Since we have so much experience curating photos at Wonderful Machine, we’ve developed a system that allows us to provide you with the highest quality photo editing in the most efficient (and cost-effective) way possible.
Upload to Dropbox for easy sharing. Create one folder called <first_last_date> of about 800 pictures for a web edit and 400 pictures for a print edit. Save them in jpeg format and size them at 1500 pixels on the long side.
Organize the pictures in subfolders according to the category you think they belong in. When in doubt, organizing them by project will be most helpful. Do not put the same picture in more than one folder (though you may choose to send more than one variation of a particular picture in that folder, in terms of crop, toning or orientation). Please do not send us layouts of multiple images.
When selecting pictures, please keep in mind that sometimes showing a series of pictures from a particular project is preferable to simply showing the best picture from many different projects.
Sending pictures in multiple batches is okay, but it may increase both the editing and turnaround time because it often requires redoing some or all of the edit. You can send us more or fewer than 800 pictures, but keep in mind that more pictures may add to the photo editing time and fewer can adversely impact the quality of the edit.
Please deliver files that are fully processed and retouched. Many of the decisions we make depend on exactly what the photos look like. When you shoot assignments for different clients, different post-processing may be appropriate. But you may need to adjust the processing on those photos for your portfolio in order to present a cohesive look.
In the process we will often create new category folders (we generally do not repeat pictures within a website). There are times when photos fall into predictable categories, by specialty or project or client type. Other times, your editor will propose groupings that are less predictable. Either way, we’ll want to be open-minded about the presentation, allowing the photos themselves to lead the way rather than our preconceived notions of where they should fit. We’ll contact you to discuss the proposed organization before we move forward with the next step.
your editor will do a rough edit to decide which photos make the cut for each category and which to leave out. We’ll send you PDFs previewing the content of each section.
The purpose of this is to create a flow that we feel makes your images look their best. We often review those edits with other photo editors and producers, sometimes making adjustments based on their feedback.
We will ask you to take some time to digest the proposed changes, as it can sometimes be a bit of a shock to have an outside perspective on your presentation.
Then we can answer any questions and note changes you would like to see.
your editor will refine the edit and the sequencing.
we will write a case study about the project, including a before-and-after screencast. We always love to have a testimonial to include in that post!
the photographer and photo editor will come to the conclusion that more pictures need to be added (or even shot) in order to complete the edit. They may decide to suspend the edit while that can happen. And there are times when the photo editor can provide creative coaching to the photographer on how to proceed.
If this process has been extended, the photo editor will invoice the photographer for the work done at the end of each calendar month.
Please note that our cost estimates are based on these guidelines and these steps are designed to help save us time and you money. If you are unable to complete these steps, we will be able to accommodate you at an additional hourly fee. We look forward to working with you!
Need help with Photo Editing? Reach out!