ZenTransfer features: everything built for the working photographer

ZenTransfer is built around one idea — images leave the camera and arrive at the newsroom, the wire service, and your archive without you touching a laptop. Here is how it works.

Most file transfer tools make you adapt your workflow to their architecture. ZenTransfer was built the other way around: starting from what a photojournalist actually does in the field, and removing every step that should not be there.

The result is a platform where your camera, your phone, and your configured destinations do all the work. You keep shooting.

What ZenTransfer does

FeatureWhat it means in practice
Camera FTP relayYour camera sends files directly to ZenTransfer over Wi-Fi. No laptop, no card reader, no manual upload. Files are in the cloud within seconds of being shot.
Global FTP Server NetworkZenTransfer runs FTP servers around the globe and connects you to the fastest one - wherever you are today.
Multi-destination deliveryEvery file that arrives in ZenTransfer is forwarded simultaneously to every destination you have configured — FTP servers, cloud storage, email recipients. One upload, every destination.
Metadata templatesZenTransfer embeds your name, copyright notice, credit line, and licensing terms into every file's IPTC/EXIF metadata before delivery. Switch templates from your phone between assignments.
Cloud drivesNative connections to Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Cloud storageTransfer to Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage.
Lightroom integrationTransfer directly to Adobe Lightroom (Cloud Edition) for post-processing on phone, iPad, or laptop.
Email deliverySend traceable download links to editors and clients who do not operate an FTP inbox. Downloads are logged against your account.
ZapierZenTransfer triggers a Zapier event on every file arrival, opening 5,000+ connected apps as downstream destinations or notification targets.
WebhooksReceive a push notifications to a custom endpoint as soon as a new file arrives.
APIBuild integratinos with the REST API to receive thumbnails, previews, and download new files as they arrive.
Desktop appA free, open-source companion app for Mac and Windows that handles SD/CF card imports, drag-and-drop delivery, and 3-2-1 backup workflows when working from a laptop.

Who it is built for

ZenTransfer is built for the freelance photojournalist and wire photographer working in the field: events, breaking news, sports, press conferences. The workflow is camera-centric — everything flows from the moment of capture, not from a laptop at the end of the day.

It also serves corporate, event, and wedding photographers who want images in Lightroom or a client Google Drive folder as they shoot, rather than hours later when the card gets pulled.

The platform is not a gallery tool or a client proofing system. It is a transfer and relay platform. If images need to move from the camera to somewhere else as fast as possible, ZenTransfer is purpose-built for that.

How the pieces fit together

A typical photojournalist setup:

  1. Configure the camera's FTP once with ZenTransfer credentials
  2. Set up destinations in the dashboard — newsroom FTP, Google Drive backup, wire service FTP
  3. Create a metadata template with your name, copyright year, and credit line
  4. In the field: connect to a 5G hotspot, enable the right template and destinations from your phone, start shooting
  5. Images flow from camera to ZenTransfer to every active destination in parallel — with your metadata already embedded

From that point forward, the workflow is automatic. The only ongoing decisions are which destinations to enable for a given assignment and which metadata template to apply.

Feature details

From $3.75 per month

Camera-to-cloud delivery for photojournalists. No laptop required.

Sign up now