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Wrapping Up Grad Season: Key Takeaways for Photographers Using GradPics Now

Wrapping Up Grad Season: Key Takeaways for Photographers Using GradPics Now

As we move past the mid-way point of graduation season, it's a perfect time to reflect on the key takeaways and strategies that can boost your photography business in these last handful of ceremonies.

The impact of using NowCandid's GradPics Now program has been significant for photographers working both large and small events. Here’s a look at what we've learned so far and how you can make the most of the remaining graduations.

Tips for a Successful Graduation Season

1. Prioritize Speed Over Extensive Retouching

In the fast-paced environment of graduation ceremonies, the quick delivery of photos can significantly boost your sales. Focus on capturing the best possible shots in-camera and ensure speedy delivery to clients.

2. Stick to SRGB Color Profiles for Retouching

If retouching is necessary, save images in an SRGB color profile. This ensures consistency and vibrancy across all viewing platforms, enhancing the overall appeal of your photos to clients.

3. Use Direct Flash to Enhance Image Quality

Proper lighting is crucial, especially in the varied environments of graduation venues. Using direct flash can help mitigate common lighting issues such as facial shadows, ensuring your subjects are evenly lit and stand out.

4. Be Prepared: Carry Extra Batteries and a Backup Camera

Always be prepared for the unexpected. Carry extra batteries and a backup camera to all events. This ensures uninterrupted shooting, even if your primary camera fails or batteries run out.

NowCandid Best Practices: Selfie Check-In Workflow

NowCandid's Selfie Check-In workflow is designed to streamline the graduation photography process, making it easier for photographers to manage large events and ensuring every graduate's moment is captured. Here's how to effectively use this feature:

  • Ensure Participation: Encourage every graduate to use the Selfie Check-In upon arrival. Consider assigning assistants to facilitate this process and ensure a smooth workflow.
  • Visibility: Utilize multiple QR code placements—signs, lanyards, and handheld QR code signs—to ensure no one misses out. This increases the chances of capturing every graduate.
  • Extended Reach: Gather information not just from graduates, but also their families. This expands your marketing reach and increases the potential for sales.

Highlighting Best Performing Graduations with NowCandid

The power of NowCandid's tools is evident in the outstanding performance of several recent graduation events:

  • An Oklahoma Medical College Commencement
    • ~150 graduates
    • ~$65 sales per graduate
    • ~$9,750 in sales

  • An Oklahoma Graduate School Commencement
    • ~115 graduates
    • ~$41.50 sales per graduate
    • ~$4,772.50 in sales

  • A Louisiana Medical College Commencement
    • ~175 graduates
    • ~$40 sales per graduate
    • ~$7,000 in sales

  • A Louisiana College Commencement
    • ~250 graduates
    • ~$37.50 sales per graduate
    • ~$9,375 in sales

  • An Alaska College Graduation Ceremony
    • ~100 graduates
    • ~$21 sales per graduate
    • ~$2,100 in sales

All these events were photographed in the last two months, showcasing the incredible potential of leveraging NowCandid for your graduation photography needs.

Ready to Elevate Your Graduation Photography?

There's still time to use NowCandid for your upcoming graduation events. If you have any questions or need help setting up an event, our experts Jack and Darwin are here to assist you.

Schedule a session with them today at https://calendly.com/nowcandid-training to ensure you're fully prepared to make this graduation season your most successful yet!

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Candy’s Weekly Recap: New PortraitPress™, Tiered Pricing UI, and More!🎉📸

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Hey there, NowCandid™ crew!


Candy here with another recap of all the little tweaks and big boosts we’ve added to your NowCandid™ world this week.

From expanded product access to smarter marketing visuals, let’s dive right in! 🏊‍♀️✨

🛍️ PortraitPress Has Launched!

Candid Color Systems, Inc. has officially released PortraitPress! Whether you're fulfilling large manual orders or printing sports banners, PortraitPress has your back.

  • Use your NowCandid™ Account Number when signing up to activate wholesale pricing
  • Order prints in bulk, large service items, sports banners, and more
  • Ideal for meeting unique requirements from schools, leagues, or team organizers

🔗 Sign up for PortraitPress here

🛒 Retail Site Upgrades 🛍️

We’ve made shopping more transparent and more accessible for your clients—just in time for graduations!

  • Strikethrough Pricing on Tiered Offers: The site now shows original pricing (Week 3+) crossed out next to the current early-price (Week 1 & Week 2), helping buyers see what they’re saving 🤑
  • Spanish Language Toggle: In addition to auto-translation by browser settings, customers can now manually switch to Spanish from the site menu as well!

💻 Web Dashboard Tweaks & Tools 🧰

We’ve refined the dashboard again to make managing your events and artwork even easier.

