Did You Know? NowCandid™ Offers Retail Background Generation! ✨
By
Candy
on
February 5, 2025
|
2
minute read
Hello, fabulous photographers!
Candy here, bringing you another “Did You Know?” feature highlight. Today’s spotlight is on a super-fun (and sometimes overlooked) part of our NowCandid™ retail site: AI-Generated Backgrounds for background-removed images. Let’s dive in!
AI Background Generation
When customers view or customize their images that have had their backgrounds removed, they’ll see an option inviting them to type in a text description of what they want behind them. Maybe it’s a colorful beach scene, a dreamy sunset, a whimsical forest—whatever the imagination conjures up! Our site will generate a fresh design tailored to that text prompt, giving them a truly unique final product.
Why It Matters
Personalized Shopping Experience: No two images look the same when customers can request different scenes. It’s perfect for capturing each individual’s tastes and vibes.
Boosts Sales: The novelty factor of typing in a text prompt and watching a new background appear can encourage customers to experiment—and buy more customized images.
Booking Tool: Using this feature as a sales tool to help you book parties, sports leagues, or anything else can be a way to get a gatekeeper's attention!
How It Works
Choose a Background-Removed Image: When browsing the NowCandid™ retail site, customers click on an image that’s had its background removed.
Enter a Text Prompt: A simple text field awaits—“sunset on a calm lake,” “abstract rainbow swirl,” “comic book city,” etc.
Watch It Appear: The site blends the subject with the newly generated backdrop. Customers can finalize it right there, or try another prompt until they’re happy.
Retail Theme: Liquorice
That’s your little “Did You Know?” tip for today!
We hope you’ll tell your clients about this magical customization option—it might spark new ideas (and more sales!) for their photos.
As always, if you have any questions or feedback, let us know.Until next time, keep capturing those unforgettable moments! ✨
Candy here with another round of updates! This week’s highlights include a fresh redesign for Titled Luxe Prints, a brand-new 4×6 size, continued Background Removal improvements, and some helpful Dashboard upgrades for PhotoRosters, Event Tags, and Positive ID workflows.
✨ Titled Luxe Prints Get a Refresh
Titled Luxe Prints have been reworked to feel more like the classic PartyPics style while still keeping the premium embellishments that make them special.
We’re continuing to tune Background Removal so cutouts look cleaner across more shooting conditions. Stay tuned for even more improvements!
📱 Capture App 5.9.1 – Android
📷 Full-quality internal camera capture
Android devices now use the full available quality of their internal cameras when shooting through the Capture App.
Previously, it was using a down-sized version!
🖥️ Dashboard Improvements
🪪 Faster Positive ID Scanner Card generation
The Scanner ID Workflow's Scan Card PDF Generator is now performs better, stalls less, and produces significantly smaller download files.
⚠️ Background artwork warning
When uploading an Event background, NowCandid can now detect text or logos and show an extra warning.
This reinforces the existing recommendation to avoid placing important text or branding on backgrounds where product cropping could cut it off. Use our Overlay features instead!
✨ Clearer Auto Editor folder naming
Manage Images now shows a sparkles icon for Folders containing AI edits, with clearer formatting for Folders created by the Auto Editor.
📥 Import PhotoRosters directly from Participant List
Face Matching Events now have an Import from PhotoRoster button at the top of the Participant List page, letting you select and import a PhotoRoster without navigating away.
🎨 Candy Image Studio & Auto Editor
🖼️ Background Generator improvements
Outputs are now sized more appropriately for uploading back into an Event
Generated background sets match each other more consistently
💰 Every node now displays its price
Previously, only discounted nodes showed pricing. Now every node clearly displays what it costs!
Expect more nodes with their own unique prices in the future! We will continue to build on and improve our Auto Edit & Image Studio tools.
🧩 Predetermined node order
Nodes can no longer be drag-and-dropped into different edit "orders".
Their hierarchy is now set automatically so edits run in the best possible sequence without you needing to think about it!
🛠️ Auto Editor UI refreshed
Several interface changes make setup and options clearer and easier to understand.
📋 PhotoRoster Improvements
👥 Multiple PhotoRosters per Event
Fixed an issue that could prevent you from importing more than one PhotoRoster into the same Event.
💬 Clearer disabled export messaging
If Export is unavailable, clicking it now explains why.
🚫 Empty PhotoRosters can’t be exported
A PhotoRoster must have at least one member with an image before it can be exported to an Event.
