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Session Reference

This reference topic provides a detailed look at each field and information tab available on a Spectra/Stratus session record. For information about the tools on the ribbon, refer to the Session Ribbon topic.

Detail Tabs #

Detailed information about the session can be found on the tabs under the ribbon. Each tab holds
corresponding information about the session.

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General Tab

Client Information

The main session client’s information is displayed in the top portion of the General tab.
This includes the client’s name, contact information, client status,
and a red call warning (if one exists). This information is read-only.
To modify the client information, click View Client on the ribbon.

Session Information

Use this section to view or enter the session description, session type, session date, session
start time, session end time, studio, photographer, assistant, and outside
location (if any). Each field is described below.

Field Description
Description Brief description about the session such as “Family Session.”
Type Session types are listed in the drop-down list. You may define as many
session types as you need, but just one session type can be chosen per session. Session types are created under Maintenance > Session > Session Types. See also: Session Types
Date The date of the session.
Start Time
 The time the session will begin. Type in the time or choose it from the drop-down list.
End Time
 The time the session is scheduled to finish. Type in the type or choose it from the drop-down list.
Photographer The name of the person taking the photographs. You can type this in or
choose from the drop-down list. The session will appear on this user’s
calendar.
Assistant The person (if anyone) who will be helping the photographer. You can
type this in or choose from the drop-down list. The session will appear
on this user’s calendar.
Camera Room The studio location or outside location (if any) where the session will
take place. You can type this in or choose it from the drop-down list.
The session will appear on the calendar for this resource. The selection is also stored with the session as the Resource. This field can be used in form letters, filters, the column chooser and more. Once of the
choices on the list is “Outside Location.” Outside locations can be set
up in the software to store the address and phone number for locations you
use regularly. See also: Outside Locations
Arrival Time/Drive Time If an outside location is chosen, use these fields to record how long it will take to the location and when you are required to arrive. Use the Calendar tab in Company (Studio) Preferences to indicate how you want these times to be reflected on the calendar. See also: Company (Studio) Preferences – Calendar
Session Number
 The session number is a unique number the software assigns to each
session. You can change this number to
another UNIQUE number. You can change when and how the software assigns session numbers on the Sessions tab in Company (Studio) Preferences. See also: Company (Studio) Preferences – Sessions
File Number
 Used to record any internal number your studio uses to track sessions.
Session Status and Due Date
 The current status of the session and the date it is due to advance to the next status. See also: Session Statuses
Booked By Name and Date
 The software automatically records the user that booked the session and the date the session was created.
Reminder
 Check the Reminder box if you
want the software to display a reminder on the screen before the session
starts. Select the number of minutes before the session starts that you
want the reminder to appear.
Confirmed Check the Confirmed box if this
session has been confirmed with the client. Doing so will give you the option to display the word
“Confirmed” on the calendar next to this session. Sessions can also be confirmed by email with the StudioPlus Mail service. See Confirmation Emails for more information. The software will automatically record the Date Confirmed, which can then be used in form letters, filters, the column chooser, and more.
No Show
 Check the No Show box if the client did not show up for their session. These sessions will be flagged in the system for future reference. 
Redo Check the Redo box if this session is a retake for a previous session. 
On Hold
 Check the On Hold box if this session is on hold. Note: These sessions will NOT appear on the calendar. 
Cancelled Check the Cancelled box if this
session has been cancelled. These sessions will not appear on the
calendar so you can book other sessions in that time slot. 
Use Advanced Calendar Options This option allows you to select multiple
times/dates, photographers, resources, and other combinations for
more advanced scheduling. Maybe you have a session that spans two
days or a wedding where you need to record the date and time for the
pre-ceremony locations and the ceremony locations. Once you check
this box, a new Calendar tab
will appear right after the General
tab. See the Calendar tab
section below for more information. See also: Advanced Scheduling
Calendar Tab
Enable the Calendar tab by checking Use Advanced Calendar Options on the General tab. Use this tab to create a session that has multiple
days, photographers, assistants, and/or locations. When using advanced
scheduling, the initial time, date, and photographer are designated as
the Primary event. Note:
The software uses the primary event’s time, date, and photographer for all
reports and it cannot be deleted. See also: Advanced Scheduling

Organization Tab
Note: This tab is only visible for session types with an “Organization” session style. See also: Session Types

