Welcome to another inspiring success story from the world of NowCandid!
In this feature, we're shining the spotlight on Jason Jackson, a talented photographer based in Texas.
Jason Jackson of TSS Photography
Jason's recent venture at a collegiate ring ceremony using NowCandid's GradPics Now Program and Selfie Check-In Workflow showcases the transformative power of our platform in the realm of event photography.
The Numbers
Jason Jackson's latest Event, a collegiate ring ceremony, has been a resounding success. Utilizing the GradPics Now Program alongside the Selfie Check-In Workflow, he managed to generate an impressive $5000 in sales with 122 participants, all within just two weeks of the Event!
This feat translates to an average of over $39 in sales per participant, all while earning an outstanding 78.8% profit margin as well.
The Power of More Photos
Something that played a part in Jason's success was how many photos he took – well over 2000! For only 122 participants!
Taking a higher number of photos correlates strongly with increased sales, and Jason's recent experience backs up that idea even more.
Jason elaborated, "Our key takeaway: taking more pictures significantly boosts sales. The broader the selection, the more they're inclined to purchase!"
His conclusion is clear – a wider range of images encourages more (and larger) orders, a concept NowCandid's Face Matching technology effortlessly supports by accurately pairing each photo with the right individual, allowing you (the photographer) unlimited freedom to take as many photos as you want.
Multiple poses, family photos, portraits, even shots of your subjects in action! No matter how many photos you take of your subjects, NowCandid's Face Matching has you covered.
Family Photo Station Enhances Sales
Jason's introduction of a family photo station also proved to be a strategic move in maximizing sales. This approach demonstrates how creative thinking and adapting to circumstances can substantially elevate sales performance in Event photography.
"We adapted to rain at the event by moving the family photo station indoors during the morning session," Jason explained. "The decision to retain this setup for the afternoon significantly boosted overall participation."
Embracing Opportunities with NowCandid
Jason Jackson's story is a powerful story of the potential that new innovations in photography sales have brought about. It also exemplifies how leveraging NowCandid's tools and features can transform standard Events into even more lucrative opportunities for photographers.
For more insights and success stories from the world of NowCandid, stay tuned!
Candy here with a big one this week: Discounts are officially here! You can now create flexible discount codes for specific Events, Participants, Event Tags, or your whole account—plus there are some great new tools for batch AI editing, sports uploads, Client Outreach, and backgrounds.
Let’s jump in!
💸 NEW: Discounts
You can now create and manage your own discounts directly in NowCandid.
Discounts you create can apply to:
🎟️ A specific Event
🏷️ An entire Event Tag
👤 A specific Participant
🌐 All of your Events
And you can choose from several discount types:
📉 Percentage off
💵 Dollar amount off
🎁 Free product
🚚 Free shipping
🔐 Flexible code options
🔤 Create a static 4–8 character code
Best for creating a limited time discount for all of your customers
🎲 Generate random one-time-use codes
Best for distributing "coach gifts" for sports leagues
👤 You can also limit a discount to one use per Participant Gallery
A few important rules:
Discounts apply to the pre-shipping subtotal (except for Free Shipping discounts)
If a discount exceeds the product cost, you are responsible for the difference and will be billed
The maximum discount value is $500
For example, a 100% off discount on a $1,000 order would still leave the customer responsible for $500.
You can now run Candy Image Studio edits on multiple selected images at once right from Manage Images.
✨ Select multiple images
🍬 Open the new mini Candy Image Studio editor
🖼️ Apply an edit to the selected group
This gives you a nice middle ground between editing images one-by-one and setting up Auto Editor for an entire roll or Event.
📤 Better SportsPics Upload Controls
SportsPics Events now have more useful options directly in the Image Upload settings:
👥 Mark All Images Group
Automatically mark every uploaded image as a Group Photo.
🏷️ Assign a PhotoTag during upload
If the Event has PhotoTags, you can choose one and automatically apply it to every uploaded image.
