The fotobiz^® 2.0 Upgrade

Often with new computer upgrades the simplicity of the program is lost because of the addition of so many new features. With fotoBiz 2.0 we tried to keep the working style the same as it was in the original version - by adding features out on the edges of things that you can call on when you need them - but kept the basic overall function the same. So there will be no need to relearn the program for those already familiar with it.

This update was four years in the making. The bulk of our programming time went into the imageLog, including a controlled vocabulary image keywording feature.

The following is a list of some of the upgrade features and enhancements in fotoBiz 2.0

Assignment Delivery Memo

Use the Assignment Delivery Memo it to submit your images and check them back in, and to print all necessary forms. You can also customize and use this Worksheet as a general all purpose Delivery Memo to submit and to track portfolios that you send, track cameras that are out for repairs, or any other use where you need to track items that will be returned.

Setup Buttons

All of the fotoBiz worksheets have a blue Setup button. This is so you can make changes to many of the items that print as boilerplate text on the different worksheets without needing a copy of FileMaker Pro.

Calendar

The Calendar section lets you view your contacts as a daily, weekly or monthly view. You can also create a To Do list from the Calendar section. Print out a weekly or monthly Schedule or a blank Planner.

Mass mailings

Use the Mass Mailing section of fotoBiz to quickly find a specific group of customers to send a mailing or email to. Photographers often send a series of mailings a few weeks apart to make the strongest impression. The Mass Mailing section of fotoBiz 2.0 automates this process for you.

Backing Up

In this version of fotoBiz there is a backup button to simplify this process for you. Backup often and save the entire backup folder to multiple CD's or an external hard drive. You can also set the program to remind you to backup each time you close the program or at whatever interval fits best with your workflow.

Screen Magnification

In the Setup screen you can choose to increase the magnification of your screen to Large (150%) or leave it at Standard (100%).

Email Letters

Email letters directly from the fotoBiz Communications screen. A history field lets you view the letter history for each client.

Digital Signature

Import a digital signature that you can use to "sign" Assignment Estimates and Letters before printing or creating PDF's to email*.

DescriptionBuilder

You can add a description of the job on your worksheet. The DescriptionBuilder is a feature in fotoBiz that lets you store and recall templates for different types of job descriptions on your Assignment Estimate.

Customize Your Estimates

Many photographers like to estimate their jobs by writing text only, for example "this is a job for such and such and I'm going to do this for you", etc. You can select Description Only in Setup if you want only the description that you wrote to print on your Estimate, instead of any line items or Rights Granted. You have several layout options to choose from.

Change Order

The Change Order is a document that is used for changing an agreed-to assignment photography estimate; usually adding additional expenses and shooting requirements, and getting the client to agree to pay for those changes ahead of time.

Advance Invoice

You may need a way to collect payment before your job invoice is created. You can now create an Advance Invoice from the Assignment Estimate Worksheet.

Void Invoice

You are now able to void an invoice. In the past you would have to delete the entire Invoice, leaving a gap in your file sequence.

Print Profile

Print a profile for a client that includes notes and history items on a client.

Product Line Items

The way fotoBiz handles the Products section has changed. You can change or add to the product description in the line items.

Big Page

At the very bottom of the Assignment and Stock Delivery Memo there is a button called Big Page. Use this page to simplify the process of adding a long list of items to your Delivery Memo.

Paste Duplicate Business, Title, Company, City

When you click on any of the words above on the main Contact screen an index box will appear and you can select the name you want and then paste it into the desired field. This comes in handy when you have multiple clients in the same company or city.

Duplicate Contacts

FotoBiz lets you create a new record and duplicate the company information for a selected client. This saves you time when you have a few clients working at the same company.

The imageLog

There are so many new features in the imageLog it is like having a whole new program built into fotoBiz 2.0. We tried to keep everything working the way it did in the past. The main screen and the Log View are almost identical to the previous version of fotoBiz.

The biggest changes to the imageLog, are the digital features, the keywording section and thumbnail submissions, all very powerful tools to help you manage and find your digital images.

Below is a listing of some of what the imageLog can do for you, for more details on the features and functionality of the imageLog, check out the imageLog section of the site.

• Import entire folders of images.
• Import IPTC and EXIF metadata; captions, descriptions, etc.
• Create electronic thumbnail submissions; delivery memos, contact sheets, proofs, etc.*
• Open the original image in Photoshop or most other image editors.
• Show, Find and Sort earnings.
• Create and log copyright submissions.
• Automatically build keywords for your images using existing metadata
• Refine your keywords using the controlled vocabulary, the KeywordComposer™.
• Edit your keywords and add new ones, including synonyms.
• Search for an image or a group of images by keyword.
• Manage and track your copyright submissions
• Track image licenses that are about to expire for renewal
• Quickly locate your images and connect them to your client so that timely quotes, estimates and invoices can be created.

fotoQuote Pro 5

FotoQuote Pro 5 is built right into fotoBiz 2.0 and has over 80 new categories.** For this latest version of fotoQuote Pro we spent another 7 months researching prices. Markets are changing considerably and it was necessary to review every category from the start, taking into account the impact of Corbis and Getty, Royalty Free and the new ways that photos are being used.

Please read the fotoQuote section of our website for more detailed information on our photo price guide.

*The Mac has the ability to make PDF's built into the operating system, Windows users may need to use a utility that creates PDF's to take full advantage of the digital submission features build into fotoBiz. There are free or low cost utilities available on the web if your version of Windows doesn't include a PDF builder.

**So that you can have the most up-to-date pricing information, fotoQuote Pro 6 is bundled with new orders of fotoBiz 2.0