Set up Lenso for your first client job

Basic setup

The current backend marks basic setup complete when the studio profile has a name and the workspace contains its first job.

• Complete the studio profile
• Create the first job

First live client job

A stronger activation test continues until the studio has a usable brief, invites a real client, and records an approval, requested change, or final-file activity.

• Choose or configure the brief
• Invite the client
• Receive a meaningful client action
• Reach approval, requested changes, or final-file release

Optional workspace setup

• Invite team members
• Connect Stripe for client invoices
• Configure taxes when invoicing requires them
• Add entitled studio branding
• Review storage and plan limits

Optional tasks should not make basic setup look incomplete.

Use a real upcoming or current product photo job when possible. A demonstration job can teach the interface, but it cannot test whether a real client will use the experience.

• Access as the workspace Owner or an Admin
• Access to the studio email inbox
• A real client or internal test contact
• A client email for the invitation when ready
• The current product or SKU list
• Shot requirements or a spreadsheet
• References and output requirements
• The current client agreement
• At least one proof or final-file example when testing review and delivery

You do not need to migrate every historical job before starting.

Lenso creates the user and studio workspace during registration. You can begin basic setup before email verification.

Verify the email before sending a client invitation. The current backend blocks emailed magic-link invitations from an unverified studio user.

• Open the verification message sent to the studio email
• Confirm that the signed-in user now shows as verified
• Check spam or request another verification message when needed
• Do not use a client invitation as a substitute for studio-user verification

Requester email confirmation and studio-user email verification are separate checks.

Open Studio Settings and add the studio name. Confirm the time zone when the current interface asks for it. Add the logo and entitled brand settings before a real client invitation when practical.

• Studio name is current
• Time zone is correct
• Studio logo is current when used
• Public request and client-facing brand preview look correct
• Support and privacy links use the current Lenso pages

The current basic profile check recognizes the studio name. Do not describe location, logo, or a custom domain as required when the backend does not require them.

Current branding controls vary by plan. Use Pricing as the source for the latest plan entitlements. Lenso does not currently provide a custom client-domain feature.

Use the entry path that matches the real client relationship.

Website project request

Enable a public request on an installed or custom brief template, connect the Lenso-hosted link or dedicated embed route to the studio website, and let the requester provide the selected fields.

The requester confirms the email. The studio reviews the verified request before it becomes a job.

Studio-entered job

Create the job yourself when it came from a referral, repeat client, agency introduction, call, or another source.

A client email is optional when creating a draft. Add and invite the client when the job is ready for client access.

Neither path automatically accepts the scope, creates a quote, schedules production, or guarantees the work.

Start with an installed built-in template when it is close enough. Create a custom template only when the studio needs a repeatable field or rule that the installed templates do not provide.

• Choose the job-level fields the studio needs
• Choose the public fields the requester is allowed to see
• Keep internal-only notes out of the public request
• Add reference and product fields that match the studio's work
• Enable the public request only when the form is ready
• Preview the request on mobile and desktop
• Use the latest in-product shot-list import template for uploads

After the permission correction in this batch, Owners and Admins manage templates and public request settings. Members use the templates and jobs they can access.

• Set up briefs, project requests, and shot-list intake

Create a job from a verified request or use the studio's Create Project action for studio-entered work.

• Job title
• Client name
• Client email when ready
• Due date when known
• Deliverable type
• Brief template
• Product or shot-list import
• Client invitation timing
• Optional invoice settings

A job can begin as a draft without sending a client invitation.

Use a job that represents the studio's normal product work. A one-row test job can prove that the buttons work, but it does not test product fit.

Review every value copied from a request or spreadsheet. The current working brief should show what the studio and client need for this job, not merely what was submitted first.

• Client and decision makers are identified
• Products, SKUs, and relevant variants are current
• One row exists for each independently required view or asset
• References state what should be matched
• Open questions have an owner
• Output specifications use the current client or destination requirement
• Delivery naming is recorded
• The current brief or shot-list version is visible

• Use the product photography shot-list template
• Open the production checklist

Add the correct client email and send the project-specific invitation when the brief or review is ready.

