Handing Over Final Files: How We Name, Format and Archive Delivered Work

The moment a client approves the final render or edit feels like the end of a project. For us, handover is its own piece of craft, and it decides whether the work stays useful.

Start with naming. A folder full of files called "final", "final2" and "final_REAL" helps nobody. We name files with the project, the subject, the version and the format, in a consistent order, so anyone can sort them and know what they are looking at. It is boring, and it saves hours.

Next, formats. Different uses need different files. A print piece needs high resolution and the right colour profile. A website needs compressed, correctly sized images. A social post needs the right crop. We deliver each in the form it will be used, rather than one enormous file the client has to convert.

We also keep a clean master. For 3D work that means the approved render at full size, and for motion work it means the highest quality export. Smaller delivery versions come from the master, so nothing is degraded twice.

Then there is the question of source files. Some clients want only finished images, and others want the scene or project files. We agree this at the start, because source files need the right fonts, textures and plug-ins to open properly, and we would rather package them correctly than send something that breaks.

Finally, archive. We keep a tidy copy of the whole project, with notes on what was used and any decisions that matter, so a request two years later is a quick job. A client who comes back to add a new angle or a new language should not have to pay us to rediscover our own work.

None of this is glamorous. All of it is the difference between a project that feels finished and one that comes back as a support email next spring. If you want to see the sort of work we deliver, our services page is the place to start.