The layout decides how a Gallery arranges its items. FotoGrids ships eight layouts in the free plugin, each suited to a different kind of content, from tidy product grids to mixed-orientation photo sets. This overview explains what each one does, the settings they share, and how the layout choice changes other parts of a Gallery.
Location Gallery Settings → Layout → Layout Type
The eight layouts at a glance #
| Layout | Best for | Items keep original shape? |
|---|---|---|
| Grid | Uniform sets, product walls, tidy portfolios | No — every item shares one shape |
| Masonry | Mixed-orientation editorial collections | Yes — columns of varied heights |
| Justified | Large mixed sets needing flush, even rows | Yes — rows of a target height |
| Single Item | One hero image, fixed or rotating | Optional — None keeps the original |
| Slider | Sequential viewing in a compact strip | Optional — None keeps the original |
| Image Viewer | Focused, one-image-at-a-time viewing | Optional — None keeps the original |
| Featured Item | A hero image plus a supporting set | No — hero and grid share one shape |
| Instant Photos | Personal, casual, scrapbook-style galleries | No — each item sits in a print frame |
Albums support three of these layouts — Grid, Masonry, and Justified. The other five (Single Item, Slider, Image Viewer, Featured Item, and Instant Photos) are available for Galleries only.
Settings that apply across layouts #
Several settings appear in more than one layout. They behave the same wherever they show, so you can learn them once.
- Item Aspect Ratio and Item Fit — set the shape of each item box and how the image fills it. Used by Grid, Single Item, Image Viewer, Featured Item, and Slider. (Masonry, Justified, and Instant Photos keep their own shape instead.)
- Columns — Fixed or Auto column control. Used by Grid, Masonry, and Instant Photos.
- Item Spacing — the gap between items. Used by Grid, Masonry, Justified, Featured Item, and Instant Photos.
- Margin and Padding — space outside and inside the whole Gallery wrapper. Available in every layout.
Each layout’s own article documents these in full, so you do not need to switch between pages to set up a Gallery.
How the layout changes other settings #
Choosing a layout can hide or change settings elsewhere, because not every option makes sense for every arrangement. This table shows where a layout turns a setting off; a blank cell means the setting works as normal.
| Setting | Hidden or changed for |
|---|---|
| Pagination | Single Item, Slider, Image Viewer, Featured Item |
| Filtering | Single Item, Image Viewer, Featured Item |
| Lightbox Contents | Shown only for Single Item |
| Thumbnail Size | Hidden for Image Viewer; overridden for Masonry and Justified |
| Item styling (border, radius, shadow) | Hidden for Image Viewer and Instant Photos |
| Hover Effects | Hidden for Instant Photos |
| Navigation tab (arrows, bullets, autoplay) | Shown only for Slider and Image Viewer |
A few of these are worth knowing in detail:
- Pagination and Filtering are not just hidden in the editor for the layouts above — they are switched off when the Gallery renders too, so a pager or filter bar never appears on the page even if one was set earlier.
- Sorting is available in every layout, but its effect differs: for Single Item it decides which one image shows, and for Featured Item it sets the order of the grid tiles after the hero.
- Masonry and Justified use their own proportional thumbnail derivative, so the Thumbnail Size setting shows but does not take effect for those layouts.
Changing layout later #
The layout is not a one-time decision. You can switch a Gallery to a different layout at any time, and each layout remembers its own settings, so moving between them and back does not lose your configuration. Use the live preview to see how a Gallery looks in another layout before publishing the change.
Tips and recommendations #
Start with Grid if you are not sure. It works for every content type and Gallery size, and pairs with every pagination mode, so it is the safe first choice.
If your images have mixed orientations and you do not want them cropped, choose Masonry for a staggered, column-based look or Justified for flush, even rows. For a single showcase image, use Single Item; for sequential viewing, use the Slider or Image Viewer. For a hero-plus-supporting-set composition, use Featured Item, and for a personal, informal feel, use Instant Photos.
For a guided walk through which layout fits which content and audience, see the companion article on choosing the right layout.
