How counting, upgrades, cancel, and gallery life actually work.
Photos & limits
When does a photo count toward my limit?
When a file first lands in your camera inbox (FTP) or you upload it in Live Edit — including if Auto-edit is off. Publishing to the guest gallery by itself does not bill again.
Apply Once (re-edit the current frame) and rotate each use another slot after a successful run. The same inbox file is only counted once at land.
Is “photos per month” a calendar month?
No. It is a rolling 30-day period from your account signup date. That window can differ from your Stripe invoice date. Workspace shows usage against the current period.
What happens when I hit my photo limit?
Galleries already live stay up until their own live date. New frames stop publishing until the period resets or you buy Extra photos. Apply Once is blocked while you are over the cap.
Extra photos +500 (€20) and +1,000 (€30) are one-time packs on Starter, Pro, and Studio — 30 days from the day we apply each pack, no auto-renew. Stack as needed. Buy from Account → Plan before a busy event if you are close to the limit.
Photo limit vs storage — are they the same?
No. Your plan limit is photos (plus Extra photo packs). We do not sell or hard-cap disk space per account. Camera files are normalized on ingest (about 3500px / recompress over ~6 MB). Gallery lifetime still ends on your plan’s live window.
Plans & add-ons
Can I start on Free?
Yes. Create an account, confirm your email, and you get the Free kit (50 photos / period, 1 gallery, 7 days live). Upgrade from Account → Plan when you need more. Free cannot buy add-ons.
How many galleries can I run?
Free 1 · Starter 2 · Pro 10 · Studio unlimited. On Starter or Pro, Extra galleries +1 (€15) or +5 (€39) are one-time packs for 30 days from apply — no auto-renew. Stack them. When a pack ends, galleries already live stay; you just cannot open a new one until you are under the cap again.
How long does a gallery stay live?
New galleries: 7 days on Free, 14 on Starter, 30 on Pro, 60 on Studio. Need longer? Keep gallery live +30 (€20) or +60 (€30) adds that whole block to one gallery you choose — it cannot be split across events. There is no keep-forever.
We email you about 48 hours before a gallery expires. After expiry, guests see that it has ended; photo files in that gallery are cleared on our daily cleanup.
Can I use Find Me or an extra photographer on Pro?
Find Me and Extra photographer are €39 / mo each on Pro; both are included on Studio. You still turn Find Me on per gallery (with the required attestation). Extra photographer is one second camera FTP, one guest URL. Neither is on Starter. A third camera: email hello@livechilli.com.
Is Advanced edit on every plan?
Basic look (light, colour, overlays) is on every plan, including Free. Skin, eyes, and teeth (Live Edit → Advanced) is €20 / mo on Starter, included on Pro and Studio.
Who gets download all and gallery stats?
Studio only. Starter and Pro are built for viewing at the event, not bulk guest zip delivery or full stats.
Upgrade, downgrade, cancel
Where do I buy or change my plan?
Only in Account → Plan. Workspace unlocks and kit teases send you there. Packs and monthly add-ons checkout from the same place. Card updates and invoices open in the Customer Portal (Update card).
What if I upgrade mid-period?
You pay the catalog price difference (for example Starter → Pro). After the charge succeeds, the higher plan and its photo / gallery limits apply immediately. Photos already live stay. Existing galleries are never shortened; if the new plan’s live window is longer, we can extend them up to that window.
What if I downgrade?
We schedule it. You keep your current plan’s features until the end of the billing period; then the lower plan takes effect. The UI shows current plan Until DATE and the next plan From DATE. Cancel and a scheduled downgrade cannot both be active.
What if I cancel?
Cancel at period end: you keep the paid plan until that date — no refund — then move to Free. Keep plan undoes a pending cancel (and a scheduled downgrade). Gifted accounts without a Stripe subscription should contact us to change access.
What happens when my plan ends and I am on Free?
Photo limit returns to 50 for the current period (usage already counted stays counted — unused paid allowance does not carry over). One-time Extra photos / Extra galleries packs drop. Days already added with Keep live stay on that gallery. Monthly add-ons (Find Me, Extra photographer, Advanced) go to sleep on Free until their own period ends; buy a plan that includes or sells them again before that date and they can wake. Existing gallery live dates are not shortened. New galleries use Free rules (7 days, 1 active).
What if my card fails / I stop paying?
We keep paid access for a 3-day grace while status is past due. You see a banner and get an email with Update card. After three days without a fix, the account moves to Free under the same rules as cancel at period end.
Do Extra photo packs survive if I cancel my plan?
No. When you land on Free, one-time photo and gallery packs end. Keep live days already written on a gallery’s live date stay.
Shooting & sharing
How does the live pipeline work?
Camera → FTP inbox → we edit → photos land in your active gallery → guests open your link or QR. Apply Live sets the look for new FTP frames. Apply Once re-runs the current frame (and uses another photo slot).
Easy link vs secret link?
Easy link is the short public address. Secret link is a long token URL. Renaming the easy link keeps the secret link the same and redirects the old easy address. Revoke secret issues a new token; old secret URLs stop working.
I am mid-event and near the limit — what should I do?
Buy Extra photos from Account → Plan before you run out. Frames already on the guest link stay. New frames will not appear once you are over the cap until you add packs or the period resets.
Need help mid-season?
Email hello@livechilli.com.