Send photos from Lightroom Classic

Who can use it?

Lightroom Classic publishing is included with Studio (500 GB) and Pro (2 TB), including complimentary Studio and Pro plans. Lifetime members are also included, with their existing storage allowance. No invitation is required. On desktop, everyone can see Upload with Lightroom and Settings → Lightroom; Free, trial and monthly/annual Essentials accounts see an upgrade screen with a link to compare plans. Previously approved tester exceptions stay available without changing the tester’s subscription or storage. Available for Lightroom Classic on Mac and Windows. The plugin does not install in Lightroom’s cloud, web or mobile apps.

On phones, Lightroom setup and folder-upload controls are hidden. Use Upload Media inside a gallery to choose photos or videos directly. An explicit Lightroom connection-approval link can still be opened on a phone.

Connect once

Inside a gallery, click Upload with Lightroom beside Upload Media, or open the gallery’s Settings → Lightroom tab. The setup guide opens over your gallery and names the gallery and photo section to use. It reuses your existing Lightroom connection if you have one; you do not need a separate connection for every gallery. If your plan includes Lightroom, setup opens immediately. Otherwise, choose View Studio & Pro plans to compare plans before paying.

You can also use Galleries → Settings → Lightroom for account-wide setup. Keep the guide open in your browser. It shows your next action and updates as Lightroom connects and syncs.

1. Download the plugin from that page. Unzip it and keep FOCL.lrplugin somewhere permanent, such as Documents.
2. In Lightroom Classic, open File → Plug-in Manager → Add, select FOCL.lrplugin, then click Done.
3. Open the Library module. On the left, find Publish Services → FOCL → Set Up.
4. Click Connect to FOCL. In the browser, check the request matches Lightroom and approve it.
5. Return to Lightroom and click Save at the bottom right. Your galleries appear under FOCL in the Library sidebar.

Installing the plugin and connecting the account are separate steps. Downloading the ZIP alone does not install it. Seeing “connected” before clicking Save means the account is linked, but you still need to save the Publish Service.

Send photos to a gallery

1. In Lightroom’s Library, expand FOCL under Publish Services, then click the arrow beside your gallery.
2. Drag photos from the middle of their thumbnails onto a section inside the gallery, such as Photos. Select that section to see the photos you added.
3. Click Publish above the photo grid. Lightroom exports JPEGs and sends them to FOCL.

Drop photos onto a section, not the gallery folder. Empty galleries receive a Photos section when synced. If you have no galleries, create one in FOCL first, then sync the gallery list in Lightroom.

After setup is saved, Upload with Lightroom shows a compact connected message and the gallery and section to use in Lightroom. Choose Show me how for the step-by-step videos and troubleshooting. You can publish directly from Lightroom anytime; opening this window first is optional. Publish transfers the photos; review and share your gallery from FOCL. It does not replace the gallery’s sharing controls.

After publishing from the gallery’s guide, click Back to gallery to refresh its photos without leaving the gallery workspace. New galleries may need Sync galleries in Lightroom before they appear. Upload with Lightroom opens its own dialog directly over your gallery, without opening Settings. Eligible accounts see setup and instructions; other accounts see Studio pricing and a plan comparison button. Photos are sent when you click Publish in Lightroom.

What does Sync galleries do?

It refreshes the gallery and section list in Lightroom. It does not upload photos. After creating or renaming a gallery on FOCL, right-click FOCL in Lightroom → Edit Settings → Sync galleries.

To send photos, select their section in the Library and click Publish instead.

Set up another computer

“Lightroom connected” refers to a saved Lightroom catalog. It does not mean the plugin is installed on the computer you are using now. The connected screen names that catalog. Download plugin and Set up another computer are below the publishing instructions; use them when moving to another computer.

