Free file sharing for photographers: what Free covers
What a solo photographer can send, collect and get approved on Tarkle Free, and when to move up to Pro.
Free file sharing for photographers on Tarkle means you can send photos on a link from your own domain, collect files from clients and get image approval with one link, as one person and without a credit card. Free supports uploads and transfers up to 1 GB each and gives you 5 GB of cloud storage. This guide shows what that covers in a normal week of client work, how to check a delivery against the limit, and where Pro starts.
What free file sharing for photographers covers on Tarkle
Tarkle's Free plan is built for one person with one workspace, which fits a photographer who is starting out. It includes:
5 GB of cloud storage
Sharing and requesting files
Client feedback and approval
Custom domain and branding
Import from Dropbox or Google Drive
Password protection for shared files
You can create and use Free without adding a credit card, and the people you send to can open or download shared files without creating a Tarkle account.
Check each delivery against the 1 GB limit
Photo deliveries vary a lot. A set of edited exports sized for screens and a folder of full-resolution originals can be very different in size, and one large file can decide which of the two you can send.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
On Tarkle Free, uploads and transfers go up to 1 GB each. Before you build a transfer, look at the largest file and the total size of the folder you plan to send, and compare both with 1 GB. If the delivery fits, send it. If it does not, send a smaller set of finals on Free, or move up to Pro, which is covered below. The limits are listed on the pricing page.
Name the delivery folder after the client and the date, and check its total size before you upload. A quick look in your file manager saves a failed upload on a slow connection.
Send photos on a link with your own address
Sharing a delivery is one flow: pick files or folders, get one link and send it anywhere. Share files by link needs no account to download. With a custom domain the link comes from your own address, like files.yourstudio.com, and custom branding puts your logo, colours and favicon on the transfer page. That is how a first-time client sees your studio name instead of a stranger's.
If a delivery is private, add a password before you send it. Free pages carry a small Powered by Tarkle line, and Pro can turn it off.
Send the password in a separate message from the link, so that one forwarded email does not carry both.
Let clients approve images with one link
For a shoot where the client picks and signs off, client feedback turns images into a review board. You open the Get feedback dialog, choose Image, add the files and copy the link. Your client opens it with no account, pins comments on the images and finishes with Approve this work or Request changes. You get an email when they finish, and you can add a password or a deadline to the board.
Be clear with clients about what a board does. It takes images and PDFs, not video, and a board holds one type. Comments are pinned to the image, so there are no drawn annotations. Free has a limit on how many boards can be active at once, so close finished jobs to keep room for the next one.
Ask clients to pin each comment on the exact image instead of writing "the third one" in an email. Your edit list then sits in one place.
Collect files from clients
Photographers also receive files: a brief, reference images, a signed release, a logo for a brand shoot. File requests let you collect files from anyone with one link, into the folder you choose, instead of chasing email attachments. Sharing and requesting files are both on Free.
If a client already keeps files in Dropbox or Google Drive, you can import them rather than asking for a second copy. See import from Google Drive and Dropbox.
Where Pro starts for a photographer
Pro raises the upload limit to up to 200 GB, which leaves room for large originals and video files. It also lifts storage to 3 TB, keeps deleted files in the recovery bin for 90 days instead of 30, and adds a fully branded client portal where recipients receive and manage the files you share. Pro also includes team members, which matters when a second shooter or an editor joins. The send large files page explains the flow.
A common order works well: send edited finals and collect approval on Free, then send the originals once the client has signed off. The guide to sharing source files with clients after approval covers that step.
Set up your first delivery
Check the largest file and the folder total against 1 GB.
Export a set of finals sized for screens for the first round.
Set your custom domain and logo, then create the transfer with a password.
Open the link yourself before you send it.
Put the images on a feedback board if the client needs to approve them.
What to remember about Tarkle
Tarkle's Free plan lets one photographer send files from their own domain, collect files from clients and get images approved, with 5 GB of storage and uploads up to 1 GB each. Pro raises the upload limit to up to 200 GB when originals get big. Start for free and send your next delivery.
