How to Use Favourites in a Photo Proofing Workflow

Favourites are one of the simplest ways to make photo proofing easier for both the photographer and the client.

Instead of asking somebody to copy filenames into an email, the client marks the photographs they want while they are actually looking at them.

The selection remains connected to the images, reducing the chance of mistakes and making the next stage of the photography workflow much clearer.

What are favourites in a proofing gallery?

A favourite is simply a photograph the client marks as part of their selection.

Depending on the job, a favourite might mean:

• "I want this photograph retouched";
• "include this in my package";
• "this is approved";
• "consider this for the campaign";
• "put this in the album shortlist";
• or "I would like to buy this image".

The important part is that the photographer and client agree what favouriting an image means for that particular gallery.

Why favourites are better than emailed filenames

Filename-based proofing can work, but it creates an unnecessary translation step.

The client sees a photograph, finds its filename, copies or types it somewhere else and eventually sends that list back to the photographer.

Every step introduces another opportunity for confusion.

It is easy to mistype IMG_4827 as IMG_4872 or send a screenshot that does not clearly identify the original file.

With gallery favourites, the client makes the decision on the photograph itself.

Step 1: decide what a favourite means

Do this before sending the gallery.

If the client is choosing ten portraits for final retouching, a favourite means one of those ten selections.

If a commercial client is identifying campaign photographs, a favourite may mean an image that should move into the approval or retouching stage.

If a wedding couple is creating an album shortlist, it may simply mean "consider this for the album".

One control can support several workflows, but the meaning needs to be clear.

Step 2: prepare the gallery before the client sees it

Favourites do not replace photographer curation.

Remove technical failures, irrelevant photographs and unnecessary near-duplicates first.

The client should be selecting between images you are comfortable taking forward, rather than performing your initial edit for you.

If you are unsure how large that shortlist should be, read how many proofs should you send to a client?

Step 3: give the client a specific instruction

A proofing email should tell the client exactly what to do.

For example:

Please work through the gallery and favourite your ten chosen photographs. Once you have finished your selection, those are the images I will take through the final retouching stage.

That sentence explains:

• what control to use;
• how many to choose;
• and what will happen afterwards.

That is enough for many clients.

Step 4: keep the choice inside the gallery

Try not to create a workflow where clients favourite images and then still have to copy the filenames into an email.

That defeats much of the point.

The gallery should become the reference point for the selection so that both photographer and client are talking about the same photographs.

Step 5: check the selection before starting final work

Before completing retouching or ordering products, confirm that the selection makes sense.

If a client was supposed to choose ten images and appears to have chosen twenty-seven, resolve that before starting the next stage.

If they selected nine, check whether they intentionally want only nine or simply missed one.

A quick check at this point can prevent significantly more work later.

Portrait photography favourites

Portrait proofing is one of the clearest uses for favourites.

A client may buy a package containing a fixed number of finished photographs. They browse the proof gallery, mark the included number and the photographer completes those images.

The workflow is easy to understand because the favourite directly represents a chosen final photograph.

Commercial photography favourites

Commercial selection can involve several people, so favourites can be particularly useful for establishing the exact images under discussion.

The photographer should still establish who has authority to make the final choice, especially when agencies, marketing teams and other stakeholders are involved.

The dedicated commercial proofing workflow covers this in more detail.

Wedding favourites

Wedding photographers may not use favourites to decide which photographs get edited, because the main gallery is often already a completed delivery.

Favourites can still help couples create:

• album selections;
• parent-album selections;
• print lists;
• thank-you-card choices;
• or personal highlight collections.

This means favourites can remain useful long after the original gallery has been delivered.

Favourites and downloads are different actions

Marking a photograph as a favourite does not necessarily mean the client should download it, and downloading a photograph does not necessarily mean it has been approved.

Proofing and delivery can be separate stages of the same job.

This distinction matters particularly when the images in the proof gallery are not yet fully retouched.

Read proofing versus downloads for more on that decision.

Common mistakes with gallery favourites

The most common problems usually come from unclear instructions rather than the favourite control itself.

Avoid:

• sending the gallery without explaining what favourites mean;
• failing to state a selection limit;
• including large numbers of almost identical proofs;
• asking clients to create another filename list afterwards;
• starting final work before checking the chosen set;
• or mixing unfinished proofs and final deliverables without explanation.

What makes a good favourites workflow?

A successful workflow should be understandable in a few seconds.

The client sees the photographs, marks the ones they want and the photographer can clearly identify the resulting selection.

If either side needs to build a spreadsheet to understand what was chosen, the workflow has become more complicated than it needs to be.

How FolioDen approaches favourites

FolioDen keeps favourites inside the client-gallery and proofing workflow so image choices remain attached to the photographs themselves.

That lets the gallery serve as the central reference point while the photographer moves from review to selection and final delivery.

Explore the FolioDen proofing and favourites tools, read the broader photo proofing guide, or view the gallery experience.