View or enter organization information on this tab. If the client
has information on their Organization
tab, this information will automatically be transferred here. See also: Session Types

Field Description
Name The organization is selected from the list of organizations you’ve set up in Spectra/Stratus.
All remaining organization-related fields will fill in automatically. Click View
to see all the information for the selected organization. To add or modify an organization, go to Maintenance
> Client > Organizations
and complete the information for that organization. See also: Organizations
Phone and Address This information is read-only. To modify the information, go to Maintenance > Client > Organizations. See also: Organizations
Deadlines This information is read-only. To modify the information, go to Maintenance > Client > Organizations. See also: Organizations
Yearbook Status To help track yearbook selections, create yearbook statuses in Maintenance > Session > Yearbook Statuses. See also: Yearbook Statuses
Student ID The student ID can be used in the naming
process for yearbook images and can also be used to search for duplicate
records within an organization. The student ID number is shown here but can only be modified on the Organization tab on the client record.
Parent’s Name and Phone Track the name(s) and phone number of the student’s parents, if applicable.
Graduation Year If this is a senior, choose the year they will be graduating from
the drop-down list. The list should include the last ten years and
ten years into the future.
Notes This information is read-only. To modify the information, go to Maintenance > Client > Organizations. See also: Organizations
Yearbook Image Select the yearbook image using the drop-down list. You can also select the yearbook image(s) on the
Images tab or on the Digital Workflow
screen by right-clicking an image and selecting “Make This Image
the Main (or Secondary) Yearbook Image.” Note:
The session must be an organization style session in order for this
option to appear.
Chosen By Indicates who selected the yearbook pose –
the student, the school, the parent, or the studio. If the pose was
selected in Spectra/Stratus, this field will default to “studio.”
If selected on InSpiredByYou.com, it will default to “student.”
Chosen Date The date the yearbook pose was selected.
Retouch Click Retouch and the software will copy the hi-res
image into the retouched folder and then open that image in your imaging software for editing.
Prepare Click Prepare and the software will open either the retouched or the hi-res image in a new composite
window. Here the image can be resized and positioned. Click OK
to have the software render out a new final image according to the organization’s
specifications and save it in the new yearbook images folder for this
organization. See also: Organizations

Social Event Tab
Note: This tab is only visible for session types with a “Social Event” session style. See also: Session Types

Use this tab to track specific information related to weddings and other social events. See also: Session Types

Field Description
Event Contact Details Store contact information for up to three people.
No. in Bridal Party
 		Record the number of people in the bridal party.
Number of Guests
 		Record the number of expected guests.
Payments
 		Record when the payments are due and when they are paid.
Note: These payment information fields have no tie to an invoice or
actual payments recorded on an invoice. They are here so they can
be used in form letters and session confirmations.
Photographer Fee
 		For your information only.
Event Suppliers
 		Choose a supplier type from the drop-down list and then choose a specific supplier. See also: Social Event Suppliers and Social Event Supplier Types

Custom Tab
You can use custom session fields to track additional information that isn’t already stored in
the software.  There are dozens of custom fields available. Define how these fields are labeled in Maintenance
> General (Studio) > Custom
Labels. See also: Custom Labels
Promotions Tab
This tab lists all
available session promotions in the left panel and all the promotions the
client belongs to in the right panel.

A promotion might be something like Santa Claus, Bunnies, Fall
Colors, etc. A promotion might
also be something like Spring
Sale, Two-for-One, Free
Session Fee, or Referral Coupon.
If you keep track of promotion information on your sessions, you’ll be able to create analysis reports showing how effective your promotions are.
See also: Session Promotions

Participants Tab
This tab lists the client and all family members in the left panel. Move any participating family members to the right panel. See also: Adding Family Members

Communication Tab
This tab lists all communications related to the session. Double-click on a communication to view the details.

Field Description
Due Date The date the communication is to be made.
Complete Date
 The date the communication was actually completed.
Type The communication can be a phone call, letter, email, or SMS text message.
User The user who is assigned to make the call or the user that sent the letter, email, or text.
Call Type
 When the communication is a phone call, the call type indicates what type of call should be made (i.e., “Customer Service,” “Session Follow-Up,” etc.). See also: Phone Call Types
Description Shows the description that was typed into the call record, the name of the letter, or the subject line of an email.
Direction Indicates whether the communication was outgoing or incoming.

