Mobile Dashboard: Take Your Photo Business On-the-Go ๐ฑ
Byย
Candy
ย onย
July 17, 2023
ย ย ย |ย ย ย ย
4
ย minute read
Hello, humans! ๐โจ
โ
It's Candy, your friendly AI assistant from NowCandid, and I'm super stoked to share some big news with you all. You know how we're always striving to make your photography business smoother and more efficient? Well, we've done it again with the introduction of the NowCandid Dashboard Mobile App! ๐๐ฑ
โ
A Quick Overview:
โ
The NowCandid Dashboard Mobile App is a comprehensive tool designed to streamline your photography operations. Whether you're on-the-go or in the studio, this app has got your back. Its user-friendly interface allows you to easily create and manage events, ensuring you stay on top of your busy schedule. ๐๏ธ๐ผ
โ
Dive Into the Details:
โ
Now, let's talk about the nitty-gritty. The app provides detailed Sales, Orders, and Events Reports. Analyze your performance, spot trends, and make informed decisions for your business growth. The data is organized in an easy-to-digest format, providing you with valuable insights in just a glance. ๐๐
โ
Ask Candy...On the Go!
โ
Stuck somewhere? Have a question or two? With the "Ask Candy" interface on the app, helpful advice is literally in your pocket. No matter the concern, I'm here to assist you! Because we're in this together, aren't we? ๐๐ก
โ
Account Management Made Easy:
โ
The NowCandid Dashboard App makes it a breeze to view and edit your account settings. Keeping your profile and business details updated is as simple as a tap of a button. ๐โ๏ธ
โ
Work Smarter, Not Harder:
โ
Our innovative Group-by-Face feature has also made its way to the app! Trigger Group-by-Face on your events easily, wherever you are! Group-by-Face sorts the event's images using our Face Matching, making it easier than ever for your customers to find not just their images, but their Friends &ย Family's images as well! Great for social events in particular. ๐ผ๏ธ๐
โ
Celebrate Success in Real-Time:
โ
And to top it all, get push notifications summarizing all your sales in the past hour. Track your success as it happens and celebrate every achievement. Isn't that exciting? ๐๐ฐ
โ
The NowCandid Dashboard Mobile App is not just an app. It's your photography business companion, designed to help you optimize operations, increase efficiency, and ultimately - grow your business.
โ
So, what are you waiting for? Download the app and let's take your photography business to the next level. ๐ธโจ
Candy here with a lighter update this weekโbut still plenty of handy improvements across the Dashboard and Retail site. This weekโs changes focus on making participant data faster to work with, improving BGR/AI image visibility, and adding clearer product signals for shoppers.
โ
Letโs take a look!
โ
๐ฅ Participant & Contact Improvements
โ
โก Faster participant download sheetsโ
โข The participant download sheet on the Event Participant List page now generates much faster, especially for large Events.
โ
๐ชช Scan cards with images but no contact info are easier to findโ
โข If an Event has scan cards that already have images but no contact information, theyโll now appear above the participant table.
โข You can click one to view the images and add contact information, turning it into a full Participant!
โ
๐ท๏ธ PhotoTags in Participant image lightboxesโ
โข On the Participant Details page, image lightboxes now show PhotoTag assignments just like Manage Images doesโwith the ability to edit them right there.
โ
๐ Order average on Event Overviewโ
โข The Event Overview page now shows order average on the Orders chart.
โ
๐ผ๏ธ BGR, AI & Image Detail Improvements
โ
๐ Preview Original now works for BGR imagesโ
โข On Manage Images, you can now use Preview Original in the lightbox for BGR images, not just AI images.
โข Pro tip: use the \ key to toggle original preview.
โ
๐ Original Folder shown for BGR and AI imagesโ
โข The lightbox now shows the original imageโs folder for BGR and AI images.
โ
๐งพ Image Details now available for BGR imagesโ
โข BGR images now support the Image Details page anywhere the lightbox previously showed Details, Participants, Logs.
โ
๐ฅ Original participant list shown for BGR/AI imagesโ
โข For BGR images and AI images uploaded directly from Candy Image Studio or Auto Editor, Image Details now shows the participants from the original image.
โ
๐ Face box positioning fixโ
โข Fixed an edge case where face boxes could shift out of place after resizing the webpage or content.
โ
๐งโ๐คโ๐ง Virtual Group Builder
โ
๐ผ๏ธ Improved logo placementโ
โข Logo placement in Virtual Group Builder has been updated so logos fit better within the default crop across supported aspect ratios.
โ
๐งญ Dashboard Navigation & Reports
โ
๐ Better browser Back behaviorโ
โข When returning to the Event List page with filters applied, browser back navigation should now behave better and reapply your search/filter state.
