How to send wedding photos in full resolution

Why don't galleries and chat apps always send full resolution?

Because they're built to show photos fast, and smaller files are faster. That's fine for viewing. It's a problem when the couple thinks the gallery download is the archive copy.

Two examples from the vendors' own help pages:

• Pic-Time creates a smaller web-resolution file next to the high-res one, and web-size downloads are something the photographer can switch on. On the Professional and Advanced plans its uploader also runs a JPEG optimizer that recompresses each photo. Pic-Time says it keeps the pixel dimensions and picks a level with no noticeable change, and support can turn it off. Pic-Time also accepts JPEG, GIF, MP4 and MOV, up to 12000 x 12000 pixels and 100 MB, so RAW files can't go through it.
• WhatsApp sends photos as Standard or HD quality, and says the connection affects quality even in HD. Files attached as documents skip that choice and can be up to 2 GB.

None of this makes galleries the wrong tool. It means the full-resolution handover should be a separate, plain copy of the files.

How big will the delivery be?

It depends on the camera. Nikon lists approximate file sizes in each camera's manual. Here are two bodies, with our total for 3,000 frames:

Those are straight-out-of-camera sizes, and Nikon says they vary with the scene. Your edited exports will differ, so check the folder size in Finder or Explorer before you choose a plan. Tranzfer Free holds 20 GB live at once, which is tight for a full day. Starter holds 300 GB for $15 a month.

How do I export and sort the photos?

1. Export at full size. No resizing, no long-edge limit, high JPEG quality. Pic-Time gives the same advice for its own uploads. Export from the edited files, not the gallery.
2. Sort by part of the day. Smith-Wedding/01-Getting-ready, 02-Ceremony, 03-Portraits, 04-Reception. Couples look for "the first kiss", not DSC_4821.
3. Add a small extra folder if it helps. A Web-size folder for social media saves the couple from posting 19 MB files. Keep it clearly separate.
4. Add RAW files only if your contract says so. If it does, the RAW photos guide covers sidecars and editors.
5. Check the total size and the count. Write both in your message so the couple can confirm they got everything.

How do I send it?

Sign in to Tranzfer with Google, drag the wedding folder in, and pick how long the link lasts. Folders arrive the way you sorted them. If the Wi-Fi drops, it retries. If you close the laptop, it carries on when it wakes. If the browser crashes, pick the same folder and only the missing files upload.

The couple needs no account. On desktop Chrome or Edge, Download all asks for a folder once and saves everything into it with the subfolders. Other browsers download file by file, and phones make that worse, so suggest a computer.

Why tell the couple to save a copy?

Because the link ends. Tranzfer links last up to 3 days on Free, 7 on Starter and 14 on Pro and Studio, and the files are deleted when the link ends. That's deliberate. Last year's weddings shouldn't be floating around on someone's server. You can also cancel a link early.

Write the expiry date in the message, ask them to download to a computer that day, and suggest a second copy on a drive or in their own cloud storage. A gallery can stay up for viewing. The download link is the handover.

When should you use something else?

• The couple wants to view, favourite and order prints. That's what a gallery is for. Tranzfer shows thumbnails but has no favourites and no print store.
• You want the files to stay available for a year. A shared Google Drive or Dropbox folder keeps them until you delete them, at the cost of your own storage.

There's more on plans and delivery for your kind of work on the page for photographers.