File Sharing for Photographers and Videographers: Deliver Originals Fast
Creative work means big files. Here is a practical workflow for getting RAW photos, footage and finished edits to clients and collaborators quickly and at full quality.
Creative professionals produce the biggest files most people ever handle. A single wedding can be 60 GB of RAW photos. A short film shoot can fill a drive. The work is only finished when the client or editor has the files, and the delivery step is where good projects lose hours. This guide describes a simple workflow that gets originals across quickly, without caps and without quality loss.
What goes wrong with common delivery methods
Email stops at a few megabytes. Free cloud links cap the size or expire in a few days. Messaging apps recompress images and footage. Paid transfer plans work, but you are renting space for a file you will never need to keep on their servers. And almost all of them need an upload first, which at typical home upload speeds can take a whole evening for a wedding gallery.
The direct delivery workflow
With P2P file sharing, the files go from your computer to the client's device in one step.
- Prepare the delivery folder. Keep a clean folder with the final selection, named clearly, for example "Wedding-Smith-Final".
- Open PeerFlow in your browser or the Windows app, and choose the files.
- Share the code by message or a phone call, and agree a time when you will both be online.
- Stay online until the client confirms the files have arrived. The files come from your computer, so keep it awake.
- Send a delivery note by email: number of files, total size, date.
Why this suits creative work
- Originals stay originals. No re-encoding, so RAW images, ProRes or high-bitrate camera files arrive exactly as shot.
- No waiting for an upload. The recipient starts receiving at once, instead of waiting until your upload finishes.
- No storage bills. There is no cloud space to pay for and nothing that expires.
- Privacy. Files are not kept on a server, which matters for unreleased products, private events and confidential clients.
Working with editors and retouchers
For a long project, set up a rhythm. The photographer sends the batch, the retoucher confirms receipt, and the finished files travel back the same way. For video, send proxies first for the rough cut and the full-resolution originals only for the final conform. When a revision needs discussion, start an online meeting and share your screen so you can look at the same frame together.
Delivering on location
On a shoot, you often have only a laptop and a mobile hotspot. Direct transfer helps here too: if the client is on site, connect over the same Wi-Fi and the files cross at local speed, so the client can see the first images before you pack up. If you are on mobile data, choose the smaller files first, such as a selection of JPEG previews, and leave the heavy originals for a better connection.
Delivery checklist
| Step | Why |
|---|---|
| Name the folder and files clearly | The client can find things later |
| Send in batches of a sensible size | A failed connection costs minutes, not hours |
| Verify count and size on both sides | Nothing is missing |
| Send a short delivery note | A record for both of you |
| Keep your own backup until the client confirms | You are never the only copy |
A word about backups
Direct transfer is delivery, not storage. Keep your own backups of the originals until the client has confirmed that everything is complete and opens correctly. Our article on unlimited file sharing without cloud storage explains how to think about copies, backups and sharing.
Getting started
You can try the whole flow with two browser windows in a couple of minutes. For regular delivery, install the Windows and Android apps so PeerFlow is always ready.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send RAW files and uncompressed footage?
Yes. PeerFlow sends files exactly as they are, with no size limit set by PeerFlow, so RAW images, camera originals and project folders arrive unchanged.
Do my clients need to install anything?
No. They open PeerFlow in a browser, enter your code and receive the files. Nothing has to be installed to receive.
Can I keep a record of what I delivered?
Keep your own delivery note with the date, the file count and the total size. PeerFlow does not store the files, so your delivery note is your record.
Is it suitable for confidential, unreleased work?
The connection is encrypted and no copy of the files is kept on a PeerFlow server, which suits unreleased work. Always follow any rules in your client agreement as well.