Using InSpiredByYou

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Uploading to InSpired

Client and session information as well as images, contracts, albums, and videos can all be uploaded directly from Spectra. The client’s address, email, and phone number; the session date, description, and web price list; and the selected images and image groups will all be uploaded through the session uploader described below. Contracts, albums, and videos that have been added to a session will be uploaded the next time you synchronize InSpiredByYou.com (either manually from the Tools menu or automatically through the Control Center). For more information about syncing InSpiredByYou.com, read the "Synchronizing InSpired" topic and the "InSpiredByYou Data Sync" section of the "Control Center" topic.

Uploading Sessions and Images

  1. Use the session status to advance the session to the Upload Images stage on the Digital Workflow (see the "Digital Workflow" section for additional information).

  2. Select the session you want to upload from the Upload Images session list on the Workflow hub and click Upload to InSpired on the ribbon.

  3. You can also upload images right from a session. Open the session and go to Online tab on the ribbon. Click Upload Images on the InSpired group. Use the Session Uploader to select the images that you want to upload, choose whether you want to use any online groups, and modify the session information.

    upload_images.PNG

  1. Use the Images tab to select the images you want to upload.

    1. Select the images you want to upload based on the image rating (Selected, Not Selected, or Undecided).

    2. Select images to upload based on image groups.

    3. Select images one at a time by using the checkbox next to each image in the image viewer.

  2. Use the Online Groups tab to select any images groups you have created in Spectra that you would like shown online. Your client can then use those groups to organize their images. They can also create their own image groups on their InSpired site.

  3. Use the Session Info tab to set up the online settings for this session.

    1. The User Name is set to the client’s email address.

    2. The Password is set to the client's last name.

      Note: The user can change their user name and password when they log in. You cannot view their new password, but you can reset the user name and password back to the default (email and last name) at any time. Open the client record and go to the Online tab. Click Reset Login on the InSpired group.

    1. The Number of Days Active is the number of days you plan to make this session available to your client online. This will determine the online session Expire Date.

      Note: The Expire Date indicates how long you plan to leave the images online. As the Expire Date approaches, you will be notified and given a link to take down the online session in the Web Services panel on the Spectra Home page. To extend (or shorten) the online session, open the session in Spectra and go to the Online tab on the ribbon. Click Extend Expiration Date on the InSpired group and set a new date.

    2. Choose the Price List you would like to use. By default, it will be the price list you have associated with this session type in Session Types Maintenance.

    3. Choose an Event Type for this online session:

    1. Enter an Event Code of your own choosing. This is required for a private event, but can also be used to make a public event easier to find.

    2. Enter your own Event Description. This is how the event will be listed online.

session_infor_tab.PNG

  1. When you're done selecting your settings, click Upload to InSpiredByYou.

  2. Once the session has been uploaded, you may want to create a form letter to email the client that their images are available online. Remember, the user name is their email and the password is their last name. You may also want to set up a session status trigger to automatically alert clients that their images are online, and also to alert them again a few days before the session will expire. See the "Triggers" topic in the user guide for more information.

Uploading Prepaid Orders

You can record an invoice as a prepaid order in StudioPlus Spectra and then upload the order to InSpired, allowing the client to select online which images they want to use for each item in the order.

 

Go to the Online tab of the invoice and select "This order is a prepaid order for InSpiredByYou." Save the invoice and it will be marked for upload and processed during the next InSpired data sync. The Uploaded indicator will change from "pending" to "uploaded" when the order has been successfully synced to InSpired.

 

prepaid_invoice.PNG

Uploading Contracts

(available in  Professional.png OnLocation.png Enterprise.png )

 

For wedding and event photographers, you can create a customer contract right in StudioPlus Spectra and upload that contract to InSpired for your client to review and electronically sign.

  1. Open a session and go to the Communication tab of the ribbon.

  2. Click Upload Contract in the Contracts group to select a contract for this session. The contract will be uploaded to InSpiredByYou during the next InSpired data sync. Create contracts by using the Form Letter Builder on the Tools menu.

Uploading Albums

InSpiredByYou.com includes an online album/photobook proofer. Upload your album or photobook pages and let your client log in and view the album. The client can then “mark up” the album with comments and sticky notes. When the client submits their comments, they are viewable by your album designer. You can make the necessary changes and upload a second revision to repeat the process.

Album Setup

Set up the following items in Spectra before using the album feature.

Add the Album to the Session

    1. Open a session and click New Album template16.png  on the Action tab of the ribbon.

    2. On the Album Information window, add a Description of the album as you would like it to appear online.

    3. Select the album Status of "Ready for Upload." Note: If you haven't set up your album statuses, see the "Album Setup" section above.

    4. Click  new16.png  to add a new album or revision for upload.

    5. Click the orange folder icon and browse to the folder that contains the designed album pages. Select the folder and click OK.

      add_album.png

    6. Open the Online detail tab on the session to view the client albums for the session.

    7. After the album has been added, click Save on the session ribbon to save the changes to the session. Saving the session with a new album or revision (set to the "Ready for Upload" status) will automatically mark the album for upload during the next InSpiredByYou data sync.

