Instantly Photos

    How Instantly Photos works

    A practical guide — not marketing talk. Here's exactly how to create an album, share it, let guests find their photos by selfie, and everything else you need to know.

    Step 1

    Create an album

    Go to your dashboard, click "New Event", give it a name, and hit Create. That's it.

    Create event form showing event name, description, and date fields
    The New Event form — only the name is required. Description and date are optional.

    Once you click Create, you're taken straight to the album admin page. From there you can upload photos, customize settings, and grab the QR code.

    Every album gets a unique 6-character access code (like TQ8J9L) that guests use to enter. This is generated automatically.

    Step 2

    Upload your photos

    Drag and drop your entire shoot. Photos are resized automatically — no prep work needed.

    Upload drop zone showing drag-and-drop area with photo count
    Drop photos here or click to browse. You can upload up to 1,000 photos per album.

    Drag and drop Drag and drop files from your computer, or click the upload area to browse. You can select hundreds of photos at once.

    Photos are automatically resized on your device before uploading (default: 3000px on the free plan). You don't need to resize, rename, or organize anything. Just drop the whole shoot.

    After upload, two things happen automatically:

    1. Thumbnails are generated for fast gallery loading
    2. AI face indexing runs on every photo — this is what powers selfie search later

    You'll see a progress modal during upload. Keep the tab open until it finishes.

    Uploading from your phone? The screen won't dim or lock during upload — we keep it awake automatically. On iPhone, the photo picker can take a few seconds to load for large selections. That's normal.
    Videos too. You can upload MP4, MOV, or WebM videos alongside photos — 3 videos per upload, 60 seconds max on the free plan (up to 10 minutes on Pro).
    Already using Google Drive? On Growth and Pro plans, you can import photos directly from a Google Drive folder — no downloading and re-uploading. Connect your Drive, pick a folder, and photos sync straight into your album. Saves hours on every event.
    Step 3

    Share with guests

    Every album gets a QR code and access code. Print it, project it, text it.

    QR code and access code display
    The QR code links directly to your album. The access code can be copied and shared.

    Three ways guests can enter your album:

    Scan the QR code

    Display it on a screen, print it, put it on a table card — guests scan with their phone camera

    Type the access code

    Guests go to instantlyphotos.app/find-my-photos and type the 6-character code

    Click the direct link

    Copy the gallery link and send it via text, email, or WhatsApp

    Guests don't need an account, an app, or a login. The code gets them in. Works on any phone, any browser.

    The magic

    How selfie search works

    Guests take a selfie, AI finds every photo they appear in. Under 2 seconds.

    Here's the exact flow from a guest's perspective:

    1

    Tap "Find Your Photos"

    The blue button at the top of every album. Opens the selfie camera.

    2

    Take a selfie (or upload a photo)

    The browser asks for camera permission. Guest takes a quick selfie — no filters needed, just a clear shot of their face.

    3

    AI matches in ~2 seconds

    Face recognition compares the selfie against every indexed face in the album. Matching photos are shown instantly.

    4

    Browse and download

    Only the guest's photos are shown. They can tap "Show All" to go back to the full album anytime.

    Privacy: The selfie is processed as a one-time match — it's never stored on our servers. Face data stays on the guest's device. We match against indexed face vectors, not actual photos of faces.

    What if the search misses someone?

    Face recognition works best with clear, well-lit photos. Small faces in crowd shots or heavy shadows can reduce accuracy. If a guest can't find themselves, they can still browse the full album manually. Tip: good lighting at the event means better face matching.

    Team shooting

    Want others to add photos to your album?

    Flip one switch and your album becomes collaborative. Second shooters, assistants, or photo booth operators can upload to the same album.

    Album settings showing share link, download options, sort order, and collaborative toggle
    The 'Make Album Collaborative' toggle — flip it on to get an invite link.

    How to enable it:

    1. Open your album's admin page
    2. Toggle "Make Album Collaborative" to on
    3. An invite link appears — copy and send it to your collaborators
    4. They click the link, sign in, and can start uploading immediately

    What collaborators can do:

    ✓ Upload their own photos and videos

    ✓ Delete photos they uploaded

    ✓ View the album in admin mode

    ✕ Edit event name or settings

    ✕ Delete other people's photos

    ✕ Turn collaboration off

    All photos land in one album. Guests see a single unified gallery — they don't know or care who uploaded each photo. Everything gets face-indexed the same way.
    Getting photos out

    How guests download their photos

    You control whether guests can download, and at what quality.

    In your album settings, there's a "Enable/Disable Downloads" dropdown with three options:

    High Res

    Guests download the original quality file. Best for clients who want print-ready photos.

    Low Res

    Downloads are capped at 1920px. Good for social media sharing while protecting your full-resolution originals.

    Disabled

    No download button shown. Guests can view and search, but not save. Use this if you want to sell prints separately.

