Download and install the module into the /moodle/mod/ directory and visit the Notifications page. Check global settings, but avoid diverging from defaults unless you have a specific reason.

The Lightbox Gallery reads images out of a directory, so before you add it, you will have to create a directory and upload images to it.

Click on Files in the Administration block on your course page. You will be taken to the files area for your course.

On the left of the files area, near the bottom, click on the button labeled Make a folder.

Type in an appropriate name for your folder and click on the Create button.

Your new folder should now appear in the files area. Click on the name of the folder to view the folder.

When inside the folder, click the Upload a file button. You will be shown a page where you can browse for a file on your computer and upload it. Do this for each image you wish to add to your slideshow. You will want to upload JPEG images (files with a .jpg extension).

On your course page, add a Lightbox Gallery from the Add a resource… menu.

The configuration of a Lightbox Gallery is very simple indeed. All you have to do is name it and select the directory where images are (or will be) stored. You can add a description and there are some advanced settings that can be changed, although the defaults should suit most users.

The Lightbox Gallery displays images as thumbnails. When a thumbnail is clicked the image is displayed 'floating' on the page.

With the image displayed a user can navigate forward or backward. Controls for this appear when the user moves the mouse over the top-right or top-left corners of the image respectively. Image information is displayed at the bottom. The user can close this display and return to the thumbnails.

To edit the image and its entry in the gallery, there is a button near the top-right of the page labeled Turn editing on. When clicked, the view for the teacher changes and below each image thumbnail there appears a list of properties that can be changed and actions that can alter the image. Clicking one of these takes the teacher to a new page where this can be achieved.

While editing one aspect of the image the teacher can also change other aspects or perform actions on the image by selecting the appropriate tab at the top of the page. This is quite convenient and makes good use of the PHP image libraries. It is also convenient to be able to move forward and backward through the image library, or to jump to another image by selecting its filename from the drop-down list. When changes have been made, the teacher can return to the gallery by clicking the button on the top-right of the page.

A handy feature of the Lightbox Gallery is the potential to add a new image, or a zipped collection of images. At the bottom of the gallery page is a link labeled Add image which leads to a page where image files can be uploaded. You can label and resize images as they are uploaded.

Here are some practical applications for image slideshows: