The bid sheet builds a client estimate from your rates and the details of a shoot. The code does all the arithmetic. Every line item and total on the bid comes from the numbers you enter, so the figures are consistent from one bid to the next.
The AI model has one job: it can polish the wording of the overview and closing paragraphs. It never sets a price, a total, or a date. If you turn the AI off, the bid uses the Subject and Treatment text you wrote yourself.
Your studio details, rates, logo, and brand color are saved in the browser, so you enter them once. Each bid is saved as a numbered version that you can reopen later.
Work through these steps before your first bid. Most of them only need doing once.
Work down the page from the top. Each card covers one part of the estimate. You can collapse any card by clicking its header.
Enter the client name, address, phone, and email. Give the project a name. The estimate number fills in automatically in the format BID-YYYYMMDD-001. Replace it with your own numbering if you prefer. Set the bid date, which defaults to today, and the proposed start date. Choose the time frame, either Immediate or In Planning.
Choose how the shoot is billed:
| Basis | What you enter | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Day Rate | Number of days | Days × day rate |
| Half Day | Number of half days | Half days × half-day rate |
| Hourly | Number of hours | Hours × hourly rate |
| Custom | A flat fee | The amount you enter |
If a base rate is set and the calculated fee falls below it, the base rate becomes the shoot fee. The line description says that a minimum was applied.
Turn on Library Shoot to add a library fee. It equals the shoot fee multiplied by the library multiplier, plus the per-image library rate times the number of images. Set the number of images in this card, because it also drives the advertising and editorial license fees when those are priced per image.
Describe the subject and goals in Subject / Overview. Describe the look and feel in Treatment. Select the shoot categories, the set type, and the usage media. The usage media you select appear in the license statement on the bid.
Choose the license type: Advertising, Editorial, Custom, or None. For Advertising and Editorial, choose whether the fee is per image or a flat fee. The rate comes from the My Rates card. Custom uses the custom fee you enter here.
Select the territory and term. The usage statement at the bottom of the card shows how the license will read on the bid. Add any extra terms in Additional License Terms, and they appear after the statement.
Enter names and fees for the stylists, assistants, digital tech, models, makeup artist, and wardrobe stylist. Enter pre-production costs: equipment, space, craft services, scouting, location fees, permits, insurance, and travel.
Mileage is billed after the first 25 miles at the mileage rate on the My Rates card. Enter the total miles driven, not only the billable miles.
Mileage and travel are not taxed by default. Turn on Apply sales tax to mileage and travel only if your local rules require it. Permits and insurance are never taxed by the sheet.
Turn on motion to add a motion line. If the motion rate is per minute, enter the finished minutes. If the rate is a custom fee, enter the fee directly. Describe the piece in Length / Description.
Turn on audio to add an audio line. Choose licensed music or royalty-free audio, then enter the fee.
Choose how retouching is billed: by hours, by image, or as a custom fee. Hours and images use the rate that matches the unit on the My Rates card. The sheet warns you if the two units do not match.
Straightening, color correction, and sharpening appear on every bid as included at no charge.
Use this card for charges that do not fit any other section. Give each item a name, an optional description, an amount, and a taxable flag. Each item appears in the Additional Items group on the bid.
Use Additional Notes for inclusions, exclusions, and assumptions. Use Next Steps for the action you need from the client, such as signing the estimate or paying the deposit. Both appear on the bid.
The Estimate Summary at the bottom of the page updates as you type. It shows each group's total, the subtotal, the tax, and the grand total.
A panel appears above the summary when something needs a look. The most common messages are:
The warnings do not stop you from generating a bid. Read them before you send anything.
| Button | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Copy for Email | Copy the formatted bid to the clipboard. Paste it into an email. Formatting is kept. |
| Copy Text | Copy plain text, for a message or a form field. |
| Copy HTML | Copy the full HTML source, for a web page or a document system. |
| Download HTML | Save the bid as a file named after the estimate number. Open it in a browser to print to PDF. |
To produce a PDF, download the HTML file, open it in a browser, and use the browser's print command with "Save as PDF" selected.
Every bid you generate is saved as a version, and you can also save a version without generating one. Press Save Version at the bottom of the page.
The Saved Versions card lists each version with its estimate number, version number, client, project, total, and date. Press Load to restore a version into the form. Press Delete to remove it. Loading a version replaces the bid currently on the page, so save the current bid first if you need it.
Versions are stored in this browser only. If you clear the browser's site data, or open the sheet on another computer, the versions will not appear. Keep a downloaded copy of any bid that matters.