In Graindevue, the contract starts from the booking. Booking details feed a template, you review the PDF, you send it, the client signs first, then you sign. The fully signed PDF is then frozen and stays downloadable by both parties.
This page describes how the tool works. Legal and business decisions (uses, credit, permissions, cancellation, signature level) are covered in the photography contract drafting checklist.
The flow, step by step
| Step | Where | What you see / do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prepare the booking | Studio, "Bookings", the booking page | The booking needs line items with a positive total, a payment configuration and a shooting address. Otherwise the "Contract" tab tells you what is missing, for example "Add the shooting address before generating the contract." Your business details and the client's details are also required. |
| 2. Generate | "Contract" tab | You click "Generate Contract". The contract starts as "Draft". |
| 3. Review the draft | "Contract" tab, PDF viewer | You read the PDF exactly as the client will see it. |
| 4. Adapt the text (optional) | "Edit Template" button | An editor with a preview lets you change the articles that are open to editing, then "Save & Regenerate Contract". Only possible while the contract is a draft. |
| 5. Send | "Send for Review" button | The contract moves to "Awaiting Signature". The client can now sign it. |
| 6. Client signature | The client's booking page on Graindevue, or the client area of your Site if you have one | The client, logged in to their account, reads the contract, ticks the "Contract Authorizations" they grant (for example use in your portfolio), ticks the agreement box, then clicks "Sign Contract". The status becomes "Partially Signed". |
| 7. Your signature | "Contract" tab | "Sign as Photographer", then "Confirm Your Signature" and "Sign Contract". You can only sign after the client. The status becomes "Fully Signed". |
| 8. Signed PDF | Studio and the client's booking page | The server rebuilds the PDF on each signature. Once both parties have signed, it is frozen: no further changes are accepted. You download it from the viewer; the client uses "Download PDF". |
Graindevue emails you when the client has signed. The client gets an email when the contract is fully signed. If the client is slow to sign, write to them in the booking's message thread.
Where the contract text comes from
Graindevue picks the text in this order, and the first one found wins:
- text you adapted for this booking;
- text you adapted for the package (the package's contract tab);
- a template specific to the type of shoot, where one exists;
- the Graindevue standard template.
The standard template (in French) covers, among other things, identification of the parties, the purpose of the service, each party's obligations, financial terms, copyright, image rights, delivery, cancellation and weather conditions, liability, mediation and personal data. In the standard template, you can adapt the photographer's and client's obligations, copyright, image rights, cancellation and mediation.
The contract's cancellation terms come from the cancellation policy set on the package.
When the booking changes before signature
If you change information that feeds the contract (booking details, payment configuration, booking-specific text, rights transfer), an unsigned contract becomes out of date. Studio shows "Stale Contract": the contract can no longer be sent or signed. Click "Regenerate Contract" to start again from current data.
As soon as the client has signed, this information is locked: a change that would alter the contract is refused.
A contract the client has not signed expires 7 days after it was generated. It is then detached from the booking and you need to generate a new one.
The rights transfer, in the "Rights" tab
Each booking has a "Rights" tab (the French cession de droits) to describe the rights transferred: reproduction, public display and adaptation rights, purposes, media, territory (France, EU or worldwide), a duration of 1, 3, 5 or 10 years, exclusivity, permitted modifications, beneficiaries and fee.
This transfer is attached to the contract as an annex at generation and signed with it. It becomes active once the booking is fully paid and is voided if the booking is cancelled. Graindevue alerts you 30, 15 and 7 days before a transfer expires. To decide what scope to write, see the section on uses in the contract checklist.
What the signature records
Graindevue records:
- the date and time of the client's signature, then yours;
- the permissions the client ticked, with their date;
- the fully signed PDF, produced by the server and frozen.
Only the booking's client and photographer, signed in to their accounts, can sign.
The eIDAS regulation calls this level a simple electronic signature. The French Civil Code recognises electronic documents subject to identification and integrity conditions (article 1366) and requires a reliable identification process for an electronic signature (article 1367). According to ANSSI, a signature cannot be rejected solely because it is electronic.
From contract to payment
Payment only opens once both parties have signed the contract. The deposit amount, balance and payment methods are set on the package and carried into the contract's financial terms. The deposit guide helps you choose these terms, and the invoicing and payment page shows what comes next: payment, then an invoice issued in your name.
The best way to judge this flow is to run it once with a test booking. Create a trial account, generate a contract and read the PDF your client would receive.
Frequently asked questions
How do I generate the contract for a booking?
Click "Generate Contract" in the booking's "Contract" tab, once line items, payment configuration and shooting address are filled in.
Can I change the contract text?
Yes, for the articles open to editing: at package level, or for one booking with "Edit Template" while the contract is a draft.
Which signature does Graindevue use?
A simple electronic signature: the client and then you sign online, each signed in to their own account, and Graindevue records the date and time of each signature before freezing the signed PDF. The French Civil Code recognises electronic documents subject to identification and integrity conditions, and a signature cannot be rejected solely because it is electronic.
How long does the client have to sign?
7 days after the contract is generated. Graindevue emails you as soon as the client has signed. A contract still unsigned at that point expires, and you generate a new one from the "Contract" tab.
Who can download the signed contract?
Both parties. You from the "Contract" tab in Studio, the client with "Download PDF" on their booking page. Once both parties have signed, the PDF no longer changes. Keep a copy in your own records.
How much does contract management cost?
It is part of the Graindevue subscription at 29 €/month, with a 30-day trial and no card required. Graindevue takes no commission on your bookings. Online payments go through Stripe, whose processing fees apply according to its pricing; the amount you receive is shown in your Stripe account.