SmarterPhoto Gallery - Troubleshooting Guide

Solutions to common problems and technical issues.

Last Updated: February 23, 2026

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Table of Contents

1. Upload Issues
2. Gallery Display Problems
3. Payment & Checkout Issues
4. Custom Domain Problems
5. Login & Authentication
6. Performance & Speed
7. AI Features Not Working
8. Email Delivery Issues

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Upload Issues

Photos won't upload / Upload stuck at 0%

Possible Causes:
- Browser extensions blocking upload
- Slow internet connection
- File size exceeds limit (50MB)
- Unsupported file format

Solutions:

1. Check file format: Only JPG, PNG, and HEIC supported

2. Convert RAW, TIFF, or other formats to JPG first

3. Check file size: Maximum 50MB per photo

4. Compress large files using image editing software

5. Disable browser extensions: Ad blockers can interfere

6. Try uploading in incognito/private mode

7. Disable extensions temporarily

8. Check internet connection: Test your upload speed

9. Visit speedtest.net and check upload speed

10. Need at least 5 Mbps for smooth uploads

11. Try a different browser:

12. Chrome (recommended)
13. Firefox
14. Safari (Mac/iOS)

15. Edge

16. Upload smaller batches: Instead of 500 photos at once, try 50-100

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Upload completes but photos don't appear

Cause: Processing delay or server issue

Solutions:

1. Wait 2-3 minutes: Photos need time to process

2. Refresh the page after waiting

3. Check browser console for errors:

4. Press F12 → Console tab
5. Look for red error messages

6. Send screenshots to support

7. Clear browser cache:

8. Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+Delete → Clear cached images

9. Safari: Safari menu → Clear History

10. Check gallery filter settings:

11. Make sure you're viewing "All Photos" not a filtered view

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"File type not supported" error

Supported formats: JPG, PNG, HEIC
Not supported: RAW (CR2, NEF, ARW), TIFF, BMP, GIF

Solution: Convert to JPG first:
- Adobe Lightroom: Export as JPG (quality 90-100%)
- Photoshop: Save As → JPEG → Maximum quality
- Capture One: Export → JPEG → Quality 100%
- Free tools: GIMP, Paint.NET, online converters

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Upload stops halfway through batch

Cause: Connection timeout or server issue

Solutions:

1. Resume upload: Refresh page, upload remaining photos

2. System skips already-uploaded photos automatically

3. Check internet stability:

4. Wired connection better than WiFi for large uploads

5. Avoid uploading during peak internet usage hours

6. Upload in smaller batches:

7. 50-100 photos per batch instead of 500+

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Gallery Display Problems

Photos appear rotated incorrectly

Cause: Camera EXIF data rotation not detected

Solution:

1. Re-upload corrected photos:
2. Open photo in image editor
3. Rotate to correct orientation
4. Save (make sure to save EXIF data)
5. Delete incorrect photo from gallery

6. Upload corrected version

7. Batch rotate on computer first:

8. Use Lightroom or Photos app to rotate all photos
9. Export with correct orientation
10. Upload

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Cover photo not showing

Possible Causes:
- Cover photo not set
- Browser cache showing old image

Solutions:

1. Set cover photo:
2. Open gallery
3. Hover over desired photo

4. Click ... → Set as Cover Photo

5. Clear browser cache: Ctrl+Shift+Delete → Clear images

6. Check if photo was deleted: Make sure cover photo still exists in gallery

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Gallery shows "No photos found"

Possible Causes:
- Upload failed
- Photos still processing
- Gallery filter applied

Solutions:

1. Check photo count: Look at top of page for "X photos"
2. If shows 0 photos, upload failed

3. If shows a number, photos are there but hidden

4. Clear filters: Click "Clear All Filters" button

5. Check upload history:

6. Go to Galleries → Upload History
7. Verify upload completed successfully

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Watermark not appearing on photos

Possible Causes:
- Watermark not enabled
- Watermark image not uploaded
- Gallery-specific watermark setting

Solutions:

1. Check global watermark settings:
2. Go to Settings → Watermarking
3. Toggle "Enable Watermark" to ON

4. Upload watermark image (PNG with transparency recommended)

5. Check gallery-specific settings:

6. Edit gallery → Watermark tab

7. Make sure "Use watermark" is enabled

8. Upload watermark in correct format:

9. PNG format (supports transparency)
10. Recommended size: 300x100px
11. White or light-colored logo works best

Note: Watermarks only appear on preview images, NOT on purchased downloads.

