How to Send Photo Galleries to Clients with Dubsado
As a photographer, you might be using a handful of tools to manage your business. A CRM, gallery delivery software, project management tools. It can feel like you’re constantly switching between systems just to get one job done.
But with Dubsado, you can simplify part of that. Even though it isn’t a photo delivery platform, you can use it to send galleries in a clean, professional way that keeps everything in one place.
There’s still a manual step involved since you’ll need to add each gallery link to the client’s project, but once that’s done, the rest can run easily - especially when using automated workflows.
In this blog post, we’ll walk through the two main ways to share gallery links with your clients using Dubsado.
How to Share Photo Galleries with Dubsado
You can deliver photo galleries inside Dubsado using one of two methods:
Option 1: Custom Mapped Fields (My go-to method)
This is the option I typically set up for photographers because it keeps things simple and consistent. You can save each client’s gallery link directly in their project, and then have that link automatically appear in any email or form that uses a smart field.
The best part is you only need to add the link once. After that, any time you send a template with that smart field, Dubsado will pull in the right link for that client. You can even turn it into a clickable button for a more polished look.
Step 1: Create the custom mapped field:
Go to your Settings (gear icon at the top right)
Go to 'Custom-mapped fields' and select Project
Click 'Create'
Name the field something like “Gallery Link” and select Short Answer as the type
Click ‘Save’
Create a custom mapped project field for the gallery link
Step 2: Add the field to your email or form template
Open your canned email or form
In the text editor, open the Smart Field dropdown
Scroll to the bottom under Project and choose the field you just created (see image below)
The smart field will now appear in the email or form. When you send it, Dubsado will replace the smart field with the gallery link for that client
Where to locate your project custom mapped fields
Optional: Turn it into a clickable link or button
Cut the smart field from the email or form
Type the text you want to use as the link or button, like “View Full Gallery”
Highlight that text
Click Link or Button in the formatting toolbar
Paste the smart field into the URL field. Select ‘Open in new tab’ if you’d like
Click Insert
Add the mapped field as a URL link to a canned email template (can also do this for forms)
How the canned email template looks once you add the button
Step 3: Add the gallery link to the client’s project
Go to the client’s project in Dubsado
Click ‘Custom Mapped Project Fields’
Paste the full gallery link into the field you created
Be sure to include the full URL with https:// so Dubsado recognizes it as a link
This is the only manual part. You’ll need to paste the link into the client’s project when their gallery is ready. After that, Dubsado takes care of the rest.
Add gallery link to client’s project mapped field
Step 4: Send the gallery to your client:
Send the email or form as usual. Wherever you inserted the smart field, Dubsado will now display the actual link to their gallery
Option 2: One-Time Links
If you’re using the client portal throughout your entire client process and want the gallery to appear there too, this method is for you. It’s quick to set up and easy for clients to access.
To create a one-time link:
Open the client’s project in Dubsado and go to the Forms tab
Select ‘Create One-Time Link’ from the dropdown list
Add a title like “Your Gallery” and paste the gallery link
Click ‘Add’
Then either click Send to email it to the client, and / or Apply to Portal to display it in their portal
Tutorial: How to Send Photo Galleries to Clients with Dubsado
In this video, I walk you through the two main ways to send photo galleries to your clients using Dubsado. I show you exactly how to set up custom mapped fields, when to use one-time links, and which option I recommend for most photographers. Watch the full tutorial below to see both methods in action.
TL:DR
Dubsado isn’t a gallery delivery platform, but it can streamline how you send galleries by keeping everything in one place. This blog post walks through two ways to do it:
Option 1: Custom Mapped Fields (Recommended)
Create a custom project field to store each client's gallery link. Once added, you can use a smart field in email or form templates to insert that link automatically - even as a clickable button. It’s a one-time manual step per client, but the rest can be automated through workflows.
Option 2: One-Time Links
If you want the gallery to show in the client portal, create a one-time link inside their project and either email it or apply it to the portal.
Both options help you deliver galleries in a professional, streamlined way without bouncing between tools.
Want Dubsado to work better for your photography business?
If you’re spending too much time on admin and not enough time behind the camera, let’s fix that. I work with photographers to build Dubsado setups that fit the way you already work and help everything run more smoothly.
Whether you need help with workflows, client communication, or just getting organized, we can make Dubsado feel like it was built for your business.
Book a free 20-minute discovery call and we can chat about where you're at and what you might need next.