This is especially handy when uploading to a Face Matching Event, to ensure the images don't go out via Face Matching before you have a chance to mark them as Group/Team Photos!
⭐ Candy Image Studio & Auto Editor Improvements
👤 Participant names passed into edits
When editing an Event image in Candy Image Studio, associated participant names can now be included in the edit context!
For example, you can make a movie poster and it can now pull the names of the subjects if that info is available.
✉️ Client Outreach email designer improved
Candy is better at remembering and sticking to instructions from earlier revisions when you’re making revisions to an outreach email.
⭐ Favorite your most-used nodes
Click the star in the top-right of a node to move it toward the top of the list in Candy Image Studio or Auto Editor.
Note: Favorites are saved by device and do not sync between devices across your account.
🖼️ 39 New Default Background Sets
We added 39 new background sets for Offers and Virtual Groups!
New additions span categories like:
🔥 Flames
🏭 Industrial
💡 Light – Bars
⚡ Lightning
🏈 Locker Room
⚽ Soccer
🏐 Volleyball
⛳ Golf
🎬 Spotlight
Between these new additions, custom uploads, and the AI Background Generator, you’ve got plenty of ways to build a look that fits your Events.
Example: New Volleyball Backgrounds!
A closer look at one of the examples above!
🧑🤝🧑 PhotoRoster & PhotoTag Improvements
🏷️ PhotoTags carry into new PhotoRosters
When creating a PhotoRoster by importing Selfie Check-Ins, participant PhotoTags will now save into the PhotoRoster too!
🧹 Duplicate PhotoTag import fix
Fixed an edge case where PhotoTags could be imported twice creating duplicates.
✂️ Background Removal Update
👥 Background Removal no longer runs on Group Photos
Group Photos are not meant to go through Background Removal! Though it can kind of work, it's generally can't be consistent enough (picture floating people who were previously sitting on something) to allow Background Removal on Group Photos.
🛍️ Retail: Duplicate Download Warning
Retail now helps prevent accidental duplicate digital purchases.
⚠️ If a shopper tries to add a digital download product (or package that includes one) that already contains the same image, crop, and artwork settings as a digital image already in their cart, they’ll see a new: “You already have Digital Download of this image in your cart” popup.
➕ They can still add it anyway if they really want to!
This should reduce accidental duplicate purchases and the customer service requests that come with them.
Little improvements to make the platform better and better.
🛠️ Dashboard Fixes & Cleanup
🪟 Fixed popups flickering when background data refreshed
🎯 Fixed Unassigned filters/counts in edge cases involving cutouts of AI edits
🧑🤝🧑 Fixed Virtual Group row settings reverting to auto after deleting a subject
That’s the week!
Discounts are definitely the headline, but batch AI editing, better sports upload controls, and a new set of backgrounds make this a pretty fun update all around.
Candy here with another weekly recap! This week brings more control to Virtual Group Builder, a much better home for Event Background Removal, new Candy Image Studio exposure tools, and—yes—27 new sports background sets. 😎
Let’s jump in!
🧑🤝🧑 Virtual Group Builder Additions
Ask and you shall receive... sometimes! We’ve gotten some good feedback on Virtual Group Builder, and this week several new controls are here to make layouts easier to fine-tune:
↕️ Force subjects onto different rows
While dragging a subject, new Add to Row buttons appear over the other rows. Drop the subject there to explicitly move them where you want instead of relying entirely on automatic placement.
Previously you were limited to automatically determined rows, you still have those but can now override them!
🔍 New logo size slider
Adjust your corner logos to be smaller or larger than the default.
Previously they could be considered a bit tiny, but this gives you a bit more control!
🌫️ Individual cutout fade control
The Subject Inspector now has its own cutout fade intensity slider, separate from the global setting, so you can fine-tune individual subjects when needed.
This will let you tweak the cutout fade intensity for subjects in the front row or on the sides of the virtual group, in case you're wanting a very specific look.
👥 Smarter merged-participant image selection
The Subject Image Picker will only show images from merged participants when they share the same name.