• The acting studio user has verified their email
• The client email belongs to the intended recipient
• The sender is an Owner or Admin
• The current job contains no private internal note intended to remain hidden
• The studio understands which client actions are currently available

The client uses a time-limited email magic link and does not consume a paid studio seat. The link is an access credential. Client links can expire. Client links can be revoked. A link can also be replaced.

Use the current resend or rotate action when a link expires or reaches the wrong recipient. Do not forward a client's access link as a normal document link.

The invitation does not create lasting access to every past job.

Upload or prepare the proof set, identify the current version, and ask the client to leave comments or record a decision in the project-specific client area.

• Comment on the current work
• Request changes for the named proof or set
• Approve the named proof or set

A decision should identify the version it covers.

The client agreement defines the legal effect of approval, silence, delivery, and acceptance. Lenso records the operational decision.

A real client comment, requested change, approval, or delivery action is stronger activation evidence than completing a settings checklist.

Release only the current approved final set and test the actual client download path.

• The final file count matches the current job record
• Delivery filenames are correct
• Working files, obsolete proofs, and protected previews are excluded
• The ZIP, folder, link, or manifest opens correctly
• The recipient and release date are recorded
• The client knows when access can expire or be revoked
• The studio knows how to issue fresh access according to current policy

Keep prior context as a starting point for a future studio-created job. Review every reused requirement before treating it as current. Repeat work is studio initiated.

Team members

Invite studio users when the job requires them. Clients do not use studio seats. Review Owner, Admin, and Member permissions before inviting the team.

• Read the team roles guide

Client invoices and Stripe

Connect Stripe only when the studio wants to send and collect supported client invoices through Lenso. Lenso remains usable without connected client payments.

The workspace Owner manages the Lenso subscription. Current invoice and refund permissions are explained in the invoices and approvals guide.

• Read invoices and approvals

Tax settings

Configure taxes only when the studio uses Lenso invoices and the studio's accounting or legal advice requires a tax rule. Lenso is not a substitute for accounting advice.

Branding

Add the studio name and logo, then use only the branding controls included in the current plan. Review Pricing for the current matrix.

• Review current plans and branding

Guided onboarding can be offered when it appears as an active option in the current Pricing or checkout experience.

Review the current scope, price, availability, and scheduling terms before purchasing. Do not rely on an old internal price range or support-response promise.

• Contact Lenso when the current offer is unclear or the studio needs to confirm fit.

I cannot send a client invitation.

Verify the acting studio user's email, confirm the client email, and confirm that the user is an Owner or Admin. A job can exist before the invitation is sent.

The project request is not in the Requests view.

The requester may not have confirmed the email yet. Confirm that the public request is enabled, the correct link or embed is installed, and the confirmation message was completed.

The setup screen still looks incomplete.

After the UI correction in this batch, basic setup and the first live client job should appear as separate groups. Optional payments, taxes, and later delivery work should not reduce the basic setup state.

I cannot find a brief template.

Open Brief Templates in Studio Settings, check the installed library, and confirm that the template is active and available to the current workspace.

The client link expired or reached the wrong recipient.

Use the current resend, revoke, or rotate action. Confirm the recipient before sending a replacement.

The invite email failed after the link was created.

Keep the job record. Check the current email-delivery status and use the supported retry or resend action. Do not expose the raw token in logs or a public support message.

A completed job does not appear in activation reporting.

Confirm that the event belongs to the current workspace and that the current activation event types include the client action or delivery state reached by the job. Treat this as product instrumentation, not a Help copy problem.

• A lead marketplace
• A client contract
• Electronic signature
• A general booking calendar
• Crew, equipment, set, or production scheduling
• Product shipping and return logistics
• An Amazon or Shopify account
• A custom client domain
• A complete internal file archive or digital asset management system
• Client self-service repeat ordering