Delivery
Delivering Photos in Stages: One Link From Shoot to Final Files
Most shoots reach the client in more than one piece: a first look, a round of choosing, then the final files. Delivered well, every piece arrives on the same link, and the page the client opens changes as the job moves forward.
Updated 30 September 2026
Very few shoots are delivered in one go.
A client usually sees a few frames first, then the full edited set, then the files they keep. Some jobs add a fourth piece weeks later, such as album frames or a retouched version.
Each piece is a chance to send a new link. Each new link is a chance for the client to open the wrong one.
This guide covers delivering photos in stages from one gallery on clientgallery.io. It explains the three stages the studio tracks, Shooting, Review and Delivery, what the client's link shows at each one, and where the product stops and your own messages take over.
One point up front. Stages change what the client's page shows. They are not a lock, and they send the client nothing.
What a staged delivery usually contains
The pieces vary by genre, but most staged deliveries follow the same order.
| Piece | What the client gets | What they are asked to do |
|---|---|---|
| First look | A handful of frames, soon after the shoot | Look, and wait for the rest |
| Review round | The full edited set | Choose, comment, send a selection |
| Final delivery | The finished gallery and the full-resolution files | Download |
| Later additions | Album frames, retouched versions, a second ZIP | Look again, download again |
If your job is only the first two pieces, the shorter version of this workflow is in the guide to sending sneak peek photos.
The three stages in the studio
Every client gallery moves through three stages in the studio: Shooting, Review and Delivery. Each stage has a checkbox you tick yourself: Shooting done, Review done and Delivery done. The first unticked stage decides what the client's link shows.
| Stage | When it applies | What the client's link shows | What the client can do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting | Nothing ticked yet | A Shooting page with a "photos coming soon" line, the brief, call sheet, key people, shot list, mood board and a First photos strip | Add notes, key people and mood images; look at the first photos |
| Review | Shooting done is ticked | The review room: the whole gallery, one photo at a time, with thumbnails and comments | Select, comment, draw on a photo, send the selection |
| Delivery | Review done is ticked | A Delivery page: a hero photo, your note, the full-resolution ZIPs and the gallery | Download the gallery, single photos or the ZIPs |
Stages apply to a gallery with Client review switched on. The switch sits on each gallery card, and it is on by default once the gallery has a client name or email.
The link never changes between stages. A tick can be undone, and the client's page moves back with it.
Your gallery list shows where each client gallery stands: not yet in review, in review, selections sent, or delivered. That status is for you, not for the client.
Every feature is on every plan, so a free account's one gallery can carry a whole staged delivery.
Stage one: first photos while you are still shooting
During the Shooting stage the client's page is about the shoot, not the gallery. Each block on it, the brief, call sheet, key people, shot list, mood board and live capture, has its own on and off switch per gallery.
With live capture on, the page shows a First photos strip. It holds your 40 most recent uploads, newest first.
That strip is the first look. Upload a handful of finished frames the evening after the shoot, send the link, and the client sees them at the bottom of the page.
With live capture off, the Shooting page shows no photos at all.
Here is the honest limit. Stages decide what the page displays, not who can reach the files. A photo is in the gallery from the moment it lands, so do not upload anything during the Shooting stage that the client must not have yet.
Stage two: the review round, and adding photos to it
Tick Shooting done when the edited set is in. The same link now opens the review room.
The client steps through the whole gallery, selects what they want, leaves comments, draws on a photo to show a retouch, and sends the selection when they are done.
You can keep adding photos during this stage. New uploads join the end of the gallery's order, and the link stays the same.
Nothing tells the client that new photos arrived. Adding photos sends no notification, so a short message from you is the only signal.
In the review room, a sent selection is not locked. The client can still change it and send it again, so if you add frames after they sent theirs, tell them the new ones are there.
When the round is finished, tick Review done or press Move to Delivery.
Stage three: the Delivery page, and what comes after it
The Delivery page opens on a large hero photo, with your delivery note under it. The hero is the photo you choose, or the first photo in the gallery if you choose none.
Below that sit the full-resolution ZIPs you uploaded, each on its own card. A gallery can hold more than one ZIP, and each one can carry a display name, so "Edited set" and "Album frames" can sit side by side.
Each ZIP stays live for 3 days from its upload. You can upload it again at any time, which is how a later piece of the job gets delivered.
Under the ZIPs is the gallery itself, with a Download all button, and a click on any photo saves that one.
The Delivery page is where later additions land. Upload album frames or a retouched version to the same gallery, upload a new ZIP if the piece needs one, and tell the client to open the link they already have.
Delivery done marks the job as delivered in your list. The client keeps seeing the Delivery page.
Where sections fit in a staged gallery
Sections, also called sub-galleries, are a studio-side way to organise a big job. You can file photos into sections such as getting ready, ceremony and reception.
