Frequently asked questions

NostaView is a photo crowdsourcing platform built specifically for schools. It lets yearbook advisors and school admins collect photos from students, parents, and staff without anyone needing to download an app or create an account. You create an event, share a QR code, and photos come in automatically — organized, ready to use.

Three steps:

• Create an event — takes about 2 minutes. Give it a name, date, and description.
• Share the QR code — display it on a projector, print it on a flyer, or text the link. Anyone with a smartphone can scan and submit photos.
• Review & download — photos land in your admin dashboard instantly. Approve, flag, or organize them with one click. Download whenever you're ready.

Yes — there's a free tier that lets you run 1 active event and collect up to 50 photos. No credit card required to start. Paid plans (Basic at $29/month and Pro at $250/year) remove those limits and add features like unlimited events, photo moderation tools, AI smart sorting, and no watermarks. See our full pricing page for details.

No. This was a core design decision. Contributors scan a QR code with their phone's camera and submit photos directly from their browser. No app download, no account, no password. The whole process takes about 15 seconds. This is what makes NostaView actually get used at events — zero friction = high participation.

All submitted photos are held in a pending queue until a school admin reviews and approves them. Nothing goes into the final collection without admin sign-off. On paid plans, AI-assisted quality filtering and duplicate detection reduce the manual review burden significantly. Admins can reject, flag, or approve individual photos with one click.

Only school-designated admins can see the full photo collection. Contributors can view their own submitted photos via a personal token link. Photos are never made publicly accessible, indexed by search engines, or shared with anyone outside the school's authorized admin accounts.

NostaView collects the minimum data needed to operate:

• Photos submitted by contributors
• Optional contributor name (if the contributor chooses to provide it)
• Admin account information (email, school name, state)

We never collect student IDs, dates of birth, addresses, or any sensitive personal information. No login is required for contributors, so we don't build profiles on students. We do not sell data to third parties — ever. All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest.

Yes. NostaView is designed with school compliance in mind:

• FERPA: NostaView operates as a "school official" with legitimate educational interest when contracted by a school. No student PII is required for photo submission. Schools retain full control over data access and deletion. We will sign Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with any school district that requires one.
• COPPA: We do not collect personal information from children under 13 without school or parental consent. The school acts as an intermediary under COPPA's school exception. We collect only photos and optional metadata — no behavioral tracking, no targeted advertising to minors.

See our full Compliance Center for detailed documentation on FERPA, COPPA, CCPA, SOPIPA, and more.

Yes. NostaView is print-vendor agnostic. You download your organized photo collection and use whichever yearbook printer, service, or design software your school already works with. We don't lock you into any printing partner.

NostaView accepts the standard formats captured by smartphones and cameras:

• Images: JPEG, JPG, PNG, HEIC, WebP, GIF

Photos are stored in their original resolution. HEIC files (common on iPhones) are handled automatically — no conversion needed on the contributor's end.

We're happy to walk through any questions specific to your school or district. Reach us at nostaview@gmail.com, call +1 (682) 716-7842, or send us a message through our contact form.