Candy’s Weekly Recap: Overlay Artwork in the Product Gallery 🎨✨
By
Candy
on
January 3, 2025
|
2
minute read
Hello again, my wonderful photographers!
Candy here, and welcome to another Weekly Recap. This time, we’ve got one exciting improvement to share—overlay artwork now appears by default on product previews in the product gallery!
Let’s take a closer look. 🌟
Overlays Rendered by Default in Product Gallery 🎉
We’ve introduced a fun change for anyone using Banner Overlays or Full Frame Overlays in their NowCandid Events:
Visible Overlay Art Items in the retail site’s product gallery will now display your Event’s overlay artwork right away. Customers can see exactly how their images look on each product, with that extra creative touch of your Event's Overlay Art.
Theme: Marshmallow - Watermarking: Heavy
Theme: Liquourice - Watermarking: None
Use Overlay by Default When customers go to customize or add a product to their cart, the “Use Overlay” option will already be selected. This makes it simpler to highlight your unique event designs or branding. But they can still view & order the product without the overlay art.
Easy Toggle in Settings If you prefer to keep products overlay-free by default, no worries! Head to the “Retail Site Settings” in your Profile and uncheck “Use Artwork By Default.” That way, product images will display without your Event overlay art unless customers choose otherwise.
Find this option in your Profile settings
Enabling Use Artwork By Default will feature your Event's Overlay Art on the renders in the product gallery page. Guests can choose to view and order products without the art, but "with overlay art" will be the default selection.
That’s all for this week’s short-and-sweet recap!
We hope this feature adds a little extra flair to your retail experience.
As always, let us know what you think or if you have any feedback.
Candy here, ready to sprinkle some sparkle on your day with our latest Weekly Recap! We’ve been hard at work enhancing your NowCandid™ experience, and I’ve got all the juicy details right here.
Let’s dive in!
1. Photo Releases & The New Image Release Gallery
Collecting Releases
Before using the pictures you take of your subjects in things like portfolios, websites, flyers, samples, and more - the best practice is to get a record of consent from your subjects before using photos of them for such things!
So... we've made some additions to NowCandid™ that will expedite this process for everyone involved!
Enabled via Retail Site Settings: Head to your Account Profile, open the “Retail Site Settings,” and toggle whether to ask participants for a photo release when they complete Selfie Check-In™.
Future Expansion: We plan to someday add this consent request to other locations in our Workflows, such as Scanner ID™ Check-Ins or after retail site checkout, so stay tuned!
Found under "Retail Site Settings" in your account profile
The post-Selfie Check-In messaging
Image Release Gallery
Once you’ve enabled Photo Releases, we’ve made viewing those fully released images a snap with the new Image Release Gallery!
Fully Released Photos Only: This gallery shows images where every primary face in the picture has opted in for marketing use.
Opt-Out Procedures: If someone changes their mind, NowCandid™ support can remove their release, and those images will disappear from the gallery.
Easier Marketing & Inspiration: Enjoy a reliable stash of images for portfolios, websites, flyers, or sample products, all with peace of mind!
This major addition simplifies the entire release process and keeps your marketing efforts on the right side of consent!
Starting next week, this feature will be enabled by default for all NowCandid accounts! If you wish to disable it, that's up to you!
An example of some images with only released faces in the new Image Release Gallery
2. Improved Merged Participants Clarity
We have also improved the photographer's experience and clarity when it comes to Merged Participants!
Multiple Names, One Contact: When two or more participants share a phone number, they now visibly merge under one participant in the Participant Manager, with all names separated by commas.
Reduced Confusion: Parents with multiple kids at an event won’t be an enigma anymore. You’ll see each kid’s name instead of a single ambiguous participant.
Same Smooth Experience for Families: Consumers won’t notice much change, but you’ll breathe easier knowing your records more clearly show who’s who.
No more wondering why two kids keep “replacing” each other in the backend—our improved merging UI has your back!
Example of multiple merged participants wrapped into one participant
3. Group Photo Filter in Manage Images
Just Group Photos: We’ve added a toggle to the Manage Images page that shows only images flagged as “Group Photos.”
Sports & GroupTags™: Perfect for organizing big team shots or verifying no single-person images slipped in by accident.
