Settings & Thresholds
Customize how the AI analyzes photos and generates insights by adjusting sensitivity thresholds, quality definitions, and pose profile parameters. Settings can be managed centrally by your company or configured locally.
Company Settings Sync
Available in v0.11.0+ — Company owners and managers can configure threshold settings centrally, which automatically sync to all photographers' desktop applications when they log in with their PIN.
Company-Wide Consistency: Settings sync ensures all photographers in your organization use the same quality standards and scoring thresholds, maintaining consistent photo evaluation across your team.
How Sync Works
- Photographer enters PIN on the Login page
- Settings sync automatically — No user action required
- New thresholds apply immediately — Photo analysis uses updated values
- Works offline — Cached settings are used when internet is unavailable
| Scenario | Behavior |
|---|---|
| PIN login (online) | Downloads and stores latest company settings |
| PIN login (offline) | Uses previously cached settings |
| App restart | Loads cached settings from local database |
| New company | Uses sensible default thresholds |
Sync Status Indicator
The Settings page displays your current sync status at the top:
Synced from Acme Photography Studios
Last synced: December 1, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Note: Changes made here will be overwritten the next time a photographer logs in with their PIN.
When using local settings only (not synced from company):
Local Settings
Not synced with company
Local vs. Synced Settings
| Aspect | Company Synced | Local Only |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Managed by company admin | Configured on this device |
| Local edits | Allowed, but overwritten on next PIN login | Persisted permanently |
| Consistency | Same settings across all company photographers | Unique to this device |
| Best for | Teams needing standardized quality standards | Individual photographers or testing |
Local Edits Are Temporary: If your settings are synced from a company, any local changes you make will be overwritten the next time you log in with your PIN. This is intentional to maintain company-wide consistency. Contact your administrator if you need permanent threshold changes.
Accessing Settings
- Click the gear icon (⚙) at the bottom of the sidebar
- The Settings page opens with two main categories:
- Insight Thresholds: Control dashboard insights and recommendations
- Pose Profile Thresholds: Customize pose angle ranges and strictness
[IMAGE: Settings Page Overview]
Full settings page showing tabs
Default Settings: The application ships with sensible defaults that work well for most photographers. Only adjust settings if you have specific requirements or photography styles.
Advanced Detection
Available in v0.11.2+ — Advanced Detection features provide additional analysis capabilities that can be toggled on or off based on your needs.
These settings affect the global analysis behavior for all photos. You can also adjust detection settings per-image using the Detection Controls in the Images view toolbar.
Background Analysis
Background Analysis evaluates the background of portrait photos for clutter and distractions.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enabled | AI analyzes background for clutter, distractions, and visual noise |
| Disabled | Background is ignored; only subject is analyzed |
| Performance | Adds ~50ms per image when enabled |
When to Enable
- Studio Photography: Ensure clean, professional backgrounds
- Portrait Sessions: Detect distracting elements behind subject
- Quality Control: Maintain high standards for background cleanliness
When to Disable
- Environmental Portraits: Background context is intentional
- Speed Priority: Processing large batches quickly
- Outdoor Shoots: Natural backgrounds expected
Recommended Default: Enabled for most use cases. Background analysis provides valuable feedback without significantly impacting processing time.
Object Detection
Object Detection identifies unwanted objects that may detract from the subject.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enabled | AI detects objects like phones, bags, equipment, etc. |
| Disabled | Objects in frame are not analyzed |
| Performance | Adds ~75ms per image when enabled |
What Gets Detected
When enabled, the system detects common unwanted objects:
- Cell phones visible in frame
- Bags and backpacks
- Photography equipment (light stands, reflectors)
- Signs and text elements
- Other people in background
When to Enable
- Formal Portraits: Ensure clean, professional composition
- School Photography: Detect phones and inappropriate items
- Quality Assurance: Catch unintended objects in frame
When to Disable
- Environmental/Lifestyle Shots: Props are intentional
- Event Photography: Objects are part of the scene
- Speed Priority: Fastest processing for large batches
False Positives: Object detection may occasionally flag intentional props or environmental elements. Use the per-image Detection Controls to selectively disable for specific photos.
Combined Performance Impact
| Configuration | Processing Time Added | Time Saved on 500 Images |
|---|---|---|
| Both Enabled (Default) | +125ms per image | Baseline |
| Background Only | +50ms per image | 37.5 seconds |
| Object Detection Only | +75ms per image | 25 seconds |
| Both Disabled | +0ms per image | 62.5 seconds |
Insight Thresholds
Insight thresholds control when the dashboard displays insights, alerts, and recommendations based on your photo data.
