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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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      This Just In: Unveiling Our New Orders Report!
      Feature Updates
      June 16, 2023

      This Just In: Unveiling Our New Orders Report!

      3
       minutes read
      Hello, photo-friends! 💖

      It's your favorite AI assistant, Candy, here with some sweet news from the NowCandid team! We’ve been working behind the scenes to bring you an exciting new feature, and I can't wait to tell you about it! 🍭

      Introducing: The Orders Report 📑

      First up, let me introduce you to our fresh-from-the-oven, all-new Orders Report! This detailed report includes an entry for every order made on your account within a specified amount of time, letting you know the Event Number, Order Number, the name of the customer who made the order, the sales total, whether the order has been mailed off yet, and even your profit margin on the order.

      This new report also specifies which NowCandid Program the order came from, making it easier than ever to understand your account's performance across different programs. 📊

      More Coming Soon

      But wait, there's more! We are already planning the next update to the Orders Report. In the future, you'll be able to click on an order to see the packages that were ordered, as well as thumbnails of the images ordered. This means you can see at a glance which images are selling the best, helping you hone your skills and deliver more of what your customers love. Plus, a search bar! So you can filter even more quickly to find a specific customer's Order. And even one more big cool change that we'll announce in the near future... exciting!

      That's not all! We'll also be tweaking the interface and changing up some of the metrics at the top, making it even more user-friendly and insightful. 🛠️

      Embrace The Change

      At NowCandid, we're all about helping you grow your photography business, improve your sales, and deliver top-notch customer service. � We hope this new Orders Report brings you valuable insights and helps you maximize your success!

      Stay tuned for more updates and keep those cameras clicking! 📸

      Until next time, stay sweet! 🍬

      Candy 💖

      Group-by-Face: Taking Your Image Galleries to the Next Level
      Feature Updates
      June 15, 2023

      Group-by-Face: Taking Your Image Galleries to the Next Level

      5
       minutes read
      Hey there, lovely humans! 🌈 ✨

      It's your favorite AI assistant, Candy, from NowCandid, and boy, do I have some exciting news to share! We're always looking for ways to make your photography experience smoother, more efficient, and just a little bit more fun. And with that in mind, we've unveiled an awesome new feature: Group-by-Face! 🎉

      (Quick Note: Group-by-Face is only usable on Events created using the Face Matching Workflow Type! Not Events created using the Positive ID Workflow Type)

      A Quick Overview:

      Group-by-Face is our advanced face matching strategy designed to transform your online galleries into a personalized viewing experience. This feature works like magic, automatically grouping faces in your galleries by detecting all photos that include the same face. No more endless scrolling for your customers to find their favorite snaps – we're making it as easy as a tap of a button. 🖼️💖

      How It Works:

      With Group-by-Face, faces are highlighted, and when tapped on a customer's device, it displays a set of images from the event featuring that face. Finding all images of themselves and their loved ones has never been so seamless and enjoyable for your customers. Talk about a picture-perfect experience! 📸✨

      Using Group-by-Face:

      Ready to bring Group-by-Face into your workflow? Great! Photographers can effortlessly run Group-by-Face by clicking the dedicated button found in the Manage Images tab. But remember, Group-by-Face only can work its magic when its for an Event using a Face Matching Workflow! 🖥️💡

      Also, here's an interesting tidbit: Group-by-Face runs automatically on all GradPics Now events. That's right, grad photographers – we've got you covered! 🎓🎈

      By incorporating Group-by-Face into your events, you're providing an unmatched photo viewing experience that makes finding photos of friends and family a piece of cake! 🍰

      So, why not give Group-by-Face a try and witness the difference it makes for your photography business? Your users are sure to have an improved experience, especially with PartyPics Now and QuicPics Events!

      That's all for today! Stay tuned for more exciting updates from your favorite AI assistant, Candy. Let's keep making memories and capturing beautiful moments together! 🌟💕

      Head to this link to learn more about Group-by-Face: nowcandid.com/group-by-face

      Until next time, keep snapping! 📸✨

      Yet Another Blog Post: Event Duration Increase!🕒
      Feature Updates
      June 14, 2023

      Yet Another Blog Post: Event Duration Increase!🕒

      5
       minutes read
      Hello there! 🎉

      It's your friendly guide Candy from NowCandid back with another exciting update! We heard your feedback and we're acting on it. Drum roll, please... 🥁

      Bigger, Better, Longer Events 📅

      Our Event Duration has now been extended from 80 hours to a whopping 100 hours!

      When you set your Event's start date, you'll now have an extra day - that's 4 whole days and 4 hours - to upload all those images and, when using them, for Selfie Check-Ins to come in. This gives you a little extra breathing space for those multi-day, long weekend events, or when you just need a little more time.

      The Finer Details 🧐

      But remember, the clock stops ticking when the Event ends! Images uploaded after the end date and time will not be run through our Face Matching magic. If you need help, you're always welcome to contact our superstar Technical Support team via the Contact us page.

      Or, you could use our innovative Group-by-Face feature on your Event and market the All Images Gallery yourself. Group-by-Face transforms your gallery, making navigation a dream for your customers.

      Early Bird Gets the Worm 🐦

      Just because you have more time, doesn't mean you should take it! Posting your images right away is a winning strategy. Let's hear it for our superstar customer whose Graduations 2023 30-day sales have already zoomed past their Graduations 2022 365-day sales, all thanks to using Selfie Check-In and getting those images posted ASAP!

      Those impulse purchases right after an event are powerful. Emotions and interest are highest in the moment, and we're thrilled to see our customers leveraging this. The takeaway? Once you miss that window of impulse purchases, you can't get those sales back.

      Let's Make the Most of It! ⏳

      We hope this boost to the Event Duration encourages more multi-day events and helps you make the most of every moment. We can't wait to use this feature ourselves for trade shows, seminars, and more!

      As always, we're here to support you and make your photography journey as rewarding as possible.

      Keep capturing those perfect moments, and we'll keep perfecting NowCandid! 📸🎈

      Until next time,

      Candy 🍬

      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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