Watch: How to add notes and photos to a job on the SalesThumb mobile app (0:46)
Before/after pairs are the single most shareable photo format for aftermarket work. They're proof, and they're satisfying to look at. SalesThumb tags each photo you upload as BEFORE or AFTER so they stay organized on the job and in the customer's gallery — the consistent framing that makes a pair actually shareable is still on the installer.
How it works
When you upload a photo for a job (installer app or web), you pick a kind: Before, After, Damage, Document, or Receipt. That's the whole mechanism — there's no guided capture flow, no angle checklist inside the app, and no overlay that shows the "before" shot faded behind the camera while you shoot the "after." Matching the angle, distance, and light is on you and your installers, not the software.
Step 1 — Tag consistently
Every photo you capture for a job, pick Before or After from the kind dropdown as you upload it. That's the only "setup" — there's no separate pair mode to turn on.
Step 2 — Pick a standard angle list (on paper, not in the app)
There's no in-app angle configuration. Print or post a simple list in the bay so every installer shoots the same shots:
- Front 3/4
- Side profile
- Rear 3/4
- Hood
- Front fender (close)
- Rear fender (close)
- Front bumper
- Headlights
For PPF work, add panel-specific close-ups. For wrap, add the full vehicle 360 sequence.
Step 3 — Train installers
Two rules to drill:
- Same angle, same distance. If "before" was shot from 6 feet at a 45-degree angle, "after" needs to match.
- Same light. If before was outdoors in shade, don't do after under bay lights.
Nothing in the app enforces this — the discipline is entirely what makes the pair shareable.
Step 4 — How customers see the pair
The customer's gallery page shows a Before section and an After section — tagged photos land in the right one automatically, but SalesThumb doesn't generate a single combined side-by-side image. The customer sees the two photos and can share the gallery link with the native share button on their phone (whatever app that opens — Messages, Instagram, TikTok, anything the OS offers), or download the individual photos and post them together themselves.
What customers actually share
Angles worth prioritizing for shareable pairs:
- Front 3/4 before/after (the whole car is visible)
- Hood before/after (great for paint correction, ceramic depth)
- Headlight before/after (huge for restoration work)
- Rear bumper (for PPF showing rock chip protection)
Side profiles share less because they're harder to photograph well. Skip them if you're optimizing for shareability.
Tips
- Don't fake it. A "before" photo of a clean car next to an "after" of the same clean car with film looks fine but the customer can tell. Capture the real before — dust, swirl, original tint pulled off, whatever.
- Get the customer's permission to share publicly. The gallery isn't listed anywhere public — it's reachable only through the customer's private link, which they can forward to anyone. Ask before you post their car on your own channels.
- Caption the pair. When you post to your shop's Instagram, mention the car, the service, and the warranty. "2023 Tesla Model Y — full vehicle Suntek CXP ceramic — 5-year warranty."