🔐 Password-Protected Public Event Lists
Event Tags now have an optional extra layer of privacy:
🔑 Password-protect your Public Event List Pages:
➕ Set a password while creating a new Event Tag
✏️ OR add or remove the password using the Event Tag editor
This works similarly to the password protection for your Private Image Download Galleries.
🛍️ Retail Fixes & Protection
🖼️ Fixed package editing edge cases where the Overlay step could be missing while choosing a new image
🛡️ Additional GalleryGuard improvements
That’s the week!
The refreshed Titled Luxe Prints are the star of this update, with better Background Removal, easier PhotoRoster importing, and more control over Event Tags rounding things out.
Candy here with this week’s updates! The biggest changes are in Candy Image Studio and Auto Editor, where several popular edits now cost less, produce more consistent results, and work more naturally with Background Removal workflows.
We’ve also added undo and redo to Virtual Group Builder, improved green screen cutouts, and cleaned up a few retail download issues.
Let’s take a look!
🎨 Candy Image Studio: Better Results & New Lower-Cost Edits
Several Candy Image Studio nodes have been reworked with more consistent output quality and new discounted pricing.
⚫ Improved Black & White edits — now 4¢
Both existing Black & White nodes have been rebuilt to produce more reliable, consistent results.
✨ Improved Retouch — now 6¢
The Retouch node now produces much more consistent results and is available at a lower price.
🎞️ New 35mm Film node — 4¢
The previous Film Style node has been replaced with a new and improved 35mm Film treatment.
📸 New Clarendon node — 4¢
Apply a look inspired by the familiar Clarendon-style social media filter.
💳 More flexible edit pricing
Some nodes now display their own lower price. Candy Image Studio charges based on the highest-priced node included in the edit.
For example:
An edit using only a 4¢ node costs 4¢
If that same edit also includes a standard node, normal 2K or 4K pricing applies
This lets simpler edits cost less when you're not using the more advanced edits!
✂️ New Background Removal Options for AI Edits
Candy Image Studio and Auto Editor now work more closely with Events using Background Removal folders.
🖼️ Candy Image Studio can send an edit into Background Removal
When editing an Event image, a new option appears beneath Mark Original Invisible if the Event has Background Removal folders enabled.
Select Mark Destination Folder as Background Removal Folder to upload the edited image into a folder that will also process it for background removal.
⚙️ Auto Editor adds a Background Removal size option
If Background Removal folders are enabled, you can choose Background Removal. Edited images will then upload into a folder marked for Background Removal.
🛠️ Auto Editor folder fix
Auto Edits now run properly on original images inside folders marked for Background Removal. Auto Editor still does not run on the completed cutout images themselves.
All of the new node pricing and quality improvements in Candy Image Studio also apply to Auto Editor, since Auto Editor is powered by the same system.
↩️ Virtual Group Builder: Undo & Redo
Virtual Group Builder now supports familiar keyboard shortcuts:
↩️ Undo:CMD/CTRL + Z
↪️ Redo:CMD/CTRL + Shift + Z
↪️ Redo:CMD/CTRL + Y
This makes it much easier to experiment with layouts and quickly reverse an adjustment.
🖼️ Manage Images Improvement
⬇️ Download Original for BGR and AI images
The Manage Images lightbox now includes a Download Original button for Background Removal and AI-edited images.
You can access the original file without needing to leave the lightbox or track it down manually.
✂️ Background Removal Improvement
🟢 Better green screen cutouts
Background Removal now handles images more effectively when the background is only partially green screen instead of completely green.
🛍️ Retail Download Fixes
📥 Improved QuicEvents press-and-hold downloads
Download behavior is more reliable on desktop and Android for Events without artwork.
🖼️ Free Gallery Download resolution fixed
Free Gallery Downloads on QuicEvents now correctly deliver full-resolution images instead of medium resolution.
🧲 Photo Magnet artwork fix
Photo Magnets will no longer be ordered with Event artwork when Use Artwork by Default is enabled, since artwork is not supported on that product.
📱 Mobile Dashboard 4.1 for Android
💰 New “Cha Ching” notification sound
Weekly order notifications on Android now include the same Cha Ching sound effect already available on iOS.
👉 Swipe to open the Sidebar
Swipe inward from the left edge of the screen to open the Sidebar, matching the iOS experience.
🤖 Google Play compatibility updates
The app also includes required changes for the latest Google Play requirements.
That’s the week!
Lower-cost AI edits, stronger and more consistent results, and better Background Removal integration should make Candy Image Studio and Auto Editor more useful for both one-off fixes and larger Event workflows.