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Payment & Checkout Issues

"Payment failed" error during checkout

Common Causes:
- Card declined
- Insufficient funds
- Bank security block

Solutions:

1. Verify card details:
2. Check card number, expiration, CVV

3. Try a different card

4. Contact bank: Some banks block online purchases

5. Call bank and authorize transaction

6. Try payment again

7. Try PayPal (if available):

8. Select PayPal payment option

9. Complete via PayPal account

10. Check Stripe status: Visit status.stripe.com

11. If Stripe is down, wait and retry later

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Client says they paid but didn't receive download link

Possible Causes:
- Email went to spam folder
- Email address typo
- Email delivery delay

Solutions:

1. Check spam/junk folder: Most common issue

2. Verify payment in dashboard:

3. Go to Purchases → Find client's order

4. Confirm payment status is "Paid"

5. Resend download link:

6. Find purchase in Purchases page
7. Click Resend Download Link

8. Client receives fresh email

9. Check email address:

10. Verify client entered correct email
11. If wrong, update and resend

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"Stripe not connected" error

Cause: Stripe account not set up for payouts

Solution:

1. Connect Stripe account:
2. Go to Settings → Stripe Connected Account
3. Click Connect Stripe Account

4. Complete Stripe onboarding (bank info, tax info)

5. Verify connection:

6. Settings should show "Stripe Connected" with green checkmark

Note: You can accept payments before connecting Stripe, but cannot receive payouts until connected.

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Client's cart disappeared

Cause: Session expired (cart saved for 24 hours)

Solution:

1. Ask client to add photos again:
2. Cart is session-based for guests

3. After 24 hours, cart clears automatically

4. Recommend creating account (future feature):

5. Currently guests use session-based cart
6. No persistent cart for non-logged-in users

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Custom Domain Problems

DNS verification failing

Common Issues:

1. Not enough time: DNS propagation takes 10-60 minutes

2. Solution: Wait 30-60 minutes and try again

3. Wrong CNAME value: Must point exactly to smarterphoto.gallery

4. ❌ Wrong: www.smarterphoto.gallery
5. ❌ Wrong: http://smarterphoto.gallery
6. ✅ Correct: smarterphoto.gallery

7. Solution: Fix CNAME record in your DNS settings

8. Wrong record type: Must be CNAME, not A record

9. Solution: Delete A record, create CNAME record instead

10. Cloudflare proxy enabled: Orange cloud must be OFF

11. Solution: Click orange cloud to turn gray (DNS only mode)

How to verify your DNS:

1. Open command prompt/terminal
2. Run: nslookup photos.yourdomain.com
3. Should show: canonical name = smarterphoto.gallery

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Custom domain shows 404 error

Possible Causes:
- DNS not verified yet
- Domain verification incomplete
- DNS records not propagated

Solutions:

1. Check verification status:
2. Go to Settings → Custom Domain

3. Look for "Verified" status with green checkmark

4. Re-verify DNS:

5. Click Verify DNS Configuration button

6. If fails, check CNAME record is correct

7. Wait for propagation:

8. DNS can take up to 24 hours in rare cases

9. Try again in a few hours

10. Test with DNS checker:

11. Visit whatsmydns.net
12. Enter your custom domain
13. Select CNAME record type
14. Should show smarterphoto.gallery globally

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Custom domain shows SSL certificate error

Cause: SSL certificate not covering custom domain yet

Solution:

This should auto-resolve within 1-2 hours after DNS verification. If persists:

1. Contact support: We'll manually refresh SSL certificate
2. Try again in 2-4 hours: SSL certificates can take time to provision

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Login & Authentication

"Invalid email or password" error

Solutions:

1. Check caps lock: Passwords are case-sensitive

2. Reset password:

3. Click Forgot Password? on login page
4. Enter your email
5. Check email for reset link (check spam folder)

6. Create new password

7. Verify email address: Make sure you're using the email you registered with

8. Try different browser: Clear cookies and try again

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Password reset email not arriving

Solutions:

