Answer
Proofing Gallery vs Final Gallery: What Is the Difference?
A proofing gallery asks the client to choose. A final gallery hands the client their files. On clientgallery.io both jobs live in the same gallery, and two separate switches decide which job it is doing.
Updated September 2026
A proofing gallery is where the client chooses. The photographer shows proofs, and the client marks the frames they want finished.
A final gallery, also called a delivery gallery, is where the client receives. The finished photographs are there to view, download and keep.
The difference is the job, not the page. Both are a private web page full of photographs behind the studio’s name. What changes is whether the client is asked to pick, and whether the client is allowed to take files away.
Some platforms sell these as separate products or separate gallery types. On clientgallery.io there is one kind of gallery. Picks and downloads are two separate switches on each gallery, so the same gallery can proof on Monday and deliver on Friday. This page explains what each job needs, which switches to set, and the one detail about downloads that people usually get wrong. What proofing means in general is covered in what is photo proofing.
The two jobs side by side
The two galleries answer different questions. A proofing gallery asks the client which photographs they want. A final gallery answers the client’s question of where their photographs are.
| Question | Proofing gallery | Final gallery |
|---|---|---|
| What the client does | Looks, compares and marks choices | Looks, downloads and shares |
| What the photos are | Proofs: lightly edited, sized for fast viewing | Finished edits, with the full-resolution files handed over |
| How many photos | Everything that survived the cull | Only what was chosen or promised |
| What comes back to you | A locked list of picks | Nothing is asked of the client |
| Downloads | Usually off | On |
| When it ends | When the client sends their picks | It stays up as the client’s record of the job |
Not every job needs both stages. A documentary wedding sold as the whole day, edited, goes straight to a final gallery. A headshot session where the client pays per image needs the proofing stage first.
Why one gallery can do both jobs
Each clientgallery.io gallery has a picks switch and a download switch. They are independent of each other. Both are on when a gallery is created.
With picks on, the client can star or love photos in the full-screen view. One tap stars a photo and a double tap loves it. A tray at the bottom of the page counts the choices and holds the Send my picks button.
With picks off, the gallery stops asking for a selection. The intro line changes to tell the client their photos are ready.
The download switch controls the Download all photos button and the download button on each photo. The next section lists exactly what it covers, because it does not cover everything.
Because the switches are separate, four combinations exist, and three of them are useful.
| Picks | Downloads | What the gallery is doing |
|---|---|---|
| On | Off | Strict proofing: the client chooses and takes nothing away |
| On | On | Proofing where the client may keep the proofs, for example a mini session with a web-size bonus |
| Off | On | Final gallery: view, download, share |
| Off | Off | A viewing page only, such as a gallery waiting for payment |
The practical consequence is that you do not rebuild anything when the job moves on. The link the client already has keeps working. The photos keep their order and sections. You change two switches and, when you are ready, add the full-resolution file.
What the download switch hides, and what it does not
This is the detail that matters most in a proofing gallery. Switching downloads off does not stop every way a file can leave the gallery.
| Button or file | Hidden when downloads are off | When the client sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Download all photos (a ZIP of the hosted proofs) | Yes | Whenever downloads are on |
| Download button on a single photo | Yes | Whenever downloads are on |
| Full-resolution ZIP | No | Whenever you have uploaded one and it is still live |
| Social crop buttons (Story 9:16, Post 4:5, Square 1:1, Wide 16:9) | No | After the client sends picks, if social crops are on, which is the default |
Two rules follow from this. First, do not upload the full-resolution ZIP to a gallery that is still proofing. The ZIP button appears as soon as the file is live, whatever the download switch says.
Second, know what the social crops hand over. After the client sends picks, each crop button downloads every picked photo, centre-cropped in the client’s browser from the proof. These are proof-quality JPEGs in a social shape, not finished files. If you do not want picked proofs leaving the gallery at all, switch social crops off for that gallery.
