Contracts
A contract sets the terms before the shoot. You build one from a template, fill in the dates, and send it; the client reads it on their phone and accepts with one click, and that click is your record that they agreed.
Creating a Contract
Open a project and go to the Contracts tab. Click New Contract.
Select a contract template — the template content is copied and can be edited for this specific project. Templates cover common clauses such as:
- Usage rights and licensing
- RAW file delivery options
- Cancellation and rescheduling policy
- Payment terms
Contract Templates
Manage templates on Contracts → Templates. Each template holds the full contract text, written in the language you serve that client in. Tag each one with a language so you can find the right one — and so the send dialog can tell you when you've reached for the wrong one.
Crew can read the template library — they need it to raise a contract — but creating, editing and deleting a template is an Owner's or Admin's job.
Date Placeholders
Contract templates can contain placeholders like {{SHOOT_DATE}} or {{CONTRACT_DATE}}. Most fill themselves in from the project and client data that exists at the moment you create the contract. Any that don't — because that data wasn't on file yet — are highlighted in the contract; click one and fill it in there, without editing the contract text by hand.
Send is disabled until every placeholder is filled in — StudioFlow will not let a
contract go out with {{PLACEHOLDER}} still showing in it. The contract tells you
how many are left:
This contract has 2 unresolved placeholders — Send is disabled until they're filled in. Tap a placeholder to fill it in manually.
Filling in the missing project or client details afterwards does not retroactively resolve a placeholder already on the contract — placeholders are only filled in automatically once, when the contract is created. Fill any that are left by hand, using the placeholder chips above.
In the template editor, type {{YOUR_PLACEHOLDER_NAME}} anywhere in the contract body. Use descriptive names so it's obvious what date is expected (e.g. {{PAYMENT_DUE_DATE}}, {{DELIVERY_DATE}}).
Signature Lines
When you send a contract, StudioFlow adds signature lines at the end of the document for you:
- Studio signature block — studio name, date field
- Client signature block — client name (from the linked project), date field
These lines are rendered on the contract PDF and on the public accept page so the client sees a familiar contract layout. You do not need to include signature sections in your templates — they are added automatically.
Sending to a Client
Click Send Contract. Before anything leaves the studio, StudioFlow shows you a confirmation:
Send this contract? Anna Meier gets an email straight away with a link to read the contract and accept it online.
Goes to anna@example.com Written in German — the language Anna Meier reads What they accept Wedding coverage agreement Reminders after sending every 7 days
Their accept click is timestamped and recorded — that stands in for a signature.
If the contract is in a language the client doesn't read, or still carries the starter template's example note, the dialog says so and the button relabels itself Send anyway. It warns; it never refuses.
Copy the link instead
Under the Send button, Copy the link instead:
No email goes out. We put the link on your clipboard and mark this as sent, so you can share it however you like.
The contract moves to Sent exactly as if you'd emailed it.
Either way
The contract becomes Sent and the link works. The client opens it in any browser, reads the contract and clicks to accept. No login, no signing software, no certificate. The page and the emails around it are in the client's own language; the clauses themselves are whatever you wrote.
Sharing the link
A sent contract has one link, and it stays the same for the contract's whole life.
- Copy link — gives you the link the client already has. Nothing changes, no dialog, nothing is invalidated.
- Issue new link — "This creates a brand-new link and copies it. The link your client already has stops working immediately — so only do this if that link has gone somewhere it shouldn't, and you are going to send the new one yourself."
Neither a second send, nor a reminder, nor Revise & Re-send changes the link. A client who kept the first email can still open it. The only thing that breaks a link is you pressing Issue new link.
After the client accepts, Copy link stays. It hands you the same link, which now opens the signed contract with no way to accept it again. Issue new link is gone: a settled contract gets no fresh link, because a new one would let it be accepted a second time.
To read the contract yourself rather than copy its link, use Preview.
Client Acceptance
When the client accepts:
- The contract becomes Accepted.
- The time of the click and the client's IP address are recorded, and shown on the contract as Accepted on … · IP: ….
- That is your evidence of agreement. It's a timestamped click-wrap acceptance — sufficient in most Swiss contexts for a photography services contract.
Contract Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being written. Not yet sent. |
| Sent | The client has the link and can accept. |
| Accepted | The client accepted. The time and IP are recorded, and the contract is locked. |
| Superseded | A newer version exists. The contract shows a banner with Open latest version →. |
Correcting a contract after it's been sent
Two paths, depending on whether the client has accepted.
Revise & Re-send — sent, not yet accepted
For a typo or a missing clause before the client has accepted:
- Click Revise & Re-send.
- The contract drops back to Draft.
- Edit it and click Send Contract again.
The link your client already has keeps working throughout — and shows your edits straight away, so send again as soon as you are happy with it.
No new version is created. Owners, Admins and Crew.
A sent contract says so itself: small fixes update the live link instantly, and the client always sees the current content. Use Revise & Re-send for changes big enough that the client should read it again.
Create new version — already accepted, the terms have changed
If the engagement changes after the client accepted — added deliverables, different usage rights, renegotiated cancellation terms:
- Click Create new version.
- A v2 appears with the previous content copied across. The original is kept and becomes Superseded.
- Edit v2 and send it normally. When the client accepts it, that becomes the contract; earlier versions stay in the project's history.
Owners, Admins and Crew.
Quick decision guide
- Typo, not yet accepted → Revise & Re-send.
- Terms changed, already accepted → Create new version.
Workflow Note
Send the contract after the offer is accepted — when the project is Confirmed — and before the shoot. StudioFlow doesn't force that order; it's just the one that works.
Related
- Offers — usually sent first; a contract normally follows acceptance
- Invoicing — sent after the contract, once the work is delivered
- Projects — the status flow a contract sits inside
- Settings → Documents — default intro/closing text and reminder frequency