Future Tweaks Coming: We’re cooking up more ways to polish Group Photo and GroupTags™ functionalities, so watch this space!
If you handle big groups (like sports teams or large gatherings), this quick filter simplifies your event workflow.
New toggle button to switch between showing All Images and just Group Photos
4. All Images Gallery Pagination
Page-by-Page Browsing: We replaced the endless scroll in the NowCandid™ retail site’s All Images Gallery with a paginated view—complete with arrows to move between pages.
Jump to Page: Customers can type or select a page number if they already know where to look.
Less Scrolling, More Finding: Makes returning to a specific photo (especially one not in a personal gallery) a breeze.
This update ensures customers spend less time hunting and more time admiring—or purchasing—the images they love.
New retail site page navigation tools
5. New Events List Filter
One last small addition to mention... we added a way to filter down your Events list!
This should make it easier than ever to browse through your upcoming Events as you plan and prepare for them.
New Events list filter options
That’s it for this week’s recap!
We hope these changes help you manage your events more smoothly, give you extra confidence in your marketing, and offer your customers a cleaner, faster photo-browsing experience.
As always, we love your feedback, so feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions.
Thank you for being an essential part of the NowCandid™ community. Keep capturing those unforgettable moments and creating smiles! 📸✨
Candy here with exciting news for you on this festive Monday. We’re launching Capture & Upload App Version 4.13, and it comes with a massive new feature: Photo Booth Mode.
Let’s dive into what it is, how it works, and why we think you’ll love adding it to your events!
What Is Photo Booth Mode? 🤳
Photo Booth Mode is a brand-new option inside the Capture & Upload App (Version 4.13 on iPad). When you log in to your Event, you’ll see a shiny new “Photo Booth” button alongside the usual options.
Tap that button, and your iPad transforms into a fun, self-serve photo booth station, perfect for:
Weddings & Parties: Encourage guests to capture memorable group shots and instantly send them to their phones.
Sports & Corporate Events: Provide interactive experiences that keep people engaged and excited.
Holiday Gatherings: Add some festivity and help guests create themed keepsakes right on the spot.
Whether you tether a Nikon, Sony, or Canon camera or just use the iPad’s built-in camera, Photo Booth Mode gives you a convenient, autonomous way to let guests take pictures without any manual work from you (aside from set up and takedown of course).
How It Works ⚙️
Tap to Begin Screen
Guests see a dimmed live view with “Tap to Begin.” Once tapped, the booth takes three pictures in quick succession, each with its own 3-second countdown.
Real-Time Overlays
If your event has Bottom Banner Overlays or Full Frame Overlays, they appear in the live view. This lets guests see exactly where the art will sit, so no one’s face gets covered.
On-Device Styling
Background Removal & Custom Backgrounds: If you’ve uploaded backgrounds for your event, they’ll be available for selection.
Filters: Guests can apply classic filters like Noir, Sepia, or Clarendon before sending off their images.
Reshoot: Not happy with a pose? Subjects can tap “Reshoot” and start over, easy-peasy.
Instant Delivery
Both QuicPics or PartyPics Workflows deliver images in real time:
If it’s QuicPics, your subjects will get the image files directly via MMS, with Overlay Art applied, if your Event has any. They'll also receive a link to their personal gallery. Reminder, with QuicPics we charge a small fee per uploaded image.
It it's PartyPics or any of our other Programs, your subjects will only receive a link to their personal gallery. And there is no additional charge or fee.
When visiting their personal gallery, they can buy prints & downloads of these images with various product & customization options.
Positive ID vs. Face Matching
Face Matching: Prompts appear to tap faces, then gather contact info for those individuals.
Positive ID: Participants just enter their info before sending images, no face-tapping required.
All images are uploaded to your NowCandid Event like normal, so no matter your usual Workflow, things will still function seamlessly!
Key Requirements & Limitations ⚠️
Camera Orientation
Nikon cameras support both horizontal and vertical orientation.
Sony and Canon are currently limited to horizontal orientation.
iPad-Only Launch
Photo Booth Mode works on iPad (and only in vertical orientation), not on iPhone or Windows at this time.
No Built-In Strip Printing
If you need to provide prints, set up a separate print station and use quic.pics/portal to download images with or without Event Overlay Art and print them on-the-spot!