    On phone: tapping download opens the share sheet (iOS) or saves to downloads (Android). On desktop, it triggers a browser download. Guests can also select multiple photos and download them as a batch.

    Pro plan

    What you unlock with Pro

    A breakdown of the features that scale with your plan — from branding to unlimited storage.

    Custom Branding

    Your studio name replaces "Instantly Photos" in the navigation. Choose from five color schemes: Classic, Warm Ivory, Midnight, Sage Garden, or Rose Gold. Guests also get a branded gallery URL (yourname.instantlyphotos.app). Available on Growth and Pro plans.

    Upload Quality

    Free plan: photos resized to 3000px web-optimized. Studio/Growth: 4000px high-res. Pro: original quality, up to 15 MB per file — ideal for print-ready deliverables.

    Unlimited Photos Per Album

    The free and paid plans below Pro have a 1,000 photo-per-album limit. Pro removes that cap entirely — upload as many photos as your event needs.

    Traffic Analytics

    Pro includes a dashboard showing views, unique visitors, and downloads per album. Monthly performance reports help you understand which events get the most engagement.

    Video Duration

    Free: 60 seconds per video. Studio: 3 minutes. Growth: 5 minutes. Pro: up to 10 minutes per video.

    Google Drive Import

    Connect a Google Drive folder and photos sync directly into your album — no downloading, no re-uploading. Photographers already shooting into Drive save hours on every event. Available on Growth and Pro plans.

    Photo Studio Pro dashboard showing custom branding with warm ivory color scheme and Pro badge
    Your studio name and color scheme apply across all pages — dashboard, albums, and guest galleries. Shown here: "Photo Studio Pro" with the Warm Ivory theme. Your branded URL would be PhotoPro.instantlyphotos.app.
    Analytics dashboard showing views, unique visitors, and downloads chart over 30 days
    The Pro analytics dashboard tracks views, unique visitors, and downloads per album. Great for measuring campaign performance — share a QR code at an event, then watch the traffic spike in real time.
    Google Drive import and custom branding (studio name, color scheme, branded URL) are available on the Growth plan and above. Original quality uploads, unlimited photos, analytics, and extended video duration require Pro.
    Good to know

    What happens when you delete photos

    Deletion is permanent. There's no trash bin or undo.

    On the admin page, check the boxes on photos you want to remove, then click delete. You can select up to 10 at a time.

    When you delete a photo, everything related to it is removed:

    • The photo file itself (original + thumbnail)
    • All face data associated with that photo
    • The photo won't appear in selfie search results anymore
    There is no trash folder. Once deleted, the photo and all its face data are gone permanently. Make sure you have a backup of your originals before deleting.

    Collaborator permissions

    If your album is collaborative, each person can only delete photos they uploaded. The album owner can delete any photo. If you try to delete someone else's photo as a collaborator, you'll see a permission error.

    Common questions

    Things people ask

    Quick answers to the stuff that actually trips people up.

    Can guests upload their own photos?
    No. Only the album owner and invited collaborators can upload. This keeps your album curated — no random phone snapshots mixed in with your professional work. If you want guest photos, add them as collaborators.
    How many photos can I upload to one album?
    Up to 1,000 photos per album on all plans except Pro. Pro removes the limit entirely — upload as many photos as your event needs. You can also upload videos (3 per batch, 60s on free, up to 10 minutes on Pro).
    How many albums can I create?
    10 albums on the free plan, 25 on Basic, unlimited on Premium and Pro. No credit card needed to start.
    Do guests need to create an account?
    No. Guests access the album with just the access code or QR code. No app, no login, no sign-up. Works on any phone browser.
    How does the selfie search actually work?
    When you upload photos, AI indexes every face it detects. When a guest takes a selfie, their face is compared against all indexed faces in the album. Matching photos are returned in about 2 seconds. The selfie itself is never stored.
    What if selfie search can't find someone?
    This can happen with small faces in crowd shots, heavy shadows, or blurry photos. The guest can still browse the full album manually using "Show All". Better lighting and clearer photos = better face matching.
    Can I change the photo sort order?
    Yes. In album settings, use the "Sort Order" dropdown to sort by upload date (newest/oldest first) or by filename (A-Z or Z-A).
    Can I add a cover image or logo to my album?
    Yes. At the top of the admin page, you can upload a hero/cover image (16:6 ratio recommended) and up to two logos that appear on the gallery page.
    How long are photos stored?
    Free plan: 6 months. Basic, Premium, and Pro: lifetime storage, as long as your subscription is active.
    Is there an app to install?
    No. InstantlyPhotos is a web app — works in the browser on any device. Nothing to install for you or your guests.

    Ready to try it?

    10 albums free. No credit card. Set up your first event in under 2 minutes.

    Create Your First EventI'm a guest — find my photos