As a photographer, your work demands the best online tool. It has to preserve the exact resolution of your photos, come with some nice layouts, and sync with your social media accounts – all these at a minimum cost. Between us, besides the torso of Ryan Gosling, does such perfection even exist on our little planet? The answer is yes, and it even has a name: the Wix Pro Gallery.

We know that you usually take our words for granted – and we thank you for that, really. But with the mass of information flooding our TV channels and Facebook feeds, it’s getting harder and harder to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is where a proper demonstration could help. So, before creating or revamping your photography website, make sure to read this one very carefully. Here are the 7 reasons why you should choose the Wix Pro Gallery for your online portfolio:

1. Because you’ll enjoy full control

Just like you would only have your wisdom teeth removed by a certified dentist, you’ll be happy to know that the Wix Pro Gallery was created by coders who also happen to be enthusiastic shutterbugs. Because they understand the concerns and needs of photographers, they made sure to leave the rendering of your pictures in the right hands: yours. No more unexpected croppings or unexplained pixel disparitions, the resolution of your images is fully preserved. What you see is what you upload, no less and no more. And to give you even more control, the Wix Pro Gallery enables you yourself to set the sharpness and quality of every photo, with a simple movement of your mouse.

2. Because of automatic image optimization

After control, your second concern will probably be image optimization. Basically, this concept means finding the right balance between preserving the quality of your photos, and ensuring your website loads fast. Both are equally crucial. The first because a poorly rendered photo won’t serve your art the way you want it. The latter because Internet folks are not the most patient – especially when on mobile. As a matter of fact, 40% of viewers will abandon your website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Luckily, you have the powerful algorithms of the Wix Pro Gallery on your side. They were developed to optimize your images automatically, so that they load beautifully and quickly on the screen of your visitors. All you have to do is export your files in JPEG format, with a resolution of at least 3,000px on the shortest side, and a maximum size of 15MB. Want to know more? This article tells you everything you need to know about image optimization for your website.

3. Because the layouts look stunning – on every device!

With the Wix Pro Gallery, you’ll enjoy a wild variety of “online canvases” to display your images. To be more precise, we’re talking about nine stunning layouts, from which you can choose the one that will suit the overall design of your site and your artistic mood. You can go for an Instagram-like grid if you’re addicted to social media, a slider if you need to inject some movement, or a sliced layout if you want to show many photos at once. Whichever layout you choose, it will automatically fit the screen of every possible device. And yes, that also includes smartphones and tablets. In other words, the Wix Pro Gallery is entirely responsive, for your photos to look stunning everywhere, everytime.

Curious to see all the possibilities? Here’s a short guide that explains the different types of layouts for your online portfolio, along with their respective advantages.

4. Because your photos are safe

Image stealing is a major plague on the Internet. Some photographers refuse to share their work online, solely because of this. But at the same time, in this online crazed day and age, you simply can’t avoid being on social media or, Google forbid, having your own photography website. Creating an online portfolio will help you showcase your images in an elegant and efficient way, get found online more easily, and ultimately attract more clients. So how do you ensure your pictures are safe while maintaining a strong online presence?

It’s highly recommended to add a watermark at the bottom of every photo that you post. It will dissuade malevolent viewers to use your work under their name. But that’s not enough. The Wix Pro Gallery grants you an extra level of protection. As soon as you click the “Download” button in the settings, your visitors won’t be able to right-click your images and save them on their desktop. The only thing they will see is a © symbol, to make sure that they get the right message.

5. Because it's easy to socialize

If you’re more on the social side of things, you won’t be disappointed either. The Wix Pro Gallery comes with a very convenient sharing button, for each piece that you display. When you activate it, your viewers can share in a click the photos they liked on their Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest or by email. A great practice if you want to expand the reach of your content - and since your pictures are your most valuable spokespersons, attract more clients to your photography business.

6. Because you can add videos and texts

No doubt, your photos should play the lead role on your website. But adding some videos or text boxes (with your favorite photography quotes, for example) won’t hurt. First, because like many artists, you can express your thoughts, emotions or inner world in various ways. Secondly, because it can give a nice twist of animation and colors to your gallery - which can enhance the images themselves. Lastly, since people tend to get bored more and more easily, adding some variety will help your visitors stick to your site. The good news is that, with the Wix Pro Gallery, you can drag-and-drop any video straight into your layout, either the ones from your desktop or from the free multimedia database within the Wix Editor. The same goes for text: it only takes a couple of seconds to write a few words that will complement your photos in the best way possible.

7. Because it's free

If you ask us, free is always a good reason. Especially when it comes with top-notch quality, full personalization and well, all the other advantages listed above. With the Wix Pro Gallery, you’ll never spend one Peso on making your photos look their best online. So, what are you waiting for?