Magento – Gute Lightbox / Light Box Comparison

This collection is for image representation already more or less a must (Extension to this article). Even in your own online shop will not look like the screen image from the days of Windows 3.11 and therefore must be the default display for Magento away and replaced with a good collection. Here there is now a greater choice and thus we have tested three free Magento relating to lightboxes and want to report here briefly on.

We tested each with Magento 1.4.1.0:

1. The “IG LightBox” von IDEALIAGroup (for Magento 1.3-1.4.2)
2. “Magento Easy Lightbox” von TemplatesMaster (for Magento 1.4)
3. The Lightbox “jQuery Lightboxes (FancyBox, PiroBox etc..)” of MagePsycho (for Magento 1.3-1.5.)

By default, it looks like this in Magento:

1. At the IG collection can be said, that they-like the other two extensions- installs quickly and easily via Magento Connect are.
Subsystem > Configuration creates a new entry, can be easily controlled in the collection to the.
Here is the collection for each store view can be activated or deactivated, the size of the pop-ups etc. be defined.
The effects such as fade in and fade-out can be controlled.
A further adjustment is very useful in the choice of color of the background and the other elements. This can then be adapted to their own side lot.

In front is created by a popup lightbox effect, so that the clicked image is enlarged and the background with a (adjustable) transparent color “concealed” is. Can click on the image will be small again or it goes to the next image. The zoom function is turned off automatically OrginalMagento (what is good and).

Us personally, the red circle in the upper right corner (Close to the X) disturbed. This can of course be some customization removed or replaced (what we have done first and), But that's what are other lightboxes.

2. The Magento Easy to Light Box was yesterday still in use in our. As written above, makes it very easy to install via Magento Connect, and is then (mglw. after a new login to the backend) quickly edit the configuration.
What immediately catches the eye positive, is that when multiple images “Photo X of Y” displayed or. You can rename as you like it too.

Again, the settings for each store view and image sizes can be made, Transparenz ec. can be defined. Contrary to the IG collection can not be played with the colors.

There is still a plus point for the option name. This can not be displayed with the completed picture description of the product name, if you want.

The collection is still pretty simple. Dropped to negative, no sign (As with the IG Lightbox) but the word “NEXT” and “PREV” as well as “CLOSE” be used in the lightbox. These would be replaced if necessary. The Magento zoom function can be de-/activates on the backend.

We knew personally the collection a little too slow. They can indeed accelerate the backend, this looks nice but not out, because it runs rough.

The biggest problem was, but in conjunction with the Internet Explorer (9), configurable products, and this collection. Was selected Lightbox, could not be more configurable products into your cart and stuck. This was of course (It may be a temporary problem in the IE or the collection or not) unacceptable and so we looked around further and found a candidate number 3.

3. The collection of “MagentoPsycho” (in the back end has he / she is then “MagentoPycho” 😉 called clerical error? Addendum dated 15.08.2011 This has now been fixed.). This builds on the widely used open on jQuery technology and offers only a quick installation of Magento on THREE different lightbox variants, which are convenient to administer than the back end in the usual way.

To put it directly in advance: The problems with IE 9 were fixed directly.

Can be done depending on the store view settings In this lightbox. Sizes of the images can be defined, Magento zoom de-/activate and then choose between the three display options.

FancyBox: The front end is very positive on, that the images seem to come directly from the thumbnails. A very nice magnification effect. With an enormous number of settings in the backend of the design is almost no possibility of a limit. Transparency and transitions are so e.g.. well-adjusted. The main background color is set to increase.Similar to the IG, this collection a small collection “Close Cross” in the upper right corner, which here is black and a little more elegant but. If the mouse is not just about the picture, We only see this. On mouse-over is a little right or left arrow to the next or previous image displayed. There is a point deduction for missing picture description / Product Name. There is no further information.

PrioBox: This can be adjusted in the backend considerably less. It is very positive terms-clearly held. But for our purposes, fully sufficient.
In the frontend, this collection also significantly leaner than the Fancybox. No “Elastic Effect” So a lifting up of the image from the thumbnail, etc.. It is rather simple.

The background is dark but not covered do, Closing Cross is in the image and does not depend on the arrows to navigate and are always visible (elegant) and thus is a clear and unambiguous navigation for the user possible.
There is a big plus point for the display of the image description, here it is. But it will not appear until, if you move the mouse over the image, is not in the consideration of the way.

There is also a small icon in the toolbar name, which allows for full screen magnification in a new window. Also a useful extension.
It's a small point deduction for “X of Y” in the same row. This would be a backend definition “X von Y” been nice.

Lightbox Clone: This is very similar to the master template collection (As the name suggests,). It can again be defined, whether it “Image X of Y” or “Photo X of Y” mean and background color, Transparency and speed can be defined. So very clearly.

In the whole front end looks like, As with the LightBox of templates and master. However, what stands out negatively: The navigation is not as intuitive. There are no “NEXT”, “PREV” or “CLOSE” Buttons displayed and otherwise it looks like the slimmed down version of the above. Lightbox aus. The name or description will be displayed just the frame number and. That was it, but also.

Fazit: Our recommendation goes to the last extension. Here you have the choice between three well-functioning lightboxes, which are versatile editable. Our favorite is the PiroBox, because they very clearly, for the user to navigate quickly and is.

This is an older article, it also HERE

Second and third place is shared by the other two extensions. Actually, there is no losing in this comparison, but only a subjective- Winner. It is also reported, that the latter Extenion under Magento 1.5 to run. This time I will resubmit, when we recorded it.

Until then, enjoy Enlighten!