Self-hosted photography commerce

Photo Sales Studio 7.0

Beginner-friendly installation and administration guide for galleries, photography sales, production/delivery, photographers, subscriptions, AI-assisted workflows, Cloud storage and marketplace licensing.

PHP 8.xMySQL / MariaDBEN · SR · DELocal · Hybrid · Full CloudResponsive frontend & admin

Getting started

Deployment model: Photo Sales Studio is a standalone PHP/MySQL web application with its own installer, frontend and administration area. It is not installed as a WordPress plugin.

Photo Sales Studio is a self-hosted application. You install it on your own hosting account, connect a database and then configure only the integrations you want to use.

ApplicationPublic galleries, favorites, cart, checkout, customer delivery, subscriber access and responsive browsing.

AdministrationGalleries, media, pricing, orders, photographers, production, AI, storage, payments, languages, QA and maintenance.

Optional external services: OpenAI, TinyMCE Cloud, Google reCAPTCHA, PayPal and Cloudflare R2 require separate accounts/credentials. Their fees are not included with Photo Sales Studio.

System requirements

Component	Requirement	Notes
PHP	PHP 8.x	Use a currently supported hosting build. PHP 8.3 is recommended where available.
Database	MySQL / MariaDB	Create an empty database and database user before installation.
PHP extensions	PDO MySQL, cURL, JSON, mbstring	GD or Imagick is recommended for image processing. ZIP is recommended for archive operations.
HTTPS	Strongly recommended	Required for production license verification and strongly recommended for login, payments and API credentials.
Writable paths	`data`, `storage`, `uploads`	The installer checks required permissions.
Built-in languages	English, Serbian, German	Additional languages can be added through the Language Package system.

Installation

Back up any existing site before installing into an existing hosting account.

Upload the Photo Sales Studio Application files to the intended document root or subdirectory.

Create a MySQL/MariaDB database and a database user with access to that database.

Open install_mysql.php in your browser and follow the installer.

Complete the environment checks and enter database credentials.

Create the administrator account and complete initial settings.

After successful installation, remove the /install/ directory and install_mysql.php.

Upgrade note: do not delete an existing installation and reinstall it over production data. Use the matching update/release instructions and always keep a database/files backup.

First login & basic setup

Administration → Settings

GeneralSite URL, locale, studio details and operational defaults.

AppearanceLight/Dark theme, logos, favicon and presentation settings.

LocalizationEnable languages and frontend language switcher.

CommunicationEmail/SMTP and customer communication options.

PaymentsEnable only the payment methods you intend to use.

IntegrationsCloud storage and external service configuration.

Envato / CodeCanyon License Center

Administration → Settings → License Center

Enter the Envato purchase code for the Photo Sales Studio item. The code is encrypted locally and sent over HTTPS only to the author's verification service. The author's Envato API token is never included in the customer package.

Envato Downloads ↗Find your purchase code ↗

A purchase code is intended for one domain registration. If you legitimately move the installation and need the registration reset, contact the item author.

A temporary outage of the author's verification service does not disable the core application. Existing verified installations remain usable while the service is unavailable.

Roles & access

AdministratorFull platform configuration, security, users, storage, licensing and business operations.

ManagerOperational administration according to assigned permissions.

PhotographerOwn galleries/media, purchased-photo preparation and own sales/earnings where enabled.

SubscriberControlled customer access for active subscription/download products.

Galleries & Smart Media Workspace

Create galleries, assign categories/subcategories, configure pricing/formats and upload media. Smart Media Workspace combines albums, grid navigation, EXIF, derivatives/WebP state, watermark, photographer ownership, tags/AI metadata, views/sales information and multi-edit operations.

Storage behavior is mode-aware: Local uses local assets, Hybrid can combine local and Cloud, and Full Cloud can use verified Cloud derivatives without creating unnecessary permanent local display copies.

Orders, production & delivery

The order workflow covers customer selection, checkout, payment/confirmation, purchased-photo preparation, final delivery and completion. Delivery & Production Center supports per-photographer preparation while final customer delivery is handled per order.

Always test at least one complete order after changing payments, communication settings, storage mode or delivery retention settings.

AI Assistant / OpenAI setup

Administration → AI Assistant → Settings

AI Assistant supports controlled single-photo/batch workflows, Queue, Review Queue and Accept & Apply / Reject. Start with a small test before processing production batches.

Create OpenAI account ↗Open API Keys ↗

Create/sign in to your OpenAI Platform account.

Create an API key and copy it when shown.

In Photo Sales Studio select the OpenAI provider, choose the supported model and enter the API key.

Use Test connection before enabling live processing.

Run one single-photo analysis, review the result, then try a small batch.

OpenAI API usage is billed separately by OpenAI. Never place the secret API key in public JavaScript, screenshots or documentation.

TinyMCE / Tiny Cloud setup

Administration → Settings → Rich Text Editor

Create Tiny Cloud account ↗Tiny Cloud dashboard / API key ↗

Choose TinyMCE Cloud when you want the cloud-hosted editor, then enter your Tiny Cloud API key. Register the website domain in the Tiny Cloud customer portal if your plan/settings require it. You may also select the self-hosted editor mode when configured by your installation.

Google reCAPTCHA

Administration → Settings → reCAPTCHA

Select the reCAPTCHA type you intend to use (v2 Checkbox, v2 Invisible or v3 where supported).

