Creating a Collection

By creavio Team April 10, 2026 1 views

Creating a Collection

Collections are how you deliver, proof, review, and share images with clients. They replace the old model of zipping files and emailing download links. One link, your branding, and the client sees exactly what you want them to see.

What Is a Collection?

A collection is a container with one or more galleries. Each collection has a mode that determines how clients interact with it:

  • Gallery — standard photo delivery. Clients view and download.
  • Proofing — clients pick their favorites from the set. You get a list of selections.
  • Review — clients comment on images and videos. Useful for commercial work or second opinions.
  • Delivery — final hand-off with download controls and optional PIN protection.

Creating Your First Collection

  1. Go to Collections in your dashboard
  2. Click + New Collection
  3. Choose from a template or start blank:
    • Wedding — Gallery mode, masonry layout, download enabled
    • Portrait Proofing — Proofing mode, grid layout, selection limit
    • Commercial Review — Review mode, comments enabled
    • Event Gallery — Gallery mode, password protected
    • Client Delivery — Delivery mode, full-res downloads
    • Film/Video Review — Review mode, video-optimized
    • Mini Session — Gallery mode, minimal setup
    • Blank — configure everything yourself
  4. Enter a title and assign a client
  5. Click Create

Adding Images

Inside the collection, click + Add Images. You can:

  • Select from your media library (already uploaded and organized)
  • Upload new images directly into the collection
  • Drag and drop files from your computer

Images maintain their original quality. creavio generates optimized web versions for fast loading while keeping the originals in R2 storage for downloads.

Collection Settings

Click Settings (gear icon) in the collection to configure:

  • Cover image — the hero image clients see first
  • Layout — masonry or grid
  • Downloads — enable/disable, originals vs web-size, PIN protection. See download settings.
  • Watermark — apply your watermark to viewing images. See watermarks.
  • Selection limit (Proofing mode) — how many images the client can select
  • Expiry date — auto-archive after a set date. See expiry and archiving.
  • Privacy — private (link only) or password protected

Sharing with Clients

Click Share to generate the collection link. You can:

  • Copy the link and send it however you like (email, text, DM)
  • Send via creavio email — sends a branded delivery email with the link
  • Set permissions per recipient: View Only, Comment, Select & Comment, or Full Access

The collection link looks like yourdomain.com/c/abc123 and loads your branded page with your logo and colors.

AI Auto-Cull

Before sharing, run Auto-Cull to let AI score your images by sharpness, exposure, and composition. It flags duplicates and near-duplicates and recommends which to keep, review, or remove. You have final say — every recommendation can be overridden. This saves hours of manual culling, especially on large wedding galleries.

After Delivery

creavio tracks engagement on shared collections:

  • When the client viewed the collection
  • Which images they favorited
  • What they downloaded
  • Any comments they left

This data appears in the collection analytics and in the client's activity timeline.