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Private Photo Editor

CWE Client Resources Guide

Welcome!

This page is intended to be a resource for you during our time working together. You'll likely find that the longer we work together the less you will need to reference this page, but it is here for you no matter what. If at any time you are uncertain about how to update me on your schedule, drop a wedding or get your completed wedding back into your Lightroom catalog, this is the page to check first!

There is a LOT of info and videos included below that cover the most common questions/issues that come up throughout the outsourcing relationship. Feel free to browse around or click on one of the below links to take you right to that section. This page is intended to help you quickly but please feel free to reach out to your editor if you need more thorough assistance!

 
 
 

The process from start to finish

1. Dates on Google Sheet

Make sure all of your dates are on the google sheet well in advance of your sessions. This ensures we have everything on the schedule!

2. shoot/cull/anchor

Shoot your session, cull down to your final gallery, “anchor” your photos (edit for blog or sneak peek).

3. Export to dropbox

Export your catalog and smart previews + zip them together. Upload to your dropbox folder! **Make sure you name the folder the same name that you put on the google sheet for consistency!

4. sit back + Relax

We will edit your dropped catalog and then once we are done we will upload the final edits and send you an email with any notes!

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common questions/tips

You do not need to have dropbox downloaded on your computer.

You can easily upload and download from your browser.

If you do have dropbox downloaded on your computer that is totally fine…you can drag things in and out of your dropbox finder as well, but it’s not totally necessary to do it that way.

Make sure you are sending ONLY the catalog file and the smart previews file, we don’t need the regular previews file.

The less data we all upload and download the fast things will run!

Previews themselves will generate once you open a Lightroom catalog as long as the original RAW’s are attached or smart previews have been generated. Because of this we don’t need to be sending the preview files back and forth, it’s unnecessary bandwidth to upload and download.

Clear out your dropbox folder from time to time

Once you have downloaded the FINAL catalog to your desktop/hard drive and have that backed up in your regular system, you no longer need the zipped file that is in dropbox. Feel free to delete it out of dropbox to clear space for you and for us.

EXPORTING YOUR CATALOG TO DROPBOX

As with most things having to do with Lightroom, there are numerous ways to do the same thing and achieve the same result. Typically people utilize Lightroom in one of two ways: they have ONE main catalog in which they keep all of their weddings/sessions OR they create a new catalog for every wedding/session. 

Exporting your catalog into your Dropbox folder will differ depending on which system you already follow. 

 

GETTING YOUR PHOTOS BACK FROM US

Once we are done with your gallery, we will upload a FINAL zipped folder into your dropbox folder and let you know the gallery is complete. We will send you an email letting you know it is complete and ready for you and send any notes from the gallery.

Once you hear from us, you are safe to download your completed gallery out of dropbox.

Either download the zipped file from the browser OR drag on to your desktop from the finder.

Once you have your zipped file on your desktop you can unzip it and then move the catalog + smart previews to wherever you store your catalogs for each job etc…OR you can import the completed/edited catalog BACK INTO YOUR MAIN working catalog.

options for when you receive back an edited catalog from us

1) Simply replace your original catalog (the one you exported out of) with the new final edited catalog. If you are using unique catalogs per wedding this system will work great and will avoid the importing option. IF you have made changes to your ORIGINAL catalog however you will need to IMPORT the edited catalog back into your original catalog in order to retain all of the changes.

2) Open up your original catalog (especially if you keep all your sessions in ONE main catalog) and IMPORT from the catalog that is saved on dropbox. This will simply import the changes I made back into your original catalog. Once that is done and you have confirmed the imports, you can simply delete the catalog that you downloaded out of dropbox on to your hard drive as it is no longer necessary.

 

pro tips for first gallery

  1. Anchors from each camera & lens

    Make sure you have anchor images included in every camera & lens that was used during the session. This will ensure a higher level of consistency right from the beginning!

