Update, October 2026: I no longer use Pic-Time for client delivery. This article describes what I used when I filmed the video in 2025. The problems with Google Drive below still apply.
For a long time I delivered finished photo and video projects to clients one of three ways: Dropbox, an SSD, or Google Drive. An SSD is great when you can hand it over in person, but it gets expensive. Dropbox and Google Drive are practical, but neither one is a good way to present finished work to someone who paid for it.
In the video above I show the delivery platform I switched to at the time, Pic-Time, and I build a client gallery from scratch. This is the written version, in the same order as the video.
Where Google Drive falls short for client delivery
Storage is not the problem. The problem is what the client sees when they open the link.
- The previews are tiny and cropped in odd ways.
- There is no real gallery. A client cannot scroll through the set and pick the ones they like. They open each file one at a time, or they download the whole thing just to look at their own photos.
- Downloads can glitch. I have had clients tell me they could not download their photos all together and had to save them one by one.
How I ended up testing Pic-Time, and who paid for what
A few weeks before I filmed the video, I started trying Pic-Time. It is a delivery platform built for creatives: photographers, filmmakers, designers. My first thought was that it was one more subscription trying to get money out of me. Then I noticed creators I actually follow talking about it, and that surprised me enough to take a closer look.
To be upfront with you: Pic-Time did reach out about a sponsored video, and I turned it down. I did not want this to feel like an ad, and I have to use something before I recommend it. I was not paid to say anything, they did not preview the video, and they do not get to change anything I say. What they did give me is a free year of the platform so I could test it with real clients.
What my clients said
I delivered a few recent photo projects through Pic-Time and the feedback was immediate. Clients loved how clean it looked, how easy it was to browse, and that they could click their favorite images and choose the ones they wanted for social media.
One client asked for a physical album, and prints like that can be ordered from inside the same platform. That got me thinking. This is not only about delivery. It is about giving clients options, and maybe adding a new revenue stream from work I am already doing.
What the client sees
Every project gets its own gallery with a cover photo and a title, and you can change both to your liking. Photos and video live in the same place. I am a videographer first and I offer photos on top of that, so this is what sold me. The videos play right in the gallery and the client can scrub through them.
- Simple actions on every image. Hover over a photo to open it, download it, buy it, or share it to Facebook, depending on what you allow in your settings.
- Face search. The platform breaks down all the faces in the photos. Pick one person, or several, and it shows the photos with those people in them. You can turn this on for the client too, which helps when many people are in the shoot.
- A built-in store. Clients can order album prints, wall displays, and calendars, with a preview right next to the photo. I do not have to sit down with a client and ask whether they want a calendar. It is all presented for them, and the revenue is shared with me.
- My branding. With your brand set up, the client can click your logo and land on your business site.
Everything is laid out nicely, and music can play in the background while the client looks. In Google Drive they barely see an icon of the photo, double click it, and sometimes it will not open until they download it.
How I set up a new client gallery
Here is the setup from the video, step by step.
- Click Add Client Gallery and give it a name.
- Set the date of the event if it matters to you (I skipped it) and choose the language.
- Upload a cover photo. Pic-Time picks a cover color to match the photo automatically. I changed mine to something more pastel.
- Create scenes if the shoot has parts. For a wedding that could be the ceremony, the reception, and the afterparty, so the client finds the photos they want faster. I made one scene and called it Event.
- Drag the photos in. While they upload, you can add extras like a slideshow, or a blog page that tells the story with photos you or the client choose.
- Set the rules for the gallery: who has access, whether they can download or have to purchase, and whether watermarks show.
- Add the people. You can add the main client, an additional photographer, or a guest.
- Send it now, or schedule it for later.
You control who sees and downloads what
Guests get an access code or an access link. They can look through the gallery, but they cannot download anything unless you allow it. In Google Drive I am always sorting out who is an editor, who is a viewer, who can comment, and who can download or delete files. Here there is much more control, and it looks a lot better too.
Automations, discounts, and selling to vendors
Pic-Time lets you build urgency with automations like an early bird special, and you can offer discounts or anniversary gifts later on. That keeps you in the client's mind, which matters a lot if you shoot weddings.
It also opens a door on the corporate side. Say you film an event at a venue and the venue wants great candid shots of their location. You can tag the venue, a vendor, or a partner. They get a notification and can purchase those photos later. That is another form of revenue from a shoot you already did.
For me personally, corporate clients are better revenue than weddings. A wedding is mostly one and done. People I already have a relationship with keep ordering again, and a client on retainer is even better. If a company wants a calendar with their team group photo, they can order it through the gallery and I get paid for that too.
Scheduling the send
When the gallery is ready you can send it right away or schedule it. If I am working late at night and want the client to get it in the morning, I choose send later instead of getting up early.
One thing I could not show: the gallery in the video was for an orchestra. It would be great to attach a recording of their own performance, so they could listen while they go through the photos. I did not have that recording.
The bottom line
Pic-Time is not about looking slick. It makes it easier for clients to go through everything you deliver. It gives you a chance to upsell without being pushy, and it opens up additional revenue streams. It makes the handoff neat and more professional.
If corporate shoots are your thing too, here is how I set up a professional interview in under 30 minutes. To see what I shoot with, check out my gear page, and try the free tools if you want help picking a lens or building a setup.
