Using InSpiredByYou

Uploading to InSpiredByYou #

Client and session information as well as images, contracts, albums,
and videos can all be uploaded directly from Spectra/Stratus. 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 Synchronizing InSpired and the InSpiredByYou
Data Sync section of the Control Center topic.

Uploading Session and Images #

1. Use the session status in Spectra/Stratus to advance the session
   to the UploadImages
   stage on the DigitalWorkflow (see Digital
   Workflow 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. You can also choose to upload images right from a session.
   Open the session and go to Online
   tab on the ribbon.
   Click Upload Images
   on the InSpired group.

   

3. Use
   the Session Uploader
   to select the images you want to upload, choose whether you want
   to use any online groups, and modify the session information.

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

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

   • Select images to upload based on image groups.

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

5. Use the Online
   Groups tab to choose any images
   groups you have created in Spectra/Stratus that you would like shown online.
   Your client will then be able to use those groups to organize their images. Note: Clients can also create their own image groups on their InSpired site.

6. Use the Session
   Info tab to choose online
   settings that will apply to this specific session.

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

   • 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 won’t be able to 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.

   • The Number
     of Days Active is how many days you want this session to be available to the 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 Services panel on the
     Spectra/Stratus Home page. To extend (or shorten) the
     online session, open the session in Spectra/Stratus and go to the Online tab of the ribbon. Click Extend Expiration
     Date on the InSpired group and set a new date.

   • Choose the Price
     List you would like to use for this session. By default, it will be the web-enabled price list you have associated with this session type. See also: Session Types

   • Choose an Event
     Type for this online session:

     
     None
     – The session will only be viewed by the session client and
     any invited guests. In order to view the online session, the
     client must have a user name and password or a link sent to
     them through email.

     Private – When an online event is private, clients need to know
     the event code in order to view images on InSpiredByYou. For example, a wedding
     couple could choose to communicate an event code to their family, wedding party, and other friends who may want to look at their pictures and
     possibly place an order. The guests need to enter the
     event code to view the images and then create their own InSpiredByYou
     login if they want to place an order.

     Public – This type of event is available to anyone who goes to your
     InSpiredByYou website. They can search by the date of the
     event or choose the event from a list of recently uploaded
     events. Again, to place an order they would have to create
     their own InSpired login.
     

   • 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.

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

   

7. When you are done choosing the online settings for the session, click
   Upload to InSpiredByYou.

8. Once the session has been uploaded, you may want
   to email the client to let them know their images are online. Create a form letter that can be used over and over again. Remember, the user name is their email and the password
   is their last name. These can easily be set up as merge fields in your email. See Form Letter Builder for instructions on creating email form letters. You may also want to set up a session status trigger
   to automatically alert clients when their images are online, and also
   to alert them again a few days before the session will expire. See
   What are Triggers? and Session Status Triggers for more information.

Uploading Prepaid Orders #

You can record an invoice as a prepaid order in Spectra/Stratus 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 Other 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.

Uploading Contracts #

NOTE: This feature is available in the Professional and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and Stratus Desktop.

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 > Design 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/Stratus before using the album feature.

• Album Statuses
  – Go to Maintenance > General >
  Client Album Statuses and set up album statuses. Spectra/Stratus REQUIRES you to have a status that indicates the album is ready for upload.
  Create a status called “Ready for Upload” and make sure
  to check the Ready to Upload
  box. When an album with this status is added to a session that is
  currently online, Spectra/Stratus will automatically trigger the album upload
  during the next data sync. Additional statuses can be created and
  used for your internal album workflow. Examples could include: “Needs
  Review,” “Comments Added,” and “Final Review.”  See also: Client Album Statuses

  

• Task Creation
  – Set up Spectra/Stratus to automatically create a task when album comments
  or approvals are submitted by your clients. See the “Tasks Tab”
  section of Setting Up InSpiredByYou.

• File Format
  – Name your album pages consecutively and include leading zeros to
  ensure the pages are displayed in the proper order. For example: 001,
  002, 003, 004 … 010, 011, etc. Upload preview-size (.jpg) versions
  of the album pages instead of the full resolution files.

Add the Album to the Session #

1. Open a session in Spectra/Stratus and click New
   Album  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.

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

    

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/Stratus 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 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.

   

Uploading an Animoto™ Video #

Animoto videos have become a powerful tool for the professional photographer. Follow these steps to add an Animoto video you’ve created to your client’s InSpiredByYou page.

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

   

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/Stratus will then automatically update the date.

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

   • Log in to your Animoto account and open the
     video.

   • Open the Sharing
     menu in the upper-right corner and select Embed
     Code.  

     

   • We recommend using Animoto’s mobile friendly
     embed code option. To do this, click Advanced
     Options and check the Mobile
     Friendly box. This will modify the embed code that is displayed
     in the box. Click Copy Code.

     

   • In Spectra/Stratus, click the Embed
     String box and press Ctrl+V to paste the code you copied
     from Animoto. Click OK to
     close the online video window.

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/Stratus 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/Stratus to prevent accidental invoice changes. See also: Security Groups

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/Stratus 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.

• Select the session on the Workflow
  hub.

• Click Image Groups
  on the workflow ribbon to see the session image groups.

• Click the InSpired
  Favs folder to see the images the client selected as favorites
  online.

Downloading Contracts #

NOTE: This feature is available in the Professional and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and Stratus Desktop.

When a client electronically signs a contract on their InSpired event
page, notification will be made to Spectra/Stratus during the next data sync (as
long as the Download Contract
checkbox is selected on the InSpiredByYou Synchronizer). Use Spectra/Stratus 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/Stratus will be notified during the next data
sync. 

To keep track of your album workflow, make sure you’re using Spectra/Stratus 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
> General (Studio) > Client Album Statuses. See also: 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 TSYS Account or eWAY Account #

If you have a merchant account set up through TSYS (U.S. only) or eWAY (Australia and New Zealand), 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 features in
Spectra/Stratus, these payments will appear in your daily Make
a Deposit Posting. For more information or to sign up go to our website here.

Without a TSYS or eWAY Account #

If you do not have a merchant account set up with TSYS or eWAY, you
will need to contact the customer to manually process credit cards and other types of payments once the orders are downloaded.

Taking Down Online Sessions #

When the Expire Date of an online
session approaches, you will be notified in the Services panel on the Spectra/Stratus 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.

• Go to the Services panel on the Spectra/Stratus Home
  page.

• Click the link that indicates you have one or
  more sessions that are ready to expire.



• The InSpiredByYou.com
  Synchronizer will open and there will be an option to Remove expired sessions. Make sure
  this item is checked.

Note: When you run the sync, all
online sessions past their Expire
Date will be taken down.
Before running the sync, make sure you extend any online sessions you don’t want taken down yet.



• There may be other items checked when you open
  the synchronizer. Uncheck any items you don’t want to
  sync at this time.

• Click Start Sync
  to run the sync.

Testing Your Setup #

Once you have completed setting up your InSpiredByYou account and the
InSpired settings in Spectra/Stratus, 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/Stratus.