WordPress 3.5 is planned to launch around December 5th. One of the biggest changes coming with this release is the updated media work flow. We’re very excited about this change as it will make working with images and files easier. So what exactly has changed from the prior versions? Let’s take a look…
Media Library Tab
Initially, not much has changed. Some buttons have been made square and that’s about it.
WordPress 3.4 Media Tab - Full View
WordPress 3.5 Media Tab - Full View
The upload new media page hasn’t changed either. The same handy-to-use drag and drop area is presented as well as the option to select files directly from your computer using the Select Files button. One page that has had some changes made to it is the edit media page.
WordPress 3.4 Upload Media Screen - Full View
WordPress 3.5 Upload Media Screen - Full View
One of the first things you’ll notice is that you are presented with a much larger preview of the image. There’s also a new “View attachment page” button which will take you to the attachments post. The edit image interface hasn’t changed and is identical to 3.4. The caption and alternate text fields still exist in 3.5 but are now styled differently and are within the “Attachment page content” box. The description textbox has been replaced with a barebones wysiwyg editor. Lastly the “update” button has been moved to the right hand side and a “delete permanently” button has been added. Overall, not much has changed here but the larger preview, wysiwyg editor, and the added delete permanently button are all nice additions to the edit media screen.
From the Edit Post/Page Screen
Next we’ll take a look at uploading/inserting media from a post/page. What’s changed? In the 3.5 beta they kept the old “upload/Insert” link but have added a new “Beta media” button.
WordPress 3.5 Beta media Button - Full View
When the final 3.5 version is released the “Beta Media” button will replace the old “upload/insert” link. Clicking the beta media button reveals an entirely new interface.
WordPress 3.5 Insert media - Full View
Wow, quite a big change here. The drag and drop and select files button have been moved over to the left, the from computer, from URL, and media library tabs have been removed, and we’re instantly presented with previews of the images we’ve uploaded and the search media box is located at the top right.
Inserting Into the Page/Post
Inserting images into your post or page is even easier than before! Clicking on a preview image in the insert media screen reveals the media toolbar (appears at the top of the insert media window).
WordPress 3.5 Media Toolbar - Full View
From the media toolbar clicking the blue “insert into post” down arrow will reveal a couple of display options.
WordPress 3.5 Media Toolbar Display Options - Full View
Selecting more than one photo will allow you to insert the photos as a gallery using a “create a new gallery” button
Final Thoughts
Overall we’re really excited about the changes coming to the media workflow. The new insert media makes it a breeze to insert photos into posts. Less tabs, and clutter means you can focus on creating content!