Tasks Tab

This tab lists all tasks related to the session. Double-click on a task to view the details.

Column Description
Urgent This column will contain a symbol if the task has been marked as urgent.
Due Date
 The date the task should be completed by.
Task Number
 A unique number assigned by the software and used for tracking purposes.
Subject Contains a description of the task.
Status The current status of the task. See also: Task Statuses
Assign to User The user the task is assigned to.
Assign to Dept The department the task is assigned to. See also: Departments

Appointments Tab

This tab lists all appointments – past and present – linked to the session. Double-click on an appointment to view the details. You can create a session-linked
appointment by clicking the Appointment
button in the New group of the
ribbon. Note: Appointments that are not created from a session cannot
be linked to a session.

Column Description
N and C These read-only columns display the status of the “No Show” (N) and “Cancelled” (C) options for the appointment.
Appointment Date Primary appointment date.
Type An appointment type would be something like “wedding consultation.” See also: Appointment Types
Description An appointment description tells you the reason for the appointment.
It could be something like “Wedding consultation with Bill and
Sue to finalize session time.” This description is displayed on the calendar.

Invoices Tab

This tab lists
all invoices related to the session. To view the complete details for
an invoice or to modify it, double-click on the entry.

Column Description
View Options The options at the top of this tab can be used to choose which invoices you want to see:

  • All Invoices – View all invoices for this session, whether they are being billed to the session client or the bill-to client.

  • Session Invoices Only – View just those invoices where the client being billed is the main session client.

  • Bill-To Invoices Only – View just the invoices where the client being billed is not the main session client.
Invoice Number The invoice number is a unique number assigned by the software when the
invoice is saved.
Invoice Date
 The date the invoice was created.
Type Indicates one of the following invoice types:

  • Initial Order
  • Session Fee
  • Reorder
  • Credit Memo
  • Estimate
Description The description is used to help you identify what the invoice is for.
Invoice Total The total dollar amount of the invoice.
Amount Paid Shows how much has been paid toward the invoice.
Balance Due The amount still owed for the invoice.

Production Tab

This tab lists all production and preproduction orders related to the session. Double-click on a production order to view the details.

Column Description
View Options The options at the top of this tab can be used to choose whether you want to see Production Orders or Preproduction Orders.
Invoice Number Displays the number of the invoice associated with the production order. Note: Preproduction orders are generated from a session and will not have an associated invoice.
Invoice Date
 Shows the original date of the associated invoice.
Order Number
and Date 		Shows the PO number and date it was created.
Vendor The specific vendor chosen to fulfill the PO. See also: Vendors
Due Date The date the order is due back from the vendor.
Status Indicates where the PO is in the workflow cycle. See also: Production Statuses and Preproduction Statuses

Images Tab

This tab displays thumbnail images from the session, along with the paths to the session’s image folders. By default, the image
paths are based on your settings on the Digital
page of Company (Studio) Preferences. To set a different path for this session, click
on the browse button (…) and navigate to
the drive and folder that contains the images. See also: Setting up Digital Workflow

 
Online Tab

The Online tab is used to quickly
reference a session’s Online Booking, InSpiredByYou.com, and HoldMyMemories.com information. This is also where information about any client albums and/or Animoto videos attached to the session is displayed. See also: Online Booking (Stratus ONLY) and Using InSpiredByYou.

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Online Booking (Stratus ONLY) #

  • Booked Online – Indicates if the session was booked through your online booking site.

  • Booking Reference Number
    – Booking number given to the client during the online booking process.

InSpiredByYou #

  • Start Date
    – Date the session was uploaded to InSpiredByYou.com.

  • Expire Date
    – Date the online session is set to expire.

  • Event Type
    – Displays the type of online event chosen for this session — Public, Private, or None. An Event Code and Event Description box will also be displayed for public and private events.
Notes Tab
This tab contains both Session Notes and Status Notes.

  • Session Notes are used for your notes regarding the session. Use Ctrl+T to stamp the current date, time, and initials of the logged in user into the notes. Use the ABC button to check the spelling. Check the Print These Notes option to include the session notes on any session confirmations.

  • Status Notes are automatically maintained by the software, providing a history of changes made to the session. The software creates an entry when the session status changes, when the date or time of the session changes, when the session is confirmed and who confirmed it, when a group email or text message is sent, or when a group of form letters is printed. Status notes are read-only.

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