We Review Picflow: A New Client Proofing Service for Photographers.

Picflow is a new program that allows you to deliver images to your client and for that client to select and even download their favorites. Let’s take a look at Picflow's features and operations.

It seems not very long ago that I was delivering images to clients on CDs or DVDs. These formats suffered from major compatibility problems, and even if the disc was working when you first gave it to the client, it was very possible that it would not work a year later. This had one small benefit in that it was unlikely that a client would continue to use your images indefinitely since the discs were often unplayable after a few months and most clients didn’t have a proper archive system in place. Some of my better clients would send a bike messenger over to pick up these discs, but back in the day, I did hand-deliver quite a bit of them myself. Sometimes, this allowed me to talk with the client or network with others in that office, but just as often, delivering the images by hand was a chore that took hours of my day.

Today, image delivery is much less time-consuming. We can simply move images to a folder on our desktop and use a free service like Dropbox or WeTransfer to send them to a client instantly. But this delivery method can cause problems for our clients since the average person doesn’t have a proper platform for scrolling through and sorting dozens of images quickly and efficiently. And if you want that client to select which images are needed for retouching or you want the client to cull the original set of images down to a smaller number for wider distribution to the client’s coworkers, then you are going to have to empower that client to perform these tasks by using a more comprehensive delivery method. Fortunately, several services make the process of the photographer sending out the images and the client making the selects simpler. The latest entry into this workspace is Picflow.

In the video below, I try out the service from the perspective of a photographer and that of a client.  As is standard operating procedure for me, I didn’t bother to read any sort of instructional material before jumping in. Check out the results below.

I was impressed with how easy it is to navigate the platform for both the photographer and the client. The gallery that you present to the client is clean and beautiful, and I especially love the fact that you have control over how many options are shown to the client. You may want the client to only have the ability to select favorites. Or, you might want the client to be able to use a more sophisticated system of color labels. For example, images tagged in red by the client are to be deleted from the gallery. All images tagged blue may be sent out after an embargo. Images tagged yellow can be distributed immediately. Images tagged green should be sent in for retouching. I am confident many of my clients could use Picflow to assign these labels and thus organize images in this manner. The program is still in beta, and the creators plan to add features such as image watermarking and print sales. As long as these items can be turned off by the photographer and the interface stays clean for the client, I believe Picflow is on the right track regarding adding additional options to an already strong platform.

What I Liked

• Intuitive interface for both photographer and client
• Photographer has the option to turn certain client features on or off
• Image galleries are uncluttered and utilize the entire screen
• The client can share full galleries or single images

What Can Be Improved

• Current plan caps storage at 1 TB worth of images on the site

Like most apps these days, Picflow is subscription-based. If you’re interested in trying Picflow, you can use the code: FSTOP50 for a 50% discount on the Picflow Pro plan. Code is valid until December 31, 2022.