Retouch rounds
How many retouch rounds should a photographer include, and what should the next one cost?
Short answer
Two rounds of retouching notes is a sensible starting point, and it is PaloWorks' default. What matters more is writing down what one round is: one set of written notes, sent once, on every image the client wants changed. Price the next round before you do it, as a change order the client approves, so the extra work is paid instead of absorbed.
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What to look for
A number agreed before the shoot
A limit you mention after delivery sounds like a new rule. One in the scope the client approved is a term they agreed to.
In PaloWorks
Every scope has an included-rounds field, two by default, that the client approves with the rest of the terms.
A written definition of one round
One image on Monday, three on Thursday and a text on Sunday are three rounds unless the scope says otherwise.
In PaloWorks
A round stays open until you mark it sent back. Notes the client sends from the scope page join it automatically, and you can add notes that arrive by email to the same round.
A price for the next round, decided early
Pricing an extra round in the moment, on a Sunday, is when photographers give it away.
In PaloWorks
The scope has an optional price for each extra round, which the client sees and approves with the rest of the terms. Logging a round past the allowance drafts a change order at that price, or at the scope price divided by the included rounds if you left it blank. You can change a draft's amount until you send it.
The client's approval before the work
An extra round the client never agreed to pay for becomes a dispute on the invoice.
In PaloWorks
The client approves the change order from the signing link emailed to them, or declines it. Nothing bills itself: one click turns an approved change order into an invoice draft, which you then send.
How it works in PaloWorks
Step 1
Write the rounds into the scope
Set the included rounds and say what one round is: one set of written notes on every image to change.
Step 2
The client approves the scope
They open the signing link emailed to them, tick the consent box and type their name. No account.
Step 3
Count each round
Log each round as the notes arrive. The client portal shows rounds used against rounds included.
Step 4
Price the next one first
Past the allowance, a change order is drafted. Send it, and start the work once the client approves.
When PaloWorks is the wrong pick
- If you retouch until the client is happy and price that into the shoot fee, a round count adds friction you do not need.
- PaloWorks counts rounds and prices the extra one. It does not retouch images, and it is not a gallery.
Comparing tools? Read PaloWorks compared, including what the others are better at.
Questions people ask
- Is two rounds normal for portrait and wedding work?
- Two is a sensible starting point and PaloWorks' default. Choose the number that fits the work; any number works if the client agrees to it before the shoot and the scope defines one round.
- How should I price an extra retouch round?
- Two common ways: a flat fee you state in the scope, or a share of the shoot fee. In PaloWorks, a figure in the scope's "Each extra round" field is what the drafted change order asks for, and the client has already seen it. Leave the field blank and the draft is the scope price divided by the included rounds. Either way, you can change a draft's amount before you send it.
- What counts as one round?
- One set of written notes, sent once, covering every image the client wants changed. Notes that arrive after you have sent a round back start the next one.
- Does PaloWorks charge the client when a round goes over?
- No. Logging a round records it and drafts a change order. Nothing is sent or charged until you send the change order, the client approves it, and you invoice it.
- Is this on the free plan?
- Yes. Scopes, round counting and change orders are on every plan, Free included.