Studio tethering checklist: set-up to first frame

Free checklist · By the CloudTether team · Updated 15 Nov 2026

Short answer: most tethering problems in a studio are physical — a cable pulled out of the port, a camera battery dying mid-set, a charge-only cable — so secure the cable at both ends, run the camera on mains power for long sessions, and keep recording to the card as a backup. Then lock in colour and naming before the first real frame, and prove the whole chain with one test shot.

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How to use it

Print one per shoot day and keep it on the tether table.
Work top to bottom while setting up: the order follows the build, from table and cable to the test shot.
Repeat the Colour section whenever the lighting set-up changes.
Use the Wrap section before anyone leaves — it's the one people skip.

Tether table and workstation

Tether table or stand at the shooting position, out of the walkway
Screen angled for you and the client, away from the light and reflections
Screen brightness up and auto-lock or sleep off for the session
Tethering app open and the session or shoot named for this client
Somewhere safe for the phone or tablet — a clamp or mount, not balanced on a stool

Cable and strain relief

Data cable, not a charge-only one — tested with this camera and device
Length kept as short as worksPassive USB 2 up to about 5 m, USB 3 up to about 3 m; beyond that use an active cable.
Strain relief at the camera endA cable lock or clamp on the camera or tripod plate, so a tug never pulls on the port.
Strain relief at the device end
Slack loop at the camera so you can move without pulling
Cable taped down or run overhead wherever people walk
Spare cable on the table

Power

Camera on a mains adapter or dummy battery for long sessions, or charged spares ready
Phone or tablet charged, with a charger or USB-PD power bank at the table
If the device has one port, any hub tested for data and power together before the shoot
Lights, triggers and receivers charged; extension leads taped down

Card and backup

Card in the camera and recording as well as tetheringIf the tether drops, the card still has every frame.
Second card slot set to backup, if the camera has one
Cards formatted in the camera at the start, after the last shoot's files are safely in two places
Tethered files going to backed-up storageA cloud folder, NAS or server — not only the device.

Colour and profiles

Custom white balance from a grey card under the actual lights
Colour checker or grey card shot at the start of each lighting set-up
Colour space set for the jobsRGB for web and client JPEGs; Adobe RGB only if the workflow is colour-managed throughout.
Picture style / film simulation chosenIt changes the JPEG, not the RAW — keep it consistent across the shoot.
Exposure locked in manual, checked on the histogram rather than by eye
Final colour judged on a calibrated screenPhone and tablet screens are great for review, not for signing off colour.

Naming and organisation

Folder for this shoote.g. [YYYY-MM-DD]_[Client]_[Job].
File naming agreede.g. [Client]_[SKU or Look]_[Sequence]. Each camera gets its own file prefix.
Slate or card with the SKU, look or set name shot before each new item
Camera clock correct (and synced if there's more than one body)
Copyright and artist name set in the camera

Test shot

Test shot taken and arrived on the device
Arrived at the delivery folder or gallery, at the right size and with the right name
Focus checked at 100% and exposure on the histogram
Client or art director can see it where they'll review

Wrap

Frame count on the card matches the tethered shoot
Selects or approvals recorded
Card backed up before anyone formats it
Cables coiled over-under, spares restocked, batteries on charge

Small things that save a shoot

Cable failures are usually at the connector. Strain relief at both ends matters more than an expensive cable.
A short, high-quality cable to a device on the tripod or stand beats a long run across the floor.
If the tether drops mid-set, keep shooting to the card and reconnect between frames — nothing is lost.
Shoot the slate before the product, every time. Renaming 300 near-identical frames afterwards is the slowest job in the studio.