Sync the Album to InSpiredByYou

    1. Go to Tools > Synchronize InSpiredByYou.com.

    2. Under the Uploads section, Upload Client Album will be checked. Note: If the client album box is not checked, then Spectra doesn't recognize any new albums that are ready for upload. Make sure the album has been saved on the session and that the "Ready to Upload" status has been chosen for the album.

    3. Uncheck any other options that you do not want to sync at this time and then click Start Sync.

    4. When the sync is complete, the client can log in to their InSpired site and view the album from their home page.

      album_homepage.png

Uploading an Animoto™ Video

Animoto videos have become a powerful tool for the professional photographer. To add an Animoto video you've created to your client's InSpiredByYou event page follow these steps:

  1. Open a session and click New Animoto animoto_a_16.png on the Action tab of the ribbon.

    animoto_new.PNG

  2. Add a Description of the video as you would like it to appear online.

  3. The Upload Date will indicate "Upload Pending" until the next InSpiredByYou data sync occurs. Spectra will then update the date.

  4. Copy and paste the Embed String from your prepared Animoto video.

  5. Save the session and the video will be uploaded to the client's InSpiredByYou event page during the next data sync.

 

Downloading from InSpiredByYou

Downloading Orders and Yearbook Selections

Downloading orders from InSpired is easy to do, but you'll need to have a system to keep track of your web orders to ensure their timely fulfillment.

 

  1. Go to Tools > Synchronize InSpiredByYou.com.

  2. Make sure Download Orders and Download Yearbook Image Selection are checked.

  3. Click Start Sync.

  4. Once the orders have successfully downloaded, open the Invoices hub.

  5. Choose to search by Invoice Status and select the “Web Order Placed” status you created when setting up InSpired. This will show you all your web orders.

  6. Open each order and verify they are correct.

  7. On downloaded invoices there is a Web Order Number. This number corresponds to the Order Confirmation Number the customer received when they placed their online order. Use the web order number to easily find a client's InSpired order in Spectra.

Note: Be very careful when modifying invoices for web orders. The changes you make to an order in Spectra are not uploaded back to InSpiredByYou. Clients can view their order history online. If you make changes to an invoice it may not match the online order. You can modify the Users & Security settings in Spectra to prevent accidental invoice changes.

Downloading Guests

Check the option to Download Guests on the InSpiredByYou Synchronizer to download the names and email addresses of guest accounts that are created online. A new client record will be created in Spectra for each guest.

Downloading Favorite Images

Check the option to Download Favorite Images on the InSpiredByYou Synchronizer to download the "Favorite" selections your clients have made on their InSpired event page. Downloaded favorites will appear in a group called InSpired Favs.

image_favorites_cropped.png

Downloading Contracts

(available in  Professional.png OnLocation.png Enterprise.png )

 

When a client electronically signs a contract on their InSpired event page, notification will be made to Spectra during the next data sync (as long as the Download Contract checkbox is selected on the InSpiredByYou Synchronizer). Use Spectra to automatically create a task when a contract has been electronically signed by a client. Assign the task to an individual or department for follow up. Set up automatic tasks on the Tasks tab in Maintenance > Preferences > InSpiredByYou.com Preferences.

Downloading Album Comments or Approval

When your client views an album you've uploaded to InSpiredByYou, they will be able to approve your album design with no changes, or they will be able to "mark up” the album with comments and sticky notes and submit those comments to you. When album comments are submitted or when an album has been approved, Spectra will be notified during the next data sync.

 

To keep track of your album workflow, make sure you're using Spectra to automatically create tasks when comments or approvals are submitted. Set up automatic tasks on the Tasks tab in Maintenance > Preferences > InSpiredByYou.com Preferences.

 

You can also use album statuses to keep track of where an album is in the revision process. Set up album statuses in Maintenance > Studio > Client Album Statuses.

 

Processing Invoices and Payments

Depending on how you set up InSpiredByYou, you may process payments in different ways. There are two main options for processing payments:

With a Merchant Warehouse Account

If you have a merchant account set up through Merchant Warehouse, credit cards will be processed online at the time a client checks out. Downloaded payments will not need to be processed and the money will be deposited into your bank account. If you are using the Accounting Link feature in Spectra, these payments will appear in your daily Make a Deposit Posting. For more information or to sign up go to: https://secure.studioplussoftware.com/help/credit_cards.aspx

 

Without a Merchant Warehouse Account

If you do not have a merchant account set up Merchant Warehouse, you will need to manually process the credit cards once the orders are downloaded. Open the invoice, then open the payment and process the credit card. These payments will download as "Pending Payments" until you process them.

 

Taking Down Online Sessions

When the Expire Date of an online session approaches, you will be notified in the Web Services panel on the Spectra Home page. You must 'take down' each session in order to close the online session for viewing and ordering, as well as to remove the images from your InSpiredByYou.com site.

 

Testing Your Setup

Once you have completed setting up your InSpiredByYou account and the InSpired settings in Spectra, it's a good idea to create a test session and upload it to your InSpiredByYou.com site. Log in and make sure your settings appear correct. Go through the images like a client would, create an order, and then download it back into Spectra.

 

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