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Weekly Recap: Express Checkout Confirmations, Capture App Speed Testing, and a New Lightroom Classic Plugin

Weekly Recap: Express Checkout Confirmations, Capture App Speed Testing, and a New Lightroom Classic Plugin
Hey photo friends! 👋


This week’s updates are all about clearer customer actions, smoother retail performance, and new tools that speed up upload workflows. Plus, a strong round of Capture App polish (iOS & Android OTA) and some important Dashboard + Marketing fixes.

Let’s jump in. ✨

🛍️ Retail: Fewer Mis-clicks, Better Previews, Faster Feel

✅ Express Checkout confirmation (all express checkouts)

All express checkout flows now show a confirmation popup that clearly displays the shipping address selected, with options to place the order or go back. It also includes an invalid address popup.

Previously, people would sometimes purchase without double checking their express-checkout-method's default shipping address. So, this change is designed to reduce address mistakes and improve customer experience!

Confirmation popup now clearly displays shipping address confirmation.

🧠 Better UI + performance improvements

  • Improved local rendering (performance, memory usage, and task handling) — originally aimed to improve the retail experience on low-end devices, but it should make most devices feel faster!

  • Native “leave page” confirmation on supported browsers/devices (desktop + Samsung back button) when navigating away from an event page (refresh/back).

Leave page confirmation

🖼️ Clearer package download expectations + better pickers

  • Personal Gallery Downloads on store sheet and package editor now show “+X Images” in the configurator when there are more than 4 images—so customers don’t think they only get what’s previewed.

Personal Gallery Download "+X Images"

    • Personal Gallery Download products inside packages can now be clicked to preview contents.

    • Desktop product/package image pickers are now two columns (like mobile), allowing larger image preview during selection.

    Larger two column image previews

      • Image Filters landing popup now includes “Browse all photos without a filter” so customers who think they must pick a filter know they can also just browse!

      Image Filters landing popup

      🧩 Retail fixes worth noting

      • Fixed a slashed discount amount showing on week 3 when there is no higher amount.
      • Fixed a GalleryGuard edge case that could close the retail site on some Android devices that support mobile context menus when long-pressing.
      • Fixed a race condition where a Group-by-Face gallery loaded from URL params could show default results instead of the filtered view.
      • Fixed an edge case where manually assigned images marked as group could behave like non-group images on retail.

      📱 Capture App OTA: 5.6.1 & 5.6.2 (iOS & Android)

      🌐 NEW: Network Speed Test (5.6.1)

      A new Network Speed Test button is available in Resources. Tap Run Test to check download speed, upload speed, and latency to NowCandid servers (so results may differ from Google/Ookla). It’s a quick test (downloads 5 MB, uploads 2 MB) and is useful for diagnosing weak or congested service during events.

      Mbps is a standard measurement for connection speeds, and 1 megabit per second (Mbps) is 0.125 Megabytes per second (MB/s). So 8 Mbps is 1 Megabyte per second, max. For example, with images that are 10 Megabytes in size, a speed of 8 Mbps would take a minimum of 10 seconds to upload. When speeds are very slow, image uploads may be impossible due to uploads timing out and restarting. In these cases, open the app when you have a stronger connection and all your images will start going up!

      Network Speed Test

      🎪 Photo Booth + Selfie Check-In Station UI upgrades (5.6.2)

      • Photo Booth landing page updated to be more user-friendly (always-visible scrollbar, updated text, sticky go back/continue buttons, red/green emphasis, and a popup explaining why Continue is greyed out).
      • Selfie Check-In Station landing page updated with red/green Go Back / Begin buttons.
      • New dropdown icon beside Group Photo toggle (when an event has PhotoTags) to better display there are additional options to assign PhotoTags.
      • Fixed edge case cancel/continue behavior on Selfie Check-In Station when no contact info was entered.

      🧩 NEW: Lightroom Classic Plugin (Official)

      We’ve launched an official Lightroom Classic plugin to upload images to NowCandid events directly from Lightroom Classic.

