PixyLike online proofing is finally here!

"Last time I made the selection, I thought that there has to be a way to simplify this..." In lines of these words were the client comments around proofing process of my photographic work. As you can imagine, going through a couple of hundred proof files, typing down the file names into a mail and sending that over back to me is not the most romantic bit of the photo session. Especially in the extreme cases, like the recent wedding when the choice was to be done from 1.5k photos. Therefore PixyLike Online proofing was born and now not just myself, but any photographer can ease up their own and their client life by automating and simplifying the proofing process!

My normal photo session works something like this- first we always make a deal with my clients on how many photos are to be delivered plus other practical details are arranged. Then there is the day(-s) of the photo shoot and I go home (I work on location) with the raw files. I do initial processing in Bibble and then the client gets to make their choice- go through hundreds of photos, write down the file names and type them into a mail back to me. Not that fun part of the shoot as you might guess from the opening sentence.

Enter PixyLike Online Proofing! Now instead of packaging all of those files in a mail or on my static website, I just need to click 1- "Create new client" button, 2- type in the client email and a password for them and 3- click the Create button:

A new client account has been created. Let us click on it:

Now we are able to add photos into this profile. Just drag and drop the proof files which are sized to 500 pixels on the long side (I always send small proofs to avoid theft and unnecessary image abuse related discussions):

After all photos are uploaded, it is time to click the "Notify client button":

Voila! I am done! My client gets a mail with instructions where and how to find their proofs:

For the client, selection process is as easy as clicking on a check mark (1) so that it turns green. Every click is saved immediately, so there is no way to loose what has been done so far. The client interface has nothing that should not be there; we tried to make it as smooth and clutter-free as possible.

(2) is filter toggle button to show all photos or just the ones that have been chosen. Once they are happy with their choice, they click Submit (3) button and I get a list of file names in my mail:

This means it is time to get cracking with real post-processing!

A note on the membership types. There are two. The easiest one for those that have loads of customers is the yearly membership. Pay once and use PixyLike for as many clients as you manage to take photos of throughout the year. We will keep it unlimited as long as there is no clear abuse.

The second option is for those taking it slow. I still remember when I had just a few clients per month and it would not be reasonable to pay a yearly fee for something I would rarely use. If your business is just winding up, you are welcome to purchase 10 or 50 client galleries. Use those in what ever time it takes for you to use them- there is no expiry date.

"...and tada! You made it happen." was the end of the quote I started this post with. I am really pleased with the outcome and the whole development process of PixyLike. So far both client and user feedback is positive as well. I hope that it will make life easier for many of fellow photographers as it did for me. Enjoy it now and look forward to the bunch of enhancements and new features of the next release!

M.