Photography Delivery Checklist Before You Hit Send

Before you send a gallery, check four things: the images (count, order, colour and any that should be cut), the gallery settings (download, passwords, expiry, sharing), the licence note (what the client may do with the files) and the message (when, where and what happens next). A ten-minute pass catches the mistakes that cost the most.

Use this as a working checklist. Copy it, keep what applies to you and cut the rest.

Image checks

Open the gallery as the client would, not in your editing software.

• Count. Does the number match what the contract promised, or what you said in your delivery estimate?
• Culling. Remove blinks, duplicates, near-identical frames and test shots. If you deliver fewer, better images, say that was on purpose.
• Colour and exposure. Scroll the gallery quickly on a phone and a laptop. Anything that looks off against the neighbours stands out at that speed.
• Consistency. Black-and-white versions, crops and retouches should be applied the way you promised. See our post on edit style consistency for keeping a look steady.
• Sequence. Sort by time or story. A wedding that opens with preparations and ends with the last dance is easier to look through than a random order.
• Special requests. Check the shot list. Group photos, family portraits and anything the client asked for by name.
• Private images. Anything the client asked you not to share, or people who asked not to be photographed.
• Metadata. If you embed copyright and contact information, confirm it is there. Remove location data if you do not want it shared.
• File names and sizes. Make sure web and full-resolution versions are labelled clearly. Our post on file naming shows a pattern.

Ask someone else to view the gallery, if you can. A fresh pair of eyes spots a stray frame in thirty seconds.

Gallery settings

Settings in your gallery tool (Pixieset, Pic-Time or whichever you use) matter as much as the pictures. Check:

• Downloads. On or off? Full-size and web-size options?
• Password or private link. Who can open it?
• Sharing. Can the client share with guests? Do guests see everything?
• Expiry. The date the gallery closes. Match it to your contract.
• Cover image and title. A mistyped name on the front page is the first thing a client sees.
• Favourites and lists. If the client will pick images for an album, switch on the right tools.
• Orders and prints. If you sell prints, check prices and shipping options.
• Notifications. Decide whether you get an alert when the client opens or downloads.

Test the link in a private browser window. If it needs a password, copy it exactly as you will send it.

Licence note

Even a short sentence helps. Tell the client what they can do with the photos. This depends on your contract and your country's copyright rules, so check with a local adviser if you are unsure.

Example wording

These are examples. Change them to match your contract.

These images are for your personal use. You may print them, share them online and give copies to family. Please credit us when posting publicly. Commercial use, including advertising and resale, needs a separate licence. Our full terms are in your contract.

For commercial clients, the licence note may be more detailed: where, for how long and in what media. Our post on usage rights and licensing fees goes deeper. Keep the delivery note brief and point to the contract for the rest.

Delivery message

The message should tell the client what they have, how to get it and what to do next. Keep it short.

Hi Meera, your gallery is ready. [link] The password is [password]. It includes 480 edited images from the day, and you can download them in full resolution. The gallery stays online until 31 March, so please download your copies before then and keep a backup of your own. If anything looks wrong or you cannot open a file, reply to this email and we will fix it.

Points to cover:

1. Link and password, sent so they are easy to copy
2. What is inside (number and type of files)
3. How to download
4. The expiry date
5. A reminder to keep their own backup
6. Who to contact with problems

Send it at a time you can answer questions, not on a Friday evening.

After-delivery steps

Delivery is not the end of the job. Within the first week:

• Mark the job delivered in your records, with the date.
• Check for replies. Answer any questions the same day.
• Send a short thank-you, which can be separate from the delivery message. See feedback survey questions for what to ask about a week later.
• Check payments. Confirm the final balance has been paid, or send the invoice if delivery triggers it.
• Back up the delivered set and the project files. Decide how long you keep the originals, as in our post on archive retention.
• Note anything you would change in your process. A line in your job record is enough.

If delivery is late, tell the client early. That has its own post: when delivery is late.

Where ClickBook fits

If you use ClickBook, the editing queue moves each project through editing, studio review, client review and delivered, with versions, comments and approvals. Galleries stay in your own gallery tool, since ClickBook is not a gallery host, but the delivered stage records when the job closed and what is still outstanding. See the demo for how the stages look.

A checklist helps whatever tool you use. Print this one and tick it before the next send.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a gallery stay online?

Set an expiry that matches your contract and tell the client the date in the delivery message. Many studios allow several months to a year, and offer paid extensions.

Should I deliver every photo I shot?

Most photographers deliver a curated set. Say in your contract whether you deliver all usable frames or a selection, so there is no surprise.

Should I watermark delivered images?

Final delivery is usually unwatermarked. Proofs or previews may carry a watermark if you use them.

What if the client finds a mistake after delivery?

Reply quickly, thank them and fix it if it is within your terms. Keep a note of what changed and send the corrected file or link.