Sharing photo's with clients

D

Dr4ke

Suspended / Banned
Messages
82
Name
Simon
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

I recently did a simple photo shoot, of about 100 photo's, but sharing them with the client has been a world of trouble. I'm using Dropbox at the moment, but it takes absolutely ages to upload them..

What is the best method of uploading and sharing the photo's you've done for people?

All comments/suggestions welcome. I'm going to be trying to get a lot of work soon (free) so I can get lots of practice, so I need a faster/better method.

Thanks!
 
Hi

I have the same issue and this is not due to dropbox but due to your broadband.

Hopefully people who upload more may help with other suggestions.
 
You need a faster broadband connection :)

I use dropbox all the time for sharing images with clients/friends/family/etc and the upload time is down to broadband speed. If I upload from my laptop using wifi it takes about twice as long as from my desktop pc using a hard wired Ethernet connection through the same router/modem. The laptop has a slower max data transfer rate.
 
Yes, broadband speed is the bottle-neck and applies to every service, not just Dropbox. Need to reduce file sizes.

If it's just so clients can see images and make selections etc, then a very small JPEG will be fine for that. Then just send final images as best quality JPEGs.

I have a fast connection but for a lot of high quality JPEGs, or a smaller number of Raws, they go by snail mail on DVD or USB stick.
 
I think it's all in the workflow - not just faster internet speeds.

I use two methods other than delivering the final images on CD/USB. One is instaproofs. It's a free service. You upload, and they can then purchase prints or downloads.

The other method is via ftp. You basically upload a file to your site which they can link to and download. If I have to deliver a bulk of images to a magazine, once I've finished editing, I export them from LR (already optimised for their needs to minimize space), zip the whole lot up, and then wait until I'm finished for the day before beginning the upload to a private URL. By the time I get back in the morning, everything is complete and on and on it goes :-)
 
Christo said:
I think it's all in the workflow - not just faster internet speeds.

I use two methods other than delivering the final images on CD/USB. One is instaproofs. It's a free service. You upload, and they can then purchase prints or downloads.

The other method is via ftp. You basically upload a file to your site which they can link to and download. If I have to deliver a bulk of images to a magazine, once I've finished editing, I export them from LR (already optimised for their needs to minimize space), zip the whole lot up, and then wait until I'm finished for the day before beginning the upload to a private URL. By the time I get back in the morning, everything is complete and on and on it goes :-)
Click to expand...

Yes, uploading overnight works for the sender :) but a large amount of data like that has still got to be downloaded by the client at the other end.
 
Thanks all! It sounds like there is no easy or quick method - the files I was sending were Fine JPEG's (so not even RAW) and they did need to be in that quality. I think I'll consider going hard-wired the next time I need to do an upload to see if that improves things.
 
depends what you need them to be at, we use lightroom and resize them to 1000 on the longest size and they upload and are able to view pretty quick sharp for our clients to view and we use check boxes that then allocate the file numbers to our full resolution shots ready to either upload for purchase or putting onto disc or usb.

We never upload a full file for sample viewing though as more than a few files at 11 meg a file will annoy the hell out of some people if they have a rubbish connection
 
I don't have clients but when sharing my photos with family, I put them on my NAS drive and send them a link. They do a smartphone app too so I can send links from anywhere.
 
For larger files I would usually send to the client on USB or DVD, sounds like it would probably be quicker than your broadband connection :-) I luckily have fast broadband for uploading my client images (I use Zenfolio) but if there was a connection speed issue then I would resize in Lightroom on export or in Photoshop using an action.
 
SThornton said:
I don't have clients but when sharing my photos with family, I put them on my NAS drive and send them a link. They do a smartphone app too so I can send links from anywhere.
Click to expand...

Does this method work outside of a home network? I.e if you wanted to share pictures with someone the other side of the country; does NAS enable this? Secondly by 'they have a mobile app' who is they? I assume a particular company?

I've thought about NAS in the past but haven't purchased to date; maybe I will depending on answers to above :-)
 
I use skydrive to share my photos. I usually make them 1000 pixels on the longest side and they upload pretty quick. You can share individual folders by a link or I think also via Facebook.

You can pay for extra space, but so far I'm still using my free quota. I think you use a windows live id to sign up - can't remember now.

They can view photos individually, as a slide show, or download them. Works well for me though I don't use it for clients.
 
Bebop said:
I use skydrive to share my photos. I usually make them 1000 pixels on the longest side and they upload pretty quick. You can share individual folders by a link or I think also via Facebook.

You can pay for extra space, but so far I'm still using my free quota. I think you use a windows live id to sign up - can't remember now.

They can view photos individually, as a slide show, or download them. Works well for me though I don't use it for clients.
Click to expand...

How do you define the pixels to output from RAW to JPG? Can you do this in Lightroom?
 
Dr4ke said:
How do you define the pixels to output from RAW to JPG? Can you do this in Lightroom?
Click to expand...

Yes in Lightroom you can create a new photo but leave the original jpeg or raw file in place.

Click on 'file' then 'export'. . Then you need to decide on a few settings…

Choose where you want to store your new photo. I often put them in a subfolder but you can put them anywhere you like.

There is an option under file settings to decide what sort of file you want to create e.g. jpeg, and the quality of the image. I usually leave at 100% unless I'm worried about someone stealing them or want a really small file size.

