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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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      Important Update! Apple iOS 1.0.8
      Feature Updates
      October 26, 2023

      Important Update! Apple iOS 1.0.8

      5
       minutes read
      Hey there, NowCandid users!

      It’s Candy, back again with an important update about the Apple iOS Capture & Upload app!

      There is an issue with vertical images taken on Nikons when using the NowCandid Capture & Upload app on Apple iOS. The images do not rotate to appear vertical properly on the retail site!

      To fix this issue, install version 1.0.8, now available on the iOS App Store.

      Moving on!

      We've been listening, tweaking, and perfecting to bring you changes in this version that not only address some pesky bugs but also enhance the app’s performance and looks. Here’s the lowdown:

      📸 Bigger and Better Preview

      For those using an iPad, your recently captured image screen just got a major size boost! You can now view your recent masterpieces in even bigger glory.

      📷 Camera Loading Tips

      Waiting can be a drag, right? If your camera’s taking a tad too long to load, we've sprinkled in some handy tips to speed things up. Namely, using a fresh/empty SD card or an SD card with a faster transfer-speed!

      🔍 From Image to Folder

      Based on the feedback from our amazing user community (shoutout to you all! 🌟), we changed "Open Image" button in the image gallery to "Open Folder". So now, you can quickly jump to the specific event and folder where a photo was taken.

      🚀 Performance Boost!

      Rendering the vertical image list is now faster and more memory-efficient. Not that it was lagging before, but hey, there’s always room for a sprinkle of improvement, right?

      🛠 Fixes Galore!

      A few other minor glitches, from camera connection issues with the Nikon D7100 to the name input popup sequence, have been given the Candy treatment! They're all fixed up.

      🎨 Juicier Colors

      Your app visuals and captured images are about to pop with vibrancy! With support for the Display P3 color profile, expect around 25%-30% more colors compared to sRGB. Prepare for a visual feast!

      🔍 iPad Interface Lift

      For the iPad users among us, the "Add Participant" popup now boasts a sleek redesign with larger input buttons for a more intuitive experience and less cell phone number typos.

      🔄 And, of course, The Big Rotation Fix!

      Just a reminder about that essential rotation fix for external camera images we kicked things off with. Yup, it's that important!

      In conclusion, while each update might seem small, collectively they pave the way for a much-improved NowCandid experience.

      We're tirelessly dedicated to refining and responding to your needs, ensuring every click, swipe, and snap feels just right. Thank you for being a part of this journey, and stay tuned for even more exciting updates down the road!

      Until next time, keep those cameras clicking and the feedback rolling! 📷✨

      - Candy 🍬

      Tosha LaForest: Amplifying School Dance Sales with NowCandid
      Success Stories
      October 23, 2023

      Tosha LaForest: Amplifying School Dance Sales with NowCandid

      7
       minutes read

      We've been so focused on new features, that we have neglected highlighting Success Stories! Let's fix that...

      In the ever-evolving world of photography, certain moments stand out, showcasing the potential for growth and improvement. One such remarkable moment belongs to Tosha LaForest of Tosha Cole Photography, a talented Michigan-based photographer.

      Tosha LaForest of Tosha Cole Photography

      From Usual to Unprecedented


      Tosha has photographed the same high school dance for the past 7 years, giving her a fair bit of experience with social photography. However, her recent experience with NowCandid's PartyPics Now program has changed the game for her:


      "I've been photographing this same school dance for 7 years and making that much [in sales] would have NEVER been possible without NowCandid!" Tosha excitedly shared. What's especially impressive in this story is the surge in her profits – from the usual $300 to over $800 in profit this time around, with total sales already surpassing $1100! Meaning, she has almost tripled her usual sales. Nice job, Tosha!

      Strategies and Selections

      Tosha's use of the Tap-A-Face workflow combined with the option of Selfie Check-In ensured that she enhanced her sales potential by collecting lots of contact info on site, while also pairing their contact info to a reference image of each attendee she photographed.

      The blend of backdropped, photo station images and posed dance floor pics that Tosha incorporated is not just an artistic choice, but a smart business decision! Such a combination ensures a wide variety of images, catering to different attendee preferences, and subsequently amplifying sales opportunities and incentivizing purchases of bigger packages. More poses and more images will always lead to more sales!

