Can I prevent customers from cropping on a Proof-delay?

davidmigl

My workflow usually goes like this:

1. Shoot in RAW, download to computer, separate keepers from trash.
2. Adjust exposure, color balance, white balance, saturation, etc. Export to TIF.
3. Batch apply Auto-levels to the TIF files.
4. Crop and straighten, do other minor adjustments on the TIF files.
5. Generate 85% quality JPEG out of the TIF and upload.

My reason for wanting Proof-delay is to take out step #4 and only apply it to the photos that are necessary. As it is the only step in the process that is not (semi -) automated, it usually takes a couple of hours for each batch.

I read that replacing the uncropped version of a file with a cropped version while the customer had already chosen a crop could cause problems. That makes sense.

Is there any way to avoid this potential problem by not allowing customers to crop, so I can rest assured that my crop will be the one they receive?

Oh, comments on the workflow appreciated, too. I'm still learning this stuff

Andy

davidmigl wrote:

I read that replacing the uncropped version of a file with a cropped version while the customer had already chosen a crop could cause problems. That makes sense.

Not any more, because YOU can see the crops now in your orders page, and

* readjust the crop
* upload a new photo if you wish
* readjust the crop against the new photo
* change auto/true color choice

!!

Hope this helps

davidmigl

Andy wrote:

Not any more, because YOU can see the crops now in your orders page, and

* readjust the crop
* upload a new photo if you wish
* readjust the crop against the new photo
* change auto/true color choice

!!

Hope this helps

Hey, thanks for the response - I got to reading in "The Proof-delayed shipping thread" right after I posted this and figured that this was the case.

Smugmug rocks!

kris10

davidmigl wrote:

Hey, thanks for the response - I got to reading in "The Proof-delayed shipping thread" right after I posted this and figured that this was the case.

Smugmug rocks!

Nifty thread here. I now have a question. Can someone guide me to a link for more info on proof delay and cropping? I've had the same concern with folks cropping a photo without me being able to check it first. I typically put a signature stamp on my work and a lot of times a thin white border. I believe I'll ultimately end up dumping the white border idea but not my siggy stamp. If the photo's do need to be cropped, I'd prefer to do it myself and would like to read more about it and the proof delay. Thanks.

AnneMcBean

kris10 wrote:

Nifty thread here. I now have a question. Can someone guide me to a link for more info on proof delay and cropping? I've had the same concern with folks cropping a photo without me being able to check it first. I typically put a signature stamp on my work and a lot of times a thin white border. I believe I'll ultimately end up dumping the white border idea but not my siggy stamp. If the photo's do need to be cropped, I'd prefer to do it myself and would like to read more about it and the proof delay. Thanks.

Well, we just improved our proof-delay feature last week so that you can view and change the customer's crop. However, the help page is not quite up-to-date. The new help page is waiting for some other features to get out the door.

Here's the current help page: http://smugmug.com/help/proof-retouch-replace . And, the recent changes are as follows:
If you go to your sales details and view an order, you can now see the customers crop and change it. On the same page (the order page), you can see and change the customer's selected print color (auto or true, they are described here: http://smugmug.com/help/too-red ). Finally, the order page also has a "replace photo" button that is a shortcut for the "replace photo" tool available in the photo tool drop down menu.

If you have more questions about the way it works, just holler!

-Anne

Phyxius

I LOVE, love, LOVE that we can now "fix" the crop our customers chose (or forget to choose).

Thank you Smugmug , brilliant change!