The edit is done, but the job is not. Run this checklist before every delivery to catch color drift, match the contract and hand over files the client can actually use.
This guide is general information for creators and businesses in the U.S., not legal advice. Copyright, licensing and drone rules depend on the facts and change over time; check the Copyright Office, the FAA or a lawyer for your situation.
Quick notes
- Judge final color on a calibrated or consistent display, never on a phone, and check the actual exported files rather than editing previews.
- Review the whole set side by side for white balance and exposure drift, then take a closer look at the details before anything leaves your hands.
- Count images, formats and usage rights against the contract, and confirm everything the agreement requires is complete before files change hands.
- Export sRGB JPGs in full-resolution and web-sized versions, name files consistently and watermark proofs while keeping finals clean.
- Back up delivered files, include the link, password and expiration date in one note, and follow up within two to four weeks.
The editing is finished, the files are exported, and the client is waiting. This is exactly where small mistakes slip through, because the work feels done and the temptation is to hit upload. The checklist below is the last pass worth making before any delivery: what to check on screen, what to verify against your contract, and how to package files so the client can actually use them.
Take One Last Look on a Calibrated Screen
Your final check belongs on the most trustworthy display you have, not the first screen you walk past.
- Reopen the actual exported files, not the editing previews. Judge the JPGs or TIFFs from the delivery folder, because that is what the client receives.
- Work in consistent room lighting with no direct light on the screen. A window reflection can hide a color cast you would otherwise catch.
- If you use a calibration device, run it before this pass. If you do not, compare the images on a second screen at minimum.
- Do not judge final color on a phone. Phone screens push saturation and brightness, so a set that looks punchy there can look flat everywhere else. We break down that mismatch in If Your Edited Photos Look Different on Your Phone.
Check the Whole Set for Consistent Color and Exposure
Clients rarely complain about one image. They notice when twenty images in a set do not match.
- Flip through the full set in grid view, then again one by one at the same zoom. Mismatched images stand out when they sit side by side.
- Watch white balance across the shoot. Frames taken an hour apart in the same room can drift warm or cool, especially indoors.
- Check backgrounds on product shots. The white behind the product should be the same white in every frame, or the whole set reads as sloppy.
- Compare the first and last images directly. Long sessions drift as light changes, and your eye adapts without telling you.
- Confirm the same preset or corrections were applied across the set, and fix stragglers now instead of after the client asks.
Look Closer at the Details
The fit-to-screen view can hide things a client will notice the moment they enlarge an image or send it to print.
- View the delivery files larger than fit-to-screen before you hand them over, not just the previews inside your editing software.
- Give retouched areas a second look at the size the client will actually use, since flaws that hide in a thumbnail can show up in a print.
- Straighten anything tilted. Leaning horizons and crooked product edges are the fastest way to look careless.
- Recheck crops for consistency, particularly across a set of headshots or product angles.
- Compare frames directly against each other rather than judging each one alone, so anything that stands out gets a second look.
Confirm You Have Delivered What the Contract Says
The edit does not define the job. The contract does.
- Count the images. Most contracts spell out how many finished images the client receives, and delivering fewer invites an awkward conversation.
- Match the edits to what you promised. If the agreement covers a type of retouching, confirm every image that needs it has had it.
- Confirm the deliverable format. Contracts often state whether the client gets JPGs, TIFFs or something else, and it helps to explain why final files differ from RAW files.
- Re-read the usage rights clause. Check who owns the images, whether the client may post them online, and how you may use them in your portfolio.
- Confirm anything else the agreement calls for, such as approvals or paperwork, is complete before files change hands.
- If the contract ties delivery to final payment, confirm payment status before you transfer anything.
Size and Format the Files for Their Actual Use
One export setting does not fit every client.
- Ask what the images are for before exporting. A website banner, a social feed and a printed brochure need different files.
- Export JPGs in the sRGB color space for most client uses. It is the safest default for files headed to screens and print shops you do not control.
- Deliver full-resolution files plus web-optimized copies, so the client can post the small versions without asking you to shrink anything later.
- If a print vendor is involved, get its specs and export to them. Bigger files are not automatically better print files. Our guide to mistakes to avoid when preparing photos for print covers the settings that cause most problems.
Name, Folder and Watermark Decisions Before Upload
A little structure on your end saves the client from a folder full of files called IMG_4021.
- Name files consistently, in the pattern ClientName_EventDate_001. The client can find any image later, and you can match their feedback to the right frame.
- Build one folder per job with clear subfolders, such as print, web and selections. Label it with the client’s name, not just the shoot date.
- If clients pick favorites from a proofing gallery, watermark the proofs and keep finals clean. The mark discourages screenshots of unedited picks while the finished delivery stays unmarked.
- Password-protect the gallery, decide who gets download rights, and set an expiration date. Write down who has access, because a shared link outlives the job.
- Back up every delivered file before clearing your working drive, so a failed drive or a wrong-click deletion does not erase the job. Backing Up Photo and Video Files walks through one backup routine.
Write a Short Delivery Note the Client Can Follow
The delivery note is the last thing they read and the first thing they act on.
- Include the link, the password and the expiration date in one message. A client hunting through old emails for a password is a client forming a bad impression.
- Say which folder holds which files. One line, such as print files are in the Print folder, prevents most follow-up questions.
- Restate the license in plain language: what the client may do with the images and what they may not.
- Tell them how long you keep the files and how to request a re-download before access ends.
- Set a reminder to follow up in two to four weeks. A short check-in is a natural moment to ask about print orders or the next project.
Studio tip: Turn the delivery note into a template with blanks for the link, password and expiration date. A few minutes spent writing it once pays off on every job that follows.
A delivery that arrives on schedule, matches the contract and opens without confusion is what clients remember about working with you. Once the images leave your hands, controlling where they end up gets harder, so it is worth understanding your options first. Registering Copyright for Your Photos: Why Timing Matters and How Group Registration Works covers how registration works and why the timing of it matters.
FAQs
What file format and color space should I deliver to most clients?
sRGB JPG works for most uses. Provide full-resolution files plus web-optimized copies, and ask any print vendor for its specs before exporting for print.
Should I watermark the photos I send clients?
Watermark proofing galleries where clients pick favorites, and deliver final files without marks. Keep a record of who has gallery access and when it closes.
What should go in the delivery email?
The gallery link, password and expiration date, a one-line guide to which folder holds which files, and a plain-language summary of what the client may do with the images.
Do I need to re-check images if the client only wants them for social media?
Yes, but the pass can be shorter. Consistency across the set and clean web-sized exports matter most; print-specific steps can wait until a print job comes up.