Help

Getting started

Every client job lives inside a project. One wedding, one portrait session, one commercial shoot — one project. From your dashboard, press New project, give it a name the client will recognize, and you'll land on its page.

The client passcode

Every review page is passcode-protected. When you create a project we generate a readable default passcode (like amber-willow-42) that your client types once and their browser remembers from then on. You can change it anytime in the project's Settings — we show the current passcode in the project sidebar with a copy button, ready to paste into your email to the client.

Watermarks and expiry

Each project can carry its own watermark text and an optional expiry date. Watermarks appear as a subtle overlay on the review page (not on the files themselves, so your clean files stay clean). After expiry the client link returns a polite "link expired" page.

Uploading photos

From a project page, drag files into the upload zone or click to pick from a folder. Uploads happen in batches; large jobs stream progress in real time with an ETA.

What formats work

• Images: JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG
• Video proofs: MP4, MOV, WebM, M4V, Ogg Pro & Elite
• RAW: CR2, CR3, NEF, NRW, ARW, SR2, SRF, DNG, RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF, RWL, SRW (see next section)

Free accounts are photo-only. Video proofs are included on Pro and Elite plans — contact us for an invite.

File size limits

• Up to 50 MB per file
• Up to 500 MB per upload batch

These limits apply to the file as it arrives. For RAW uploads, only the extracted JPEG preview counts toward your storage quota — not the original RAW size. See the RAW section for details.

Folders

Type a folder name in the upload bar before dropping files to group them on arrival — useful for splitting ceremony / reception, or morning / evening. You can also select photos later and move them between folders.

Uploading RAW files New

Drag RAW files straight from your card reader — no need to export JPEGs first. Every modern RAW file carries an embedded full-size JPEG preview that the camera generated for playback on the back of the body. On upload, ProofingDesk pulls that JPEG out of the RAW container, stores only the JPEG, and discards the RAW entirely. It never touches our disk.

What you'll see

When a RAW upload finishes, a summary toast tells you how many RAW files were processed and the total compression: e.g. "12 RAW files: 520 MB RAW → 6.2 MB JPEG preview stored". Each photo uploaded this way shows a small RAW badge on its thumbnail in the dashboard. Hover (or tap) the badge and you'll see the original RAW size alongside the stored JPEG size:

• wedding-0142.CR2
• Uploaded as CR2 · 42.1 MB
• Stored as JPEG preview · 486 KB

Your clients never see the badge or any RAW-specific UI — they just see a gallery of crisp JPEGs, exactly like they would with any other upload.

Supported cameras

• Canon: CR2, CR3
• Nikon: NEF, NRW
• Sony: ARW, SR2, SRF
• Adobe: DNG
• Fujifilm: RAF
• Olympus: ORF
• Panasonic: RW2
• Pentax: PEF, RWL
• Samsung: SRW

If we can't find an embedded JPEG in a RAW file (rare — it means the camera wrote a non-standard variant), that one file is rejected with a note and the rest of your batch continues.

When RAW isn't the right call

If you want to send clients your final-edit JPEGs from Lightroom or Capture One, export those as JPEGs and upload them directly — the embedded preview in a RAW reflects the camera's in-body rendering, not your developed edit.

Storage & the 4 GB quota

Every free account includes 4 GB of photo storage. You can see how much is in use on your dashboard's stats bar; the meter turns amber at 75% and red at 90%. Pro (15 GB) and Elite (1 TB) accounts also include video proof uploads.

What counts toward the quota

• The original file you uploaded (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
• For RAW uploads: only the extracted JPEG preview, not the RAW itself
• For Pro/Elite: uploaded video files (MP4, MOV, WebM, etc.)

Thumbnails and web-size previews that ProofingDesk generates don't count — only your originals.

Running low?

• Delete finished projects from the dashboard to reclaim their space
• Archive projects you want to keep but don't need the assets for
• Email hello@proofingdesk.com and we'll raise your quota manually

If an upload would push you over, the whole batch is refused with a clear message telling you how much is free and how much the batch needed — nothing gets partially uploaded.

Sharing with clients

Each project has a private client link. Press Copy client link on the project page and send it to them however you like — email, SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp, handwritten card. No app install, no signup, no account.

What your client sees

A clean gallery in their browser, with your brand colors and logo. They can:

• Favorite frames with a tap (heart icon)
• Rate with 1–4 stars if you've asked them to
• Leave a comment per photo
• Draw markup directly on a photo (for retouching requests)
• Download watermarked proofs if you've allowed it

Mobile

The review page is designed phone-first — clients review galleries on their couch, not on a desktop. Pinch to zoom, swipe between photos, double-tap to favorite.

Client submissions & PDFs

When a client presses Submit selections, three things happen at once:

• You get an email notification with a summary of their picks
• A contact-sheet PDF is generated showing thumbnails, stars, and any comments — great for your records and for forwarding to a retoucher
• A ZIP of the approved originals is ready for you to download from the project's activity feed

The submission is timestamped and becomes part of the project's activity log, so you always have a receipt of exactly what was approved and when.

Re-opening submissions

If a client needs to add one more favorite after pressing Submit, you can re-open the gallery from the project page. Their existing selections are preserved; they can add or remove and submit again.

Managing projects

Reordering photos

Switch the grid to Reorder mode to drag photos into the order you want the client to see them. Order is saved automatically.

Bulk actions

Switch to Select mode to pick multiple photos for delete, move-to-folder, or bulk download.

Archiving vs. deleting

Archiving keeps the project and its activity but hides it from your main dashboard view. Deleting is permanent — the project, photos, selections, comments, and activity are all removed and the disk space is reclaimed immediately.

Your account

Changing your password

From the dashboard, press your name in the header and choose Account. If you've forgotten your password, use the Forgot password? link on the sign-in page — you'll get a reset email within a minute or two (check spam if not).

Brand customization

Each studio can set a logo and an accent color in the Account panel. Both propagate to every client gallery automatically — no per-project setup.

Email notifications

You'll get an email when a client submits selections. There's no unsubscribe (yet) — if the volume is noisy, let us know and we'll build a preferences panel.

Contact & support

Still stuck, or have a feature request? We're a small team and we actually read the mail.