How to Deliver RAW Photos to Clients — No Size Limit, No Cloud
A finished shoot is tens of gigabytes of RAW files, PSDs and exports — and the client wants them yesterday. Cloud galleries are great for previews, but for delivering the actual files, size caps and expiring links get in the way. Here's how to hand off a full shoot directly, at full resolution, with DropLink.
Quick answer
Deliver photo shoots directly instead of through a cloud: put the export in DropLink (free on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android), then either send device-to-device on the same network at 50+ MB/s or share a browser link the client opens with no account (streamed through DropLink's relay, never stored). No size caps for RAW batches, end-to-end encryption between apps for NDA work, no stored server copy of the shoot, and no expiring gallery links.
Step-by-step
- 1
Organize the delivery folder
Export from Lightroom or Capture One as usual: selects, edited JPEGs, and the RAW or PSD masters if the contract includes them — one folder, any size.
- 2
Open DropLink and add the folder
Drag the delivery folder into DropLink on your Mac or PC. No zipping, no splitting into cap-sized chunks.
- 3
Client in the studio? Send device-to-device
If the client — or your editor or second shooter — is on the same network, their device shows up automatically. The transfer runs at 50+ MB/s and doesn't touch the internet at all.
- 4
Remote client? Send a browser link
Create a share link and email it. The client clicks and downloads at full resolution, streamed from your machine through DropLink's relay — encrypted in transit, never stored. No account, no app, no portal to learn.
- 5
Confirm and archive
The BLAKE3 integrity check guarantees the delivered files match your export bit-for-bit. Then archive your way — there's no third-party copy floating around and no link that expires in 7 days.
Common issues
- The client says the download doesn't start
Ask them to open the link in a modern browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox). Remember the transfer is direct: your machine needs to be on and connected while the client downloads. Corporate networks occasionally block direct connections; the encrypted relay fallback usually gets through.
- Delivery to a remote client is slow
Remote speed is bounded by your upload and their download; when direct P2P isn't possible the transfer falls back to an encrypted relay, which is slower. For in-person handoffs — studio, venue, office — the same network transfer bypasses the internet entirely.
- I need to deliver to a phone
DropLink runs natively on iOS and Android — the client can receive the shoot straight to their device, or use the browser link exactly as on desktop.
What happens under the hood
Direct transfer, encrypted end to end
On a local network, DropLink connects over QUIC with TLS 1.3, verifying each device's certificate fingerprint on first use (TOFU). Over the internet, app-to-app connections use the Noise protocol with curve25519 keys, so only your device and the client's can read the data. Browser deliveries stream through DropLink's relay, encrypted in transit and never stored.
No server copy of the shoot
Cloud delivery means your client's wedding, campaign or portrait session sits on a provider's storage under that provider's terms of service. A P2P delivery leaves exactly two copies: yours and the client's. Nothing to expire, nothing to get breached, nothing to feed an AI model.
Bit-exact files, verified
Every chunk is checked against a BLAKE3 hash tree during the stream. TIFFs, PSDs and RAW files arrive exactly as exported — no silent corruption, no recompression.
Delivery times in practice
On the studio network, a 40 GB wedding delivery moves in roughly 15 minutes at 50+ MB/s. Remote deliveries run at the speed of the slower connection — but unlike a cloud service, the client's download starts immediately instead of after your upload finishes.
- 40 GB shoot on LAN
- ~15 minutes
- Size cap
- None — RAW batches welcome
- Client setup
- None — browser link
- Link expiry
- Under your control
Is this appropriate for NDA or client-confidential work?
Yes — arguably more so than cloud delivery. App-to-app transfers are end-to-end encrypted (TLS 1.3 locally, Noise protocol remotely); browser deliveries stream through DropLink's relay encrypted in transit. Either way no server ever stores the files, so there is no stored third-party copy whose retention policies or breaches apply to the client's material. For contracts with data-handling clauses, 'no third-party copy exists' is a short conversation.
Technical FAQ
Can clients download without an account?
Yes. The share link opens in any browser and the download starts immediately — no signup, no portal password.
Does my computer need to stay on during the download?
Yes — the transfer is direct from your machine, so keep it online until delivery completes. That's the trade-off for having no cloud copy and no size limit.
How is this different from a client gallery like Pixieset?
Galleries are for proofing and selection — polished previews, favorites, print sales. DropLink is for moving the actual files: RAW masters, PSDs, full-resolution exports. Many photographers use a gallery for proofing and DropLink for delivery.
Is there a limit on the number of files?
No. A folder with ten thousand RAW files transfers as one delivery.