Viewing your Photos
How Costco Photo Center is OrganizedViewing Your Own Photos
Viewing a Friend's Photos
Viewing Your Photos as A Slideshow
Common Questions about Viewing Photos
How Costco Photo Center is Organized
At the top of most pages in the Costco Photo Center you will find the following tabs:
- home
- photos
- store
- group rooms
- order status
Home
The registration and log in page is the first thing you will see when you visit the Costco Photo Center website. After you have registered, or once you have entered your email address and password you will see the home page.
The home page provides you with several options including:
- A new album
- A few of your albums
The option to order prints, create photo cards and photo gifts
There is a yellow box on the right side of the page where you can click any of the links to access some of the most popular features of the Costco Photo Center website.
Photos
The 'photos' tab allows you to access all of the albums in your account including the albums that friends have shared with you.
On the left side of the page is your 'photo library' where you will find the names of the albums you have created. From the 'photo library' you can also view your favorites, your group room albums, and your friends' albums and you can also create a new album.
Store
The 'store' tab contains all of the photo products that you can create at the Costco Photo Center. There are many unique gifts that you can customize with your own photos to make them even more special.
Group Rooms
Group rooms are a great way to gather together your friends and family from near and far. By creating a group room, you create a space where everyone that participates in the group room can share their photos and add messages.
Order status
In this section, you can access information about orders you have placed in the past.
Viewing Your Own Photos
Click the 'photos' tab at the top of most pages of the Costco Photo Center website in order to view your albums.
On the left hand side of the page is the 'photo library' panel where you will find all of your albums listed. This panel also contains links to view your favorites and the albums that friends have shared with you.
- favorites: while viewing photos in your Costco Photo Center account, or in albums that friends have shared with you, or in group rooms, you can add any photo to your favorites. Learn more about tagging favorites.
- albums: in the 'photo library' you will see a list of all of the albums that you have uploaded to your account.
- friends' albums: when you click 'friends' albums' in the 'photo library' you will see all the albums that your friends have shared.
group albums: if you belong to a group room, you can add an album to share with the other members and view albums that other members have shared with the group.
View Your Favorites
Click the 'photos' tab to view your albums. Click 'favorites' in the 'photo library' panel on the left.
Picture quality
When you upload your photos to your Costco Photo Center account, we store each photo as a low-resolution version and a high-resolution version. We use the low-resolution image for viewing online because a screen requires a significantly lower resolution than printing to display a high-quality image. When you print your photos or produce gifts, we use the high-resolution image to ensure a high-quality print.
Viewing a Friend's Photos
When a friend invites you to view photos or an album, you will have to have a Costco Photo Center account to do so. If you don't have an account you can sign up for one prior to viewing your friend's photos. It is easy and only takes a second. If you have an account, log in to view your friend's photos.
- You will receive an email to invite you to view your friend's photos. You can follow the link in the email, or copy and paste it into your web browser.
- When the Costco Photo Center website loads, you will be able to log in to your account, or create a new one.
Click the 'photos' tab and click 'friends' albums' in your 'photo library' on the left hand side of the page.
Every photo album in the Costco Photo Center features a guest book. If you share an album, or if you are viewing a friend's shared album, then click the 'view guestbook' button to leave a message. If the 'view guestbook' link is missing, then the album owner has decided not to activate the guest book.
Viewing Your Photos as a Slideshow
The Costco Photo Center Slideshow offers a new way to view your photos. There are a few options for changing the presentation of your images. You can adjust the speed of your images and change the background color.
The slideshow will scroll automatically as soon as it begins. Use the Speed slider to change the speed at which your images are presented. Click one of the background colors to change the color of the background. You can use the buttons above the photo view of the slideshow to manually move through your images.
Note: The 'add to cart' button will add the image currently showing on the slideshow to your cart for purchase. You can add as many photos as you would like from the slideshow. When you add a photo to your cart, a message will appear below the 'add to cart' button.
When you are done viewing your slideshow, click the 'end slideshow' button.
Common Questions about Viewing Your Photos
How long does Costco Photo Center store my photos?
We keep your pictures for as long as you remain an active member of Costco Photo Center. Staying an active member is easy! Purchase prints (or any other photo gifts) at least once in a year and your account stays active.
When my friend shares photos with me, can I only see them once?
You can view your friend's photos until your friend decides to remove it, or if you decide to remove it.
Does the email link to my friend's album work only once?
The link will be active for as long as you keep the message around. If your friend decides to remove the album, and it is no longer shared, then the link won't work anymore.