A lightbox is a curated, often temporary grouping of assets a user pulls together, for a campaign, a review, or a handoff, without changing where those assets live in the library. It is not the same as a folder: folders are the permanent organizational structure, while a lightbox is a flexible, purpose-built selection.
Why it matters
People need to collect and share a working set without duplicating files or reorganizing the library. Lightboxes make that easy and keep the single source of truth intact, since the assets are referenced, not copied.
How it shows up in practice
A designer builds a lightbox of candidate images and shares a link for a stakeholder to comment on, or a marketer assembles the approved assets for a launch and hands the collection to regional teams. Permissions still apply, so a shared lightbox only exposes assets the recipient is cleared to see.
Common mistakes
- Downloading and emailing files instead of sharing a lightbox link.
- Treating lightboxes as permanent structure and skipping a real folder model.
- Sharing a lightbox externally without checking the underlying permissions.
Stacks covers curated access in creating an easy-to-navigate asset library.