Last week, we were busy hosting our annual Summer Seminar in Denver, Colorado—and we had a great time with everyone who joined us!
That means this week’s recap includes two weeks of updates. Nothing too wild, but plenty of useful improvements across Retail, the Dashboard, Auto Editor, Capture App, and more while we continue working on some bigger changes behind the scenes.
Let’s catch up!
⚡ Faster Background Removal
✂️ Background Removal processing is faster
We made multiple speed improvements over the past two weeks to help cutouts finish sooner, especially during higher-volume periods.
📥 Smarter Digital Download Delivery
Digital Downloads can now skip unnecessary processing in more situations.
⚡ Some downloads are now available immediately
If a customer selects No Overlay, the Event has no artwork, and/the image is not a BGR image, the customer will skip the cropping step on the retail site and receive the full-resolution image without waiting for an 8×12 rendered version.
🖼️ Full aspect ratio is preserved
These downloads bypass the cropping step and work more like Personal Gallery Download products.
🆓 Also applies to Medium Res and Free Downloads
This includes cases where those downloads are automatically upgraded to full resolution.
📧 Clearer receipt messaging for custom renders
When a download does require processing, the receipt now explains that the custom image takes a little longer and will be emailed from YourPhotos@orderssupport.picsemail.com.
🧾 Order Details now identifies each download type
Digital Downloads can now show a Rendered Download or a Full Aspect Ratio Download badge, making it clearer which version was delivered to your customers.
🎨 Auto Editor & Candy Image Studio Updates
🧩 Auto Editor now supports image-input nodes
You can now use nodes such as:
Custom Image
Copy Style
Diploma Fix
🙈 Auto Edit originals won’t be texted too early
QuicPics and QuicPortraits will no longer send the original image by MMS when it belongs to an active Auto Edit with Hide Originals enabled. The system will wait for the edited version instead.
🕺 New Retro Pop node
Give images a colorful, retro-inspired treatment.
🂡 New Ace Card node
Turn subjects into a bold playing-card-style design.
💬 QuicPics & Marketing Improvements
👥 QuicPics can now send to multiple contacts on merged participants
If merged participant records contain different phone numbers or email addresses, regular QuicPics can now send to each unique contact.
✉️ Marketing startup fix for BGR cutouts
Fixed an edge case where marketing would not begin if the only visible images were cutouts from the newer Background Removal system.
🔗 Hot Links now better respect Hide Originals
Fixed an issue where the preview could temporarily show the original image before an Auto Edit finished generating.
📱 Capture App Updates
Capture App 5.8.1
iOS and Android OTA updates
🎨 Updated Event artwork is refreshed at login
If artwork changed, the latest file is pulled when logging into the Event normally.
🛠️ Small follow-up fix
An additional 5.8.1 update was released to address a minor issue.
Capture App 5.9
iOS and Android App Store update
📲 iOS OTA updates are easier to install
You no longer need to completely restart the app or return to the Home Screen to install an available Over-the-Air update.
🤖 Android compatibility updates
Required updates were made to stay current with new Google Play requirements.
🛍️ Retail Download Fixes
📱 Safari share sheet reliability improved
Press-and-hold downloads should now open the native share sheet more consistently on Safari.
🖼️ Virtual Group download cleanup
Virtual Groups in QuicPics no longer offer a Download with Art option.
🎨 Background selection fixes
Fixed cases where:
A PNG could be downloaded without selecting a background and receive an incorrect blue background
Faux renders showed no selected background in the download popup
🔐 Facebook login works again
🖥️ Dashboard Improvements
📊 Image Timeline cleanup
Fixed chart display issues, removed folders that were not useful in the timeline, and prevented multiple summaries from appearing when switching folders quickly.
🌾 Candy Culler controls are clearer
Filter visibility and report controls now use more descriptive buttons, similar to Manage Images.
📈 BGR Folder Stats fixed
Cutouts from the newer Background Removal system no longer incorrectly inflate Unassigned totals.
📱 Mobile Dashboard
🔗 More reliable deep linking
Dashboard links should open the correct page more consistently when the app has been open for a while or after signing in and out.
That’s the two-week update!
Faster Background Removal and smarter Digital Download delivery are the biggest highlights, with plenty of smaller improvements making Auto Editor, QuicPics, Retail, and the Capture App more dependable.
Thanks again to everyone who joined us in Denver for Summer Seminar—we loved seeing you!
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