Generating Showcards
Create professional showcards using the Generate page — select a template, pick a talent, configure images and fields, and export to PNG or PDF.
Overview
The Generate page is where you create showcards. It provides a two-column editor with a live canvas preview on the left and a tabbed configuration panel on the right. Changes update the preview in real-time — no need to regenerate to see the effect.
Creating Your First Showcard
- Navigate to Showmo > Generate (or click "Create Showmo" from a talent's action menu)
- A template is pre-selected automatically. Change it via the Template dropdown in the Source tab if needed.
- Pick a talent from the Talent dropdown
- The system automatically loads the talent's Showmo source portfolio and maps images to the template's slots
- Review the live preview on the left — it updates in real-time as you make changes
- Select your output mode and format below the canvas
- Click Generate Showcard to produce the final files
Page Layout
The Generate page is split into two columns:
- Left column — Live canvas preview with zoom controls and front/back toggle
- Right column — Tabbed configuration panel with Source and Fields tabs
Below the canvas: output mode selector (Print / Web), format checkboxes (PNG / PDF), and the Generate button.
Source Tab
The Source tab contains four sections for selecting your template, talent, and images.
Template
A dropdown to switch templates. Shows the template name, category badge, and slot count. Your account's default template is pre-selected when you first open the page.
Talent
A searchable dropdown to select or switch talents. Type to search by name or talent number. Talents without any portfolios are marked with a "No portfolio" badge so you know they won't have images available.
Switching talents reloads the portfolio, images, and auto-populated fields.
Image Source
The portfolio whose images are used for the showcard. This is auto-selected based on the following chain:
- The portfolio marked as Showmo source for the talent
- If no source is set — the talent's default portfolio
- If no default is set — the first portfolio with images
You can switch to a different portfolio at any time.
Image Slots
A thumbnail grid showing which image is assigned to each template slot. Each slot has three actions:
| Action | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Swap | — | Pick a different image from the portfolio |
| Reposition | Move (crosshairs) | Open a modal to drag-to-pan and zoom within the slot's crop area |
| Clear | X | Remove the image from the slot |
See Customization — Image Repositioning for details on the reposition controls.
Fields Tab
The Fields tab shows all text fields that appear on the card, with their auto-populated values from the talent's profile and agency settings.
Auto-Populated Data
The following data is automatically pulled in:
From the talent profile:
- Name (preferred name if set, otherwise first + last)
- Talent type (e.g., "Model", "Influencer")
- Measurements: height, bust, waist, hips, shoe size — displayed with both metric and imperial units (e.g., "177cm / 5'9.5"")
- Eye color, hair color
- Contact: phone, email, website
From the account team settings:
- Agency name
- Agency contact: email, phone, website
- Social links
Editing Fields
You can override any auto-populated value for the current card:
- Edit — Type a custom value that overrides the auto-populated data. The talent's profile is not modified.
- Reset — Clear the override and restore the auto-populated value.
- Style (paintbrush icon) — Open the text style panel for that field. See Customization — Text Styling for details.
Fields that share the same text row on the card (e.g., height, bust, waist, hips, shoe size) are grouped together with a single shared Style button.
Front and Back Fields
Fields are separated into front-side and back-side entries when the same data appears on both sides of the card. This allows you to independently edit or hide agency info on one side without affecting the other. Back-side fields are labeled with "(Back)" in the field name.
Hidden Fields
When a field has no value (the talent's profile doesn't have it filled in), it is silently hidden on the card — no placeholder text, no blank line. The label and any separator characters are also removed, and rows below automatically slide up to keep the card compact.
Hidden fields can be expanded via "Show N hidden fields" at the bottom of the list.
Canvas Preview
Zoom Controls
Located at the top-right of the canvas area:
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| - (minus) | Zoom out by 25% |
| Percentage | Shows the current zoom level |
| + (plus) | Zoom in by 25% |
| Fit to view | Automatically scales the canvas to fit within the container |
The canvas stays centered when zoomed out. When zoomed in beyond the container, scroll bars appear.
Front/Back Toggle
Templates with a back side show Front / Back tabs at the top-left of the canvas area. Single-sided templates hide this toggle.
Output Options
Generation Modes
| Mode | Resolution | File Size | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print (high res) | Template's design DPI (typically 300) | ~5-15 MB | Printing, agency archives, professional handouts |
| Web (smaller files) | 150 DPI (50% scale) | ~1-3 MB | Online portfolios, email, social sharing |
The default mode depends on how you entered the page:
- From a portfolio — defaults to Web
- From the Showmo navigation — defaults to Print
Output Formats
Both PNG and PDF are available. Select one or both — at least one must be selected to generate.
- PNG files are saved to the media library with tags for the template name, generation date, and talent name. They appear in the talent's media gallery. Generated PNGs are hidden from the default media library view to keep regular uploads uncluttered — see Media Library Integration below.
- PDF files are available as downloads from the generation result.
Media Library Integration
Showmo-generated PNG files are stored in the same media library as user-uploaded images and videos. To keep things organized, showmo outputs are separated from regular uploads.
Default Behavior
By default, the media library hides showmo-generated files. You see only your manually uploaded images and videos.
Viewing Showmo Outputs
When your account has showmo outputs, a fuchsia clapperboard badge appears in the media library toolbar showing the total count of generated files.
- Click the badge to switch to the showmo output view — only generated showcards are shown
- Click again to return to the regular media view
- The badge is highlighted with a ring when the showmo view is active
Stats, tag counts, search, sort, and type filters all update to reflect the current view. The filter state is stored in the URL (?source=showmo), so it can be bookmarked or shared.
Note: The showmo badge does not appear when your account has zero showmo outputs. If your account downgrades from a Plus plan, you can still see and manage outputs you previously generated.
Unsaved Work Protection
The Generate page warns you before losing unsaved changes.
When It Triggers
- Navigating away — Clicking any sidebar link, back button, or navigating to another page while there are unsaved changes
- Switching talents or templates — Changing the talent or template selection when there are unsaved changes
- Closing the browser tab — The browser's native "Leave site?" dialog appears
Options
| Choice | What it does |
|---|---|
| Discard & Continue | Discards all unsaved changes and proceeds |
| Save Draft First | Opens the Save Draft dialog so you can save your work |
| Keep Editing | Cancels the navigation and returns to the editor |
The warning does not trigger after saving a draft, when no changes have been made, or when generating a showcard.
Activity Logging
Showcard generation events appear in the global activity feed and in the talent's activity history:
- "Generated showcard for [Talent] using [Template] (print/web)" — visible in the activity feed
- "Marked [Portfolio] as Showmo source for [Talent]" — visible in the activity feed
Template save, update, and delete events are recorded for audit purposes but are excluded from the activity feed.
Related Pages
- Showmo Overview — Module overview and getting started
- Templates — Browse and manage showcard templates
- Customization — Text styling, background colors, image repositioning, and logo replacement
- Drafts — Save and resume in-progress showcards