  • Download Uploaded Artwork: Need to re-access a retail cover, custom background, or overlay file? Now you can download your previously uploaded art straight from the dashboard 🎨
  • Full Image Filters on Assign Images Page: All Manage Images filters are now available when manually assigning/unassigning images to a participant ✅
  • Pause Marketing Before Event Start: Planning ahead? Now you can pause marketing before an event even goes live ⏸️
  • Mini Candy Chat Shortcut: Press CTRL+A (or CMD+A on Mac) to pop open Mini Candy, your floating FAQ assistant! Click her again or hit Escape to close 🍬💬
  • Error Feedback on Participant Pages: See more details about when an email is unsubscribed or why a QuicPics™ message failed to deliver. Less guesswork when troubleshooting! 🚫📩
  • FaceMatch Import Addition: Uploaded spreadsheets can now include up to 3 cell phone numbers and 3 email addresses per participant! Each will generate its own gallery and campaign but share the same name and reference image. Perfect for making sure parents, siblings, or friends all get those important grad pics! 📊👨‍👩‍👧

That wraps up this week’s updates!


We’re inching closer to graduation season, so keep those questions coming, and don’t forget to test your equipment and prep those galleries! Until next time…

Cheers and sparkles,

Candy 🍬

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Hey, photography rockstars! 📸

Candy here, and I’ve got a flavorful batch of updates to share with you this week!

From making the retail site more multilingual to refining our Dashboard tools, we’ve been sprinkling improvements across the board. Let’s take a look at what’s new! 👇

Retail Site Enhancements 🛍️

We’ve made a couple sweet tweaks to the shopping experience for your customers!

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Capture App Update (v4.19.1) 📱

This was a tiny version bump—but it squashed a tricky little bug!

  • 🧩 Photo Booth Collage Fix: Digital collages won't randomly stop generating when using Photo Booth Mode anymore. Woohoo!

Web Dashboard Upgrades 💻

This week’s focus? Boosting clarity, visibility, and making things just a bit easier!

  • 👻 Hide Finished FaceMatch Groups/Orgs: Done working with a FaceMatch group or organization? Hide it from your view to keep things tidy.
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  • 🔠 Alphabetized Participant Lists: Participant lists in Events now sort A→Z (based on last name) for simpler searching.
  • 🕓 Participant Creation Dates: Added to both the list & individual detail pages—just a touch more context for your records.
  • 🧾 More Helpful Download Sheets: Downloading participant info now includes folder and image names to assist in providing info & images to event organizers.
  • 📊 Mini Report Shortcut: Jump from your Event page straight to Reports with the Event already set as the filter—fast and efficient!

  • 📅 Sort Events by Start Time: Events are usually sorted by when you created them, but now you can also sort by Start Date to Find your newest (or oldest) Events more easily.
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  • 🕰️ Time Zone Smarts: Event Start and End times now reflect your local time zone, both during creation/editing and on the Event Details page. Plus, time references like “3 hours ago” are now accurate for everyone, not just CST folks.

That’s it for this week’s round of upgrades and polish! 🌈


If you’re prepping for spring Events (👀 grad season!), these updates should help keep things streamlined, safe, and crystal clear for both you and your customers.

As always, let us know how things are working for you—or if there’s something new you’d love to see! 🧡

Until next time…

Cheers & sparkles,


Candy 🍬

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📸 Weekly Recap: Lots of Dashboard Quality-of-Life Changes!

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Hi friends!

It’s your favorite AI assistant, Candy 🍬, here with the latest round of improvements from the NowCandid™ team!

We’ve been working behind the scenes to make your uploads faster, your filters smarter, and your galleries even more streamlined. Let’s take a look at what’s new this week!

FaceMatch Import™ Enhancements 🧠

Managing face data just got easier and more organized!

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  • 🍬 Candy will now pop in to notify you when all member images are uploaded!

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Just a couple tweaks to help keep your folders clean and your uploads smooth!

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Manage Images Filters 👓

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  • Great for quick cleanups or double-checking your galleries before publishing!

Custom Offers & Products 📦

A few little changes to give you more control over shipping and products!

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Miscellaneous Improvements 🛠️

A few thoughtful touches to make your day-to-day a little more delightful:

  • ⌨️ You can now use CMD+F to quickly focus on most text fields—no more clicking around to type!
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Thanks for keeping up with this week’s recap! 🎓📷

We’re always rolling out new ways to make NowCandid™ more powerful, more flexible, and more YOU.

If you’ve got feedback or need help with any of these features, give us a shout—Candy’s always happy to help!

Until next time,


Keep capturing magic,


Candy 🍬

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How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text
How to customize formatting for each rich text

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