Client Portal Experience

Clients work in a simplified portal—not your photographer dashboard. Understanding their screen helps you write onboarding emails that match reality and reduces back-and-forth during proofing and delivery.

Prerequisites

Client path: invitation email → portal sign-in → assigned galleries and tasks

Your path: Dashboard → Portal Manager → Overview

Branding reference: Dashboard → Settings → Theme

What you're looking at

Client portal home: shared galleries, deliveries, pending release signatures, and submission actions.

Typical actions: favorite or submit selections, download when allowed, comment if enabled, sign a release document.

Implementation steps

1. Accept a test invitation or open a client link in a private browser window.
2. Walk through sign-in or the magic-link flow exactly as a client would.
3. Open an assigned gallery and try each allowed action (view, favorite, download).
4. Submit a test selection if Client Submissions is part of your workflow.
5. Open a pending release and preview the signing flow without signing real legal text in test.
6. Compare logo and colors to your public site from Settings → Theme.
7. Draft a short welcome email that names the buttons and steps clients will actually see.

What you'll see

A branded, focused interface with only that client's assignments. Actions unavailable by policy are hidden rather than shown as errors.

On mobile devices

Many clients proof on phones. Scroll galleries and test download on a narrow screen before you promise a desktop-only workflow.

When two clients could be confused

Rare but serious: wrong project linkage can surface another job's title. Always verify the project name on the invitation before you send.

Verifying your setup

• You completed the portal flow from an invitation link.
• View, download, and submit behavior matched your settings.
• Your client welcome message describes the real UI.