For each photograph he took, Curtis produced a series of work prints that would guide production of the final photogravure print. Sometimes he would annotate these prints to provide direction to the studio artisans.

On occasion, Curtis would specify the removal of parts of the image that showed the intrusion of Western civilization, such as an automobile or a group of tourists. Today some might consider the act of making changes to a photographic image to be image-tampering. During photography's early years, it was viewed simply as part of the practice.

Below is an example of the alterations Curtis would sometimes perform on prints, note the removal of the clock in the lower print of "In a Piegan Lodge" (Montana, 1911).