How we developed a closed photobase

The task was to build a specialized photo database based on the principle of popular photo banks, but with closed access to the original images.

The structure of the project resembles classic photo stocks: the user can browse the catalog, go to thematic sections, search for photos and open individual images.

The main difference is the differentiation of access to photos.

Watermarked images are available in the public part of the site. Authorized users get access to the same photos, but without the watermark.

However, there is no public registration on the site: user accounts are created and provided by the administrator.

The main technical feature of the project was working with two versions of each image.

The administrator uploads the photo once. After booting, the system should work with two options:

original without watermark → closed part of the site

watermarked copy → open part of the site

Thus, the user of the public part does not need to manually prepare images for publication.

The system automatically processes the uploaded file and creates the required version with watermark.

This is especially convenient for a photo database, where the number of images is constantly increasing over time: the administrator does not have to process each photo separately before publishing.

To implement watermarks, we used Easy Watermark for WordPress.

The plugin allows you to set watermark parameters directly from the administrative panel.

There are two types of watermarks that can be used:

• text-based;
• picture.

The font, color, size, rotation angle, transparency, and content of the label can be adjusted for the text version.

You can select the watermark file, its location, offset, and zoom method for the image.

The project has also set up automatic watermark application when uploading photos.

This made it possible to integrate image processing directly into the administrator’s workflow.

The photos are organized into a catalog with thematic sections.

The categories are created by the administrator, so the structure of the photo database can be changed as needed.

A large number of topics were envisaged for the project: urban infrastructure, transport, events, sports, architecture, government organizations, weather, medicine, nature and other areas.

You can assign the appropriate tags and category to each photo.

This allows you not to put images in one common array, but to form a structured catalog in which it is easier to find the necessary materials.

We have implemented a separate photo search.

The user can search for images by name, after which the system outputs the relevant materials from the catalog.

The search is available both in the open part of the site and to authorized users.

This is especially important for a corporate photo database: when the number of materials grows, regular navigation by category is no longer enough.

One of the key objectives of the project is to provide access to the original images only to a certain circle of users.

Registration on the website is disabled.

Instead, a closed model is used.:

The administrator creates a user → assigns him a username and password → the user logs in → gets access to photos without watermarks.

An unauthorized user continues to see the public version of the catalog with watermark.

Thus, the same photo database can be used simultaneously as a public catalog and as a private working resource.

A separate set of photo database management tools is implemented for the administrator.

Through the administrative part, you can:

• upload photos;
• edit images;
• delete photos;
• create and edit categories;
• assign tags to photos;
• manage users;
• grant and change access;
• manage watermark settings.

This allows you to fully manage the contents of the photo database without having to contact developers to perform standard operations.

Special attention in the project was paid to information related directly to images.

Additional data was provided for the photos, including IPTC and EXIF, as well as information about the camera and the author of the photo.

This is important for a professional photo database, since the image itself is only part of the information: information about authorship, shooting parameters, and technical characteristics can be stored with it.

The most specific part of the project was the logic of watermarks.

At first glance, the task looks simple: add an inscription on top of the photo.

But in this case, watermark was part of a common content access system.

It was necessary to link them together:

uploading photos → automatic processing → public version → original → authorization → displaying the desired version of the image.

At the same time, the administrator had to work with the photo as simply as possible — upload one file and then manage it from the usual WordPress admin panel.

The project is developed on WordPress.

Easy Watermark was used as the basis for image processing, and the necessary logic, layout, and functionality integration were implemented on the project side.

The main elements of the system:

• WordPress;
• PHP;
• Easy Watermark;
• WordPress authorization system;
• administrative panel;
• photo catalog;
• categories and tags;
• search;
• automatic image processing.

As a result, a specialized photo database was created that combines the functions of a public photo catalog and a closed work resource.

The key logic of the project is as follows:

one photo upload → automatic creation of two versions → open version with watermark → closed version without watermark.

The administrator gets full control over the catalog, categories, tags and users, and authorized employees get access to photos without watermarks.

At the same time, users do not need to register themselves, which allows them to fully control the circle of people who have access to the original images.

The project has become not just a catalog of photos, but a closed corporate media database with access to content and automatic image processing.