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How do I manage album permissions in Media Hub?

Control who can view or download assets in Media Hub with album-level permissions, so each audience sees only the content that’s relevant to them.

Written by Carm Ang

How do I share an album in Media Hub?

Access is set at the top-level album. To configure it:

  1. Open the top-level album you want to share.

  2. Click Share.

  3. Choose who can access the album.

  4. Choose what they can do with the assets inside it.

Sub-albums inherit these permissions automatically. If you share a top-level album with a user group, every sub-album inside it is shared with that same group at the same access level.

What access levels are available?

You can assign one of two permission levels to all Media Hub users or to specific user groups:

  • View only: Users can browse the album but must request approval before downloading. You review and approve each request individually. Users need a Media Hub account to submit a download request.

  • Download: Users can download any asset immediately, without waiting for approval.

Use View only when you want oversight of how assets are used, such as licensed or time-sensitive content. Use Download for brand-approved assets that teams and partners need on demand.

Who can I share an album with?

When you click Share on a top-level album, you have three options:

  • All Media Hub users: Set a single permission level (view only or download) that applies to everyone with a Media Hub account.

  • Specific user groups only: Restrict visibility to the groups you add. Only those groups see the album.

  • Combined access: All Media Hub users can view the album, while specific trusted user groups can download without approval. Everyone else must request approval to download.

If you don’t add any groups, the album stays private to you as the admin. This is useful while you’re still building out content and aren’t ready to share.

What do users see based on their permissions?

Users only see the albums they have access to. For example, if a user group has access to 2 of your 10 top-level albums, their Media Hub landing page shows only those 2.

What users see depends on the permission you set:

  • Restricted with no user groups added: The album is hidden and private to the admin only.

  • View only: The album is visible, and assets show a Request Approval button.

  • Download: The album is visible, and assets show a Download button.

  • Restricted to user groups: The album is visible only to users in the selected group(s) and hidden from all other users.

How do sub-albums handle permissions?

Sub-albums inherit the access settings of their parent top-level album. To review a sub-album’s access:

  1. Open the sub-album and click Share.

  2. Review the inherited access and the top-level album it comes from.

  3. Click the top-level album link to review or update its share settings.

If a specific set of visuals needs a different access level, move that content into its own top-level album.

How can I tell how an album is shared at a glance?

Albums display access icons across album navigation, album details, and the manage albums and asset workflows:

  • 🔒 Lock icon: The album is restricted and only available to specific groups.

  • 👥 People icon: The album is shared with one or more user groups.

Can I share an album with someone outside Media Hub?

Yes. To quickly share content with people who don’t have a Media Hub account, create a public share link. Share links bypass your Media Hub permissions, so non-Media Hub users can access the content directly. This works well for agencies, media contacts, and event partners who need access without setting up an account.

My Visuals and Media Hub share links work the same way. Both are hosted on share.crowdriff.com with a consistent interface, including AI and Standard search modes for recipients.

To create a share link:

  1. Open the album and click Share.

  2. Go to the Public Link tab.

  3. Change link access to Can Access to generate a link.

  4. Choose an access level:

    • Can View: Recipients can browse assets but cannot download them. Unlike internal sharing, there is no request-to-download option.

    • Can View and Download: Recipients can browse and download assets immediately.

  5. Click Copy Link to share.

❗Heads up

  • Share links include everything inside the album, including all nested sub-albums and files.

  • You can create a separate share link for any nested album with its own access level. That link shows only that album and its contents, not the parent. This is useful when you want to share a specific subset of your library without exposing everything above it.

  • When a share link expires, the link becomes inaccessible, but the album remains in your Media Hub.

What do recipients see?

Recipients can browse the albums or search for specific assets using two modes:

  • AI mode: Best for descriptive or natural language searches.

  • Standard mode: Searches asset metadata and works best for specific tagged details like locations, event names, and photographers.Can I update or revoke a share link later?

Can I update or revoke a share link later?

Yes. Return to the album’s Share settings at any time to:

  • Change or remove the expiration date.

  • Update access settings.

  • Set link access to No Access to revoke the link entirely.

Need more help?

If you have any other questions, feel free to send us a message!

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