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Weekly Recap: Faster Background Removal, Smarter Digital Downloads & New AI Editing Tools 📸✨

Weekly Recap: Faster Background Removal, Smarter Digital Downloads & New AI Editing Tools 📸✨
Hey photo friends! 👋

Last week, we were busy hosting our annual Summer Seminar in Denver, Colorado—and we had a great time with everyone who joined us!

That means this week’s recap includes two weeks of updates. Nothing too wild, but plenty of useful improvements across Retail, the Dashboard, Auto Editor, Capture App, and more while we continue working on some bigger changes behind the scenes.

Let’s catch up!

⚡ Faster Background Removal

✂️ Background Removal processing is faster

  • We made multiple speed improvements over the past two weeks to help cutouts finish sooner, especially during higher-volume periods.

📥 Smarter Digital Download Delivery

Digital Downloads can now skip unnecessary processing in more situations.

Some downloads are now available immediately

  • If a customer selects No Overlay, the Event has no artwork, and/the image is not a BGR image, the customer will skip the cropping step on the retail site and receive the full-resolution image without waiting for an 8×12 rendered version.

🖼️ Full aspect ratio is preserved

  • These downloads bypass the cropping step and work more like Personal Gallery Download products.

🆓 Also applies to Medium Res and Free Downloads

  • This includes cases where those downloads are automatically upgraded to full resolution.

📧 Clearer receipt messaging for custom renders

🧾 Order Details now identifies each download type

  • Digital Downloads can now show a Rendered Download or a Full Aspect Ratio Download badge, making it clearer which version was delivered to your customers.

🎨 Auto Editor & Candy Image Studio Updates

🧩 Auto Editor now supports image-input nodes

  • You can now use nodes such as:
    • Custom Image
    • Copy Style
    • Diploma Fix

🙈 Auto Edit originals won’t be texted too early

  • QuicPics and QuicPortraits will no longer send the original image by MMS when it belongs to an active Auto Edit with Hide Originals enabled. The system will wait for the edited version instead.

🕺 New Retro Pop node

  • Give images a colorful, retro-inspired treatment.

🂡 New Ace Card node

  • Turn subjects into a bold playing-card-style design.

💬 QuicPics & Marketing Improvements

👥 QuicPics can now send to multiple contacts on merged participants

  • If merged participant records contain different phone numbers or email addresses, regular QuicPics can now send to each unique contact.

✉️ Marketing startup fix for BGR cutouts

  • Fixed an edge case where marketing would not begin if the only visible images were cutouts from the newer Background Removal system.

🔗 Hot Links now better respect Hide Originals

  • Fixed an issue where the preview could temporarily show the original image before an Auto Edit finished generating.

📱 Capture App Updates

Capture App 5.8.1

iOS and Android OTA updates

🎨 Updated Event artwork is refreshed at login

  • If artwork changed, the latest file is pulled when logging into the Event normally.

🛠️ Small follow-up fix

  • An additional 5.8.1 update was released to address a minor issue.

Capture App 5.9

iOS and Android App Store update

📲 iOS OTA updates are easier to install

  • You no longer need to completely restart the app or return to the Home Screen to install an available Over-the-Air update.

🤖 Android compatibility updates

  • Required updates were made to stay current with new Google Play requirements.

🛍️ Retail Download Fixes

📱 Safari share sheet reliability improved

  • Press-and-hold downloads should now open the native share sheet more consistently on Safari.

🖼️ Virtual Group download cleanup

  • Virtual Groups in QuicPics no longer offer a Download with Art option.

🎨 Background selection fixes

  • Fixed cases where:
    • A PNG could be downloaded without selecting a background and receive an incorrect blue background
    • Faux renders showed no selected background in the download popup

🔐 Facebook login works again

🖥️ Dashboard Improvements

📊 Image Timeline cleanup

  • Fixed chart display issues, removed folders that were not useful in the timeline, and prevented multiple summaries from appearing when switching folders quickly.

🌾 Candy Culler controls are clearer

  • Filter visibility and report controls now use more descriptive buttons, similar to Manage Images.

📈 BGR Folder Stats fixed

  • Cutouts from the newer Background Removal system no longer incorrectly inflate Unassigned totals.

📱 Mobile Dashboard

🔗 More reliable deep linking

  • Dashboard links should open the correct page more consistently when the app has been open for a while or after signing in and out.

That’s the two-week update!

Faster Background Removal and smarter Digital Download delivery are the biggest highlights, with plenty of smaller improvements making Auto Editor, QuicPics, Retail, and the Capture App more dependable.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us in Denver for Summer Seminar—we loved seeing you!

Keep creating magic,

Candy 🍬

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Summer Seminar 2023 Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Take your business to the next level!
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Summer Seminar 2023 Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Take your business to the next level!

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Want to get the most out of your photography business?

This is the opportunity you've been waiting for! Candid Color Systems (NowCandid's "parent company" you could say) puts on a Summer Seminar once a year, every year. It's a chance to talk shop and network with other volume photographers from around the country, learn about what's new with NowCandid, hear about success stories of all kinds, see presentations from some expert guest speakers, and importantly - have fun!

Agenda

Out now is a complete agenda for Summer Seminar! This is a cannot miss event with all the latest that Candid has to offer!

Registration Information

Registration is now open for this year's CCS Summer Seminar! We'd love to have you there!

Hotel Information

Book a room at a discounted rate - deadline Friday, June 23rd!

Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach
A Double Tree by Hilton
801 Seabreeze Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-764-2233

Hotel Rates
$169.00 - Nightly Room Rate
$37.00 - Resort Fee
$26.78 - 13% Tax
Parking - $37/day to self-park & $39/day for valet

You Could Win a Tablet!

Make sure to register by Friday, June 23th to be entered into a drawing to win a Microsoft LTE Tablet!

*Winners must attend the Summer Seminar. The winner will be announced at the Seminar!

tablet

Sneak Peek at Some of Our Presenters:

TomMunoz

Tom Muñoz of LVL Up Imaging

Tom Muñoz is known as a master of in-camera artistry. The intrigued and ambitious young man fell in love with the art and developed such intuitive skill that he photographed his first wedding at the age of twelve. Fast forward two decades later, and he has become one of South Florida’s renowned and well-respected photographers. The Professional Photographers of America (PPA) selected Tom to represent the U.S. in the first Photographic World Cup where he won a bronze medal.

Holly Freedman of Ultimate Exposures

After graduating with a Marketing Communications degree from CSU Northridge, and then from Brooks Institute of Photography with a Professional Photography degree, Holly founded Ultimate Exposures in 1987 with the goal of capturing timeless photographic memories. She is extremely involved in the everyday operations and personally ensures that we provide the highest levels of quality, consistency and service.

Untitled design (3)

Paul Cherry of Questions that Sell

Paul Cherry is an American author, professional speaker, and business trainer, who writes and lectures internationally on sales effectiveness, customer-relationship management, and sales leadership. His book, Questions That Sell – The Powerful Process for Discovering What Your Customer Really Wants, made it to BookAuthority's “Best Sales Books of All Time.”

This Just In: Unveiling Our New Orders Report!
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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
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June 15, 2023

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

5
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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! 📸✨

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

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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