File delivery is where the most workflow problems occur. This is due to the large number of potential uses of digital image files and the large number of options for delivery files.
File Delivery
Unless you are the end user, digital image files will need to be handed off to the next person in line in the production chain. The key goals of image delivery are to give that person exactly what they need. Sometimes determining what the next person in line actually needs is your biggest challenge.
Optimized file delivery always means delivering rendered RGB or CMYK files.
Shooting raw files (or even JPEG or TIFF) and delivering batch processed JPEG or TIFF files has become a reasonable option compared to delivering fully optimized image files in terms of controlling image appearance and quality.
What about delivering unrendered files? Some clients request, and some photographers deliver raw or DNG files. We do not recommend the former, and only recommend DNG in special circumstances.
Metadata, file naming, delivery media, and delivery paperwork are the final details that need to be addressed for proper file delivery.
Last Updated September 22, 2015
