We're looking forward to the Joomla 4 release and have already started preparing our extensions. We recently released an update for Balbooa Forms Builder and it is now time to update the Gallery. So, ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to announce that Balbooa Joomla Gallery is fully compatible with Joomla 4!
Balbooa Gallery has been compatible with Joomla 4 Alpha since 2018. Even then, we were ready to meet innovations. More than two years have passed since then, much has changed... We've made some changes and our Gallery is again perfectly compatible with Joomla 4. Let's hope that the official release of the stable Joomla 4 will be without major changes. Anyway, we'll be ready!
By the way, the Joomla 4 stable release is scheduled for August 17th!
We cannot release an update with just one piece of news about Balbooa Gallery compatibility with Joomla 4. Therefore, we have made awesome improvements and added new options. And of course, we fixed all known bugs. Well, let's get started!
As you know, the WebP format provides lossless compression for photo quality. Now Balbooa Joomla Gallery is fully compatible with WebP format. Modern formats in modern extensions!
The ability to compress images on upload has long been available in Gridbox. Therefore, we decided to make adding images to Joomla Gallery even easier and faster by adding the function "Compress images on upload". To compress images before uploading, click the button Options on the Gallery dashboard ➝ General ➝ Compress images on upload ➝ enable Yes.
Also, you can convert all images to WebP format on upload. To do this, just enable the option Convert to WebP.
Do you spend a lot of time searching for images inside the Gallery media manager? It's not a problem anymore! We're glad to inform you that we have added Search in the Media manager. Just start typing a filename, and the search will immediately display all files with that filename in your Gallery. Cool, isn't it?
Previously, it was possible to add a video to the Balbooa Joomla Gallery only through the embed code. This is a good way, but it requires a lot of extra clicks. Now you can add videos without an embed code. Just click the button Add New Item ➝ Video ➝ enter Video ID. The video thumbnail will be pulled up automatically.
A new slide animation effect has become available in the Balbooa Gallery, which allows you to smoothly switch images in a lightbox. The animation effect “Slide” provides a soft image transition with a subtle glide. You can find the new slide animation in the Gallery Settings in the tab Lightbox.
A nice user interface is like a funny joke. If you have to explain it, it's not that good. So we decided to improve Gallery usability and group some of the options. Using the Gallery is now even more intuitive. See for yourself!
Another good news, we added access to the Photo editor through the right-click. You no longer need to go to the Media manager just right-click on the image and start editing. It's simple!
Today we present you a brand new color picker for the Gallery that is used in all of our Balbooa Extensions. The Color Picker allows you to customize the gallery's color scheme to make it look the way you want it. You can easily create your own unique color using the RGB color picker functionality or type HEX color values directly into the tool.
We've renamed hover effects in Gallery 2.3.2 from simple numbering to laconic titles that explain how the effects work. Selecting "None" will display the image title and description without hovering. This will allow your site visitors to quickly view image information without hovering over each one. The hover effect is available for thumbnails with Album Mode disabled.
One more Balbooa Extensions is ready to meet the new Joomla. We are continuing to work on the final touches of Gridbox and Joomla 4 compatibility. So wish us luck and subscribe to us on social networks to be the first to know about updates.
P.S. If you have any suggestions for improving the Balbooa Joomla Gallery, don't hesitate to write us about it in the comments below.
v.2.3.2 - 29/07/2021