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How It Works

From first photo to forever album

Building an Album on ShareLocket is simple and unhurried. Here's every step, from signing up to sharing a finished keepsake with the people you love.

Start your album

Creating an album is free. You don't pay until you're ready to share it, so you can experiment with no pressure.

  1. Sign up with your email or phone, or use your Apple or Google account.
  2. From your Shelf, tap New Album.
  3. Give it a name — something simple like "Mom's 70th" or "Eleanor's First Year."
Good to know: Every album starts in draft mode. It's completely private until you decide to share it, and you can change the name, content, and design anytime.

Pick a theme that fits the mood

Choose from dozens of beautiful options, or select the layout, colors, and patterns yourself. Every theme we offer was designed with care, so no matter which one you pick, your album will look beautiful.

  • Eternal Light

    Timeline layout

    Warm golden light — elegant and timeless.

  • Quiet Garden

    Classic layout

    Soft greens and a peaceful, garden-walk calm.

  • Confetti Pop

    Scrapbook layout

    Bright, playful colors made for celebrating.

  • Starlit Vigil

    Formal layout

    Navy and silver — dignified and reverent.

Try them all. Switching themes is as easy as a click. You'll see a live preview of your album at all times.

Add your photos, videos, audio, and stories

An album can hold all types of content, so you can share not just photos but long-form stories, voice notes, files, and more. Add, crop, edit, remove, rearrange, even add custom stickers — make it your own and something you'll be proud to share.

  • Photos

    Upload from your computer, or straight from your favorite online storage provider. Drop in one at a time or several at once. We'll keep the original safe.

  • Videos

    Short clips or long ones — birthday messages, grandkids' recitals, wedding toasts. We make sure they play beautifully on every device.

  • Audio

    Record a voice note right from your browser, upload a voicemail, or save an old recording. Voices you love, preserved.

  • Stories & notes

    Write a paragraph about the day a photo was taken, or a full story from your family's history. Our writing tool is as simple as a notepad.

  • Page layouts

    Pick from a variety of curated layouts to match your album's mood. We keep every page looking polished.

  • Reactions & comments

    Once you invite people, they can leave an emoji reaction or a comment on any item. Add the Chorus, and your guests can share their digital memories just as you do.

Generous limits on uploads. Some albums have ten items, some have two hundred. With 20GB of space, you'll have plenty of room for whatever you want to build.

Invite co-editors to help make it perfect

You don't have to build it alone. Invite a sibling, your partner, or your closest friend — up to 5 extra people — to help with all aspects of making your album.

  1. Invite your helpers. We give you a secure, custom link for each person you want included.
  2. They add their own memories. Co-editors can upload photos, videos, audio, and stories just like you.
  3. Create together. All co-editors can edit all the album content. Make that group trip into a true group collection, or write an introduction everyone loves.
  4. You stay in charge. As the owner, you approve what goes live, and you can remove a co-editor at any time.
A gift idea: for a surprise Album, ask one or two trusted people to be co-editors in secret. Together you can collect stories and photos from the whole family.

Publish it — a $30 keepsake, yours forever

When your album feels right, it's time to bring it to life. Publishing turns your draft into a real, shareable keepsake that belongs to you — forever.

  1. Pay once. $30 is all you pay for the Album. No subscription. No yearly fee. No surprises.
  2. Sharing made simple. Send up to 200 custom emails or text messages to those you care about. We'll let you know when they're delivered. You can choose commenting or not, or even be selective about what comments others can see.
  3. Get your private link. Every Album has its own address (like sharelocket.com/@moms-70th) that stays the same for the life of the album.
  4. Download a QR code. Print it on invitations, programs, or name cards. For public albums, guests scan to visit instantly.
  5. Edit it whenever you like. Your album is yours forever, with unlimited editing. Keep adding photos, stories, and updates today, next month, or years from now.
Want guests to share too? Your album comes with commenting and reactions, but if you'd like to invite friends and family to leave their own memories alongside yours, that's what the Chorus is for.

Keep it growing with Chorus

Chorus is an optional $15/mo add-on that turns on the writable Chorus on all of your albums. While it's on, everyone with permission — you, your co-editors, your members, and your approved guests — can post and comment together. Perfect for family scrapbooks, memorial tributes, and milestone albums that gather love over years.

Without Chorus

  • Your album is yours to edit and share forever.
  • Everyone you invite can still view and enjoy it.
  • Private or public, commenting or not — your choices to make and change at any time.

With Chorus

  • Everyone with permission can post messages, stories, photos, videos, audio, and files in a dedicated section of the album.
  • Comments and reactions on every Chorus memory.
  • The subscription covers every album you own — one subscription, all your albums.
  • You stay in control: approve who joins in, and review, hide, or remove any contribution.
  • Great for ongoing tributes, family scrapbooks, and long celebrations.
  • Cancel anytime, the Chorus closes for new additions, but nothing contributed is deleted or hidden.
Only the owner can add Chorus. You can turn it on a few days after publishing, months down the road, or anytime in between. Turning it off is just as easy: nothing is ever deleted, and the Album side of your album stays editable forever for you and your co-editors regardless of Chorus state.

Ready to begin?

Start your album today. It's free until you're ready to share, and we have lots of help along the way.