Correlation Thresholds
Controls sensitivity to technical variations (brightness, contrast, blur) across your portfolio:
| Setting | Default | Range | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brightness Difference | 10.0 | 5-20 | Flag if photos vary by this many brightness points |
| Contrast Difference | 5.0 | 2-15 | Detect inconsistent contrast levels |
| Blur Difference | 15.0 | 5-30 | Alert on sharpness inconsistencies |
Use Case Examples:
• Strict Studio: Brightness 5.0 - Very consistent lighting required
• Outdoor Events: Brightness 15.0 - More tolerance for natural light variations
[IMAGE: Insight Thresholds Configuration]
Threshold sliders and inputs
Issue Detection Thresholds
Controls priority levels for quality problems detected in your photos:
| Setting | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| High Priority Threshold | 15% | If ≥15% of photos have an issue, flag as urgent |
| Medium Priority Threshold | 5% | If 5-14% have an issue, flag as medium priority |
| Low Priority | <5% | Below 5% is considered acceptable |
Dashboard Display Example:
High Priority Issues (≥15%):
⚠️ Glare detected in 18% of photos
Medium Priority Issues (5-14%):
ℹ️ Pose problems in 9% of photos
Low Priority (<5%):
✓ Only 2% with eye issues
Recommendation Thresholds
Controls when technical suggestions appear in the dashboard:
| Setting | Default | Range | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brightness Too Low | < 70 | 50-80 | Suggest increasing lighting |
| Brightness Too High | > 140 | 120-160 | Suggest reducing lighting |
| Contrast Too Low | < 30 | 20-40 | Suggest improving dynamic range |
| Contrast Too High | > 50 | 40-70 | Suggest softening lighting |
| Blur Too High | > 80 | 60-120 | Recommend better focus |
Trend Analysis Thresholds
Controls detecting improving or declining quality over time:
| Setting | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Improvement Threshold | +5.0% | Quality must increase by this % to show "improving" |
| Decline Threshold | -5.0% | Quality must decrease by this % to show "declining" |
| Minimum Data Points | 10 photos | Need at least this many recent photos to analyze trends |
Quality Rating Definitions
Defines what scores count as "excellent" or "poor" quality:
| Setting | Default | Range | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent Quality | ≥ 9.0 | 8.0-10.0 | Dashboard percentage calculations |
| Poor Quality | ≤ 6.0 | 4.0-7.0 | Statistics and export labels |
Example Adjustments:
- Yearbook Company (Strict): Excellent ≥ 9.5, Poor ≤ 7.0
- Event Photography (Relaxed): Excellent ≥ 8.5, Poor ≤ 5.5
Pose Profile Thresholds
Customize angle ranges and strictness for each of the four pose profiles.
What You Can Customize (Per Profile)
-
Head Angle Range
- Minimum angle (degrees)
- Maximum angle (degrees)
- Example: Traditional = 3° to 10°
-
Shoulder Angle Range
- Minimum angle (degrees)
- Maximum angle (degrees)
- Example: Traditional = 5° to 15°
-
Weights (Advanced)
- Head Weight: 0.0 - 1.0 (importance of head angle)
- Shoulder Weight: 0.0 - 1.0 (importance of shoulder angle)
- Default: 0.5 each (equal importance)
- Example: 0.7 head, 0.3 shoulder = head angle matters more
-
Strictness Level
- HIGH: Very strict enforcement
- MEDIUM: Balanced
- LOW: Forgiving
How to Customize Pose Profiles
- Navigate to Settings → Pose Profile Thresholds
- Select the profile to customize (Traditional, Professional, Casual, or Artistic)
- Adjust sliders or enter values directly
- Click "Save Changes"
- Changes apply immediately (no restart required)
[IMAGE: Pose Profile Thresholds Customization]
Customizable angle ranges for profiles
Example Customization
Scenario: School wants stricter Traditional Portrait standards
Before (defaults):
- Head: 3-10°
- Shoulder: 5-15°
- Strictness: HIGH
After (customized):
- Head: 2-8° (stricter range)
- Shoulder: 3-12° (stricter range)
- Strictness: HIGH (unchanged)
Result:
Only very straight poses receive high quality scores
Resetting to Defaults
Reset Single Threshold
- Click the "Reset" button next to any setting
- Returns that specific setting to factory default
- Other settings remain unchanged
Reset All Thresholds
- Click "Reset All to Defaults" button at the bottom of the page
- Confirmation dialog appears before proceeding
- Restores all settings to original factory values
Warning: Resetting all thresholds cannot be undone. If you've made custom adjustments, consider documenting them before resetting.
When Changes Take Effect
Immediate Changes
- Dashboard: Refreshes immediately with new thresholds
- Statistics Cache: Clears automatically
- New Calculations: Use updated values instantly
For Photo Ratings
- Existing Photos: Historical ratings remain unchanged
- New Photos: Photos rated after saving use the new thresholds
- Re-rating: If you re-rate existing photos, new thresholds apply
No Restart Required
- All changes apply instantly
- Settings remain active after closing and reopening the application
- No need to end your session or restart
Live Updates: The dashboard and statistics views update in real-time as you adjust thresholds. Experiment with different values to see how they affect insights and recommendations.
Next Steps
- Pose Profile Selector - Understand how pose profiles use these thresholds
- Dashboard & Analytics - See how thresholds affect insights
- Troubleshooting - Common settings-related issues