Big week. We shipped some things that have been quietly frustrating artists and galleries for a while — video pieces that showed no image, Square syncs that failed without explanation, and a spinner that just wouldn't stop. Here's what changed and what it means for you.
Galleries Can Now Add a Personal Note to Submission Emails
When an artist submits to your call, they get a confirmation email. Until now, that email was the same for everyone. Now you can add your own message to it.
Use it to share next steps, a discount code for entry fees, a reminder about your show date — whatever your artists need to hear right after they hit submit. Blank it out and nothing changes. Fill it in and it shows up right in that confirmation.
Gallery organizers: Look for the "Custom message in confirmation email" setting in your call setup. We've also written a help article walking through exactly how it works, including how coupon codes display.
Video Pieces Finally Show Real Thumbnails
If you've uploaded video work to EntryThingy, you've probably seen a generic icon where a preview image should be. Not anymore.
We now capture a still frame from your video when you upload it and use that as the thumbnail — in showcases, on entry pages, everywhere. Galleries using embedded showcases on their own websites will see this too. No more blank squares next to video pieces.
Artists: Next time you upload a video, you'll see an actual preview. If you have older video pieces, they may still show the generic icon for now — we're working through those.
Gallery organizers with embedded showcases: Video pieces in your showcase should now display properly for visitors browsing on your website.
Square Sync Is Clearer When Something Goes Wrong
A few things improved here for galleries selling work through Square.
First, if your Square connection is missing a permission it needs — which could happen if you connected before June — you'll now see a clear prompt asking you to reconnect. Before, the sync would just quietly not work.
Second, if the sync skips a piece (because the price format is unusual, or the piece is marked not for sale), you'll now see that in your sync report instead of it disappearing without a word.
Gallery organizers: If you're using Square to sell work from your show, check your connection. If you see a reconnect prompt, follow it — it only takes a moment. We also published a new help article on selling through Square covering how to connect, what the sync does, and how to fix common issues.
A Few Fixes Worth Knowing About
- Showcase scrolling on mobile — OCCCA reported that artworks were repeating while scrolling through their showcase, especially on iPhone. That's fixed. The random sort now stays consistent as you page through.
- Copying portfolio pieces into an entry — Some artists hit an endless spinner when trying to add a portfolio piece to an entry in Safari or Firefox. That's resolved.
- PDF pieces on entry pages — PDFs now show a proper document icon instead of a broken image, and open in a new tab when you click them.
- Safari upload help doc — We updated our help article to stop implying Safari is unreliable for uploads. It works just fine. Sorry for the confusion.
Questions about anything here? Reach out through the help center — we're always listening.