Can I create a portfolio slideshow using custom thumbnails?

Question

Hi. After searching the forums and watching several Lynda tutorials, I can't seem find an answer to my specific question. I'm creating a new portfolio website for myself and for the actual portfolio page, I went ahead and created custom thumbnails for each of the pieces I want to display and gave them all the same rollover state (see the screen capture image below of how I'd like them to look when hovered over).
I was expecting to be able to use them as a trigger to get a pop-up slideshow, but it appears the only way to do so in Muse is by using one of the pre-existing widgets. I know you can customize the widgets, but I don't see any way I can use the custom thumbnails I already created. Am I overlooking something or can this simply not be done in Muse and I have to change my thumbnail layout to match what the widgets allow?
And for a secondary question, my portfolio images are all different sizes (depending on the type of design, of course). Do any of the widgets in Muse have the ability to change their size and shape based on the image? Or do I have to make all of the images fit into the same size window?
Thank you!

Answer 1

sebrame Thanks for pointing out the compsition widget! I was able to make the gallery with it, without moving my project to dreamweaver! I don't know about your slideshow widget, but for me it doesn't let me to make the triggers different sizes. If you resize one thumbnail, it will resize all of them at the same time. :/
RimVai wrote:
@sebrame - I'm aware that it's possible with a composition, but adding about 200 images in my case would be very time consuming compared to if the functionality was readily available in the gallery widget..?
RimVai Yeah, last week I actually made it with the composition widget - which was truly more time consuming than the slideshow > lightbox widget. But there're actually some little presets making it just a bit less hard with compositions. (You just have to be extra careful when adding the images.)
You may know these already, but I write them here in case someone who doesn't know happens to read this thread.
You don't need to add all 200 thumbnails one by one. Just place the composition widget, and then use the "place" tool to add all your images. Click the very first thumbnail box with the place tool: Muse will automatically add all 200 pictures into separate 200 thumbnails that you'll then be able to rezise and move around. The order of the pictures (without broking the link between the lightbox picture and the thumbnail) can be changed after adding the lighbox pictures, by moving the thumbnail object to front or behind within the widget.
While adding the lightbox image, make 100% sure that you are in the lighbox page of the very first thumbnail, then use the "place" tool again and click the box that should be holding the content of the first thumbnail. It will again place all 200 pictures into the separate lighbox "pages" or whatever they are called. If you were in the box of the first thumbnail, the pictures will now  be in order, and linked to their correct thumbnails.
I agree, the composition is much more inconvinient to use than the slideshow widget, but in my case I really needed different size thumbnails for my gallery. So for me it was worth the work, I guess. The best thing Muse developer team could do with this, would be to enable the different size thumbnails with slideshow widget as well, but before that happens this was the best option for me.