---
title: Documentation
description: Guides for running your studio with LYGHTBOX, from first inquiry to final delivery.
section: Overview
order: 0
---

# LYGHTBOX Documentation

LYGHTBOX is the CRM for photographers who would rather be shooting. It keeps the business side moving from first inquiry to final delivery, so clients have a clear path and you have fewer loose ends to track by hand.

There are no project pipelines or stages to build before you begin. Add the services you sell and the agreements and payment details your studio needs; LYGHTBOX gives your projects a shared path from inquiry to delivery.

These guides explain the work you do in the app, from setting up your studio to collecting a signature, starting the edit, and delivering the finished work. You do not need to read them in order. Start with the job in front of you.

## Choose your path

If you are setting up a new account, begin with **[Getting started](/docs/getting-started)**. You will create the service you sell, prepare the client-facing pieces you need, and run a first project through the workflow.

If you already have client work in progress, use these common paths:

- **A client emailed or called you:** add them in **Contacts**, then create a **Project** from the **+** menu in the top bar.
- **A client submitted an inquiry form:** open the new project in **Projects** and continue the conversation there.
- **Clients should choose their own time:** create an **Event** and share its booking page.
- **The shoot is booked:** use the project to track its contract, payment, questionnaire, and editing work.
- **You need to know what is slipping:** check **Dashboard** for work that needs attention, then use **Projects** or **Tasks** to act on it.

## How the main records fit together

- A **Contact** is a person. Their details, sources, tags, audiences, projects, bookings, and paid history stay on one record.
- A **Project** is one client job. It follows the work from lead to booked, through contracts and payment, into editing and delivery.
- An **Event** is a bookable offer. Use one when clients should choose a session, package, add-ons, and time from a public page.
- A **Task** is internal work such as culling, editing, album design, or delivery preparation. Tasks can be linked to a project.

Projects and events are two ways into the same client journey: use projects for work you manage directly and events for work clients book themselves.

## Find your way around

The main sidebar contains **Dashboard**, **Projects**, **Contacts**, **Events**, **Tasks**, **Campaigns**, **Pulse**, and **Settings**. The pages you see depend on your team access.

Use the search bar at the top to find a project, contact, event, or task without first opening its section. The **+** menu beside it is the quickest way to add a project, contact, or task.

Open **Settings** for reusable studio setup such as services, task boards, forms, email templates, automations, contracts, payments, integrations, and team access.

## Start here

- **[Getting started](/docs/getting-started)** - set up the core pieces of your studio.
- **[Billing and your plan](/docs/billing)** - understand pricing, the monthly trial, and marketing email allowances.
- **[Projects](/docs/projects)** - keep every client job moving through inquiry, booking, payment, contract, and delivery.
- **[Contacts](/docs/clients)** - organize client details, audience history, and related work.
- **[Events and bookings](/docs/bookings)** - publish booking pages and let clients confirm sessions online.
- **[Services and pricing](/docs/services)** - define what you sell before using bookings, invoices, and projects.

## Core workflows

- **[Forms and questionnaires](/docs/forms)** - collect inquiries, signup details, and planning answers.
- **[Invoices and payments](/docs/invoices)** - collect deposits, installments, balances, and recorded payments.
- **[Contracts](/docs/contracts)** - send agreements and capture signatures.
- **[Tasks and workflows](/docs/tasks)** - track the editing, design, and delivery work behind each project.
- **[Email and templates](/docs/email)** - keep client communication connected to the right work.

## Growth and client experience

- **[Campaigns and audiences](/docs/campaigns)** - send announcements to the right subscribed contacts.
- **[Analytics and Pulse](/docs/analytics)** - understand bookings, revenue, sources, and public-page performance.
- **[Automations](/docs/automations)** - let routine emails and tasks happen after key client actions.
- **[Client portal](/docs/client-portal)** - give clients one place to see project details, documents, and messages.
- **[Account and team settings](/docs/account-settings)** - set your studio details, integrations, notifications, and team access.

## Before you share a client link

Create at least one service first. A service is required for manual projects and public inquiry forms, and it keeps your reporting organized later.

Also check the account timezone, tax rate, contract template, payment connection, and the exact public page you plan to send. Your account currency was chosen when the account was created and cannot be changed in settings.