Galleries · For photographers
What is photo proofing? A plain guide for photographers
By the bckendIQ team7 min read
The short answer
Photo proofing is when a client looks through a gallery of preview photos and picks the ones you will finish. Their picks decide what you retouch, print or put in the album.
You send the proof gallery on Monday and wait for the hearts. By Friday the couple says their picks have gone, and mum's list is the only one left. One photographer's review describes a glitch that causes “a client's favorites to simply disappear”. Now you are rebuilding a wedding's worth of choices from screenshots and texts.
How does photo proofing work?
Photo proofing works in five steps, from the shoot to the finished gallery. The client chooses in the middle, and you finish only what they chose.
- Cull the shoot and give the keepers a light, even edit.
- Upload them to a proof gallery as previews: watermarked, smaller than full size, or both.
- Send the link with clear rules: how many to pick, and by when.
- The client hearts their favourites and sends the list back.
- You find those frames in your RAW files, retouch them and deliver the finished gallery.
You can proof any shoot: a wedding, a family portrait, an album. For a mini session you might skip it and deliver every edited frame. Either way works, as long as the contract says which one the client is buying.
How many photos should a client pick?
A client should pick as many photos as their package pays for. If the package includes 30 retouched images, ask for their top 30.
Put that number in the contract, and again in the email that sends the gallery. Then set a date, because open-ended picking drags. One photographer explained why they now design the album themselves:
“I design the album simply because a few brides have held me up on picture choices.”
Studios told us late picks are one reason a gallery runs late. More on that in how long wedding photos take.
What if mum and the maid of honour want to pick too?
Let them pick, but keep each person's favourites in their own list and give the couple the final say. Shared lists are where picks get lost. Another line from that same review:
“one client to be able to over-write another user's favorites”
- Ask each helper to pick under their own name or email.
- Tell the couple their list is the one you edit from.
- Check the helpers' lists for frames the couple missed, like grandparents or the cake.
- Set one deadline for everyone, so one slow picker doesn't hold up the edit.
What happens after the client picks?
After the client picks, you match their list to your RAW files and handle any changes. Both go faster with a plan.
For changes, expect a few swaps and say how they work before the gallery goes out. Write in the contract how many rounds of swaps are included, and what happens after that.
To find the picks in Lightroom Classic, copy the filenames from your gallery app and search for them:
- In the Library module, select the folder for the shoot.
- In the Library Filter bar, select Text.
- Choose Filename from the Any Searchable Field menu.
- Change the rule from Contains All to Contains.
- Paste the filenames with a space between each one.
Should proof photos be watermarked?
Yes, a light watermark on proof photos makes sense, because previews get screenshotted and shared. Keep it small enough that the couple can still judge faces.
The watermark is only half of it. The real protection is not sending the clean full-size file until the picks and payment are in. Our guide on how to watermark your photos covers placement and opacity.
Gallery apps such as Pixieset, ShootProof and Pic-Time all let clients pick favourites. If you already use one, see how a gallery app compares with an all-in-one studio app.
How bckendIQ handles it
In bckendIQ, the proof gallery, the picks and the changes all live on the job. Nothing hides in a text thread.
- 1
Previews stay previews
On a proof set, clients receive only the stamped preview. The clean full-size file is never sent to their browser.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 2
Word the letter yourself
Press Send to client for approval and the letter opens first. Change the subject, headline, message and button, so it says how many to pick and by when. If the couple has no email on file, it tells you instead of skipping silently.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 3
Everyone picks under their own email
Anyone with the gallery link can heart photos once they confirm their email with a 6-digit code. Each person's picks are saved under their own email. You see every list on the job and copy its filenames in one tap.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 4
Changes come back as a second selection
Clients can change their picks and send again, and you hear about it. A set they've asked changes on stays in their gallery, greyed, with “Add more changes”.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 5
Picks go straight into Lightroom
On a client's selection, press Open in Lightroom. The plug-in for Lightroom Classic gathers their picked frames from your RAWs into one collection. Or drop green-labelled sidecars into the RAW folder.
Open it in bckendIQ →
Client picks in a gallery app and in bckendIQ
| Task | The usual way | With bckendIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Clients heart favourites | Gallery apps such as Pixieset, ShootProof and Pic-Time all do this | Anyone with the link hearts photos after a 6-digit email code |
| Several people pick | Check how your app keeps each person's list | Every person's picks are saved under their own email |
| The client changes their mind | A new list, or a long email thread | They send a second selection, and you hear about it |
| Picks into Lightroom | Copy the filenames, then search for them in Lightroom | A Copy filenames chip on the job, or Open in Lightroom |
| Watermarked previews | Pixieset, for one, lets you watermark what clients view | On a proof set, the clean full-size file never reaches their browser |
| After they approve | Write a thank-you by hand | Approval sends the thank-you you wrote, with your Google review link |
Questions people ask
- What is photo proofing?
- Photo proofing is when a client picks their favourite photos from a gallery of previews. You then finish only the photos they picked.
- What is a proof in photography?
- A proof is a preview of a photo, not the finished file. It may carry a watermark or be smaller than full size, so the client can choose without the final file.
- Is photo proofing the same as delivering the gallery?
- No. The proof gallery comes first and uses previews. Delivery comes after, with the finished, full-size photos the client paid for.
- How long should a client have to pick?
- Long enough to enjoy it, short enough that your edit stays on schedule. Pick a date, put it in the contract and the email, and remind them once before it.
- Can clients change their picks after sending them?
- Yes, if you allow it. Say in the contract how many rounds of swaps are included, so a second round doesn't become a fifth.
Sources
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