Post-Processing and Delivery Timeline

Delivery Speed Shapes Client Satisfaction

Clients do not judge your editing. They judge how long they waited. A beautifully edited gallery delivered in 3 weeks gets better reviews than a perfectly edited gallery delivered in 10 weeks. Speed and communication matter more than perfection.

Setting Expectations in Your Contract

State your delivery timeline clearly in your creavio contract. Be specific:

• Weddings: "Full gallery delivered within 6-8 weeks of the wedding date."
• Portraits: "Gallery delivered within 2-3 weeks of the session."
• Mini sessions: "Gallery delivered within 1 week."
• Commercial: "Final assets delivered within [agreed timeline from creative brief]."

Always quote a range, not a specific date. "6-8 weeks" gives you a buffer. Delivering at 5 weeks makes you a hero.

The Sneak Peek

Why Sneak Peeks Matter

The gap between session day and full gallery delivery is when clients are most anxious. Sneak peeks bridge that gap. They give clients something to share on social media immediately and confirm that their photos turned out beautifully.

Timing

Send 3-5 sneak peek images within 48 hours of the session. Not 5 days. Not "this week." Within 48 hours. This is when excitement peaks.

How to Deliver

Create a small creavio Collection with your 3-5 best images from the session. Publish it and send the link with a personal note: "Here is a sneak peek! I am so happy with how these turned out. Full gallery coming in [timeframe]."

Editing Workflow for Speed

Batch Processing

Do not edit sessions one image at a time. Batch your workflow:

1. Cull: Select the keepers. Reject the rest. Aim for a 20-30% keep rate for portraits, 10-15% for weddings.
2. Apply base preset: One preset, applied to all images, gets you 80% of the way.
3. Color correction pass: Adjust white balance, exposure, and tone as a batch where possible.
4. Individual tweaks: Only touch individual images that need it. Skin retouching, blemish removal, specific crop adjustments.
5. Export: Batch export to your delivery specifications.

Editing Calendar

Block dedicated editing days on your creavio calendar. If you shoot Tuesday, edit Wednesday. If you shoot Saturday, edit Monday. Do not let sessions stack up. The longer you wait, the harder it is to remember the session details and the more the client wonders what is happening.

Gallery Delivery

The Delivery Email

When the gallery is ready, send a personal email through creavio. Not a generic notification. A message that makes the client feel special:

"Your gallery is ready and I could not be more excited for you to see it! These turned out beautifully. [Personal detail about the session]. Here is your private link: [gallery link]. Enjoy!"

After Delivery

Set up a creavio automation for post-delivery:

• Day 3: Check-in email asking how they like the gallery
• Day 7: Gentle reminder about print ordering if applicable
• Day 10: Review request with a direct link to Google Reviews

When You Are Running Behind

It happens. Peak season, personal emergencies, equipment failures. If you are going to miss your stated timeline:

1. Tell the client before the deadline passes, not after.
2. Give a specific new date: "Your gallery will be ready by [date]."
3. Apologize once and briefly. Do not over-explain.
4. Deliver early on the new date if possible.

Clients forgive delays when communicated proactively. They do not forgive silence.