Could you design a page that loaded the images into a container dynamically via thumbnails using a little javascript. The J-Query and Mootools JS library are excellent starting points.

Thanks but i've been there, i don't want to load them into a container, i want to load them into a new browser window so that there's no other content on the page but the full size image. My goal is to reuse the window in a way that i don't need to create a html page for each image.
Js frameworks can do a lot of tricks but not this.

What about using a server side delivery then? then you don't have to create separate HTML pages. You could do it from a database using php and MySQL for example.

I'd try as hard as possible to keep the content within the same browser if you can. It's considered a less invasive and more useable approach. Do requirements specify that you have to have the content load in a new window?

Could you not design a simple gallery that had very little other than the Image...

Unfortunately the site structure doesn't allow that. The full size images are way too big {460x700} and even those are downscaled, i was going to use 600x800 first. Users with lower screen resolution need to scroll down a bit to see the whole img. (My stats say 1024x768 is still over 50% which is sad but i can't just ignore it.)
I usually go for the cleanest and simplest solution, i'm sort of content-oriented. I think my visitors are too. So i wasn't going to open a new window, i'd load the img into the existing window but the file name would be somehow passed as variable. Being a designer myself, i'm plain stupid to server side scripting.

snip

I know 90% of the competition use lightbox or its clones but i'd rather not. Anyway, thanks for your suggestions.

No personal links please. see the TOS [webmasterworld.com]

[edited by: limbo at 11:21 am (utc) on June 9, 2008]

Can you allude to the content type? Are you selling the images? are they part of a portfolio?

It might help to know to work out the best route.

As you say it's worth considering the lowest common denominator for image size - best to try and keep the image above the fold without scrolling, if at all possible.

I'm a designer myself and tend to use Content Management Systems to deliver content like galleries. Have you considered that route so you don't have to learn too much in the way of server side coding?