If you need to send RAW photos to a client, a second shooter or a retoucher, the hard part is not the click — it is keeping full resolution, keeping the folder order you spent an hour on, and not waiting half a day for an upload. This guide compares the realistic ways to deliver a shoot and shows how to send RAW and JPEG folders as they are.
Why do photos lose quality when you share them?
Most photo share paths are built for viewing, not for delivery. Chat apps and social networks resize and recompress images so they load fast on a phone. That is fine for a preview and wrong for a client who will print, retouch or archive the photos.
RAW files are a different problem: they are simply big. A 45-megapixel sensor recording 14 bits per pixel produces about 79 MB of raw data per frame before any compression (45 million × 14 bits ÷ 8). Lossless compression shrinks that, but RAW files from modern cameras still typically weigh tens of megabytes each. Multiply by a shoot:
| Shoot | Files | Approx. size | Time at 50 Mbit/s upload | Time at 100 Mbit/s upload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait session | 300 RAW × 50 MB | 15 GB | ~40 minutes | ~20 minutes |
| Product shoot | 800 RAW × 50 MB + JPEGs | 50 GB | ~2.2 hours | ~67 minutes |
| Wedding | 2,000 RAW × 50 MB | 100 GB | ~4.4 hours | ~2.2 hours |
Times are the minimum for the transfer itself (1 GB = 8 gigabits) and apply to any internet method, because everything has to pass through the sender's upload link once.
What are the ways to send RAW photos to clients?
| Method | Full resolution | RAW files | Folder structure | Proofing / favorites | Sender online during download? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messenger / social app | Usually not | Only as documents | No | No | No |
| Yes | Only one or two files (~20–25 MB cap) | No | No | No | |
| Cloud drive (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) | Yes | Yes | Kept online, usually zipped on download | Limited | No |
| Client gallery (Pixieset-type) | Yes, if downloads are enabled | Plan-dependent | Sets / collections | Yes | No |
| Transfer service (WeTransfer-type) | Yes | Yes | Usually zipped | No | No |
| StrongFolder (P2P) | Yes | Yes | Kept, no ZIP | No | Yes |
| Card or USB drive | Yes | Yes | Kept | No | No |
Client galleries: best for proofing and sales
Gallery platforms such as Pixieset, Pic-Time or ShootProof let clients view, favorite, comment and download, often with your branding and a print store. They are the right default for final delivery to a private client.
Check what your plan covers for RAW. As of 5 November 2026, Pixieset supports RAW uploads (NEF, RAF, RAW, PEF, ARW, DNG, RW2, ORF, CR2, CR3) on its Pro and Ultimate plans, up to 100 MB per file; its Lightroom Classic plug-in uploads JPEG only, and print products need JPEG files.
Cloud drives: best when you can't stay online
Upload once, send a link, close the laptop. The cost is the upload wait, your storage quota, and a ZIP for the client when they download a whole folder.
Direct transfer: best for fast handoffs of whole shoots
When a second shooter sends you their cards, when you hand RAWs to a retoucher, or when an agency needs the full shoot today, a direct transfer skips the upload step entirely. The recipient starts receiving as soon as they open the link.
Free · in your browser · no sign-up
How do I send RAW + JPEG folders without zipping?
Organize first, then send the folder as a folder:
- Create one delivery folder, for example
2026-11-05_Smith-Wedding, with subfolders such asRAW,JPEG-fullandJPEG-web. - If you edit in Lightroom Classic or Bridge with XMP sidecars, keep each
.xmpfile next to its RAW file with the same base name. Capture One session folders can be sent the same way. - In StrongFolder, click Upload Folder, choose the delivery folder and send the link.
- The recipient picks a destination and gets the same tree, with every sidecar in place.
Folders are sent as folders: subfolders and file names are kept, nothing is zipped. Saving a whole folder with its structure uses the File System Access API: Chrome, Edge, Opera and other Chromium browsers on a computer. Other browsers can download the files one by one or as a ZIP. If your client is not technical, tell them in the message: "open the link on your computer in Chrome and choose a folder to save to".
Can I send photos to several people at once?
Yes. One link can be opened by several recipients; each downloads directly from the sender. That is handy for a wedding (couple, planner, album designer) or a campaign (client, agency, retoucher). All downloads come from your connection, so when several people download at the same time, each one is slower. For a large guest list, a gallery or a cloud folder is the better choice.
When should I not use StrongFolder for photo delivery?
- The client expects a branded gallery, proofing, favorites or print sales. Use a gallery.
- The delivery must stay available for months. A StrongFolder link works only while you keep sharing. The link works while the sender keeps sharing. When the sender clicks Stop Sharing or closes the tab, the files are no longer available.
- You can't keep your computer on until the client downloads. Use a cloud link.
- The client will only use a phone and wants an organized folder. Phones receive files one by one or as a ZIP.
Is it private?
WebRTC encrypts every data channel with DTLS, so the file stream is encrypted in transit on every connection. Files are never uploaded to or stored on a StrongFolder server. To create the link, the service keeps transfer metadata: file and folder names, sizes and the number of files. Anyone with the link can download while you share, so send it directly to the client and click Stop Sharing when they are done. See Security & privacy.
Summary
To send RAW photos in full resolution, never use a channel that recompresses. Use a client gallery for proofing and sales, a cloud drive when you can't stay online, and a direct peer-to-peer transfer when you want to hand over a whole shoot — RAW, sidecars and JPEGs in their folders — without zipping or waiting for an upload. For video, see How to share large video files; for more on folders, How to send a folder without zipping it.