FAQ

Lychee is not working

If Lychee is not working properly, try to open plugins/Diagnostics/index.php. This script will display all errors it can find.

What do I need to run Lychee on my server?

To run Lychee, everything you need is a web-server with PHP 5.5 or later and a MySQL-Database.

I can't upload photos

If you experience problems uploading large photos, you might want to change the PHP parameters in .htaccess (if you are using the PHP Apache module) or in .user.ini (if you are using PHP >= 5.5 with CGI or FastCGI).

If possible, change these settings directly in your php.ini. We recommend to increase the values of the following properties:

max_execution_time = 200
post_max_size = 100M
upload_max_size = 100M
upload_max_filesize = 20M
memory_limit = 256M

Which browsers are supported?

Lychee supports the latest versions of Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Make sure you are always running the newest version.

Which image file formats are supported?

You can upload *.png, *.jpeg and *.gif photos.

What is new?

Take a look at the Changelog to see what's new.

Where can I easily contact the LycheeOrg organization ?

There is a gitter associated with the project, feel free to join us there: https://gitter.im/LycheeOrg/Lobby

How can I set thumbnails for my albums?

Thumbnails are chosen automatically by the photos you have starred and in the order you uploaded them. Star a photo inside an album to set it as a thumbnail.

How can I backup my installation?

To backup your Lychee installation you need to do the following steps:

1. Create a copy of the whole Lychee folder
2. Run the following MySQL Queries:

CREATE TABLE lychee_albums_backup LIKE lychee_albums;
INSERT INTO lychee_albums_backup SELECT * FROM lychee_albums;
CREATE TABLE lychee_photos_backup LIKE lychee_photos;
INSERT INTO lychee_photos_backup SELECT * FROM lychee_photos;
CREATE TABLE lychee_settings_backup LIKE lychee_settings;
INSERT INTO lychee_settings_backup SELECT * FROM lychee_settings;

How can I move my installation?

To move your Lychee installation, you need to do the following steps.

1. Copy /var/www/html/Lychee into new host
2. Dump MySQL Lychee database into a file:

mysqldump -u user -p Lychee > lychee_backup.sql

Replace user by your database username. 3. Restore the database on the new host:

mysql -u user -p Lychee < lychee_backup.sql

Can I use my existing folder-structure?

No. Lychee has it's own folder-structure and database. Please upload or import all your photos to use them.

Can I upload videos?

Yes, but you will need to change this property for a bigger value:

upload_max_filesize = 20M

Why don't my videos have thumbnails?

You will need ffmpeg installed on your server, and to have installed php-ffmpeg using composer as detailed in the Installation Guide.

If you are still having problems, check your Lychee log. If you are still getting a Could not create thumbnail for video because FFMPEG is not available. error, you may need to specify the location of your ffmpeg and ffprobe binaries. In php/Modules/Photo.php replace

$ffprobe = FFMpeg\FFProbe::create();
$ffmpeg = FFMpeg\FFMpeg::create();

with

$ffprobe = FFMpeg\FFProbe::create(array(
        'ffmpeg.binaries'  => '/usr/bin/ffmpeg',
        'ffprobe.binaries' => '/usr/bin/ffprobe',
$ffmpeg = FFMpeg\FFMpeg::create(array(
        'ffmpeg.binaries'  => '/usr/bin/ffmpeg',
        'ffprobe.binaries' => '/usr/bin/ffprobe',
));

using your correct binary locations. If unsure, you can try running which ffmpeg on the server.

Is it possible to create multiple users?

No, not yet. and here

Does Lychee use ImageMagick?

Yes. Lychee uses ImageMagick when available.

Blank screen when viewing a photo using iOS

There's a problem with images compressed by ImageOptim. Read more.

How to change the title of the site?

changing the title should do the job.

How to reset username and password?

Simply delete the whole lychee_settings table from the database. Lychee will regenerate it and ask you to enter a new username and password.

How to hide smart albums?

In index.html add the following lines:

<style>
[data-id="0"] { display:none; }
[data-id="s"] { display:none; }
[data-id="f"] { display:none; }
[data-id="r"] { display:none; }
 </style>