diff --git a/assets/views/admin/catalog/product_form.html b/assets/views/admin/catalog/product_form.html
index 3eeae61..bd02266 100644
--- a/assets/views/admin/catalog/product_form.html
+++ b/assets/views/admin/catalog/product_form.html
@@ -127,62 +127,71 @@
   </div>
 
   {# --- Images gallery ------------------------------------------------------- #}
-  {# Existing images are reorderable (drag) and removable; the kept set is          #}
-  {# submitted in order as repeated `existing_images` ids. New uploads accumulate    #}
-  {# across separate "Add images" clicks into a DataTransfer that backs the hidden   #}
-  {# `image` input (a native file input would otherwise replace its selection on     #}
-  {# every pick); the controller stores and appends them after the kept images.      #}
+  {# Unified drag-orderable gallery: existing images (with id) and new uploads       #}
+  {# (placeholder blobs) live in a single list. The full order is submitted as        #}
+  {# repeated `image_order` fields — an integer id for kept images or `new` for       #}
+  {# each uploaded file. The DataTransfer backing the hidden `image` file input       #}
+  {# is rebuilt after every reorder / add / remove so the file-part order matches     #}
+  {# the relative order of `new` slots in `image_order`.                              #}
   <script id="images-data" type="application/json">{% if product %}{{ product.images | json_encode() | safe }}{% else %}[]{% endif %}</script>
   <div class="space-y-2" x-data="{
-        images: JSON.parse(document.getElementById('images-data').textContent),
-        staged: [],
+        init() {
+          const existing = JSON.parse(document.getElementById('images-data').textContent);
+          this.items = existing.map(im => ({ type: 'existing', id: im.id, image_id: im.image_id }));
+        },
+        items: [],
         dt: new DataTransfer(),
         dragIndex: null,
+
+        rebuildDt() {
+          this.dt = new DataTransfer();
+          for (const it of this.items) {
+            if (it.type === 'new') this.dt.items.add(it.file);
+          }
+          this.$refs.holder.files = this.dt.files;
+        },
+
         onDrop(i) {
           if (this.dragIndex === null || this.dragIndex === i) { this.dragIndex = null; return; }
-          this.images.splice(i, 0, this.images.splice(this.dragIndex, 1)[0]);
+          this.items.splice(i, 0, this.items.splice(this.dragIndex, 1)[0]);
           this.dragIndex = null;
+          this.rebuildDt();
         },
+
         addFiles(e) {
-          for (const f of e.target.files) { this.dt.items.add(f); this.staged.push({ url: URL.createObjectURL(f) }); }
-          this.$refs.holder.files = this.dt.files;
+          for (const f of e.target.files) {
+            this.items.push({ type: 'new', file: f, url: URL.createObjectURL(f) });
+          }
+          this.rebuildDt();
           e.target.value = '';
         },
-        removeStaged(i) {
-          this.dt.items.remove(i);
-          URL.revokeObjectURL(this.staged[i].url);
-          this.staged.splice(i, 1);
-          this.$refs.holder.files = this.dt.files;
+
+        remove(i) {
+          const it = this.items[i];
+          if (it.type === 'new') URL.revokeObjectURL(it.url);
+          this.items.splice(i, 1);
+          this.rebuildDt();
         },
       }">
     <span class="text-sm font-medium text-on-surface-strong dark:text-on-surface-dark-strong">{{ t(key="images", lang=lang | default(value='sk')) }}</span>
     <p class="{{ sublabel }}">{{ t(key="gallery-hint", lang=lang | default(value='sk')) }}</p>
 
