The Image Viewer shows one image at a time in a distraction-free stage with a single, subtle control bar. It keeps the focus entirely on the photo, making it ideal for guided, one-at-a-time viewing without the visitor having to open the Lightbox.
Location Gallery Settings → Layout → Layout Type → Image Viewer
How it works #
The Image Viewer stacks every item in one stage and shows only the active one, swapping images as the visitor moves through them. It is closely related to the Slider, and the two share the Navigation tab, but where the Slider scrolls a strip, the Image Viewer swaps a single image in place. That difference lets the Image Viewer add Fade and Vertical transitions on top of the horizontal slide.
The chrome is deliberately minimal: a single control bar beneath the image with arrows and a centred counter. There are no bullets and no thumbnail rail. The arrows are always present, since the bar is the only way to move through the set, so there is no Show Arrows toggle for this layout.
The Image Viewer always shows the full image rather than a cropped grid thumbnail, so it is available for Galleries only, not Albums.
When to use it #
Choose the Image Viewer for focused, sequential viewing: a curated set meant to be seen one frame at a time, a storytelling sequence, or an ambient slideshow on a quiet page. It is a lighter-touch alternative to the Lightbox when you want that one-at-a-time experience inline on the page rather than in an overlay.
Layout settings #
Item Aspect Ratio and Item Fit
The Image Viewer offers the same shape controls as the Slider, including None to keep original proportions.
| Setting | Item Aspect Ratio |
| Options | None 1:1 4:3 3:2 16:9 3:4 2:3 Custom |
| Default | 4:3 |
| Setting | Item Fit |
| Options | Cover Contain |
| Default | Cover |
| Visible when | Item Aspect Ratio is set to any ratio other than None |
Height
| Setting | Height Mode |
| Options | Auto Fixed |
| Default | Auto |
| Setting | Fixed Height |
| Units | px |
| Default | Desktop 500 Tablet 400 Mobile 300 |
| Visible when | Height Mode is set to Fixed |
| Setting | Maximum Height |
| Units | px |
| Default | 0 (no limit beyond the viewport) |
| Visible when | Height Mode is set to Auto |
Navigation settings #
The Image Viewer uses a subset of the Navigation tab. The full reference for every navigation control is in the Slider layout article; the settings the Image Viewer uses are below.
General
Loop (default on), Show Counter (default off), and Autoplay with its Delay and Pause on Hover all work exactly as they do for the Slider.
The Transition setting offers more options here, because the Image Viewer swaps a single image rather than scrolling a strip:
| Setting | Transition Between Items |
| Options | Fade Horizontal Vertical None |
| Default | Horizontal |
Fade cross-dissolves one image into the next, Horizontal and Vertical slide the new image in from the side or from below, and None swaps instantly. Transition Duration and Custom Duration work as in the Slider.
Arrows
Because the control bar is the only navigation, the arrows always show; there is no Show Arrows toggle. You can still set the Arrow Icon Style and Arrow Size, and turn on Hide Arrows at First and Last Item to suppress the arrow at each end of the set. There are no bullets or thumbnail controls for this layout.
How this layout affects other settings #
The Image Viewer shows one full image at a time, so several settings that assume a grid of thumbnails do not apply and are hidden when it is selected:
- Pagination — the viewer is its own navigation, so the Pagination settings are hidden.
- Filtering — a filter bar over a single-image stage has nothing to narrow, so Filtering is hidden.
- Thumbnail Size (Media tab) — the viewer always uses the full image, so the thumbnail derivative setting is hidden.
- Item card styling (Styling tab) — borders, corner radius, and shadows are grid-card details that do not apply to the single stage, so they are hidden.
- Most caption controls — the Image Viewer uses a simplified caption treatment, so the detailed caption type, alignment, title-length, and description controls are hidden.
Pagination and Filtering are also enforced when the Gallery renders, so they never appear on the page for an Image Viewer Gallery. Sorting, the Lightbox, and the Navigation tab all apply as normal.
Tips and recommendations #
The Fade transition gives the calmest, most gallery-like feel and suits a curated set meant to be lingered over. Pair it with Autoplay and a comfortable delay to turn the Image Viewer into an ambient, self-advancing slideshow, and leave Pause on Hover on so it holds when someone reaches in.
Turn the counter on for longer sets so visitors can see how far through they are. For a clearly bounded sequence, set Loop off and turn on Hide Arrows at First and Last Item so the start and end read as real boundaries.
The Image Viewer and the Slider answer similar needs, so the choice comes down to feel. Pick the Image Viewer for a focused, one-image-at-a-time experience with a quiet control bar, and the Slider when you want a richer set of controls, more than one item visible at once, or a thumbnail rail.