Copy the Site Key and Secret Key into Photo Sales Studio.

Use Test configuration. Photo Sales Studio performs a real verification instead of only checking whether fields are filled.

Only enable reCAPTCHA on production forms after the test succeeds.

For v3, the test also checks the action and score threshold configured in Photo Sales Studio.

PayPal — Sandbox & Live

Administration → Settings → Payments → PayPal

Sandbox applications ↗Sandbox test accounts ↗Live applications ↗

Sandbox / TestCreate a Sandbox application, use Sandbox Client ID/Secret and test buyer/seller accounts. Complete an end-to-end order before going live.

LiveCreate/select the Live application and replace Sandbox credentials with Live Client ID/Secret. Confirm the environment selector is set to Live.

Never mix Sandbox credentials with Live mode. PayPal account/API usage is provided by PayPal and is separate from the Photo Sales Studio license.

Cloudflare R2 / external media storage

Administration → Settings → Integrations → External Media Storage

Select Local, Hybrid or Full Cloud according to your hosting/storage architecture. For Cloudflare R2, enter the S3 endpoint, region auto, bucket, Access Key ID, Secret Access Key and an optional path prefix. Run Test connection before saving.

Keep master/original objects private. Use Photo Sales Studio authorization/signed delivery flows rather than making private masters public.

CodeCanyon Demo Mode

Demo Mode converts the same application into a read-only live preview. It is intended for demo.photosalesstudio.com after the public demo is deployed.

Browsing and presentation remain available, while destructive actions, real checkout/payment, credential changes, password recovery and other persistent operations can be blocked. Use the private unlock mechanism only as the author/administrator.

Do not enable Demo Mode on a production customer installation unless you intentionally want a read-only presentation.

Security checklist

Use HTTPS.
Remove installer files after installation.
Keep data, storage and private originals protected from direct web access.
Do not expose API secrets in public source, screenshots or support tickets.
Keep backups before upgrades or storage migrations.
Use reCAPTCHA and server-side validation on public forms.
Run Production Readiness / QA after significant configuration changes.

Updates & upgrades

Create a database and file/configuration backup.

Read the release instructions for the target version.

Use the matching update package/workflow for an existing installation.

Do not delete production data, uploads, storage or database content.

After deployment, test login, galleries, orders, payments, delivery, storage mode and configured integrations.

Run QA / Production Readiness before closing the maintenance window.

Troubleshooting

License verifier cannot be reached

Confirm HTTPS and outbound cURL access. A temporary verifier outage does not disable core functionality. Try Recheck later.

reCAPTCHA Test configuration fails

Confirm the exact domain is registered at Google, the Site/Secret pair belongs to the selected reCAPTCHA type and the server can reach Google's verification endpoint.

PayPal works in Sandbox but not Live

Confirm the mode is Live and that Live Client ID/Secret are used. Sandbox credentials do not work against the Live API.

TinyMCE reports an invalid API key/domain

Check the Tiny Cloud dashboard, the API key and any configured domain restrictions.

AI requests fail

Use Test connection, confirm the API key/provider/model and verify your OpenAI account has API access/billing configured.

Third-party services & credits

Photo Sales Studio can connect to optional third-party services. These services are not bundled subscriptions; their own accounts, terms, pricing and availability apply separately. No third-party PHP/JavaScript framework source package is bundled with the application.

Service	Purpose	Current release status
OpenAI Platform	Optional AI Assistant API provider	Customer API key and separately billed API usage required
TinyMCE / Tiny Cloud	Optional rich-text editor	Not bundled; customer chooses Tiny Cloud or appropriately licensed self-hosted TinyMCE
Google reCAPTCHA	Optional anti-abuse protection	Customer domain registration and Site/Secret keys required
Google Analytics	Optional frontend analytics	Customer measurement ID and applicable privacy/cookie compliance required
PayPal	Optional payments	Sandbox and Live supported; customer PayPal credentials required
Stripe	Optional card/wallet adapter	Sandbox/test only in this release; Live processing is not enabled
Adyen	Optional card/wallet adapter	Sandbox/test only in this release; Live processing is not enabled
Cloudflare R2 / S3-compatible storage	Optional external media storage	Customer storage account and API credentials required
QRServer / goQR API	Configurable QR image generation	Remote service; encoded URL/text is sent to the configured QR endpoint
Envato Market / CodeCanyon	Marketplace purchase verification	Author-side verifier; author Envato token is never bundled

Third-party names and marks are used only to identify compatible integrations. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Demo/preview photographs may be presentation-only and are not included unless explicitly stated.

FAQ

Is Photo Sales Studio a WordPress plugin?

Photo Sales Studio 7.0 is distributed as a self-hosted PHP application with its own installer, administration and frontend. Install it according to the included installation guide.

Do I need all external services?

No. OpenAI, TinyMCE Cloud, reCAPTCHA, PayPal and Cloudflare R2 are optional and should be enabled only when you need them.

Can I use local storage only?

Yes. Local storage remains supported. Hybrid and Full Cloud modes are optional.

Does AI automatically change photos?

AI Assistant is review-oriented. Suggested results can enter the Review Queue and be accepted/applied or rejected by an authorized user.

Where will online documentation be published?

The planned public documentation location is https://photosalesstudio.com/documentation/. It will remain publicly accessible without a purchase-key gate.