-    <div class="flex flex-wrap gap-3" x-show="images.length || staged.length">
-      <template x-for="(im, i) in images" :key="im.id">
+    <div class="flex flex-wrap gap-3" x-show="items.length">
+      <template x-for="(it, i) in items" :key="it.type === 'existing' ? it.id : it.url">
         <div draggable="true"
           @dragstart="dragIndex = i"
           @dragover.prevent
           @drop.prevent="onDrop(i)"
           :class="dragIndex === i ? 'opacity-50' : ''"
           class="group relative size-24 cursor-move overflow-hidden rounded-radius border border-outline dark:border-outline-dark">
-          <input type="hidden" name="existing_images" :value="im.id">
-          <img :src="`/images/${im.image_id}`" alt="" class="size-full object-cover">
+
+          <input type="hidden" name="image_order" :value="it.type === 'existing' ? it.id : 'new'">
+
+          <img :src="it.type === 'existing' ? `/images/${it.image_id}` : it.url" alt="" class="size-full object-cover">
+
           <span x-show="i === 0"
             class="absolute left-1 top-1 rounded-radius bg-primary px-1.5 py-0.5 text-[10px] font-semibold text-on-primary dark:bg-primary-dark dark:text-on-primary-dark">{{ t(key="main-image", lang=lang | default(value='sk')) }}</span>
-          <button type="button" @click="images.splice(i, 1)"
-            class="absolute right-1 top-1 flex size-5 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-surface/70 text-xs text-danger opacity-0 transition group-hover:opacity-100 dark:bg-surface-dark/70"
-            title="{{ t(key='delete', lang=lang | default(value='sk')) }}">✕</button>
-        </div>
-      </template>
-
-      {# Newly staged uploads (not yet saved): previews + remove. #}
-      <template x-for="(f, i) in staged" :key="f.url">
-        <div class="group relative size-24 overflow-hidden rounded-radius border border-dashed border-outline dark:border-outline-dark">
-          <img :src="f.url" alt="" class="size-full object-cover">
-          <span x-show="images.length === 0 && i === 0"
-            class="absolute left-1 top-1 rounded-radius bg-primary px-1.5 py-0.5 text-[10px] font-semibold text-on-primary dark:bg-primary-dark dark:text-on-primary-dark">{{ t(key="main-image", lang=lang | default(value='sk')) }}</span>
-          <button type="button" @click="removeStaged(i)"
+          <button type="button" @click="remove(i)"
             class="absolute right-1 top-1 flex size-5 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-surface/70 text-xs text-danger opacity-0 transition group-hover:opacity-100 dark:bg-surface-dark/70"
             title="{{ t(key='delete', lang=lang | default(value='sk')) }}">✕</button>
         </div>
diff --git a/src/controllers/admin_form.rs b/src/controllers/admin_form.rs
index 0def3bd..124ee44 100644
--- a/src/controllers/admin_form.rs
+++ b/src/controllers/admin_form.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@
 //! Both forms submit a mix of text fields and `image` file part(s); this
 //! collects them into an easy-to-query [`MultipartForm`] and stores any
 //! uploaded image through the configured storage driver. The product form can
-//! upload several images at once and submits the ids of the existing images it
-//! keeps (in display order) as repeated `existing_images` fields.
+//! upload several images at once and submits a unified gallery order as
+//! repeated `image_order` fields — each either an existing image's id or the
+//! literal `new` (a placeholder consumed, in order, from the uploaded files).
 
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
@@ -20,15 +21,24 @@ fn normalize_empty(value: Option<String>) -> Option<String> {
     })
 }
 
+/// One slot in the unified gallery order submitted by the product form.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub(crate) enum ImageSlot {
+    /// An existing image kept in the gallery.
+    Existing(i32),
+    /// A placeholder for one newly-uploaded file, consumed from [`MultipartForm::images`]
+    /// in the order these slots appear.
+    New,
+}
+
 /// Collected multipart form: text fields keyed by name, the raw bytes of every
 /// `image` file part uploaded (empty file inputs are ignored, submission order
-/// preserved), and the ids of the existing images the form kept, in the display
-/// order it submitted them (`existing_images`, repeated — drives reorder and
-/// delete on the edit form).
+/// preserved), and the full gallery order as repeated `image_order` fields —
+/// each either an existing image's id or the literal `new`.
 pub(crate) struct MultipartForm {
     fields: HashMap<String, String>,
     pub(crate) images: Vec<Vec<u8>>,
-    pub(crate) kept_image_ids: Vec<i32>,
+    pub(crate) image_order: Vec<ImageSlot>,
 }
 
 impl MultipartForm {
@@ -72,7 +82,7 @@ impl MultipartForm {
 pub(crate) async fn read_multipart_form(mut multipart: Multipart) -> Result<MultipartForm> {
     let mut fields = HashMap::new();
     let mut images = Vec::new();
-    let mut kept_image_ids = Vec::new();
+    let mut image_order = Vec::new();
 
     while let Some(mut field) = multipart
         .next_field()
@@ -99,13 +109,16 @@ pub(crate) async fn read_multipart_form(mut multipart: Multipart) -> Result<Mult
             if !data.is_empty() {
                 images.push(data);
             }
-        } else if name == "existing_images" {
+        } else if name == "image_order" {
             let value = field
                 .text()
                 .await
                 .map_err(|err| Error::BadRequest(format!("invalid multipart field: {err}")))?;
-            if let Ok(id) = value.trim().parse::<i32>() {
-                kept_image_ids.push(id);
+            let trimmed = value.trim();
+            if trimmed == "new" {
+                image_order.push(ImageSlot::New);
+            } else if let Ok(id) = trimmed.parse::<i32>() {
+                image_order.push(ImageSlot::Existing(id));
             }
         } else {
             let value = field
@@ -119,7 +132,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn read_multipart_form(mut multipart: Multipart) -> Result<Mult
     Ok(MultipartForm {
         fields,
         images,
-        kept_image_ids,
+        image_order,
     })
 }
 
