Client Proofing Workflow

You shot 800 images. The client wants 40 for their album. Instead of going back and forth over email with image numbers, send them a proofing collection and let them pick.

Setting Up a Proofing Collection

Create a collection and select Proofing mode (or use the Portrait Proofing template)
Upload your culled selects — the images you are comfortable printing or including in the final deliverable
Set a selection limit — how many images the client can choose. Match this to whatever your package includes.
Share the collection with your client

How the Client Proofs

When the client opens their proofing collection, they see all images in a gallery view. They interact by:

Favoriting — clicking the heart icon on images they want. A running counter shows their progress: "12 of 40 selected."
Commenting — leaving notes on specific images. Useful for retouching requests or questions.
Removing favorites — clicking the heart again to deselect if they change their mind.

A progress ring at the top shows how close they are to their selection limit. When they hit the limit, they cannot add more without removing something first.

Submitting Selections

Once the client is happy with their picks, they click Submit Selections. This locks their choices and notifies you. After submission:

The client sees a confirmation with a summary of their selections
You receive a notification with the list of selected images
The selections are logged in the client's activity timeline

Reviewing Selections

In your dashboard, open the collection and click View Selections. You see a filtered view showing only the client's picks, plus any comments they left. From here you can:

Approve — confirm the selections and move to editing/delivery
Request changes — unlock the collection and send a message asking the client to revise their picks
Export selection list — download a list of selected filenames for your editing workflow

Multiple Rounds

Sometimes clients need more than one round. If you request changes, the collection unlocks and the client can modify their selections. Each round is tracked, so you can see what changed between rounds.

From Proofing to Invoice

One of creavio's strongest features: after approval, you can generate an invoice directly from the selections. If the client selected 55 images but their package included only 40, the extra 15 are automatically calculated at your per-image add-on rate. Click Create Invoice from Selections and the line items are pre-filled.

Tips for a Smooth Proofing Experience

Send instructions — include a note in the share email explaining the process: "Click the heart on your favorites. You can select up to 40."
Set a deadline — add a note like "Please submit your selections by Friday" to keep the project moving.
Pre-cull generously — only upload images you are proud of. Every "meh" image in the set makes the client's job harder and your work look less curated.
Use AI Auto-Cull first — let creavio's AI flag the weakest images before you upload to the proofing gallery.