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Vignette release notes August 15, 2026

A fuller calendar, more flexible payment tools, clearer gallery uploads, and dozens of workflow refinements.

August 15, 20268 min readChase Reidinger

New this week

Appointments, time off, and client scheduling

The Vignette calendar can now hold appointments and blocked time alongside bookings. You can also send a client a scheduling request with one or more availability windows, choose the meeting duration and start-time interval, add a buffer, and require minimum notice. Once the client chooses a time, the appointment appears on your calendar and Vignette can email them the details.

Solar planning and updating calendar sync

Calendar planning now includes sunrise, sunset, and morning and evening golden-hour guidance based on your verified studio location. External calendar sync is also an updating subscription for both Google Calendar and Apple Calendar, so future Vignette changes can flow into the calendar you already use.

Date and time controls that use your studio time zone

Booking, storefront, appointment, and scheduling forms now share a clearer date-and-time picker. Times are interpreted in the studio time zone you select in settings—not the browser’s local zone—so bookings, reminders, contracts, and client emails stay consistent even when you or your client are traveling.

Refund online payments from Vignette

Eligible card payments can now be refunded without leaving Vignette. Online refunds return to the original payment method, while cash and other off-platform refunds can be recorded after you reimburse the client. Refund status stays attached to the payment and receipt, and clients receive a clear email when the refund is recorded.

Payment actions wherever the installment is eligible

Photographers can record an off-platform payment, waive an installment, or refund a specific successful payment whenever that action is still valid—even after a mini session is confirmed, completed, or canceled. Each action is tied to the exact installment or transaction, making split and partial payment histories easier to manage.

Hourly rates for second shooters

Second shooters can now have a reusable default hourly rate, with an optional booking-specific override. Vignette carries the rate, scheduled coverage, and estimated compensation into booking details, invitations, and contracts so the numbers stay consistent from assignment through signing.

Gallery uploads keep moving

Vignette now saves the original image first and shows a clear processing state while gallery-ready versions are prepared. You can continue working instead of waiting on every image, and a photo becomes available to clients as soon as its display version is ready.

Online payments start ready to use

When a newly connected payment account becomes ready, Vignette now turns on online payments automatically. Payment reminders are also enabled by default for eligible studios. Both remain photographer-controlled settings that can be turned off or re-enabled later.

Unlimited offer eligibility without the refresh race

New eligible studios now see when their Unlimited offer enrollment is being finalized. Billing waits for the protected-rate decision, refreshes automatically, and only enables checkout once the correct offer is ready.

Fixes and refinements

Duplicate-aware gallery uploads

When selected files duplicate names already in a gallery—or repeat within the same selection—Vignette now lists every duplicate and lets you ignore those files or upload them intentionally. Dismissing the prompt returns to selection without starting the upload.

A clearer upload window

The upload screen now explains that you can minimize or close it while work continues, restores the full results view when the batch finishes, and puts View Gallery in a more obvious place. Failed photos stay visible with a clear error treatment, and unsupported GIF files are identified before a batch starts instead of causing an unclear server error.

Gallery sharing and organization polish

Gallery cards use sharper cover images on larger and high-density screens. The primary client’s copyable private link now sits inside that client’s recipient card, and the old “Unassigned” area has been renamed “Gallery Photos” with clearer guidance that those photos still appear after albums.

Storefront bookings confirm before studio alerts

A storefront request now remains provisional until the client confirms the appointment. That keeps incomplete requests out of studio notifications and finance views, while the client gets a clearer confirmation step before the booking becomes active.

Contracts and bookings stay aligned

Changes to booking-backed contracts now create the correct replacement draft instead of rewriting dispatched history. Client change requests are easier to spot, completed signatures show the exact name the signer entered, and contract, payment-plan, and booking notifications remain synchronized after edits and signing.

Mini-session details and payment states

Mini-session clients now see the location map alongside their session details, and installment labels explain whether payment is due at confirmation, at signing, or on a date. Stale rescheduling controls clear after a move, and payment or refund actions remain available when the underlying installment allows them.

Notifications with a better destination

Calendar, payment, storage, and completion notifications now use distinct icons and open the most relevant part of Vignette. External navigation opens in a new tab where appropriate, and the top-bar help icon now explains that it opens the Help Center.

Account confirmation you can resume

If signup confirmation is interrupted, Vignette now remembers the pending email, gives unconfirmed users a direct path back from login, explains incorrect or expired codes more clearly, and provides a reliable way to request a new code.

Apple Calendar sync behaves like a subscription

The Apple Calendar action now copies the private subscription URL and shows the correct Mac, iPhone, and iPad setup steps. This avoids accidentally importing a one-time calendar file that would never receive future Vignette changes.