Client Portal Experience
After purchase or an Invite Client email, clients verify at /verify and see a branded portal home with widgets you enabled in Portal Settings—galleries for proofing, downloads, courses, and releases scoped to their purchase or invitation, not your full dashboard.
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.
What they see combines Portal Settings (widgets you enabled) with their entitlements (purchases and invitations). Configure the shell in Configure client portal widgets; grant access via Invite clients to portal or portal-enabled products.
Prerequisites
Client path: purchase or invitation email → access code at /verify → client portal home
Your path: Dashboard → Portal Manager → Overview and Portal Settings
Branding reference: Dashboard → Settings → Theme
What you're looking at
Client portal home: widgets from Portal Settings (welcome, showcase gallery, video highlights, downloads, resources, events) plus course progress when the client has course access.
Sidebar: links to entitled galleries (proofing), videos, resources, downloads, courses, and messages—some entries appear only when the client's invitation or purchase includes that resource type.
Typical actions: favorite or submit selections, download when allowed, sign a release document, resume a purchased course.
What clients see per widget
| Widget | Client experience |
|---|---|
| Welcome Banner | Greeting and optional custom message from Portal Settings |
| Client Showcase | Carousel of images from the portfolio you picked—browsing on home; not the same as proofing approval unless their invitation or purchase includes that gallery |
| Video Highlights | Teaser clips from a portfolio you configured |
| Resources / Downloads | Files and documents they are entitled to open or download |
| Events | Upcoming session info when linked to an event they can access |
| Course progress | Enrolled courses and resume links—appears when purchase or invitation granted course access, not from Portal Settings alone |
| Messages | Messaging area when enabled (entitlements may still apply) |
Shell vs entitlement (client view)
A client may see a showcase gallery on the home page because you enabled it in Portal Settings, while sidebar → Gallery for album proofing appears only if their invitation or purchase includes that workflow. Do not assume home carousel access means they can submit favorites—test with a client account.
Implementation steps
- Accept a test invitation or complete a test purchase; verify at /verify as a client would.
- Walk through sign-in and note which home widgets appear (match your Portal Settings).
- Open Gallery or Videos in the sidebar only if entitled; try view, favorite, and download actions.
- Submit a test selection if Client Submissions is part of your workflow.
- Open a pending release and preview the signing flow without signing real legal text in test.
- Compare logo and colors to your public site from Settings → Theme.
- Draft a short welcome email that names verification, home widgets, and sidebar steps clients will actually see.
What you'll see
A branded, focused interface. Home reflects Portal Settings; sidebar and gated actions reflect what you assigned on the invitation or product. 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 resource on an invitation can surface another job's gallery title. Always verify access type and linked portfolio or course before you send.
Verifying your setup
- You completed verify → portal home from an invitation or purchase test.
- Home widgets matched Portal Settings; proofing matched entitlements.
- Your client welcome message describes the real UI and access-code step.