To change the size of your file - under image sizing. Tick 'resize to fit'. You can then define width and height, or long edge - there are a few options. You can also add a watermark when exporting.

If they are setting that I use often, I click on the left hand side and save the export settings as a preset, by clicking 'add'. Next time, you only have to select that preset on the left and everything is ticked ready for you. (Portrait and Landscape layout can catch you out - may need two presets depending on your requirements)

Hope this helps. It's pretty quick if you save the settings you use often.

p.s. I'm using Lightroom 4 - presumably other versions are similar.
 
Last edited:
Bebop said:
Yes in Lightroom you can create a new photo but leave the original jpeg or raw file in place.

Click on 'file' then 'export'. . Then you need to decide on a few settings…

Choose where you want to store your new photo. I often put them in a subfolder but you can put them anywhere you like.

There is an option under file settings to decide what sort of file you want to create e.g. jpeg, and the quality of the image. I usually leave at 100% unless I'm worried about someone stealing them or want a really small file size.

To change the size of your file - under image sizing. Tick 'resize to fit'. You can then define width and height, or long edge - there are a few options. You can also add a watermark when exporting.

If they are setting that I use often, I click on the left hand side and save the export settings as a preset, by clicking 'add'. Next time, you only have to select that preset on the left and everything is ticked ready for you. (Portrait and Landscape layout can catch you out - may need two presets depending on your requirements)

Hope this helps. It's pretty quick if you save the settings you use often.

p.s. I'm using Lightroom 4 - presumably other versions are similar.
Click to expand...

Thank you :-) which of these settings define 1000 pixels to make it a quick upload?
 
Dr4ke said:
Thank you :-) which of these settings define 1000 pixels to make it a quick upload?
Click to expand...

It's under 'image sizing'. (Click the down arrow to expand the options? ) You need to check the resize to fit box. (all under file export)
Choose long edge and 1000 pixels

Oh and I check the don't enlarge box too.
 
Also, with Lightroom you can set up a publishing service. So for example I share photos with friends and family using google+ (it will also work with facebook or flickr etc).

The great thing about using the publish service is that you can use LR to manage the photos and albums, so if you make any changes to an album you can then sync it with the online albums. You can also set up default export options (I use longest side 2048 px for viewing on iPad) that are tailored to web based viewing.

Not really a solution for sending photos for customers, but great for sharing with friends.
 
Excellent thanks both :-) I will have a play with all of this tonight! Is there recommended settings for different environments? For example if its only for a website it might only need to be x pixels but for a printout it should have the full res.

Everything I'm doing right now is for friends and family and is free of charge to get practice; so I don't really know what quality they need to be for what they will be used for.
 
I chose 2048px as that matches the resolution if an iPad, also with Google+ you can upload an unlimited number of images at that size (or lower). I'm not sure what the best size is for other social media sites.

2048 x 1536 seems adequate for most casual viewing, obviously with LR you can always export higher resolution images if and when required.

G
 
Thank you :) I'll have to have a play and see if it all makes sense with it in front of me!
 
gspice1980 said:
I chose 2048px as that matches the resolution if an iPad, also with Google+ you can upload an unlimited number of images at that size (or lower). I'm not sure what the best size is for other social media sites.

2048 x 1536 seems adequate for most casual viewing, obviously with LR you can always export higher resolution images if and when required.

G
Click to expand...

What happens when the ipad owner wants a closer look?

The simple answer is that there are 2 sizes to care about; high res (full size) and websized - which is a compromise based on circumstance.

We could debate all year about the perfect 'websize' and never reach a consensus.
 
Phil V said:
What happens when the ipad owner wants a closer look?

The simple answer is that there are 2 sizes to care about; high res (full size) and websized - which is a compromise based on circumstance.

We could debate all year about the perfect 'websize' and never reach a consensus.
Click to expand...

Thanks :-) I guess I will have to play about with lightroom to establish the right size/res for the situation I'm in.
 
Dr4ke said:
Thanks :-) I guess I will have to play about with lightroom to establish the right size/res for the situation I'm in.
Click to expand...

My rule of thumb goes:
event type work - less than 600 pixels with a prominent watermark (to stop anyone nicking it).
blogging images for people who are committed to buy: 100pixels and a discrete watermark - they're fit for sharing everywhere, customers love to do it and it carries my brand.
portfolio - as big as practical for the web without watermarks - only suitable for work I've already sold digital copies of.

delivered JPEGs full res, but delivered on DVD - upload / download is too slow for hundreds of large files.

Hope that helps.
 
Phil V said:
My rule of thumb goes:
event type work - less than 600 pixels with a prominent watermark (to stop anyone nicking it).
blogging images for people who are committed to buy: 100pixels and a discrete watermark - they're fit for sharing everywhere, customers love to do it and it carries my brand.
portfolio - as big as practical for the web without watermarks - only suitable for work I've already sold digital copies of.

delivered JPEGs full res, but delivered on DVD - upload / download is too slow for hundreds of large files.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I'm not actually selling images at the moment; just doing unpaid work to get as much practice as possible. That said, the advice will certainly help when I'm deciding what res to make the images I produce. I'm shooting a wrestlng match this weekend, fully in RAW, so i'll use all the help in this thread to help me do my post processing/exporting to JPEG.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top