Download the same plugin ZIP on the new computer. On Windows, right-click it and choose Extract All; on Mac, double-click it to unzip. Move the extracted FOCL.lrplugin folder to Documents, then in Lightroom Classic choose File → Plug-in Manager → Add and select that folder. Under Publish Services → FOCL → Set Up, choose Connect to FOCL, approve the request in your browser, then return to Lightroom and click Save. Leave the old computer’s connection in place. A new catalog connects separately; it does not inherit the original catalog’s published-photo links.

Sort photos by date taken

FOCL reads the capture date embedded in JPEGs published from Lightroom. In your gallery’s Photos tab, choose Sort → Date taken to put the photos in chronological order and save it automatically for the client gallery. After the save finishes, you can drag photos to fine-tune the arrangement. Those moves save automatically too and stay in place after refreshing.

This works with the existing Lightroom plugin; no plugin update is needed for capture-date reading. Keep capture metadata in your Lightroom export settings. Photos without a readable capture date appear after dated photos, keeping their saved order. If none of the photos contain a capture date, this sort will not rearrange them. FOCL does not substitute upload or export dates for the time a photo was taken.

If photos published earlier do not sort, contact support. We can check whether their stored originals still contain dates that can be recovered. If the dates were removed during export, the photos need to be republished with capture metadata included.

Send an updated edit

Edit a previously published photo in Lightroom, open its published section, then click Publish again. FOCL updates that linked photo instead of creating a duplicate. Keep the existing Publish Service and its published photos.

To adjust export settings or file naming, right-click FOCL → Edit Settings. Export controls are below the FOCL account section.

Full-resolution photos

Plugin 0.1.0.8 turns on Full-resolution delivery by default, including for existing connections. It uses JPEG quality 100, sRGB, no resizing and no Lightroom watermark. Your edits and crops are preserved. Full resolution means the pixels available after cropping; a small source photo cannot gain detail through the plugin.

Keep the drive containing your original files connected. The plugin checks the selected photos before publishing and stops if an original is missing. Smart Previews alone are not enough. Connect the drive or locate the missing original in Lightroom, then publish again.

To use your own JPEG quality, image size or Lightroom watermark, uncheck Full-resolution delivery and adjust the export controls below. Smaller exports also mean smaller original files for clients. The plugin never silently lowers quality to fit the 50 MB per-photo limit. If a photo exceeds it, lower JPEG quality in custom mode and keep Resize to Fit off to retain pixel dimensions.

FOCL keeps the uploaded JPEG intact. With Watermark downloads off in the gallery’s Settings → Watermark, the client’s High resolution download and gallery ZIP contain that JPEG. Web size downloads and downloads with Watermark downloads on use separate, smaller versions. Installing an update does not upgrade existing online photos; republish those photos to replace their files.

If connecting needs help

The browser connection is the usual route. The guide also has Need help connecting? → Use a connection code instead. In Lightroom, select Use a connection code instead, paste the code and click Connect, then Save. Treat the code like a password.

If Lightroom already has a saved connection but needs reconnecting, open its settings and select Reconnect this account. You do not need a new connection just to refresh galleries or publish more photos.

Update the plugin

The website guide works with your existing connection. Install 0.1.0.8 to get full-resolution defaults and missing-original checks. Website guide changes alone do not update your installed plugin.

Download it again from Settings → Lightroom. Quit Lightroom, replace the installed FOCL.lrplugin folder in the same location, then reopen Lightroom. Keep the existing FOCL Publish Service; do not delete it to update.

Build 0.1.0.8 also includes the clearer connection controls and sidebar labels introduced in 0.1.0.7. Click Sync galleries after updating to refresh the names. IDs are still kept internally, with a visible suffix only where needed to distinguish names. An empty, unlinked starter collection is removed once real photo sections are available; collections containing photos are kept.

If your plan changes

Lightroom checks your plan when connecting and publishing, including existing connections. If you move to Essentials or Free, publishing pauses unless you have lifetime access or an approved tester exception. Your gallery photos stay in place. Open Settings → Plan to choose Studio or Pro. After upgrading, return to Lightroom settings; use Already upgraded? Refresh access if the upgrade screen is still showing. This account check does not require downloading a new plugin.