A Wedding Album Delivery Workflow for Photographers

The stages at a glance

1. Brief: size, page count, style and retouching level, agreed in writing.
2. Client selection: the couple chooses their photos from the gallery.
3. First design: a complete draft of every spread.
4. Review: the client reviews exported spreads and sends one consolidated list of changes.
5. Revisions: a limited number of rounds, as agreed in the brief.
6. Pre-print check: resolution, fold, safe area, spelling, colour and file specification.
7. Printing: files to the lab, with a proof if the look is sensitive.
8. Delivery and archive: the album to the client, the files to your archive.

1. The album brief

Most album delays come from decisions nobody made at the start. Agree these with the couple before any design work, and keep them with the booking:

• Album size and number of spreads (see 12 × 36 vs 14 × 40).
• How many photos they may select, and what happens if they choose more.
• Style direction: classic and framed, editorial, cinematic, or mixed per function.
• Retouching level, including anything they want left alone (see natural skin retouching).
• Number of revision rounds included, and the deadline for feedback.
• Names and spellings for any text in the album.

2. Client photo selection

Let the couple choose from a culled gallery, not the raw shoot. Give them a target number that matches the album size and a deadline. A locked final selection is important: once they submit, design starts from that set, and later additions are treated as changes.

Smart Photo Selection's photo selection tools let clients pick favourites online and submit a final selection, which then becomes the starting point for the album. Shared galleries also show your studio name and contact details.

3. First design

Design the whole album before showing anything. A complete draft lets the client judge pacing and story, while a few sample spreads invite piecemeal feedback. This is where AI saves the most time: the AI album generator turns the selection into designed spreads at your album size, using automatic designs, a library template or your own PSD.

Treat the AI output as a first draft. Check every sheet for the hero choice, sequence, crops and faces near the fold, and adjust in the editor before the client sees it. Spending an hour here saves a revision round later.

4. Client review

Smart Photo Selection does not currently offer online client review of album drafts; drafts stay in Album Studio. Export the spreads as JPG files, which are lightweight enough to share, and send them as one numbered set. Ask for feedback in a single list that refers to spread numbers, for example Spread 07: swap the left portrait for one where Priya is laughing.

• Number the files in page order so feedback refers to the same spread you see. Smart Photo Selection names exports in sequence, such as -album-sheet-07.jpg.
• Mark the files clearly as previews, at reduced size if you prefer, so they are not mistaken for print files.
• Remind the client of the revision rounds and the feedback deadline in the same message.

5. Revisions

Apply all changes from one round together, then export a fresh set. Typical changes are photo swaps, crop adjustments, removing a spread or reordering events. In Smart Photo Selection, open the sheet, use Change Photo on the frame, adjust the crop, and regenerate a sheet only if the whole layout should change.

6. Pre-print checklist

1. Resolution: no photo flagged below 200 ppi, or the client has accepted the softer print.
2. Fold: no face or text crossing the centre fold; Smart Photo Selection blocks export if anything does.
3. Safe area and bleed: faces and text inside the safe area; bleed as the lab specifies. See bleed, safe area and the centre fold.
4. Text: names, dates and spellings checked against the brief.
5. Colour: consistent across facing pages; dark spreads checked for shadow detail.
6. Files: the format, colour profile and naming the lab requires (see JPG, PNG, TIFF or PSD).

7. Printing

Send files exactly as the lab specifies, and keep their order confirmation with the booking. For a new lab, a new paper or a moody, dark album, ask for a proof of one or two spreads before the full print. Note the expected delivery date and tell the client when the album has been sent to print.

8. Delivery and archive

Deliver the album with care: check it for print or binding defects before it reaches the client. Archive the final print files and the layered PSDs together with the original photos. Smart Photo Selection stores projects in the browser on the device you use, not in the cloud, so the exported files are your permanent record; back them up like any other client delivery.

Making the workflow repeatable

• Use the same brief questions and checklist for every album.
• Reuse your own PSD designs with PSD album automation so studio styles stay consistent.
• Standardise sizes and spread counts in your packages to reduce custom work.
• Review your revision rounds: if the same feedback keeps appearing, fix it in the first design.

For the design side of the process in more depth, read AI wedding album design: the complete guide, and see how different photography businesses use Smart Photo Selection.