Client proofing and watermarks

Proofing turns a collection into a gallery where clients pick favorites. It is built for photographers and studios sending a shoot for selection, but it works for any set of images someone needs to choose from. By the end of this guide you will have a gallery that takes picks, optionally caps how many each client can choose, and shows watermarked images until you deliver the finals.

Turn on proofing#

1. Build the collection

   Create a collection in Share and add the photos, as described in Collections and portals. Any access mode works, including a password.

2. Open its proofing settings

   Open the collection's actions menu and choose Client proofing, then the Settings tab.

3. Let clients pick

   Turn on Let clients pick favorites. To cap the selection, enter a number under Most photos a client can pick. Leave it empty for no limit.

4. Save and share the link

   Choose Save settings, then send the collection link as usual. Collections with proofing on show a Proofing badge in the list.

What your client sees#

The gallery lays photos out in rows in the order you set. Each photo has a heart. The first time a client taps one, they are asked for their name and email, and from then on every heart saves as they go. A bar at the bottom shows how many they have picked, and how many they are allowed when you set a limit. Opening a photo shows it full screen with the heart and, when downloads are on, a download button. Clients can move between photos with the arrow keys or by swiping.

When they are done, the client chooses Send picks, adds an optional note, and sends. Their picks then lock so the selection you are working from can't change under you.

A few details worth knowing:

• Picks follow the email, not the device. If the client opens the gallery on another device and enters the same email, their picks are there. The earlier device is signed out of that selection.
• Several people can pick. Each email gets its own selection, so a couple or a marketing team can each send their own.
• The limit is enforced. Once a client reaches it, another heart shows a message asking them to remove one first.

Review picks#

Open Client proofing on the collection and stay on the Picks tab. Every client who has started picking is listed with their email, how many photos they chose, and whether they have sent them. Selections that are still in progress show up too, so you can see where a client is before they finish.

Expand a selection to see the client's note and the photos they picked. Copy filenames copies the picked file names without extensions, separated by commas, ready to paste into a filename filter in your editing app.

From a selection's menu you can:

• Let them change picks: reopens a sent selection so the client can edit and send it again.
• Delete picks: removes the selection. The client can start over from the gallery.

When a client sends their picks, everyone in the workspace who has the Client picks sent notification turned on is told, in the app, by email, or by webhook depending on their notification settings. The notification links straight to the picks.

Turn off downloads#

Turn off Allow downloads to let clients view and pick without saving files. The download buttons disappear from the gallery and the download route returns 403 with the code downloads_off. Previews keep working. This setting works whether or not proofing is on.

Add a watermark#

Turn on Watermark photos and choose a text or logo mark. The preview in the settings uses one of the collection's own photos.

The watermark is part of the image itself. Previews and downloads from the collection are both made from the original with the mark added on the server, so the unmarked original never reaches the client. Previews are at most 2,400 pixels on the longest edge, and downloads keep the original size. Both come back as JPEG, or PNG when the original has transparency.

How marked copies are made:

• On first view. Each photo is marked the first time someone opens it, so that first view can take a moment. After that the marked copy is reused.
• Per settings. Changing the text, logo, position, opacity, or size makes new copies the next time each photo is opened. Older copies are never shown again.
• Encrypted workspaces never store a marked copy. The mark is added on every request instead.

The watermark covers this collection only. While it is on, the gallery leaves file IDs out of its responses so they can't lead to the files themselves. If you have shared a photo's own delivery link somewhere else, that link still serves the original. Make the file private if that matters.

Do it through the API#

Proofing settings are fields on the collection. Send any of them to PATCH /api/collections/{collection_id}:

curl -X PATCH https://api.steadylink.io/api/collections/8d1e5b72-3c4a-4f0e-9b6d-2a7c1e9f4d30 \
  -H "X-API-Key: $STEADYLINK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "proofingEnabled": true,
    "selectionLimit": 25,
    "downloadsEnabled": false,
    "watermark": { "enabled": true, "kind": "text", "text": "© Northwind Studio", "position": "br", "opacity": 50, "size": 25 }
  }'

Read the picks with GET /api/collections/{collection_id}/selections. The Sharing API reference covers every field and route, including the public routes the gallery uses.

Next steps#