This typically does not matter, but in the case of a parent doing a Selfie Check-In of themselves and then of their child later, this will keep Virtual Groups working as expected!
Just a few additions, but very useful ones when you’re trying to get a Virtual Group looking just right!
Drag and drop subjects into other rows for more control than ever!
New options to more quickly space out your subjects!
When viewing subject details, adjust them by individual!
Control the size of your logos!
🏈 27 New Sports Background Sets
Alright, shoutout to the random guy who told me (me being Candy, in case you forgot!) that he didn’t like the backgrounds. We heard you! 😂
This week we’ve added 27 new sets of sports backgrounds, including a brand-new Sports – Locker Room background category.
And, in case you missed it, last week we also added an AI Background Generator so you can create entirely new, modern backgrounds of your own.
A quick reminder... you already have a lot of control over which backgrounds your customers actually see:
🎨 Edit the default backgrounds in your Offers
📤 Upload your own custom backgrounds at both the Offer-level and Event-level
🤖 Generate new backgrounds of your own with AI
🏈 Choose from our (now growing) collection of built-in choices
We have a TON of default backgrounds—and yes, many have been around for a while—but you’re never locked into using them. You can build your own look for your business, and we’ll keep adding new options over time too.
✂️ New Dedicated Background Removal Page
Event Background Removal now has its own dedicated Dashboard page, accessible from the Event Sidebar. It is not longer just a popup!
The BGR toggle on Event Overview will take you there too, giving all of these controls a little more breathing room.
On the new page, you can:
✅ Enable or disable Background Removal
🖼️ Manage your Event Backgrounds
🎨 See your Offer Backgrounds with a direct link to the Offer
📊 See how many cutouts have finished and how many are still processing
⏳ Watch a live progress bar while Background Removal is working
📂 See all valid Event folders and which ones are marked for Background Removal
And if your Event is a new Event: ✂️ You can mark an existing folder for Background Removal even if it already contains images!!!
🎨 Candy Image Studio: Better Exposure Fixes
🌙 New Fix Underexposure node
Helps recover images that came out too dark.
☀️ Fix Overexposure greatly improved
The existing overexposure tool has been reworked for more reliable results.
Utilize Candy Image Studio to fix images so they can sell, quickly and affordably!
🏈 Jersey Jotter Progress Tracking
⏳ New Jersey Jotter progress bar
When Jersey Jotter is active and still has unprocessed images, its dedicated page now shows processing progress—similar to Candy Culler and the new Background Removal page.
This makes it much easier to tell whether recognition is still working through a large Event.
🛍️ Retail Improvements
✨ Titled Luxe Prints now work with package prefill
Packages can now automatically prefill eligible Titled Luxe Print products just like other supported products.
🖼️ Titled Luxe Print package rendering fixed
Fixed an issue where these products could render incorrectly inside packages.
🤖 AI-generated backgrounds now render correctly on products
🎨 Selected backgrounds now stay visible through the final product step
Fixed an issue where the chosen background could sometimes disappear on renders when reaching quantity and finish steps.
📝 Several product descriptions updated
Some product descriptions have been refreshed for better clarity.
🖼️ AI Edit + BGR Assignment Fix
👥 BGR versions of AI edits now keep direct participant assignments
If the original non-AI image was directly assigned to someone, its Background Removed AI-edited version will now correctly inherit that relationship.
📦 Order Details Fix
📝 Package captions now display correctly
Fixed cases where Order Details did not show caption information for certain products contained inside packages.
📱 Capture App 5.9.1 – iOS OTA
📸 Photo Booth fix for iPad
Fixed the Photo Booth gallery strip being cut off on certain iPad models.
That’s the week!
More Virtual Group control, a much stronger Background Removal workflow, some useful exposure tools, and plenty of fresh sports backgrounds to work with.
And if you still don’t like the backgrounds... now you’ve got plenty of ways to show us how it’s done. 😉
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.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
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