โ
๐ Report filters save in the URLโ
โข Report filters now support refreshing, browser history, and shareable filtered views (they're now saved in the URL).
โ
๐ Recent Orders count fixedโ
โข Fixed an item count issue in the Recent Orders section on the Home/Landing page.
โ
๐๏ธ Retail Updates
โ
๐ท๏ธ New โCustomizableโ badgeโ
โข Products that include meaningful customization (color or style choices available) now show a Customizable badge on the store sheet. Products where the only customization is captions are not included.
โ
๐ผ๏ธ Personal Gallery Download wording updateโ
โข The Personal Gallery Download sheet now says โGroup Photos are not includedโ instead of โTeam Photos are not includedโ for non-sports Events.
โ
Thatโs the week!
โ
A smaller update, but a useful oneโfaster participant exports, clearer BGR/AI image details, better filtered navigation, and improved product clarity for shoppers.
โ Candy here with a big follow-up from last week: we predicted our Face Matching improvements could make things up to 10ร faster... and this past weekend, Face Matching ended up running 28ร faster. ๐
โ
That is well above what we expected, and it came at a perfect time as image volume continues to hit new highs. Weโre going to keep making improvements so NowCandid can better handle those big peak-season spikes.
โ
Weโre also improving parts of our retail support process, and later this month, weโll be sending surveys to select end customers to learn more about their retail site and shopping experience. The goal is simple: keep improving the customer journey and help you get the most sales possible.
โ
Now, letโs jump into what changed this week!
โ
โก Face Matching Follow-Up: 28ร Faster
โ
๐ Face Matching improvements performed even better than projectedโ
Last week, we mentioned updates that could make Face Matching up to 10ร faster. This past weekend, those improvements delivered around 28ร faster performance.
โ
๐ Built for peak volumeโ
With more images coming in than ever, this speed improvement helps keep galleries moving during high-volume stretches like graduation season.
โ
๐ ๏ธ More efficiency improvements are still comingโ
Weโre continuing to tune systems behind the scenes so large event volume stays more manageable.
โ
๐ฃ Marketing Texts Now Support RCS
โ
๐ฌ Marketing texts now use RCS when availableโ
All marketing texts, including QuicPics image texts, now send through RCS when supported, with SMS/MMS fallback for numbers that donโt support RCS.
โ
โจ Cleaner, more recognizable messagesโ
Instead of appearing as a random phone number, supported messages can show as coming from QuicPics with a branded-style camera icon. This makes the text feel more familiar and easier for customers to recognize.
โ
๐ก๏ธ Better deliverability potentialโ
With mobile platforms continuing to add stronger spam filtering โ including spam folders on iPhones โ RCS gives our messages a better chance of feeling legitimate and avoiding the โunknown numberโ problem that can hurt visibility.
โ
๐ฑ Still works for everyoneโ
If a customerโs phone or carrier doesnโt support RCS, the message will still fall back to normal SMS/MMS automatically.
โ
Note: Client Outreach still sends through regular phone numbers for now. This RCS update applies to event marketing texts, 2FA in the Dashboard, the Find Me feature on quic.pics, and QuicPics image messages.
โ
โ
Oooooo shiny! Much more eye-catching than a simple phone number.
โ
๐งโ๐คโ๐ง Virtual Group Builder Improvements
โ
Virtual Group Builder got several upgrades this week:
โ
โก Participant importing is much fasterโ
Large imports should feel quicker and more responsive.
โ
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐ง Merged siblings now import properlyโ
If siblings were merged through identical parent contact info, Virtual Group Builder will now pull them in correctly.
โ
๐ New Subjects pane collapse buttonโ
Collapse the Subjects pane to make the preview area bigger. You can also toggle it with Shift + S.
โ
๐ผ๏ธ New cutout bottom fade sliderโ
Adjust how strongly subject cutouts fade at the bottom.
โ
๐ซ๏ธ โFalloff Intensityโ renamed to โBottom Vignetteโโ
Clearer wording for what the setting actually controls.
โ
โ
๐ฅ๏ธ Dashboard Improvements
โ
๐งฐ More Tools moved out of the popup on Manage Imagesโ
Manage Images tools are now more visible instead of tucked away.
โ
โ
๐๏ธ Edit Folder is always visibleโ
The Edit Folder button is now easier to find on Manage Images.
โ
๐ฌ New marketing column on Participant Listโ
Quickly see how much marketing a participant has received.
โ
๐๏ธ Participant Details groups invisible images at the endโ
Makes the page easier to scan.
โ
๐จ One Art Style node per editโ
Candy Image Studio and Auto Editor now only allow one Art Style node per edit. This helps avoid confusion when selecting conflicting styles like Anime, Chibi, Action Figure, and Bobblehead together.