diff --git a/src/controllers/admin_products.rs b/src/controllers/admin_products.rs
index 66b8fc0..46882ec 100644
--- a/src/controllers/admin_products.rs
+++ b/src/controllers/admin_products.rs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ use serde_json::json;
 
 use crate::{
     controllers::{
-        admin_form::{read_multipart_form, store_image, MultipartForm},
+        admin_form::{read_multipart_form, store_image, ImageSlot, MultipartForm},
         i18n::current_lang,
         media::IMAGE_MAX_BYTES,
     },
@@ -458,27 +458,35 @@ async fn create(
     .insert(&txn)
     .await?;
     sync_variants(&txn, product.id, &variants).await?;
-    sync_images(&ctx, &txn, product.id, &form.kept_image_ids, &form.images).await?;
+    sync_images(&ctx, &txn, product.id, &form.image_order, &form.images).await?;
     txn.commit().await?;
 
     format::redirect("/admin/catalog/products")
 }
 
-/// Reconcile a product's images inside `txn` with the submitted form: keep the
-/// existing images named in `kept_ids`, re-numbering their positions to that
-/// order (first = main); delete any existing image no longer named; then store
-/// and append the freshly uploaded `new_images` after the kept ones.
+/// Reconcile a product's images inside `txn` with the submitted unified
+/// `image_order`: for each [`ImageSlot::Existing`] entry re-number the
+/// corresponding image to its slot position; for each [`ImageSlot::New`]
+/// consume the next freshly uploaded file from `new_images`, storing and
+/// inserting it at that position. Any existing image not referenced in
+/// `image_order` is deleted.
 async fn sync_images<C: ConnectionTrait>(
     ctx: &AppContext,
     txn: &C,
     product_id: i32,
-    kept_ids: &[i32],
+    image_order: &[ImageSlot],
     new_images: &[Vec<u8>],
 ) -> Result<()> {
     let existing = product_images::for_product(txn, product_id).await?;
     let by_id: HashMap<i32, product_images::Model> =
         existing.iter().map(|m| (m.id, m.clone())).collect();
-    let keep: HashSet<i32> = kept_ids.iter().copied().collect();
+    let keep: HashSet<i32> = image_order
+        .iter()
+        .filter_map(|slot| match slot {
+            ImageSlot::Existing(id) => Some(*id),
+            ImageSlot::New => None,
+        })
+        .collect();
 
     for image in &existing {
         if !keep.contains(&image.id) {
@@ -486,29 +494,32 @@ async fn sync_images<C: ConnectionTrait>(
         }
     }
 
-    // Re-number the kept images to their submitted order. Ids that no longer
-    // exist (a stale form) are simply skipped.
+    let mut new_iter = new_images.iter();
     let mut position = 0i32;
-    for id in kept_ids {
-        if let Some(model) = by_id.get(id) {
-            let mut active = model.clone().into_active_model();
-            active.position = Set(position);
-            active.update(txn).await?;
-            position += 1;
+    for slot in image_order {
+        match slot {
+            ImageSlot::Existing(id) => {
+                if let Some(model) = by_id.get(id) {
+                    let mut active = model.clone().into_active_model();
+                    active.position = Set(position);
+                    active.update(txn).await?;
+                }
+            }
+            ImageSlot::New => {
+                if let Some(data) = new_iter.next() {
+                    let filename = store_image(ctx, data.clone()).await?;
+                    product_images::ActiveModel {
+                        product_id: Set(product_id),
+                        image_id: Set(filename),
+                        position: Set(position),
+                        alt: Set(None),
+                        ..Default::default()
+                    }
+                    .insert(txn)
+                    .await?;
+                }
+            }
         }
-    }
-
-    for data in new_images {
-        let filename = store_image(ctx, data.clone()).await?;
-        product_images::ActiveModel {
-            product_id: Set(product_id),
-            image_id: Set(filename),
-            position: Set(position),
-            alt: Set(None),
-            ..Default::default()
-        }
-        .insert(txn)
-        .await?;
         position += 1;
     }
     Ok(())
@@ -561,7 +572,7 @@ async fn update(
     }
     product.update(&txn).await?;
     sync_variants(&txn, id, &variants).await?;
-    sync_images(&ctx, &txn, id, &form.kept_image_ids, &form.images).await?;
+    sync_images(&ctx, &txn, id, &form.image_order, &form.images).await?;
     txn.commit().await?;
 
     format::redirect("/admin/catalog/products")