Search Plugin / Very Simple Gallery / Incl. PictureHandling

Hello,

I’ve been searching around here and elsewhere for a couple of days now, but I seem to not get lucky.

I’m searching for a plugin which would be able to do the following (or something as close as possible, I’m not afraid of a bit of hacking ?? ):

• Upload picture(s)—Maybe even ZIP+unpack
• Create Albums
• Create Thumbnails, but keep original image as well
• Add caption to the picture
• Enable me to put the pictures into posts OR
• Even better call a gallery in a certain category–template via function-call,—like so:
  show_gallery($id); and
• show the thumbnails

From this point on, I’d like to add my own JS-functionality, which loads the full-size images into a div or similar (basically like a lightbox).

I’m not experienced with writing WP-plugins and since there are already many great galleries etc. out there, I figure, that I might maybe find I starting-point.

Thanks a lot for every suggestion,
-trice