In the review room and on the Delivery page, the client sees one run of photos in your order, without section headings.
Each section also has its own share link. That page is view-only: no ZIP, no picks, no full-resolution download, no face search and no link back to the main gallery. It suits a vendor or a relative who should see one part of the job and nothing else.
Galleries created before 25 September 2026 keep the earlier client page. There the client sees one scrolling page, with each section under its own heading and a jump bar at the top listing the sections and their photo counts.
Sections do not add room. Every photo in every section counts toward the gallery's ceiling of 1,000 photos, so plan the whole staged job inside that number. A long event that needs more is covered in the guide to multi-day event galleries.
What to tell the client at each stage
The product does not email the client when a stage changes or when photos are added. You send the link yourself, and your messages carry the sequence.
| Moment | What your message should say |
|---|---|
| First look is up | Here is your link. A few first photos are at the bottom of the page. Keep this link: everything else will appear on it. |
| Review round opens | The full set is in on the same link. Select your favourites, comment on anything you want changed, and send your selection by the date we agreed. |
| Photos added mid-review | I have added more photos at the end of the gallery. If you already sent your selection, you can still change it and send it again. |
| Delivery page is up | Your photos are ready on the same link. The full-resolution download is available for 3 days; ask me any time and I will put it back. |
| Later addition | Your album frames are now in the gallery and in a new download on the same page. |
Put the dates in the first message, not the last. How to pick dates you can hold for each piece is covered in the turnaround time guide.
What the stages do not do
Be clear about these before you promise a client anything.
- Stages move only when you tick them. There is no scheduled or automatic move.
- A stage change sends the client no email and no notification.
- Stages control what the page shows, not access to the files. They are a reveal, not a lock.
- There is one link per gallery, so everyone who holds it sees the same stage. A section link is the only way to show someone a smaller part.
- With Client review switched off, there are no stages: the link opens the gallery's normal client page from the start (the review room for galleries created since 25 September 2026, the earlier single page for older ones), and you grow the gallery by adding photos.
A studio that needs photos uploaded in advance and released automatically on a set date should use a platform that documents that feature.
The numbers
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Stages per client gallery | 3: Shooting, Review, Delivery |
| Links the client holds across every stage | 1 |
| Photos in the First photos strip | Up to 40, newest first |
| Life of each full-resolution ZIP | 3 days per upload, re-uploadable any time |
| Photos per gallery, all sections together | 1,000 |
| Photos per paid account | Up to 500,000 |
| Free account | 1 gallery, up to 1,000 photos, every feature included |
| Paid plan | $10 a month, or $110 a year |
| Automatic client messages when a stage changes | 0 |
Sources
This page states no external figure, quotes no competitor and gives no statistic about how photographers split their deliveries. Every clientgallery.io behaviour below was checked in the product code on 30 September 2026.
- clientgallery.io product behaviour (the Shooting, Review and Delivery stages and their checkboxes, the Client review switch, what the client's link shows at each stage, the First photos strip and its 40-photo limit, the per-gallery module switches, new uploads joining the end of the order, sent selections staying editable in the review room, multiple named ZIPs with a 3-day life, sections and their view-only share links, the earlier single-page view for galleries created before 25 September 2026, no client notification when photos are added or a stage changes, the photo ceilings, the free account and the plan price), checked 30 September 2026, https://clientgallery.io/
Frequently asked
How do I deliver photos to a client in stages?
Use one gallery for the whole job and move it through the Shooting, Review and Delivery stages in the studio. The client keeps one link, and the page it opens changes from a Shooting page with first photos, to a review room for choosing, to a Delivery page with the final files. Tell the client yourself each time it changes.
Does the client get a new link at each stage?
No. The link stays the same from the first look to the final files. Ticking a stage changes what that link shows, not the address.
Is my client notified when I move a gallery to the next stage?
No. Ticking a stage and adding photos send the client nothing. Send your own message by email or text when something changes.
Can I upload the full set early and keep it hidden until the review round?
Only as a display choice. With live capture off, the Shooting page shows no photos, and the full set appears when you tick Shooting done. Stages are not access control, though: photos are in the gallery from the moment you upload them, so do not upload anything the client must not have yet.
Can I add photos after the client has sent their selection?
Yes. New uploads join the end of the gallery on the same link. In the review room a sent selection stays editable, so the client can add the new photos and send again. Tell them the gallery has changed, because nothing else will.
Do sections show up as separate chapters for the client?
Not in the review room or on the Delivery page, where photos run in one sequence in your order. Sections organise the job in the studio, and each section has its own view-only share link. Galleries created before 25 September 2026 keep the earlier single page with section headings and a jump bar.
Your client galleries, under your name
Branded galleries, client selections and a Lightroom Classic workflow. Start with your first gallery, then compare the current plan. Full-resolution delivery is a separate handoff with its own limits and conditions.
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