The Instant Photos layout styles each item as a white-bordered print, gently tilted and shadowed like snapshots scattered across a table. It gives a Gallery a personal, casual feel that suits events, hobbies, and any set where a relaxed scrapbook look fits better than a clean grid.
Location Gallery Settings → Layout → Layout Type → Instant Photos
How it works #
Instant Photos arranges items into columns like the Grid, then dresses each one as a printed photo: a thick white frame, the caption set below the image, a soft drop shadow, and a slight random tilt. The shadow is angled so the light always seems to come from straight above the page, no matter which way a print is tilted, which keeps the whole arrangement looking natural.
Each print’s tilt is random but stable. The angle is worked out from the Gallery and the item, so a given print always leans the same way on every visit and through the page cache. The arrangement never jumps or reshuffles when the page reloads.
Instant Photos is available for Galleries only, not Albums.
Because each print’s tilt is fixed per item, the layout looks the same every time it loads. Visitors and search engines see a stable arrangement, not a different scatter on each visit.
When to use it #
Instant Photos suits personal and informal galleries: a wedding or party set, holiday snaps, a hobby project, a behind-the-scenes collection. It is a deliberate, characterful look, so it works best where that casual feel is the point rather than where a clean, businesslike grid is wanted.
Settings #
Maximum Rotation
The largest angle, in degrees, a print may be tilted. Each print gets a random tilt within this range; set it to 0 for straight prints with no tilt.
| Setting | Maximum Rotation |
| Range | 0–30 |
| Units | deg |
| Default | Desktop 15 Tablet 12 Mobile 8 |
Action on Mouseover
What a print does when the cursor is over it.
| Setting | Action on Mouseover |
| Options | Straighten Tilt Further |
| Default | Straighten |
Straighten rotates the hovered print upright toward level; Tilt Further leans it a little more in the direction it is already tilted.
Frame Thickness
The width of the white print border, set per device.
| Setting | Frame Thickness |
| Units | px |
| Default | Desktop 16 Tablet 14 Mobile 12 |
Elevation
Lifts each print slightly off the page with a gap beneath its shadow, so the prints look like they are resting on the surface rather than printed onto it.
| Setting | Elevation |
| Default | On |
Add Sticker
An alternative to Elevation. When Elevation is off, you can add a small sticker or piece of tape to each print, as if it were stuck to the page.
| Setting | Add Sticker |
| Default | Off |
| Visible when | Elevation is off |
| Setting | Hide on Mouseover |
| Default | Off |
| Visible when | Add Sticker is on |
| Setting | Sticker Color |
| Default | Warm tan |
| Visible when | Elevation is off and Add Sticker is on |
Elevation and the sticker are two ways of grounding a print on the page, so they are mutually exclusive: the sticker controls appear only when Elevation is turned off.
Columns, Item Spacing, Margin and Padding
Instant Photos uses the same Columns controls as the Grid (Fixed or Auto mode, with per-device column counts or a column-width range), plus Item Spacing and the wrapper Margin and Padding. The Item Aspect Ratio setting does not apply here, since the print frame governs each item’s shape.
How this layout affects other settings #
Instant Photos supplies its own frame, shadow, and hover behaviour, so a few of the generic styling settings are hidden to avoid clashing with the print look:
- Border, Corner Radius, and Shadow (Styling tab) — the layout draws its own white frame and angled shadow, so these item-styling controls are hidden.
- Hover Effects (Effects tab) — the print has its own straighten or tilt-further hover, so the general hover effects are hidden.
- Caption Placement — the caption always sits below the print, so the placement control is hidden.
Pagination, Filtering, and Sorting all stay available, and the Lightbox and captions work as normal.
Tips and recommendations #
Maximum Rotation sets the mood. A small angle keeps the prints looking tidy with just a hint of character; a larger angle gives a looser, more scattered feel. Setting it to 0 lays the prints out straight, which keeps the white-frame print look without any tilt.
Elevation and the sticker are alternative ways to ground the prints, so try both to see which fits your images. Elevation gives a clean, floating result that suits most galleries; the sticker adds a more crafted, pinned-to-the-page touch when Elevation is off.
Because Instant Photos brings its own frame and shadow, leave the generic border and shadow settings alone — they are hidden for this layout by design. Adjust the look through Frame Thickness and the rotation and elevation controls instead.