1. Check spam/junk folder: Most common issue

2. Wait 5-10 minutes: Email can be delayed

3. Check email address: Make sure you entered correct email

4. Try requesting again: Click "Forgot Password" again

5. Contact support if still not receiving after 30 minutes

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Locked out after multiple failed login attempts

Cause: Security feature to prevent brute force attacks

Solution:

• Account locks for 30 minutes after 5 failed attempts
• Wait 30 minutes and try again
• Use Forgot Password to reset if needed

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Performance & Speed

Gallery loading very slowly

Possible Causes:
- Slow internet connection
- Large gallery (500+ photos)
- Server load (rare)

Solutions:

1. Check internet speed: Visit speedtest.net

2. Need at least 10 Mbps download for smooth browsing

3. Enable lazy loading: Photos load as you scroll

4. This is automatic, no settings needed

5. Reduce gallery size: Split into multiple galleries

6. Recommend max 300-400 photos per gallery for best performance

7. Try different browser: Chrome usually fastest

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Photo downloads timing out

Cause: Large file size + slow connection

Solutions:

1. Use wired connection: Better than WiFi for downloads

2. Download one at a time: Instead of bulk download

3. Try again later: Server might be under heavy load

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AI Features Not Working

"AI processing failed" error

Possible Causes:
- Not subscribed to Pro
- Photo quality too low
- Server issue

Solutions:

1. Verify Pro subscription:
2. Go to Settings → Subscription

3. Make sure status is "Pro" or "Active"

4. Check photo quality:

5. AI features work best with:

   • Photos at least 1200px wide
   • Well-lit, in-focus images
   • Clear subjects

6. Retry AI processing:

7. Click AI Tools → Retry Failed Photos

8. Contact support if persists

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Purchase predictions not showing

Requirements:
- Pro subscription required
- Gallery must have 50+ photos
- Photos must be processed

Solutions:

1. Wait for processing: Can take 5-10 minutes for large galleries

2. Refresh page: Predictions appear after processing completes

3. Check gallery size: Need minimum 50 photos for accurate predictions

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Subject detection not finding people

Common Issues:

1. Jersey numbers:
2. Numbers must be clearly visible
3. Works best with high contrast (white numbers on dark jersey)

4. Photo resolution at least 1200px

5. Facial recognition:

6. Faces must be visible (not too far away)
7. Works best with frontal or 3/4 view faces
8. Minimum 50x50px face size in photo

Solutions:

1. Use higher quality photos: Upload full-resolution images

2. Manually tag subjects if AI misses them:

3. Click photo → Add Subject Tag

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Email Delivery Issues

Clients not receiving purchase confirmation emails

Solutions:

1. Check spam folder: Most common issue

2. Verify email address: Check purchase details for typo

3. Resend email:

4. Go to Purchases → Find order

5. Click Resend Confirmation Email

6. Add to safe senders:

7. Ask clients to add noreply@smarterphoto.gallery to contacts

8. Check email server status: Some corporate email servers block automated emails

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Download links not working

Possible Causes:
- Link expired (7-day limit)
- Link already used (one-time download)

Solutions:

1. Check expiration: Links expire after 7 days

2. Resend fresh link:

3. Purchases → Find order → Resend Download Link

4. Verify purchase status: Make sure payment completed

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Still Having Problems?

Contact Support

If none of these solutions work:

Email: support@smarterphoto.gallery

Include in your email:
- Description of the problem
- Screenshots of error messages
- Browser and device you're using
- Steps to reproduce the issue
- Your account email address

Response Time: 24-48 hours (weekdays)

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System Status

Check if there's a known outage:
- Status Page: status.smarterphoto.gallery (coming soon)
- Twitter: @SmarterPhotoApp (coming soon)

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Quick Reference

Common Error Codes:
- 403 Forbidden: Permission denied - check if logged in
- 404 Not Found: Page doesn't exist - check URL
- 500 Server Error: Our side - contact support
- 503 Service Unavailable: Temporary outage - try again in 5 minutes

Browser Keyboard Shortcuts:
- Ctrl+Shift+Delete: Clear cache
- F12: Open developer console
- Ctrl+F5: Hard refresh (bypass cache)

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Last Updated: February 23, 2026
Version: 1.0