Sharing links
A share link gives someone outside the studio a page with a file, a folder or a collection, in your studio’s branding, with no sign-in. Every link carries its own permissions, expiry, password, view limit and watermark. There are no studio-wide sharing settings.
Making a link
Admins and editors share. Start from any of these:
- a file’s or folder’s menu, “Share” (⌘⇧S)
- the “Share” button at the top of a folder or collection
- “Share” in the inspector
- the “Share” button in a production’s header, which asks which folder
- “Share link…” in the viewer‘s Share menu
The dialog opens with three templates that set sensible starting points:
| Template | People with the link can | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Review | View, comment, see versions | 7 days |
| Download | View, download the original | 30 days |
| Client | View, download the original, see duration, resolution and size | Never |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Then adjust anything:
- View is always on.
- Download: Off, Proxy or Original.
- Comment: timecoded notes. Guests see Public notes only, and their own notes are always Public.
- See file details: choose from duration, resolution, codec, size, frame rate and description.
- See versions: earlier versions of each file.
- Upload: on folders only. Guests can add files to the folder.
- Expires: Never, 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or a date.
- Password: the dialog suggests one you can keep or change. At least 4 characters.
- View limit: none, 10 or 50 views. A view counts once per browser every four hours.
- Watermark: the viewer’s email and the time over the picture. Guests give their name and email before they see anything. The watermark is on screen only; downloads are not marked.
The sentence at the bottom says what the link does. “Copy link” makes the link and copies it. After that, every change saves at once. A link looks like /l/…#…. The part after the # is the key that opens what the link shows: it stays in the guest’s browser and never reaches our server. Links sent before November 12, 2026, with /s/, keep working until the studio’s first sign-in after end-to-end encryption is turned on; from then on they say the link doesn’t open, so send those again. The page checks the link’s settings every time it opens.
A new link on a collection starts with every permission off except View.
Turning a link off
“Disable” stops the link but keeps its settings, so “Turn back on” brings it back as it was. “Delete” removes it; anyone with it loses access straight away, and its views and comments stay in Pictures Up.
Every link is checked on every visit, including the media it plays, so disabling, deleting, shortening the expiry or adding a password takes effect immediately.
What guests see
A link to several files opens on a page with the cover, the studio’s logo, the title and description, and a grid of files. One file opens straight into the player, except on a folder link that takes uploads, which stays a folder so “Upload files” is in reach. Guests get only what the link allows: download buttons if downloads are on, versions if versions are on, and a comment box if comments are on. “Download all” downloads every file they may download, one after another: originals when the link allows them, otherwise the playable previews. The player plays the 1080p preview; the quality menu under it offers the other sizes, and the original when downloads are on. The first time a guest comments or uploads, the page asks for their name and email, and tells them the studio sees both.
Guest uploads are encrypted in the guest’s browser and go into the shared folder, up to 10 GB a file. If the connection drops, the upload waits and carries on from the last piece that arrived; the button reads “Reconnecting” with the percentage. After repeated drops it stops and asks for the same file again, which carries on from there in the same browser. Unfinished guest uploads are cleared after a week. Comments and uploads are sealed for the studio and filed, with a notification, the next time someone at the studio has Pictures Up open.
Links that are disabled, deleted, expired or over their view limit show a short page saying so and asking the guest to get in touch with the studio. The link’s preview in Messages, Slack or email says Pictures Up and nothing more: our server can’t read the cover, the logo or the title.
All your links
“All share links” in the viewer’s Share menu, or /library/links, lists every link with its template, views, visitors, plays, downloads, last viewed and expiry. “Extend” adds 30 days, “Disable” and “Delete” do what they say, and clicking a link opens its dialog. The Client portal tab on the same page is covered in Client portal.
Good to know
- Share links include subfolders. Files in the trash are left out.
- Files in an active review link go to the front of the preview queue.
- “Add people from your studio” in the dialog sends a studio member a notification with the link, rather than a public link.
- Nothing here is money, so “View as Crew” changes nothing. Viewers and crew cannot share.