Client asked for a clean WIP before payment. What do you send?
Send a reviewable file that is hard to use as a finished master: smaller size, lighter Jingwei mark, or a Delivery preview. Keep the unmarked full-res offline until the money for that stage clears.
Clients often say "clean" when they mean "I need to judge the pose and colors." Fair ask. A printable, unmarked PNG before payment is a different ask. Approve the first. Hold the master for the second until that stage is paid.
Public WIP policy for social posts lives in Should you watermark commissions. This page is only about the private approval still.
What "clean" usually means in chat
Clean WIP / no watermark → They often need to see line, pose, colors without a busy overlay. Safer send: lighter Quick Credit, or Manual with opacity down.
High res so I can zoom → They want to check a detail. Safer send: crop of that area at higher res, still marked.
For my boss / slide deck → A still that looks "final enough." Safer send: small web size + faint mark, or Delivery hold-to-reveal.
Final file vibes before I pay → They want the deliverable early. Decline the clean master; offer marked approval or stage payment first.
If the brief already promised an unmarked proof before deposit, honor that brief. Change the rule on the next job, not mid-chat after you already agreed.
Three options that still let them approve
1. Lighter marked file (most common). Run Protect with Quick Credit, or Manual with opacity turned down. Put displacement on midtones or clothing, not on the eyes if the brief is beauty-critical. Export a web-sized PNG. They can approve composition. The file is a poor print master.
2. Detail crop instead of full canvas. When they ask to "see the face / logo / hands up close," send a tight crop at higher res with the same light mark. Artist guides often warn that "full res for details" is how a usable master leaves early. The crop answers the question without the whole plate.
3. Commission Delivery preview. If you use Jingwei Commission Delivery, you can hold the full still behind hold-to-reveal viewing with a viewer watermark. They review in the browser. Screenshots pick up friction. The downloadable clean file stays gated until you release it after payment terms are met.
Pick one lane per message. Mixing a clean email attachment with a "please don't share" note is how masters leak.
Keep offline until that stage is paid
Unmarked full-resolution PNG / TIFF / print plate.
Layered source (PSD, CSP, Procreate) unless the contract sells source files and that fee is paid.
Untagged marketing stills you plan to post yourself later.
A deposit for the sketch stage can unlock a marked sketch. Full payment unlocks the clean deliverable named in the contract. Say which payment unlocks which file before the first export.
Lines you can paste back
When they want approval without a busy stamp: "I can send a light-credit approval still for review. The unmarked full-res ships after this stage is paid, as in the brief."
When they want zoom: "Happy to send a close crop of that area. I keep the full clean plate until payment clears."
When they want it for a meeting deck: "I can send a web-sized preview with a faint mark, or a Delivery link you can hold-to-reveal. That keeps the master off email."
When the brief already promised clean proof: "Per the brief I'll send the unmarked proof we agreed. For the next round I'll switch to marked approvals until balance is in."
Most clients learned "clean file" from freelancers who send masters early. A short explainer usually lands better than a lecture about theft.
How this fits your public WIP rule
Public posts and unpaid social WIPs still get a stronger mark. Private approval can go lighter. The paid final stays clean when the contract says so. Same three lanes as the commission watermark guide. This page is only the private approval step.
Common questions
Will saying no to a clean master lose the client? Sometimes. More often they accept a lighter mark once you explain it is for review, and that the clean file is the paid deliverable. Put the rule in your ToS so the chat is not the first time they hear it.
Can I send clean now and watermark later? Once a clean full-res is in their downloads folder, later watermarks on other exports do not pull that file back. Treat the first clean send as the handoff.
Does a JW claim mean I own the commission? No. It is evidence and stated intent on the file. Contracts, invoices, and local copyright rules cover ownership. Open Verify on your marked approval once so you know what a readable claim looks like for that export.
What about Glaze? Glaze is for training scrapes on files you publish. Approval chat is usually a one-to-one file. Use Jingwei for credit and wipe cost on that still. Stack Glaze on public posts when style learning is also a worry.
Send the next approval without the master
Mark a review still, shrink it for the screen, or use Delivery preview. Keep the clean plate for the payment you already named in the brief.
Open Protect on Jingwei