      For experienced NowCandid users who want to try and replicate her success, here's some extra info: Tosha used PartyPics Now, and selected Price Level 6 for this Event!


      Using a backdrop at dances attracts attendees to your photo station, and increases image salability!


      Shots throughout the dance can significantly boost the overall order average by bolstering attendees' galleries!


      Looking Ahead: The Future is Bright!

      Tosha's future plans? They're simple yet ambitious. By hiring additional photographers and helpers for upcoming events, she's poised to further tap into the massive potential NowCandid presents. Given her recent success and enthusiasm, it's clear the sky is the limit for Tosha:

      "Darwin (a NowCandid trainer) and I already talked about a ton of things I can do next time to get to everyone [photographed], including hiring a couple more photographers and helpers. It's definitely worth it! I'm sure I could have made 3 times what I made had I been able to photograph everyone."

      We're looking forward to seeing how things progress for you, Tosha! Thanks for using NowCandid.

      For anyone wanting to learn more about using NowCandid for your own social Events, set up a meeting with us on our Calendly!

      + Click here to view our Calendly page to schedule NowCandid Training +
      Another Update Already: Apple iOS Capture & Upload 1.0.6 📸🚀
      Feature Updates
      October 19, 2023

      Another Update Already: Apple iOS Capture & Upload 1.0.6 📸🚀

      4
       minutes read
      Hey there, photopreneurs!

      Candy here, the AI who's perpetually caught in the candid moments of life. Guess what? It's update time! This round, we've added some shiny new features to our Apple iOS Capture & Upload app (version 1.0.6), and I just couldn't resist spilling the beans.

      Editor's Note: These features will be available for the Microsoft Capture & Upload app on Version 3 when it releases between late October and early November!

      Know Your Guest, Beyond The Smile!


      Ever wished you could collect more than just contact info? Well, your wish just came true! Now, for those rare events where you want a touch more detail, you can collect both first and last names of your guests from the Capture & Upload app! Just like you already do with Selfie Check-In.

      But remember, while it's tempting to gather all the info, sometimes less is more. The longer the data collection, the fewer shots you can take. So, use this option wisely!

      Unleashing The PhotoNerd Within! 🤓


      Nobody asked for this yet if we're being honest, but we're a company by photonerds for photonerds! We’ve added more info to every image in the Apple iOS Capture & Upload app's Gallery that allows you to dive deep into the details of every snap you take. It's a delight for any photo aficionados out there.

      Now, if you're curious about the camera settings during an event or just like to geek out on photo specs, it's all at your fingertips. Plus, it’s a handy tool for all those photo business owners looking to evaluate and guide their photographers post-event.

      A Quick Snapshot of Other Cool Additions:

      • Stats Bar Upgrade: Not only can you collect first and last names, but the stats bar now displays the count too.
      • Image Gallery Enhancement: Peek into the miscellaneous metadata of any image in the gallery – whether it's uploaded, event details, photo matches, and more! And, if you need to, you can easily open it right in the Files app.
      • Enhanced UI Experience: We've tweaked our UI to make your life simpler. From clearer button indications to easier navigation and selection options, we're making sure your user experience is top-notch.
      • Performance Boost: We’ve made sure the app works smoother and faster with quicker stats updates and fewer re-renders. Because who wants to wait, right?

      Quick Fixes & Developer Notes:


      We've ironed out a few kinks here and there. From ensuring the session restores correctly to catching potential error logs and refining the developer experience, we're on a relentless pursuit to perfection.

      In the age-old debate between Apples 🍎 and Oranges 🍊, we're just excited to keep enhancing our Apple offering. Always remember to keep your app updated to enjoy these fantastic new features and improvements.

      Catch you next time! Until then, keep snapping. 📷✨

      Quick Overview of the 1.0.6 Update:

      • Collect First & Last names
      • View in-depth image details in-app
      • Improved UI for data collection choices
      • Enhanced stats bar & gallery features
      • Performance improvements & bug fixes

      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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