Guide · 7 min read
How to send photos to clients without losing quality
Email, WhatsApp, transfer links, shared drives and client galleries compared, plus a delivery workflow you can use on your next shoot.
By the SendShoot team · Updated
What loses quality, and what doesn’t
Quality is lost in two ways: something resizes or recompresses the file, or the client ends up with a version that wasn’t meant for keeping. The usual culprits:
- Messaging apps such as WhatsApp compress photos sent the normal way. Even the HD option is reduced. Sending as a document keeps the original, but your client gets a list of files.
- Social media resizes and recompresses everything you upload.
- Email has attachment size limits (Gmail’s is 25 MB), so a full shoot never fits, and some mail apps offer to shrink images before sending.
Transfer links, shared drives and client galleries all keep your original files intact. The differences between them are about what your client sees, how long the link lasts and whether they can choose favourites.
The options compared
| Method | Full quality? | What the client gets | Main catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only for a few photos | Attachments | Size limits, and photos get lost in the inbox | |
| Only as documents | Photos in a chat, or a list of files | Compressed by default, and clutters the chat | |
| WeTransfer (Free) | Yes | A download page | Up to 3 days online, 10 transfers or 3 GB per 30 days |
| Google Drive, Dropbox | Yes | A folder of files | No favourites, and clients see filenames |
| Client gallery | Yes | A private gallery, with downloads | Needs a gallery service (free plans exist) |
WeTransfer limits are from its help centre, checked 23 September 2026. See our full WeTransfer comparison and Google Drive and Dropbox comparison.
A professional delivery workflow, step by step
- Cull and edit. Deliver your best frames, not every frame. A tighter gallery looks stronger and is easier for clients to choose from.
- Export full-quality JPEGs. Use sRGB so colours look right on phones and at print labs, and a high quality setting. Keep your camera filenames. They make matching retouched files later much easier.
- Upload to a private gallery. Choose how long it stays online and whether clients can download full size, web size, or nothing yet.
- Send one link with the passcode and a short message saying what’s inside, how long it’s available and what you’d like them to do next.
- Collect picks if your package includes retouching. Ask for a number and a deadline. Our guide on letting clients choose their photos covers this in detail.
- Deliver the finals into the same gallery, so your client has one link for everything, and remind them to download before it expires.
How to send photos to clients for free
You don’t need to pay to deliver professionally, especially while you’re starting out:
- SendShoot’s free plan gives you 5 GB of storage and 3 live shoots at a time, with full-size downloads, proofing and every other feature. Clients never need an account or an email address.
- Other client galleries have free plans too, usually with smaller download sizes, branding or a commission on sales. We compare them in the best free client galleries.
- Google Drive gives 15 GB free, shared with Gmail and Google Photos. It works, but your client gets a folder rather than a gallery.
What to write in the delivery message
Keep it short and give your client everything they need in one place:
Hi Adaeze, your photos are ready! Here’s your private gallery: [link]. Passcode: 7429. It’s open until 14 October. Heart your 12 favourites for retouching by the 30th and I’ll take it from there.
