Earlier today Flickr launched their latest feature: Galleries. Galleries allow you to be a virtual curator, selecting up to 18 photos to add to an exhibit of sorts on your Flickrstream. To get a sense of what I mean, you can check out the first gallery I built myself here: Motel America. I also made a second gallery highlighting 18 recent favorite photos of mine from DMU’s Lightbox. You can check that gallery out here. Galleries seem like a really interesting way to let you showcase some of the most interesting content that you find on Flickr. While Flickr already has faves, you might think of galleries more as super faves. Photos that you like so much, or built around a theme that you like so much, that you’ve decided to dedicate a special place in your photostream to it. I really like this latest addition and am glad to see Flickr offer it. I hope that lots of people on Flickr take advantage of it. I know that I plan on building quite a few galleries over time. - Thomas Hawk

I understand the 18-image/video limit, but I wish there were a way to gather shots from group events like family outings or weddings better. I thought this might have been it at first, but no. At least Flickr is working on new social stuff that draws from the collective strength it gets from having a lot of people share images. - Stephen Shankland

Photos that Flickr or a user on Flickr designates "moderate" or "restricted" cannot be put into galleries. - Thomas Hawk

Stephen, that feature would seem to make sense. It would also seem to make sense, using your example, to be able to include your own photos in a gallery, something that can't be done today. Maybe flickr should consider allowing more than 18 photos and the ability to include your own photos as well as a premium feature for Pro accounts. I'm not sure I understand the 18 photo limit entirely myself as most of the recent shows I've been to (Robert Frank, Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Lee Friedlander, etc.) all included much more than 18 photos in them. - Thomas Hawk

I do think though that curating is a terribly important thing and am pleased to see Flickr build a feature that emphasizes this. If anyone ever wants to see an amazing documentary on one of century's greatest curators, Alfred Stieglitz, check out this one out: http://www.netflix.com/Movie... - Thomas Hawk

I wonder if Flickr will allow you to use some variation of a gallery as your main photo layout. I'd like the option to feature certain pictures on the first page of my photo stream but there's no real way to do that now. - The original Kevin

Kevin, as of now you can't include your own photos in any gallery. Personally I think a good option would be for Flickr to offer larger galleries than 18 photos (maybe up to 100 or 200 or even unlimited?) and allow you to include your own photos as a premium feature for paid Pro users. - Thomas Hawk

I really wish Flickr would take down the wall between our photos and our friends. They need to give us the ability to treat our own photos the same way we treat others, to favorite them and add them to galeries. It isn't right that I have to go to favorites to see my friends photo's and then my own sets to see my own. Other than that I can't wail to play with galleries when I get home. - ChiliMac

One more issue I just found. You cannot add to a gallery from your favorites slide show. They'll have to add that. - ChiliMac

they should let you fave galleries as well as view galleries made by your contacts/friends/family. - Thomas Hawk