A product gallery with zoom, lightbox and video
Reel upgrades the WooCommerce single product gallery with three things shoppers expect from a modern store: hover zoom on gallery images, an accessible full-screen lightbox and a featured product video (MP4/WebM or an oEmbed URL such as YouTube or Vimeo). Everything renders server-side and is enhanced with a single small vanilla-JS file - no jQuery and no layout shift.
Works with
A product gallery sells when it works well
Shoppers want a close look at a product and to see it in motion. Galleries with heavy JavaScript often shift the layout when a preview opens and are not keyboard accessible.
- ✗ No zoom, so shoppers cannot see product detail
- ✗ Galleries with heavy JavaScript slow the product page
- ✗ Lightbox and video that shift the layout while loading (CLS)
- ✗ A preview that is not keyboard or screen-reader accessible
Reel shows the product up close and in motion
- ✓ Hover zoom on gallery images with a configurable scale, clipped to the gallery frame
- ✓ An accessible full-screen lightbox with keyboard support, closed on Escape or backdrop click
- ✓ A featured product video (self-hosted or oEmbed) in a responsive 16:9 frame
- ✓ Server-side rendering plus one small vanilla-JS file in the footer, only on the product page
What you get in the free version
Everything you need to make the product gallery fast and accessible.
Hover zoom
Gallery images magnify smoothly on hover, with a configurable scale, clipped to the gallery frame.
Accessible lightbox
Click or press Enter/Space to open an image full screen, with a focus trap and Escape or backdrop close.
Featured video
A per-product video (self-hosted MP4/WebM or oEmbed) after the gallery or before the summary, in a 16:9 frame.
Reserved space
Reserved-space markup throughout - no Cumulative Layout Shift.
No jQuery
A single small vanilla-JS file in the footer, deferred, loaded only on the product page.
Per-feature toggles
Enable hover zoom, lightbox and video independently; set the zoom scale, video position and autoplay in the settings.
Up and running in three steps
Enable zoom and the lightbox, then add a video on a test product.
Install
Activate Reel alongside WooCommerce.
Enable features
In the Reel menu, enable hover zoom, the lightbox and the featured video - each independently.
Add a video
Set the video URL in the product's _reel_video_url meta to show a featured video.
Who it is for
When the product page sells on detail and motion — without CLS or jQuery.
Fashion and lifestyle
Hover zoom on fabrics and details, a keyboard-friendly lightbox on mobile.
- ✓ Zoom clipped to frame
- ✓ Focus trap
- ✓ Product page only
Products with demo video
A featured MP4 or YouTube video in a 16:9 frame with reserved space.
- ✓ oEmbed
- ✓ Video position
- ✓ Autoplay in settings
Stores that care about CWV
One small footer script instead of a heavy gallery that shifts the layout.
- ✓ No CLS
- ✓ Vanilla JS
- ✓ Per-feature toggles
Need 360 spin and video rules? Reel PRO
FREE covers hover zoom, the lightbox and a featured video. PRO adds YouTube/Vimeo embeds and per-variation galleries today; 360 spin, autoplay rules and CDN media are planned.
- ✓ External video embeds — shipped in PRO
- ✓ Per-variation gallery — shipped in PRO
- ✓ 360 spin, autoplay rules and CDN lazy media (planned)
Support and resources
Every plugin has its own documentation with setup walkthroughs. Bugs and questions go to the public GitHub repository for that plugin — we answer in the open.
Frequently asked questions
Does it require WooCommerce?
Yes. The plugin works with WooCommerce products.
Which video sources are supported?
Self-hosted files (MP4, M4V, WebM, OGV) played with WordPress's native video player, and any oEmbed-supported URL (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), embedded automatically.
Does it use jQuery?
No. Reel ships a single small vanilla-JavaScript file, deferred and in the footer, only on the single product page.
Will it cause layout shift (CLS)?
No. The lightbox is a fixed overlay that starts hidden, the zoom transform is clipped to the gallery frame, and the video sits in a fixed-ratio frame that reserves its space before loading.
Is the lightbox accessible?
Yes. The lightbox is fully keyboard operable, traps focus on its close control, restores focus on close and dismisses on Escape or a backdrop click.
Does Reel pair with Peek and Marks?
Yes. Peek adds quick view on shop listings; Marks adds CSS badges on product cards. Reel completes the product page with zoom, lightbox and featured video.
Add a better product gallery
Hover zoom, an accessible lightbox and a featured video with reserved space. The full FREE edition under GPL.
Read the docsFREE covers zoom, lightbox and video — PRO adds 360 spin and autoplay rules.