Ajavasoft Photos User Guide
Welcome to Ajavasoft Photos - your private family photo and video sharing platform.
This guide will help you get started and make the most of all features available to you.
Getting Started
Creating Your Account
- Click "Create an account" on the login page
- Fill in your first name, last name, email, and date of birth
- Choose a secure password (min 8 characters)
- Your username will be automatically generated from your name
- You can log in using either your username or email address
First Time Login
After logging in, you will see:
- Discover - Browse public albums from all users
- My Albums - View and manage your personal albums
- Upload - Upload photos and videos to your albums
Managing Albums
Creating an Album
- Go to "My Albums"
- Click "New Album" button
- Enter album name and description (optional)
- Choose if album is public or private
- Click "Create"
Public vs Private Albums
- Public Albums - Visible to all users in the "Discover" section
- Private Albums - Only visible to you and invited users
Editing Albums
Only album owners can:
- Change album name or description
- Toggle public/private visibility
- Delete the entire album
- Invite or remove users
Uploading Files
Supported Formats
Images:
- JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF
- WebP, BMP, TIFF
- HEIC, HEIF (iOS photos)
Videos:
- MP4, MOV, AVI
- WebM, MKV, FLV
Audio:
- MP3, WAV, M4A
- OGG, FLAC, AAC
File Size Limits
- Maximum file size: 5 GB
- Files over 50 MB will prompt for confirmation
- You can choose to keep or delete large files
- Upload multiple files at once
How to Upload
- Click "Upload" in the navigation bar
- Select an album (you must own it or be a collaborator)
- Drag and drop files or click to select
- Add optional tags (e.g., names of people in photos)
- Click "Upload" button
Automatic Conversion:
Files incompatible with web browsers (like HEIC, MOV) are automatically converted to web-friendly formats (JPG, MP4).
Organizing Photos
Tagging People
Add tags to photos to identify people:
- Tags can be added during upload
- Tags can be edited later by clicking the photo
- Separate multiple tags with commas
- Example: "John, Mary, Vacation 2025"
Renaming Files
- Album owners can rename any file
- Click the pencil icon on a photo
- Enter a custom display name
Comments
- Add comments to photos to share memories
- Click the comment icon on any photo
- All users with access can view and add comments
Searching
What You Can Search For
Use the search bar in the navigation to find:
- Album names - Find albums by their title
- Album descriptions - Search album descriptions
- Usernames - Find albums or photos by owner/uploader username
- Email addresses - Search by user email
- Tagged people - Find photos by tagged names
- Dates - Search by photo date (e.g., "2025", "January 2024")
- Camera models - Find photos by device (e.g., "iPhone 14")
- GPS coordinates - Search by location coordinates
Search Tips
- Minimum 2 characters required
- Search is case-insensitive
- Partial matches are found (e.g., "vac" finds "vacation")
- You can only search albums and photos you have access to
Photo Metadata
Automatic Metadata Extraction
When you upload photos, the system automatically extracts and preserves:
- Date Taken - Original date and time the photo was captured
- GPS Location - Coordinates showing where the photo was taken
- Camera Information - Device make and model used
- Orientation - Proper image rotation
Privacy Note:
Metadata is preserved from your original photos. You can search by this information, and it helps organize your memories.
Viewing Metadata
Photo metadata is displayed below each photo showing:
- 📅 Date taken
- 📍 GPS location (clickable to view on Google Maps)
- 📷 Camera model
What You CAN Do
Albums
- Create unlimited albums
- Edit your own albums
- Delete your own albums
- Make albums public or private
- Invite users with different permission levels
Photos & Videos
- Upload files up to 5 GB
- Upload to your albums or albums where you're a collaborator
- View all photos in albums you have access to
- Add tags to photos
- Comment on any photo you can view
Search & Discovery
- Search by multiple criteria
- Browse public albums
- View metadata on all photos
Account
- Log in with username or email
- Change language preference
- Choose from multiple theme options
Limitations & What You CANNOT Do
Album Restrictions
- You cannot edit or delete albums owned by others
- You cannot change permissions on albums you don't own
- You cannot make other users' private albums public
Upload Restrictions
- You cannot upload to albums where you're only a viewer
- You cannot upload to public albums you don't own unless invited as collaborator
Deletion Restrictions
- Only album owners can delete photos from their albums
- You cannot delete your own uploads from someone else's album (only owners can)
- You cannot delete comments made by other users
Privacy Restrictions
- You cannot view private albums unless invited
- You cannot search content in albums you don't have access to
- You cannot see email addresses of other users in search results (only usernames)
Tips & Best Practices
Organizing Your Photos
- Create separate albums for different events (e.g., "Summer 2025", "Birthday Party")
- Use descriptive album names and descriptions for easier searching
- Tag people in photos immediately after upload while you remember
- Use consistent tagging (e.g., always "John Smith" not sometimes "John")
File Management
- Upload photos directly from your phone to preserve GPS and date metadata
- For large video files, consider compression before upload to save space
- Review large file warnings - you can delete them if uploaded by mistake
Sharing & Collaboration
- Make albums public if you want everyone in the family to see them
- Keep personal albums private and invite specific family members
- Grant collaborator access to family members who want to contribute photos
- Use viewer access for relatives who just want to browse
Searching Efficiently
- Search by date to find photos from specific events (e.g., "December 2024")
- Search by person's name to find all photos they're tagged in
- Search by location coordinates if looking for photos from a specific place
Need More Help?
If you have questions or encounter issues, feel free to reach out to the site owner.
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