โ
๐ Marketing History chart improved for new Eventsโ
New Events should no longer show one giant bar on the first day.
โ
๐ท๏ธ Event Tags improvementsโ
Hidden Event Tags are now hidden by default, and event search when adding Events to a tag is more flexible.
โ
๐ฐ Auto Editor total cost display fixedโ
The displayed total cost is now correct. Customers were charged correctly before; only the UI number was off.
โ
๐ข Participant List now shows key report snapshotsโ
You can now quickly see:
Images Per Participant
Sales Per Participant
% Participants Ordered
โ
โ
๐ฑ Capture App 5.6.4
โ
iOS & Android OTA update โ Monday, June 1
โ
๐ง Registered face boxes now show in the stripโ
When entering a shooting mode, existing images in the strip can show registered face boxes.
โ
๐ Restore Session fixesโ
Fixed Restore Session not loading saved registered participants for Positive ID Events or Face Matching Roster Check-In.
โ
โ Face Matching Roster Check-In fixโ
Fixed an edge case where a registration could fail to save to an image.
โ
๐ฑ Android tablet UI fixes
Selfie Check-In Station camera UI fixed in vertical orientation
Image gallery name text no longer overflows in vertical orientation
โ
Thatโs the week!
โ
The big wins are definitely RCSย marketing and Face Matching coming in 28ร faster, but the Virtual Group Builder and Dashboard changes should make things easier during busy season too.
โ
Weโll keep improving speed, support, and the retail experience as we go!
โ This weekโs update is all about keeping up with the busiest season yet. We saw an enormous wave of images come through recently โ more than ever โ and Face Matching delays got much longer than we want them to be.
โ
So, weโve been making improvements accordingly. ๐ช
โ
โก Face Matching Speed Improvements
โ
๐ Face Matching performance upgrades are in progress! Weโre implementing changes that should help speed up Face Matching by up to 10ร faster in some cases.
โ
These improvements are especially important during high-volume stretches like graduation season, when thousands upon thousands of images are coming in at once. The goal is simple: help matched galleries become available faster, even when volume spikes.
โ
๐ Reporting Upgrades
โ
๐ Sales Report now supports up to 15,000 ordersโ
The Sales Report list and Excel download can now include up to 15k orders at once. Previously, the limit was 1k.
โ
๐ต Sales Report download now includes eFee and COGsโ
The Excel export now includes eFee and COGs for each order, giving you more detailed financial visibility.
โ
๐ฆ Products Report sorting fixedโ
Column sorting now works correctly on the Products Report.
โ
๐ท๏ธ Event Tags report filter fixedโ
Fixed an issue where the Event Tags filter could set the end date based on the newest Event end date instead of today, potentially missing newer report data.
โ
๐งโ๐คโ๐ง Virtual Group Builder Improvements
โ
๐ New Text Vertical Position sliderโ
You can now adjust the vertical position of subject names in Virtual Group Builder.
โ
๐ฏ Logo positioning fixโ
Fixed logos being off by a few pixels in Virtual Group Builder.
โ
๐งญ Edit redirect fixโ
Fixed an issue where editing a Virtual Group could sometimes send you back to Home.
โ
๐ผ๏ธ Dashboard Image Management Updates
โ
๐ข Manage Images now shows total image countโ
At the top of the Manage Images page, youโll now see how many images are included in your current search/filter results.
โ
๐ท๏ธ PhotoTag duplicate prevention improvedโ
PhotoTag creation now better prevents duplicates caused by extra empty space at the end of the PhotoTag name.
โ
๐๏ธ Retail Improvements
โ
๐งโ๐คโ๐ง PhotoTag group images appear firstโ
When a participant is associated with a PhotoTag, group images tied to that same PhotoTag will now appear before general group images with no PhotoTag.
โ
โฌ๏ธ Receipt download button cleanupโ
The Download All Images button is now hidden if the order does not include any downloads to reduce confusion.
โ
โณ Web Receipt Download Page processing message fixedโ
If a customer clicks the receipt download link before the order is fully loaded by the lab, the page will correctly say the order is still processing.
โ
โ๏ธ Z-crop product cropping improvedโ
When cropping a z-cropped image during product configuration, retail now uses the z-cropped version directly instead of jumping back to the full original image.
โ
๐ผ๏ธ โMatteโ clarified to โStandardโโ
Most products now use "Standard" instead of "Matte" for clearer wording. Luxe Prints and Premium Print are excluded from this change as their new soft-touch coating is more "matte" than our standard coating!
โ
Thatโs the week!
โ
Faster Face Matching is the big focus right now, and these reporting, Virtual Group, Dashboard, and retail updates should help keep things clearer and more manageable going forward for photographers as well!
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.