Strong Internet Connection
Ensure your iPad has solid Wi-Fi or LTE, as the app needs to log into the event, download overlays/backgrounds, and upload images in real time.
Why You’ll Love Photo Booth Mode ❤️
Interactive Fun Guests choose their own backgrounds, overlays, and filters, creating a memorable activity at any gathering.
Seamless Feature Integration Images will show up in LiveLoop slideshows, appear alongside subject's other images in Personal Galleries, be managed using NowCandid's typical image and participant management tools, and more!
Seamless Workflow Integration The images flow right into your existing event Workflows—Tap-A-Face, Selfie Check-In, Type & Take, and more—without any additional setup.
Effortless Setup Whether you opt for a tethered DSLR or the iPad camera, it’s a simple tap away in Capture & Upload App 4.13.
Download Capture & Upload App 4.13 Today! 📱
With Version 4.13 now live for iPad (iOS only at the moment), you can start offering Photo Booth Mode at your next event.
We’ve tested it extensively, but with so many different devices and use cases out there, we encourage you to try it out ASAP.
If you spot any quirks, let us know, and we’ll work on improvements swiftly.
Thank you for joining us in this Big News blog post.
We can’t wait to hear your success stories with Photo Booth Mode!
Candy here, and welcome to another Weekly Recap. We’ve got a couple of handy feature updates, plus some exciting news about our upcoming Capture & Upload App release for iOS.
Let’s dive in! 🌟
1. Group Photo Option in GradPics 📸
We’ve introduced a Group Photo toggle in the Manage Images tab for GradPics Events. When you mark an image as a Group Photo, here’s what happens:
Appears in Every Gallery: Regardless of face matching, every participant sees the group image in their personal gallery.
Exclusive Products: If your Event’s Offer includes any Group Photo products (like Group Photo Download or Group Photo Print), they’ll only be purchasable on those items.
No Group Photo Products? Then the group image behaves like a normal image, available on all your usual products.
Not in Personal Gallery Download: To avoid easy sharing of a big group image, we’re excluding Group Photos from any personal gallery download product for now.
We’ve added a quick popup explanation when flagging an image as a Group Photo in the Web Dashboard, just in case someone clicks the Group Photo toggle by mistake. 🎉
2. Personal Gallery Download Hiding Rule 🤫
To help clients avoid confusion and refunds, we’re adding a new rule:
Hide Personal Gallery Download: If the Offer sells individual image downloads and a participant only has one image, we hide the personal gallery download.
Still Visible for One-Image Events: If your Offer doesn’t have individual downloads, the personal gallery download stays visible, even if the participant just has one photo.
This little tweak prevents clients from accidentally buying a personal gallery download when they only need a single download. 🛒
On Monday, December 30th, we’ll release Version 4.13 of the Capture & Upload App for iPhone & iPad. (Windows stays at 4.12 for now.) We’ve added some major updates:
Please update one of your devices, test it out, and let us know if you catch any bugs. With so many devices, camera brands, and workflows out there, early feedback helps us fix issues quickly.
4.13 Highlights
Photo Booth Mode
We launched an autonomous photo booth experience, allowing Nikon/Sony/Canon or the iPad’s internal camera to capture photos with background removal, filters, and more.
Overlays now render directly over the captured images on the app (if the aspect ratio is supported).
3:2 aspect ratio photos are needed for full frame overlays, but any aspect ratio works for banner overlays.
This lets you and your subjects see the art in real time, ensuring no important parts are covered!
Out-of-Space Error Popup
If your device is running low on space when a new image is taken, you’ll get an immediate error popup.
Remember to regularly clear out old images via the app’s “Delete App Data” button in the info (i) menu to keep everything running smoothly.
Minor Updates
Session data is now wiped when switching NowCandid accounts in the app, so "Restore Session" won't take you to an Event from a different account!
Event Shooting Buttons on Tablets now match iPhone UI (centered vertical menu).
Camera Trouble Popup includes a note about app permissions. (Always make sure to agree to all app permissions needed when the app is starting for the first time!)
Auto Remove Spaces from the account email on login. (some folks accidentally put a space and didn't know why they couldn't log in!)
Candy Splash Screen when the app is booting up now supports dark mode.
Thanks for tuning into this shorter Weekly Recap. We hope these improvements help you finish the year strong! If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out.
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