I recognize that uploads in browser are historically a pain: no progress bars, the lack of ability to do bulk uploads or entire directory uploads are some of the biggest issues. However, recently I've stumbled upon a reasonable solution for this, and one that could be fairly easily added to zen photo: using flash to upload. Google has a great one off the shelf:
http://code.google.com/p/swfupload/

Any thought to having this as an option? I'd love to give zen photo to my clients on their sites, but having a 1:1 image file to file input is maddening. FTP (or zipping files up as an upload, which a lot of other galleries do) don't suffer from this issue, but also require the users to be more tech savy. Any thoughts? I haven't spent a lot of time looking at the plugin api, but could this be a plugin?

I am not sure if you know that you can upload .zip-files via the admin backend and you of course can use ftp, too

I am afraid that this won't work as a plugin. But maybe you could use it as a standalone script for now. Just upload it to the albums folder of zenphoto. Zenphoto is file system based so it will find every image that is uploaded there from where ever and with whatever.

Does that help? Anyway, I will take a close look at it.

I just installed the script! Amazing work guys!!!!

Was looking for a flash uploader and came across this.

What is the status of it?

It has no priority because you already can upload via ftp.

@acrylian I have to kindly disagree. FTP is not always a valid option. Neither is SCP.

Having an additional upload method using a non-obtrusive flash-based file upload such as swfupload would save a lot of time for users stuck in internet cafés, or behind a restrictive firewall. I'd even dare to say that it'd be way friendlier to non savvy users, who probably think FTP is the name of a government agency.

We are a very small team so we have to set priorities and a flash uploader is currently not one of mine. But you could of course open a ticket for it.

Yeah I agree that there should be a bulk uploader. I plan on opening mine up so other people can upload images but those people won't have access to FTP. It is kind of a pain having to choose a file then go on to the next and choose another file.

You already can upload several files at once... Perhaps that one linked above will now work this time for me since it has been updated. Anyway please open a ticket.

What do you mean that you can upload several files at once? The only way I see is to click browse and choose one file at a time. I would like something where I can choose a bunch of files at one time and them all uploaded.

The admin upload will allow you to select multiple files to upload. Initially you get upload boxes for 5 images, but you can add more boxes (probably indefinately) by clicking on the link that reads + Add more upload boxes (won't reload the page, but remember your upload limits!). Of course, the size of the upload is restricted by your server configuration.

Of course you have to select each file. Maybe what you are really talking about is being alble to have a multi-file select on the upload?

@mlbarnes: You also can upload .zip files with several images. Anyway, I am already working on a multi-file select upload alternative (even without an opened ticket...).

I've setup several zenphoto albums for friends and family, however they tend not to actually keep them up to date and add new photos. I think it is because it iss too complicated for non-computer people to use FTP or zip up the files.

I've been hoping that a multi-file select option would be added to the admin to make it easy to upload a bunch of files for those users who want things simple. I should have created a ticket a long time ago, instead of just hoping.

@acrylian: I created a ticket in trac and assigned it to you. If you could add something like this it would be super awesome.

ticket: http://www.zenphoto.org/trac/ticket/1112

I think Photostack has a Flash bulk uploader built in. Maybe its worth checking this out, afaik it is a freeware solution.

Since 1.2.5 we have a flash uploader...