What a client proofing gallery should accomplish
A client proofing gallery is a preview set used to choose photographs before final editing or delivery. Its job is to turn “we like these” into an identifiable list of files, with a clear deadline and an agreed next step.
Keep three things separate: your working originals, the client’s review copies, and the final deliverables. A favorite is a selection signal, not automatically permission to publish a photograph or confirmation that retouching is finished. Decide what approval means before sharing the link.
This guide covers a small portrait selection workflow. Adapt the quantities and deadlines to your agreement; a wedding documentary delivery or a commercial team review may need a different structure.
1. Decide what the client is choosing
Write down the decision in one sentence: “Choose five portraits for final retouching.” That is more useful than “Let me know what you think.” State whether the client is choosing expressions, crops, a final set, or an editing direction.
Name one person to confirm the final selection. If several people need to review, ask that person to reconcile their choices before work starts. Otherwise two individually reasonable lists can exceed the agreed scope.
Explain what a proof does not show yet. For example, the selection may have basic exposure and color adjustments but no detailed skin retouching. Do not promise that missed focus, an obscured face, or another capture problem can be fixed later.
2. Curate a set with meaningful choices
Remove accidental frames and technical failures. Keep alternatives when expression, pose, composition, or intended use genuinely differs. There is no universal percentage to discard and no ideal gallery size for every commission.
Compare similar photographs together. A headshot client may need a serious expression and a relaxed one; a product client may need front, side, and detail views. Removing every near-duplicate without considering that brief can remove a useful choice.
Use a consistent order and simple grouping where your gallery supports it. Avoid changing the set or renaming files while review is underway. If a replacement is necessary, tell the client exactly which file changed.
3. Export review copies and preserve identifiers
Keep originals and final exports outside the proof export folder. Give every review image a stable identifier that also appears in your editing workflow. Do not rely on “the third photo,” because sorting or adding images can change its position.
An illustrative naming pattern is PORTRAIT-014-proof.jpg for the preview and PORTRAIT-014-final.jpg for the delivered edit. The shared 014 identifies the same photograph. Use your own consistent naming scheme, and check what filename or identifier the recipient can actually see.
Choose preview dimensions and compression by testing the result, not by treating one JPEG quality number as a standard. Can the client judge the expression and intended crop? Does the set load comfortably on their phone? A selection preview need not be a print-ready file.
If tiny details determine the decision, provide an appropriate detail view or arrange a separate review. A small web preview is not a reliable place to approve print sharpness or subtle color matching.
4. Configure access and download settings
SendPhoto supports password-protected sharing, favorites, watermarking and download controls. Configure the controls for the actual review task and test the recipient link before sending it. Do not assume that the settings on a previous gallery were copied.
For a selection-only stage, turn off downloads if you do not want to offer the files yet. Check collection-level settings as well as the gallery setting. Download controls do not prevent screenshots or photography of the screen, and they cannot recall files someone already saved.
A password limits access to people who have it; it does not stop an authorized recipient from forwarding the credentials. Share the link and password with the intended reviewers, and agree before including sensitive photographs.
A watermark can label a preview or identify your work, but it is not a security boundary. Keep it away from details the client must evaluate. An expiry date can end a sharing window; it is not the same as deleting originals, backups, or previously downloaded copies.
5. Send instructions that match the available tools
Ask the client to mark favorites, then send a final confirmation containing the stable identifiers. Keep revision notes in an agreed channel, such as a reply to the gallery email, with the relevant identifier beside each note.
Do not promise inline image comments, automatic selection exports, a locked selection, or a notification workflow unless you have verified those functions in the system you are using. In SendPhoto, favorites can change. A separate written confirmation gives you a fixed record to work from.
Use the following as an example message, replacing the project details and dates before sending:
Your portrait proofs are ready for selection. Please favorite five photographs and reply by Friday, September 25, with their file identifiers. These are review previews, not final retouched files. Send any editing notes in your reply beside the relevant identifier. I will confirm the list and delivery date before starting final retouching.
6. Turn favorites into a confirmed editing list
Here is an illustrative handoff, not an automatic SendPhoto export: the client favorites PORTRAIT-014 and PORTRAIT-028, then emails “Please retouch 014 and 028; use the wider crop for 028.” You reply with those same identifiers, the agreed crop, and the delivery date.
Save that confirmation alongside the project. Match each identifier against the working original before editing. If the client chose two images but the package includes five, resolve the missing choices rather than assuming that their current favorites are complete.
If the favorites change after confirmation, treat the new list as a change request. Check whether editing has started, explain any effect on timing or scope, and get agreement before replacing the original list.
Keep selection approval separate from approval of the finished edit. For a project that includes another review round, label that round clearly and specify whether the client is checking the agreed retouching or requesting new work.
7. Test the recipient experience before release
Open the exact sharing link in a private browser window where you are not signed in as the photographer. Test with the same access details the client will receive. An owner’s view is not sufficient evidence that sharing works.
Check that the intended set appears, identifiers are readable, and the favorite action works. Verify the actual download behavior for each relevant collection. If downloads are meant to be unavailable, test that rather than checking only the switch in the settings.
Repeat the key steps on a phone. Read the instructions without zooming, open a photograph, and navigate back to the set. If the selection task is awkward, simplify the grouping or instructions before adding more features.
Send a test copy of the release message to yourself. Confirm that the link, deadline, selection count and response channel are all present. Avoid including account credentials or links to your private working storage.
8. Deliver finals without confusing them with proofs
Export the agreed photographs from the confirmed list. Check identifiers, count, crop, retouching and delivery format against that record. Put final files in a clearly named delivery set rather than silently replacing previews during an active review.
Tell the client which files are final and which downloads are available. If you keep the proof gallery open, label it so that an older preview is not mistaken for the finished work.
Agree how long access will remain available and how the client should keep their own copies. Keep your working backup process separate from the sharing link. If you close access, check the recipient link again; do not describe closing a gallery as deleting every copy.
Common proofing problems and practical fixes
If the client says “the one on the left,” reply with candidate identifiers and ask them to confirm. Do not guess. If they cannot find filenames in the viewer, provide a numbered reference list that you can map back to the originals.
If too many images are selected, clarify the included quantity and any additional-edit terms before proceeding. Do not rely on an assumed minimum or maximum selection rule in the gallery.
If the client sends retouching notes without file references, return a short list with one identifier per request. If feedback conflicts, ask the designated approver to resolve it.
If a client needs downloaded previews for an internal meeting, agree the purpose and format explicitly. That is a different workflow from online selection-only review and deserves a fresh check of access, labeling and download settings.
A short release checklist
Before sharing: the purpose is clear, the set is curated, identifiers match your originals, access and downloads are tested, and the client knows the selection count, deadline and response channel.
Before editing: you have a written list of confirmed identifiers and any agreed notes. Before final delivery: you have checked the output against that list and clearly separated finals from proofs.
Start with a small test gallery in SendPhoto, walk through the recipient experience, and only then share a real client’s photographs. A simple process that both sides understand is more useful than a long feature checklist.
Related guides: SendPhoto gallery delivery; planning a review and approval process; private gallery handoffs for sensitive portraits.