Album selection on Excel, WhatsApp or an app: what actually works

Every studio has its own way of collecting album selections. Some send an Excel sheet, some ask for screenshots on WhatsApp, some print contact sheets, and more studios now use an online gallery. Each method works. They differ in how long they take and how many wrong photos end up in the album.

The short answer

Excel and WhatsApp cost nothing and everyone knows them, but they depend on someone typing or matching file names by hand. An online gallery where the family likes photos removes that step. For a studio doing more than a handful of weddings a season, the gallery saves more time than it costs.

1. Excel or Google Sheets

How it works: the couple types the file numbers of the photos they want into a sheet.

• Works when: the couple is organised and the album is small.
• Breaks when: file numbers are typed wrong, two cameras produce the same numbers, or relatives add their own columns. Someone at the studio still has to find every file by hand.
• Time cost: high for the couple and for the studio.

2. Screenshots on WhatsApp

How it works: the couple scrolls the photos and sends screenshots of the ones they like.

• Works when: only a few photos need choosing.
• Breaks when: there are hundreds of screenshots. The studio has to match each one to a file by eye, which is slow and error-prone.
• Time cost: low for the couple, very high for the studio.

3. Printed contact sheets

How it works: the studio prints small thumbnails and the family marks them with a pen.

• Works when: older family members are making the choices and prefer paper.
• Breaks when: there are thousands of photos. Printing costs money and marked sheets still have to be typed up.
• Time cost: medium, plus printing.

4. An online gallery with likes

How it works: the couple and family open the gallery on their phones and tap a heart on the photos they want. The studio filters the likes and shortlists the final set.

• Works when: almost always, especially with large families and thousands of photos.
• Breaks when: the family will not use a phone at all, or the studio skips agreeing the selection rules up front.
• Time cost: low for both sides. The studio never matches file names, because the gallery already knows which file each photo came from.

Some galleries go further and find the original and RAW files for the shortlisted photos on your own drive.

Side by side

Which should you use?

• A few weddings a year, organised couples: Excel still works. Insist on full file names and one decision maker.
• Large families, many weddings: an online gallery with likes and filters.
• Older family members choosing: paper for them, and enter their picks into the gallery so everything ends in one place.

Whatever the method, agree the number of photos and the closing date at booking. That rule matters more than the tool. More on that in why album selection takes months.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to collect album selection from a couple?

An online gallery where the couple and family like photos on their phones, and the studio filters and shortlists the likes. It avoids typed lists of file numbers.

Is Excel good enough for album selection?

For small albums and organised couples, yes. It breaks with large families, multiple cameras and thousands of photos, because every file has to be found by hand.

How do I avoid wrong photos in the printed album?

Avoid retyping file names. If selection happens in a gallery, use the gallery's own record of which files were chosen, and count the final files against the number selected.