The portfolio list is the theme's real centre of gravity
Elated's feature list spends more detail on how a body of work is browsed than on anything else. Portfolio lists can carry a category filter, so a visitor narrows a large archive without leaving the page, and they can end in one of three ways: standard pagination, a Load More button, or infinite scroll. Those are alternatives, not layers. Load More gives a visitor a stopping point and a sense of how much is left; infinite scroll keeps the run continuous but hides its own length.
One list variant scrolls horizontally instead of vertically, which changes the page's rhythm — movement happens sideways, and the work itself becomes the navigation. The vendor pairs this with named arrangements (Gallery, Scattered, Masonry) and adjustable hover types, so the same archive can read as an even grid or a deliberately uneven composition.
Two shortcodes that put the image in charge
Sahel ships an Interactive Link Showcase shortcode and a Swipping Image Gallery shortcode (the vendor's spelling). These are presentation pieces rather than content tools. An interactive link showcase makes the image itself the clickable element rather than a caption or button beneath it, which is the pattern portfolio sites use when the thumbnail is meant to be the entry point. The swiping gallery moves through images on a horizontal gesture — the same motion as the scrolling list, so browsing and viewing feel related rather than two different interfaces.
Because both come from the theme, restyling them runs through Sahel's own options and shortcode settings, not a general block library.
Five ways to present a single project
The vendor lists Gallery, Slider, Images, Masonry and Full Width Images as single-project layouts, and separately notes that custom templates can be built for portfolio singles. These are defined by how media is treated rather than by editorial structure, so the choice usually follows the work in front of you: a photographed series suits a slider or a masonry run, while a campaign that lives in one wide frame wants full width.
Lightbox support covers portfolio images and videos, which lets a project page stay quiet and expand material on click. Related post categories are also handled on single portfolio pages — a fix recorded in the changelog for version 2.1.
WPBakery is stated as included; Elementor is offered as well
The vendor states that WPBakery Page Builder and Slider Revolution are included with the theme, with its own valuations of $64 and $85. Those are the vendor's figures, not a measured discount. Elementor compatibility is declared too, and the changelog dates it: version 2.0, May 2021, adds Elementor support along with the Qi Addons for Elementor plugin.
So there is a genuine choice of canvas. The distinction that matters is where the theme's own elements live. Shortcodes such as the scrolling portfolio list and the interactive link showcase are Sahel's, and they are placed differently depending on which builder you use. Pick one builder before building pages, since a page composed in one does not carry its layout into the other.
Social feed widgets: read the changelog, not the feature list
The supplied description contradicts itself, and the contradiction affects planning. The feature list names an Instagram Feed Widget and a Twitter Feed Widget, while the changelog for version 2.2 records that the Twitter and Instagram plugins were removed because of Instagram API changes. Treat the changelog as current: if a live social wall is part of your plan, arrange it through a separate feed plugin rather than assuming those widgets ship working.
The changelog carries other signals. Version 2.3 added WooCommerce 10.x.x compatibility and version 2.2 added PHP 8.3 support, which indicates what the vendor last worked against. It does not guarantee your own plugin set behaves the same way.
Chrome and character: headers, one-page anchors, a passepartout frame
Headers come in three types — Standard, Vertical and Minimal — with three behaviours (sticky, sticky on scroll up, fixed). A vertical header frees horizontal room for wide imagery. Separate mobile header styling, a mobile logo size control and multiple logo versions for sticky and mobile states mean the mark can be adjusted per context instead of cropped.
The One Page option with anchor functionality suits a freelancer or small agency whose site is essentially one long pitch, linking between sections rather than loading pages. Blog layouts repeat the portfolio's vocabulary in simpler form — Masonry, Standard and Centered, with list and slider shortcodes and post formats for Audio, Video, Standard, Gallery, Link and Quote.
Two details give the theme its manner: an optional passepartout border framing the whole site, which is a framing device rather than a neutral default, and an extensive typography scale the vendor describes as 1000+ Google Fonts with six icon font packs. A child theme is included. Note also that the vendor states plainly that the demo images are not licensed for reuse — they are presentational only, so every one has to be replaced with your own photography or licensed stock.
Questions & answers
Do I need WPBakery to use Sahel's portfolio elements?
The portfolio, gallery and showcase elements come from the theme itself, and WPBakery Page Builder is stated as included in the purchase. Elementor compatibility is declared as well. Which canvas you place those elements on is your choice; what you should avoid is mixing both builders across one site.
Does Sahel still include Instagram and Twitter feed widgets?
The feature list names both, but the changelog for version 2.2 records their removal because of Instagram API changes. The changelog is the more recent statement, so plan on supplying a social feed through a separate plugin.
Can I keep the demo photography from Sahel's live preview?
No. The vendor states it does not own the copyright in the demonstration images and that they cannot be used on your site without a licence bought from a stock image source. The demos exist to preview layouts.
