export anything.

PhotoShelter's homepage leads with digital asset management for marketers and creatives. Photographers are a separate product with their own plans.

Keep PhotoShelter if one of these is true:

  • You sell prints, downloads or licences through it. PhotoShelter states a sales fee of 8% or 10% depending on the account tier, and it runs the store that earns that sale. clientgallery.io has no store at all.
  • It is your archive. PhotoShelter holds originals, including RAW, PSD and DNG among its listed supported file types. clientgallery.io hosts JPEG proofs and does not warehouse RAW files.
  • You work for a brand that needs a shared library. That is what PhotoShelter for Brands is built for, and its plans are sold on quote.

If you only use PhotoShelter to send finished photos to the client who hired you, the rest of this guide is for you.

The ways out that PhotoShelter documents

Four owner routes appear in PhotoShelter's help centre. Only one of them is built for moving a library.

RouteWhat PhotoShelter statesUse it for
Outbound FTPPer gallery, with a select-all icon. Sends by FTP, FTPS, sFTP or scp. Originals, or JPEG with size options. Can embed metadata edited in PhotoShelter. Runs server-side, to several destinations at once.The archive. This is the real export.
Quick Send to yourselfPer gallery. You pick a size and format and get a link. The link is valid for one week. Large sends can arrive as several ZIP files.A few galleries, when you have no server to send to.
Single-file download in the LibraryOne image at a time, with updated metadata embedded by default.Spot checks and stragglers.
FileFlow mobile appDownloads single files or several selected files to Photos or Files on iOS.Grabbing a handful of images on a phone.

PhotoShelter does not say whether Quick Send can deliver the original file. It says only that you choose a file size and format. For originals, use FTP.

PhotoShelter also does not publish which plans include FTP, Quick Send or FileFlow. Check your own account before you plan around any of them.

Step 1: sort the account into archive and live galleries

Two different jobs hide inside the word "export".

The archive is every original you want to keep. It needs to reach your own drives and your own backup, whatever you do next.

The live galleries are the few that clients still open: recent jobs, clients mid-choice, a repeat client who comes back every season. Those need a new home with a working link.

Most of an old account is archive. Write two lists before you touch anything, and the rest of the move gets much smaller.

Step 2: pull the archive by outbound FTP, in batches

You need somewhere to send the files. That is a server you control that accepts FTP, FTPS, sFTP or scp. PhotoShelter prompts you to add a destination the first time.

Then, per gallery, following PhotoShelter's own steps:

  1. Open the gallery and select the images, or click the select-all icon.
  2. Click FTP in the Library, or choose FTP from the Actions menu in the Image Browser.
  3. Tick the destination servers you want.
  4. Leave the file type on original. Choosing JPEG converts and can downsize.
  5. Tick Embed updated metadata, so captions and keywords edited in PhotoShelter travel with the file.
  6. Optionally set a folder path and an email alert, then begin the transfer.

PhotoShelter states the transfer continues if you close the window, log out or turn off your computer. That is what makes batches practical: start several galleries, then check the destination later.

One catch for accounts on the new library. PhotoShelter calls it Lumen, and it launched in beta for all photographer accounts on 2 April 2025. Its FAQ says you switch back to the Classic Library to manage FTP user accounts, through the menu under your name.

A batch rhythm that works:

BatchWhat goes in itCheck before the next batch
1The live galleries from your listFile count per gallery matches on the destination
2The last two years of jobsA few files open and carry their metadata
3 and onOlder years, one year per batchThe year is copied to a second drive

PhotoShelter documents no size or file-count cap on FTP export, so none is given here. Batch by year because it is easy to verify, not because of a known limit.

Step 3: rebuild the live galleries on clientgallery.io

Be clear on this before you start: clientgallery.io has no PhotoShelter importer.

The only import it has reads Pixieset. Moving from PhotoShelter means uploading the galleries you still need yourself.

That is less work than it sounds, because it is only the live list from step 1. The archive stays on your drives.

For each live gallery:

  • If the job is still in your Lightroom Classic catalog, publish it from there with the two-way plugin. It publishes proofs and later pulls the client's picks back into the catalog.
  • If not, export JPEGs from the originals you just pulled down and upload them. Uploads are compressed in the browser into proofs sized for fast viewing.
  • If the client needs full-resolution files, upload a full-resolution ZIP to that gallery. It stays live for 3 days per handoff and can be re-uploaded any time.

Then send the new link to the client yourself, from your own email or messages.

clientgallery.ioFigure
Free account1 gallery, up to 1,000 photos, every feature
Paid plan$10 a month or $110 a year
Galleries on the paid planUnlimited, up to 500,000 photos per account
Photos per gallery1,000
Full-resolution ZIPLive 3 days per handoff; up to 100 GB of ZIP uploads a month on the paid plan
Gallery expiryNone while the account exists

The free account is enough to rebuild one live gallery and see how a client reacts before you move the rest.