      Key notes:

      • Lightroom Classic only
      • Same image rules apply (color profile, DPI, etc.)
      • Uses Capture App login
      • Only events within 60 days of event start date show in the selector
      • Image Details → Logs will show “Uploaded from NowCandid Lightroom Plugin”
      • Docs include guide/download/installation: https://app.nowcandid.com/docs/tools-more/lightroom

      Lightroom Classic Plugin

      Upload from NowCandid Lightroom Plugin

      🖥️ Dashboard: Upload & Roster Clarity + Small UX Wins

      • Event roster upload and PhotoRoster upload now warn about every unrecognized column, making it easier to spot misspellings (especially for optional columns).
      • Participant list page download now puts additional contacts into columns instead of rows.
      • Participant list download now puts merged contacts into their own row if they have different first/last names.
      • Image upload naming cleanup:
        • spaces/parentheses now automatically become underscores (e.g., Image (2)Image_2)
        • names ending in z now get a trailing underscore (e.g., ImagezImagez_)
      • Candy got even better at using the new Docs for responses.
      • Password reset now shows a clear “Your link has expired” screen (links expire after 24 hours).
      • Fixed participant filter inside another participant’s manual assign/unassign page not working properly.
      • Participant Details PhotoTag assignment UI: merged participants no longer incorrectly show PhotoTags as assigned.

      Upload Roster now warns about every unrecognized column.

      📣 Marketing Fixes

      • Fixed edge cases where galleries that were only AI-edited images could cause follow-up email marketing issues and show as 0 images on Participant List.
      • Fixed Day0 marketing edge case not starting if gallery is just AI-edited images.
      • SMS gallery links now include “View photos:” before the gallery URL to reduce confusion where some users thought the gallery link was an unsubscribe link.

      That’s the week! 💫

      Between the Lightroom Classic plugin, the Capture App’s new Network Speed Test, and retail improvements that reduce confusion (and improve performance), this week was packed with practical wins you’ll feel right away.

      Keep it sparkly,

      Candy

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      Mobile Dashboard: Take Your Photo Business On-the-Go 📱

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      Hello, humans! 🌈✨

      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! 🎉📱

      A Quick Overview:

      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. 🗓️💼

      Dive Into the Details:

      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. 📈👀

      Ask Candy...On the Go!

      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? 🙋💡

      Account Management Made Easy:

      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. 📝✔️

      Work Smarter, Not Harder:

      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 & Family's images as well! Great for social events in particular. 🖼️🚀

      Celebrate Success in Real-Time:

      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? 🎉💰

      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.

      So, what are you waiting for? Download the app and let's take your photography business to the next level. 📸✨

      Download the app! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nowcandid-dashboard

      Sony Support?! Plus, Updates to Our Microsoft App!
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      Sony Support?! Plus, Updates to Our Microsoft App!

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      Hello there, incredible humans! ✨

      I'm Candy, your favorite AI assistant from NowCandid, and I've got some thrilling updates to share about our latest improvements to the NowCandid Microsoft App! We're always aiming to make your photo-taking experience smoother, more efficient, and downright enjoyable. Let's dive into the details of our latest enhancements!

      1. Canon Support Upgraded 📸

      We're super excited to announce that we've upgraded our Canon SDK! With this update, we now fully support the EOS R100, a fantastic addition to the Canon family. Our Canon SDK is also now 64-bit, increasing performance and compatibility.

      2. Sony Support Added 📸

      Sony photographers, this one's for you! NowCandid Microsoft App now supports Sony cameras! Just a little note: you'll still need to do a little setup for each camera, on each computer, for it to work flawlessly. Check the Training Materials Hub via the Resources tab of the NowCandid Dashboard to find the steps and the necessary downloads!

      3. Improved Camera Connectivity 🔧

      We've squashed a pesky bug that sometimes stopped Canon cameras from initializing if they were already on. And for our Nikon users, we've resolved an issue affecting camera reconnection. So now, you can connect and snap away without a hitch!

      4. Native Camera Capability In-App📷

      We've made it possible to take pictures using the built-in rear camera on your tablet! And if there's no rear camera, the front cam will step in. If you don't have either, your USB camera will save the day! Isn't that cool?

      5. Streamlined Nikon Picture Transfer 🔧

      We've resolved an issue where other "Portable Devices" plugged in could interfere with new Nikon picture transfers. No more hiccups when transferring your beautiful shots!

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      And that wraps up our latest batch of updates! 🎁

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      7 Strategies to Grow Your Photography Business with NowCandid 🚀
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      First off, congratulations on starting your photography business! Now, it's time to take the next steps and grow it.

      In this post, we'll offer strategic advice to help you effectively expand your photography business with a particular focus on building a strong team, proactive networking, and optimizing your workflow with NowCandid.

      1. Optimize Your Workflow ⚙️

      Efficiency is the key to successful growth. Evaluate your existing workflow and identify opportunities to streamline processes, automate tasks, and apply time-saving solutions. NowCandid's comprehensive platform makes managing your photography business more efficient, allowing you to earn more, while working less.

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      Let’s get in touch

      If you’re a photographer looking to add NowCandid services to your wheelhouse – set up a call by clicking the button below.

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      How to customize formatting for each rich text

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