2. Capture time

Make sure all capture times are synced from camera to camera so everything shows in order. It is nearly impossible to get high levels of consistency when images are NOT in proper capture time

3. minimal local adjustments

Adding lots of local adjustments to your anchor photos can greatly affect the overall consistency of your gallery. Since we will not be copying the local adjustments, our edits might look very different than yours. Apply local adjustments to only your album or printed images AFTER you get the images back from us

4. less lenses/clean shooting

Try to limit the number of lenses you use during the session and favor prime lenses. Maintain your settings instead of constant adjusting. It is easier to get strong consistency when settings are not constantly changing and/or when focal distance is not constantly changing.

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 dropbox tips + tricks

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  • Always use dropbox from the browser and not from your finder

  • Clean out your folder from time to time - it’s difficult to see what’s new when there are lots of older folders remaining in the folder

  • Do not close your laptop lid or let your screen sleep while uploading - this might interrupt the uploading process and you might think something is uploaded when it is not

 google drive tips + tricks

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  • Bookmark your google sheet for easy access

  • The link to the sheet will also be in your dropbox folder for easy access

  • You should always have access to the sheet in the “shared with you” section of your google drive

  • Make sure you DO NOT delete rows after they have been added - if you need to remove or change a session or date please put it in the NOTES section!

lightroom tips & tricks

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  • Make sure you are marking your anchor images with a color/star or flag

  • Make sure you are only exporting the FINAL set of images - use the filter to make sure you have the right images selected

  • do NOT export previews or negatives (raw images) we ONLY need the catalog + smart previews files

  • If we do not send you the smart previews file back, that’s OK! Once you re-attach your RAW images you will be fine. We only need the smart previews file because we are working without the RAW images.

delayed drop process

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Normal drop deadline is 14 business days from the date of the session/wedding for you to have a guaranteed return of within 10 business days. If you drop your catalog after the 14 business day deadline, NO PROBLEM - you will just need to fill out the delayed drop form.

1. drop catalog + fill out form

Your catalog will NOT count as dropped until we receive the form from you. Once we receive the form from you with your selection of return time, the dates will adjust accordingly.

2. choose your return time

You have three options to choose from regarding return times. You can choose a different option for each delayed drop. This offers you flexibility in case you need something back sooner or later. Your selection will guarantee you a return within that time frame or sooner. Please do not consult with your editor prior to filling out the form to check on their availability. Our goal is always to complete catalogs as quickly as our schedule allows.

mini session process

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We love mini sessions! But as you may imagine, adding individual lines on the google sheet + uploading and download individual catalogs for each mini session individually ends up being a LOT of administrative work - for us AND for you!

In an effort to save time and energy - please enter each Mini Session DAY on your google sheet

When you are ready to submit your mini-sessions you can submit them all in ONE catalog. If you aren’t sure how to do this, please watch the video below!

 

unhappy with edits?

We have great systems in place, but we do understand the editing process is still subjective. If you are past your first few galleries (there is always a learning curve at the beginning) and you feel like your editor is not providing you with a cohesive + consistent finished gallery, please work through the following questions prior to reaching out to Cinnamon regarding next steps.

  1. is the gallery consistent?

    When you look at your finished galleries as a whole (top to bottom in capture time) are the edits consistent? ie…no glaring differences in temps/color/exposure? If it is individual edits you are concerned with…i.e…you don’t see a lot of edits done in the image history, we will need feedback/direction on the specifics you are looking for prior to editing. Our goal is to get you the most consistent gallery possible, not provide extensive edits on each individual photo in the gallery.

2. providing enough anchors/feedback?

Have you been providing anchors on each camera/lens used throughout the session? Are there anchors for sections of images where there are different lighting/environments? Have you provided feedback to the editor previously regarding edits or crops that you weren’t happy with? Are your anchor images consistent when it comes to color/temp/exposure? Is the shooting consistent and clean or are there constant settings changes from image to image?

3. talked through with editor?

Has your editor provided feedback back to you? Have you provided feedback to the editor on any situations in completed galleries that you feel are not consistent? Have you show them screenshots/examples? Our editors welcome your feedback and if we don’t know the specifics of what you feel like you need to “fix” when you receive a gallery back from us, we aren’t able to make those changes to future galleries. Please provide feedback, your editor is ready and willing to work with you to receive the best results possible!

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