Step 4: cancel last, at the end of the term

Cancellation is the one step you cannot undo cheaply, so it goes last. PhotoShelter's cancellation article, updated 10 September 2026, says what happens:

WhenWhat PhotoShelter states
Where to cancelMy Account, Account Subscription, Cancel
Until the paid term endsThe account stays fully active. It is "in cancellation" and can be restored. No refunds for unused time.
After the term endsThe website goes offline and its address returns 404. Photos are made private and eventually deleted. Sales settings are deactivated. The account becomes a free image-buyer account.

PhotoShelter does not say how long "eventually" is. Plan as if the photos are gone the day the term ends.

Because there are no refunds, cancel early in the final term and use the months left. The account keeps working until the end, so old links keep working too.

For reference, the photographer plans on PhotoShelter's pricing page, as published with a dollar sign and no currency code:

PhotoShelter for PhotographersPrice as publishedStorage
Basic$10/mo, billed annually at $1204 GB
Standard$25/mo, billed annually at $300100 GB
Pro$45/mo, billed annually at $540500 GB

The same cancellation article says that after the term ends the website returns 404 and a custom domain is temporarily redirected to PhotoShelter's homepage, so old gallery links stop reaching your photos. What to send the clients who still click is in does switching gallery platform break old client links.

What PhotoShelter does not document

These gaps are real, so plan around them rather than guess.

  • No help article describes a one-click export of the whole account.
  • No article says whether gallery structure, captions, client favourites or sales history come out in an export.
  • No size or count limit is published for FTP, Quick Send or downloads.
  • No article says whether Quick Send or outbound FTP have moved into the Lumen library.

If any of these matters to your move, ask PhotoShelter support in writing before you cancel. The staged method above is the same one used for migrating Pixieset galleries in batches, where the import does exist.

Sources

PhotoShelter pages fetched 30 September 2026. Help-centre articles are dated by their own last update.

clientgallery.io facts were checked in the product code on 30 September 2026: the only import reads Pixieset; plan prices; the free account's one gallery of up to 1,000 photos; the 1,000-photo gallery and 500,000-photo account ceilings; browser-compressed JPEG proofs; the 3-day full-resolution ZIP handoff and its 100 GB monthly upload allowance on the paid plan; galleries that do not expire; and the two-way Lightroom Classic plugin.

Frequently asked

Can I export my whole PhotoShelter account at once?

PhotoShelter's help centre documents no account-wide export button. The documented routes work per gallery: outbound FTP, Quick Send, single-file download and the FileFlow app. Outbound FTP is the one built for moving a library, because it sends originals from PhotoShelter's servers and keeps running with your computer off.

Does PhotoShelter's FTP export send original files?

Yes, if you leave the file type on original. PhotoShelter's FTP article (updated 10 November 2025) also lets you convert to JPEG with size options, and to embed metadata you edited in PhotoShelter. It supports FTP, FTPS, sFTP and scp.

I use the new Lumen library. Where is FTP?

PhotoShelter's Lumen FAQ (updated 16 July 2025) says FTP user accounts are managed in the Classic Library, and that you switch back to it through the menu under your name for features not yet built into the new library.

Can I use Quick Send instead of FTP?

For a few galleries, yes. PhotoShelter suggests sending Quick Send to your own email. The link is valid for one week and large sends can arrive as several ZIPs. PhotoShelter says only that you choose a size and format, not that Quick Send delivers originals, so use FTP for the archive.

What happens to my photos after I cancel PhotoShelter?

PhotoShelter states the account stays fully active until the paid term ends, with no refunds for unused time. After that the website goes offline and returns 404, photos are made private and eventually deleted, and the account becomes a free image-buyer account. No deletion date is published, so export before the term ends.

Can clientgallery.io import my PhotoShelter galleries?

No. Its only import reads Pixieset. You export originals from PhotoShelter to your own drives, then upload or publish from Lightroom Classic only the galleries clients still use. The archive stays on your drives, since clientgallery.io hosts JPEG proofs and does not keep RAW files.

Should I leave PhotoShelter at all?

Not if you sell through it, use it as your archive, or need a shared brand library. PhotoShelter runs a store with an 8% or 10% sales fee by tier and holds originals. clientgallery.io has no store and is for delivering proofs and collecting picks at a flat $10 a month or $110 a year.

Your client galleries, under your name

Branded galleries, client selections and a Lightroom Classic workflow. Start with your first gallery, then compare the current plan. Full-resolution delivery is a separate handoff with its own limits and conditions.

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Related guides

How to Export Galleries From PhotoShelter (2026)