How to Send Photo Proofs to Clients (and Get Clear Picks Back)

Proofing is where jobs stall. Not because clients are difficult, but because most ways of sending proofs make it hard for them to give a precise answer. You send forty photographs; you get back "love them all! maybe the one where she's laughing, near the end?" — and the next three days go on working out which one that was.

The method you choose decides the reply you get. Here are the options, what each one is good for, and the details that make any of them work.

What a good proof does

• Shows every candidate at the same size, so no frame wins by presentation.
• Labels every frame uniquely, so the client can name it in a sentence.
• Makes the answer easy — a tick, a number, a list.
• Protects the work until it is paid for, without spoiling the decision.
• Leaves a record of what was shown and when.

Four ways to send proofs

The shared folder is the one to avoid for proofs. It hands the client forty separate files and no way to point at one, which is precisely how you end up with the one where she's laughing.

Option 1: A PDF contact sheet

One attachment, every frame visible, works on any device, and can be printed and marked up with a pen. It is also a fixed record: a PDF dated the 14th with the client's name in the header is proof of exactly what was shown.

1. 01Cull first. The client sees your shortlist, not the raw take — see how to cull photos.
2. 02Name the files so they mean something, or turn on frame numbers. A client typing 4, 12, 31 is unambiguous.
3. 03Keep it to 20 frames a page or fewer so expressions are judgeable.
4. 04Put the client, the shoot, and the date in the header.
5. 05Add a corner watermark at low opacity and export at 150dpi — fine on screen, useless for printing large.
6. 06Check the size: a 35-frame sheet should land at a few megabytes, small enough for any inbox.

Option 2: A review link

A PDF goes one way; the client still has to type their answer. A review link closes the loop. The client opens it with no account, taps the frames they want, types a note on any of them — "can we lose the sign in the background?" — and submits. You get an email, and the picks land in your dashboard as a list of filenames you can copy straight into your catalogue.

• Pick limits stop a request for 25 turning into 60.
• Per-image notes keep retouching requests attached to the right frame.
• Passwords and expiry dates keep unpaid proofs from circulating indefinitely.
• One link per job means nothing gets lost in an email thread.

Write the instruction, not just the link

Most vague replies come from vague requests. Tell the client exactly what to send back, how many, and by when:

Watermarks and resolution

Protect proofs in a way that does not get in the way of choosing. A small corner mark at 15–25% opacity makes the status obvious; a large mark across the middle stops anybody judging an expression, and you will be asked for a clean copy. Low resolution does more practical good than a heavy watermark. There is a full guide to watermarking contact sheets.

Pick limits and deadlines

If the package includes 30 finished images, say 30. An open-ended request invites the client to pick everything they like, which turns into a negotiation later. A deadline matters just as much: without one, proofing drifts for weeks and the edit you planned for next Tuesday slides into next month.

When the picks come back

1. 01Copy the filenames or frame numbers into one list.
2. 02Find those files in your catalogue and gather them into a collection or folder for editing.
3. 03Read every note before you start — a retouching request on frame 12 changes how you edit it.
4. 04Reply to confirm what you received and when the finals will arrive.