Compensate the lack of lightbox zoom function

As an artist or designer, displaying your artwork on your Squarespace website is a great way to showcase your talent and attract potential clients. And most of the time, you may want to enable Lightbox feature for your images. By providing a distraction-free, immersive, and engaging viewing experience, it can help visitors appreciate your artwork more fully and potentially lead to increased engagement and sales.

One of the drawback of Squarespace Lightbox is it not support Zoom feature for images, either on desktop or pinch-to-zoom on mobile. There are several ways to overcome this issue:

• Add descriptive captions: Add descriptive captions to your artwork to provide context and additional information to viewers. This can help them appreciate your artwork more fully, even if they can't zoom in on the images.

• Provide alternate views: Provide alternate views of your artwork, such as close-up shots or detail shots, that allow viewers to see the details of your artwork more clearly. This can help compensate for the lack of zoom functionality.

Let’s review the 2 Artwork websites that follow these principles

Masterpieceartwork.com

On this page, the artist has sliced the large artwork into smaller chunks to provide different views of the final product

By focusing on different parts of the image in close-up mode, the artist can show the intricate details and nuances of their artwork that might be missed in a larger view. This can be especially important for artwork that is highly detailed or complex like the above example, as it allows the viewer to appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that went into creating the piece.

In addition to that, the phrases "Take a closer look" and "Click any image to view full screen" can be very helpful in guiding website visitors to engage more deeply with your artwork. Here's how:

1. Encourages visitors to explore: By using phrases like "Take a closer look" or "Explore the details," you can encourage visitors to spend more time examining your artwork. This can lead to a deeper appreciation of your work and potentially increase the likelihood of a sale or commission.

2. Highlights your artwork's best features: By pointing out the ability to view your artwork in full screen or in close-up mode, you are highlighting the best features of your artwork. This can be especially important for artwork that is highly detailed or complex, as it allows visitors to appreciate the intricacies of the piece.

3. Improves user experience: Using these phrases can also improve the user experience on your website by guiding visitors to engage more deeply with your artwork. This can create a more immersive and engaging viewing experience that encourages visitors to stay on your site longer and potentially share your artwork with others.

Shelbeytharpe.com

Here is another example with similar approach with a slightly different methods: By taking other shots with products on different backgrounds or walls, and using defocused photography to emphasize the details,

1. Adds context and variety: By providing alternate angles of the product on different backgrounds or walls, the artist is giving their audience a chance to see the product in a variety of contexts. This can help the audience envision the product in their own home or workspace, and give them a better idea of how it might fit into their life.

2. Emphasizes the details: By using defocused photography, the artist is drawing attention to the intricate details of the product. This can help the audience appreciate the craftsmanship and quality of the product, and can make it stand out from other similar products on the market.

If you happen to be on a Squarespace Business Plan that allows for custom injection and have the financial resources to invest, the Pinchzoom Lightbox plugin is the perfect solution to showcase your artwork in the best way possible. This plugin is compatible with all Squarespace templates, including 7.0 and 7.1 versions, and is incredibly easy to use. It offers pinch and zoom functionality for both desktop and mobile devices, mobile-friendly design, easy-to-use interface, customizable options, and image optimization features.

Pinchzoom Lightbox has powered thousands of Squarespace websites, making it a trusted and reliable solution for artists and designers. Moreover, you can test it on your website before buying it, ensuring that you are completely satisfied with the product before making a purchase.

So, if you want to enhance the viewing experience of your artwork on your Squarespace website and compensate for the lack of zoom functionality, Pinchzoom Lightbox is the perfect solution. Try it out today and take your artwork display to the next level!