Online photo proofing — the client marks what to edit
Show the client previews from the session, let them tag their favourite shots, and edit only the ones they actually chose. That is how modern proofing works.
You edit too much, or you guess
Without proofing you have two bad options. Either you edit the whole session — losing hours on photos the client will never pick — or you guess what they will like and hope you hit it. Both scenarios cost you time and nerves.
Trying to gather the selection by email ends just as badly: the client sends back numbers, you copy them out, ask about the ambiguous ones and wait weeks for a decision scattered across several messages.
Meanwhile, all it takes is to reverse the order: first the client chooses from previews, then you edit. Exactly as many as needed — not a single photo more.
Proofing in Pixchoose, step by step
Previews instead of originals
The client views reduced-resolution, watermarked photos. Your full files stay safe until the selection and settlement.
Tagging and comments
The client clicks "I choose this" on a specific frame and can add a note — "crop this in", "please do a black-and-white version".
You edit only the chosen
You get a list of the tagged photos and edit exactly those frames. No more editing material nobody wanted.
Counter and packages
You see how many photos the client chose — "30 photos included, each extra one for X" billing becomes simple arithmetic.
One link, no account
The client enters the proofing gallery from a link, without registering. The less friction, the faster they decide.
Ready for Lightroom
The selection list is clear and unambiguous, so you load it into your workflow without manual re-typing.
Where proofing came from — and why it still makes sense
The word "proofing" comes from proof, a test print. In analogue days the photographer developed a contact sheet — one large sheet with thumbnails of every frame on the roll — and the client circled in pencil the numbers they wanted enlarged. Only those marked frames went to a full print, because those were the only ones the client paid for.
Digital proofing works in exactly the same way, only without the chemistry. The contact sheet is now a gallery of thumbnails, circling in pencil is clicking "I choose this", and enlarging frames is editing the chosen files. The technology changed, not the logic — and that logic is wise: you put full work only into what the client truly wants.
Anyone who understands this origin sees at once why handing over the whole batch in full quality "so the client can pick" reverses the point of this stage. Proofing exists precisely so that selection precedes editing, not the other way around. Pixchoose carries this proven principle into a convenient online gallery, where previews replace the contact sheet and a ready selection list goes straight to you.
Frequently asked questions about proofing
How does proofing differ from simply sending photos?
Sending photos is a file transfer — the client has them on hand. Proofing is a decision process: the client picks frames and you receive a ready selection result. A proofing gallery is built around the decision, not around storage.
Does it bother the client to view unedited photos?
No, if you explain it. The client judges composition and emotion, not colour or retouch. The photos they mark are delivered later in full editing.
Does proofing lengthen the whole process?
Quite the opposite — it shortens it. It closes the selection in one short stage and means you edit fewer photos, so the final gallery comes together faster.
Does proofing make sense for small sessions?
Yes. Even with 15 photos the client’s choice brings order to the collaboration and gives them a sense of agency. On large jobs proofing becomes outright essential.
Roll out proofing in your studio
Create a free account and start handing the choice back to the client where it belongs — in a convenient proofing gallery.
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