The download switch is also not tied to payment. You can paste your own payment link and attach an invoice, and the client sees a Pay your invoice button. Nothing turns downloads on when the client pays. You check the payment and flip the switch yourself.
Moving a gallery from proofing to final
A typical job runs through the same gallery in this order.
- Proof. Picks on, downloads off, no full-resolution ZIP. Switch on comments or colour labels if you want them; both are off by default.
- Client sends picks. Send my picks asks for a name and an email and locks the selection. You get an email with the counts of loved and starred photos. The name and email the client typed replace the client name and email stored on the gallery.
- Edit. Pull the picks into Lightroom Classic with the plugin, or use Export picks (.txt) for a plain list of filenames. You can mark photos as retouched, and the client sees a count of picks retouched so far.
- Deliver. Upload the full-resolution ZIP. It is live for three days, and the client sees how many days remain. Switch downloads on if you want the client to have the proofs as well.
- Keep. The gallery itself does not expire. When the three days pass, upload the ZIP again if the client needs it. Each upload restarts the clock.
If the client needs another pass after sending, use Reopen picking. Their existing picks are kept and the tray comes back on their next visit. The client is not notified, so tell them yourself. The full handoff is covered in how to send full-resolution photos to a client, and the proofing round in the client photo proofing guide.
When two separate galleries make more sense
One gallery for both stages is the simplest path, but not always the right one.
- The proofs and the finals are different sets. If the final gallery should show only the edited selects, a second gallery keeps the client from scrolling past two hundred proofs to find them. Paid accounts have unlimited galleries under fair use, so a second one costs nothing extra.
- Several people should choose separately. Picks are one shared set per gallery. Everyone with the link edits the same selection, so separate selections need separate galleries.
- You want a clean record of what was chosen. A locked proofing gallery left untouched is a plain reference if a client later asks what they selected.
There are also jobs where clientgallery.io is the wrong tool. If you need downloads to unlock automatically the moment a client pays, it does not do that. If you sell prints through the gallery, there is no print store. If you are on the free plan, the full-resolution ZIP is not available; it is part of the paid plan at $10 a month or $100 a year.
Sources
This page quotes no competitor figures and makes no competitor claims. Every clientgallery.io behaviour and number on it comes from the product itself, checked on 16 September 2026.
- clientgallery.io product behaviour (separate picks and download switches, both on by default; star and love picks; Send my picks locking the selection and emailing the studio; what the download switch hides; the full-resolution ZIP on the paid plan, live three days and re-uploadable; social crops after picks; manual payment link and invoice; Reopen picking; picks export; galleries that do not expire), checked 16 September 2026, https://clientgallery.io/
- clientgallery.io Lightroom Classic plugin page, read 16 September 2026, https://clientgallery.io/lightroom
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a proofing gallery and a final gallery?
A proofing gallery shows proofs so the client can choose which photos get finished. A final gallery, or delivery gallery, hands over the finished photographs to view and download. The page can look the same; the job is different.
Do I need separate galleries for proofing and delivery?
Not on clientgallery.io. Picks and downloads are separate switches on each gallery, so the same gallery and the same link can proof first and deliver later. A second gallery helps when the finals should show only the edited selects.
Does turning downloads off stop the client downloading anything?
No. It hides Download all photos and the per-photo download button. A full-resolution ZIP stays visible whenever one is live, and the social crop buttons appear after picks are sent unless social crops are switched off. Do not upload the ZIP until you are ready to deliver.
Do downloads unlock when the client pays?
No. You can add your own payment link and an invoice, but nothing connects payment to the download switch. You confirm the payment and turn downloads on yourself.
How long does the full-resolution download last?
Each full-resolution ZIP is live for three days, and the client sees how many days remain. You can upload it again at any time, which restarts the three days. The gallery itself does not expire.
Can the client change their picks after sending them?
Only if you reopen picking. Their existing picks are kept and the tray returns on their next visit. The client is not notified automatically, so let them know.
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