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Some years ago I wrote about MIDI controllers and Lightroom. That setup got me through many weddings, but I never really stopped looking for something better. This year I ended up writing my own tool: Maschine2LR turns a Native Instruments Maschine Mk3 into a control surface for Lightroom Classic. Eight knobs that know what they control, two screens that show it, and pads for ratings, flags, crop and masks. Here is why I built it, how it works and what it took to get there.
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Event Gallery 6.0.0 is out, and it is a big one. There is a new menu item type that lets you hand out one link and a password instead of a personal link per customer. The Ajax List layout stopped guessing how many thumbnails fit on a page and started measuring. There is a full promotion engine with discount rules, condition rules, promotion codes and personalized single-use codes. Visitors can now get an image inside an email instead of a link to it. And Google Photos via the API is gone for good.
This post walks through all of it, including the boring parts: option names, defaults, limits, what happens to your database on update, and what you have to touch by hand afterwards.
The short version of the requirements: 6.0.0 needs PHP 8.2 or newer and Joomla 5, 6 or 7. The Joomla 7 support came from removing deprecated code and moving to current coding standards, so if you were waiting for that, this is the release.
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After a decade of relying on the original SpiderHolster, the new SpiderPro V3 Collection is finally here—and it's a massive upgrade. Moving away from purely functional synthetic materials, the V3 system introduces incredibly soft, premium leather and redesigned Arca-Swiss compatible base plates. In this detailed review, I take a close look at the Dual Camera System, the Shoulder Harness, and the new Backpacker Kit, exploring the quirks, the brilliant new QD mounts, and ultimately answering the question: Is this €1000+ investment actually worth it?
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Is the jump from Canon's excellent EF 85mm f/1.4L to the premium RF 85mm f/1.2L worth the hefty price tag? Join me as I dive deep into a personal comparison, justifying my recent (and significant!) investment. We'll look beyond the spec sheets, comparing real-world image quality, handling, and that elusive "magic" that makes a lens truly special. If you've ever battled Gear Acquisition Syndrome or wondered if the latest RF glass lives up to the hype, this one's for you.
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I need to inform you about upcoming changes to the Google Photos APIs that will impact how Event Gallery integrates with Google Photos.
Unfortunately, as of March 31, 2025, Google is removing certain features that Event Gallery currently relies on. This means that directly accessing Google Photos within Event Gallery will no longer be possible. Existing Events/albums will stop working. We know this kind of behavior already from the changes to Picasa back then. Honestly, the Google usage policy forbids creating a clone of Google Photos. Some users notified me about blocked apps in the recent past. So it might be not the worst thing to retire this kind of integration.
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Exciting news! I've finally launched a brand-new website dedicated solely to showcasing my photography services. For years, my previous website served as a jumbled mix of a review blog, shop, support page, and even a platform for my personal work. It was definitely time for a change!
Head over to https://bitsnlight.de to explore my offerings as a photographer in the Barchfeld, Bad Liebenstein, Bad Salzungen, and Wartburgkreis region. I specialize in capturing precious moments at weddings, events, birthday parties, and more. So, if you're looking for a photographer to preserve your special occasions, don't hesitate to reach out!
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Joomla 4 is out there since August 2021. It brings some new coding styles with a compatibility layer for the old Joomla 3 way of coding. Event Gallery 4 supports Joomla 3 and Joomla 4, which blows up the code and complexity. There are only several months left where Joomla 3 is officially supported. I'm currently re-coding to support the J4 coding style fully.
With Event Gallery 5, I'll drop any Joomla 3 support. Event Gallery 4 will continue supporting Joomla 3, but will get only bug-fixes in emergency cases.
Do you need to worry? Not really, since all of you already made the jump to Joomla 4, right? ;) For those who have not, it is not that hard. Here is how I did it with several sites:
- Update to Joomla 3.10
- grab a copy of your Joomla 3 site with https://www.akeeba.com/products/akeeba-backup.html
- create a running server
- practice the Joomla 4 update and write down all the necessary steps. If you fail, return to step 3
- apply your steps to your production server
I had only a few issues. The template needs an update, that is for sure. Maybe you need to uninstall unused components and install all available updates for the rest.
There is an article for the migration: https://docs.joomla.org/Joomla_3.x_to_4.x_Step_by_Step_Migration
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Event Gallery 4.0 is available. Between version 3.12.10 and the latest version, more than 50 tickets made it into the gallery component. Most of the changes are around the Joomla 4 support. Thanks to some engaged users, I was able to tackle many details to optimize your user experience, especially in the back end. Thanks a lot and keep reporting! The release notes you can find here: Release Notes
One mayor change you noticed: there is version 4.0 now! For about 8 years, I kept the 3 in front of the version number. But this makes it hard for you to notice how severe the changes between different versions are. Now we're back to a common version schema. Changes in the first number indicate that you need to carefully test your site with the new version. There will be no problem if you don't use any template overrides or custom CSS adjustments. If you do, check that your modifications are still working. I'll be careful with breaking changes, but they will happen.
With Joomla 4, the place where you need to enter the download id for Event Gallery Extended changed. If you encounter any update issues, please update the download ID. This page will show your download ID and the process to add it: How to add a Download ID
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Today you might have seen emails from Google telling you details about your Google App which handles your Google Photos credentials.