Skill Levels
Skill levels control how much detail you see in PhotoRater AI feedback during rating sessions. Your skill level is assigned by your company manager and determines whether you receive detailed training guidance or streamlined expert feedback.
What Are Skill Levels?
The Skill-Based Feedback System adapts the PhotoRater AI interface to match your experience level. New photographers receive detailed explanations and actionable guidance, while experienced professionals get concise, icon-based feedback that doesn't slow down their workflow.
Automatic Assignment: Your skill level is set by company owners/managers and downloads automatically when you log in with your PIN. You cannot change your own skill level.
Three Skill Levels
There are three skill levels, each designed for different levels of photography expertise:
Trainee
Target Users: New photographers learning the system
Feedback Style: Full detailed descriptions with actionable advice
Example Feedback:
Trainee Mode Display
"Both eyes closed (-2.0 penalty). Ask subject to keep eyes open and take another shot."
"Pose issue detected: shoulders too straight (-1.5). Ask subject to turn shoulders slightly left for a more natural look."
Features:
- Full typewriter animation effect for feedback text
- Complete descriptive sentences explaining each detection
- Actionable suggestions for improvement
- Penalty values shown with context
- Icons displayed alongside text descriptions
[IMAGE: Trainee Mode Feedback Display]
Detailed feedback with full descriptions and guidance
Intermediate
Target Users: Photographers with some experience
Feedback Style: Short, 1-2 word descriptions
Example Feedback:
Intermediate Mode Display
"Eyes closed (-2.0)"
"Shoulders straight (-1.5)"
Features:
- Typewriter animation with concise text
- Short 1-2 word issue descriptions
- Penalty values shown next to each detection
- Icons displayed alongside abbreviated text
- Faster to read than Trainee mode
[IMAGE: Intermediate Mode Feedback Display]
Concise feedback with short descriptions
Advanced
Target Users: Expert photographers who know what issues mean
Feedback Style: Icons + penalty values only (no text)
Example Feedback:
Advanced Mode Display
👁️ [-2.0]
⚠️ [-1.5]
Features:
- No animation - instant feedback display
- Icons only with penalty badges
- No descriptive text at all
- Fastest, most streamlined experience
- Minimal visual clutter
[IMAGE: Advanced Mode Feedback Display]
Icon-only feedback with penalty values
How Skill Levels Work
Assignment
Your skill level is assigned and controlled by company administrators:
- Admin Sets Level: Company owner or manager assigns your skill level in the Admin Portal
- You Log In: Enter your PIN in the desktop application
- Level Downloads: Your skill level downloads automatically with your photographer information
- Feedback Adapts: PhotoRater AI feedback displays according to your assigned level
Read-Only: Photographers cannot change their own skill level. This prevents users from bypassing training by self-assigning higher levels. Talk to your manager if you believe your skill level should be adjusted.
Visual Indicators
Your current skill level is displayed in multiple locations throughout the application with consistent color coding:
| Location | Display Format |
|---|---|
| Top Bar | Icon + "Skill Level: [Level]" with colored text |
| Sidebar | Icon + "[Level] Mode" below photographer name |
| Session Summary | Badge with icon and level name in summary header |
[IMAGE: Skill Level Indicators in UI]
Top bar and sidebar showing skill level badges
Color Coding
| Skill Level | Color | Icon |
|---|---|---|
| Trainee | Blue | Target icon |
| Intermediate | Green | Timer icon |
| Advanced | Purple | CheckCircle icon |
Adaptive Feedback Display
The PhotoRater AI Analysis section automatically adapts based on your skill level. Here's how feedback differs across levels:
Trainee Mode
Text Format Examples
| Detection Type | Example Feedback |
|---|---|
| Eyes | "Both eyes closed (-2.0 penalty). Ask subject to keep eyes open and take another shot." |
| Pose | "Pose issue detected: shoulders too straight (-1.5). Ask subject to turn shoulders slightly left for a more natural look." |
| Glare | "Moderate glass glare detected on left lens (-1.2). Adjust lighting angle or ask subject to tilt head slightly." |
| Smile | "No smile detected (-1.0). Encourage subject to smile naturally for a warmer portrait." |
| Blur | "Image slightly blurry (-0.8). Check focus and ensure shutter speed is sufficient." |
Intermediate Mode
Text Format Examples
| Detection Type | Trainee Text | Intermediate Text |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes | "Both eyes closed" | "Eyes closed" |
| Eyes | "All eyes are open" | "Eyes open" |
| Smile | "No smile detected" | "No smile" |
| Smile | "Smile detected" | "Smile" |
| Pose | "Shoulders too straight" | "Shoulders straight" |
| Pose | "Head turned too much" | "Head turned" |
| Glare | "Moderate glass glare detected" | "Glare" |
| Glare | "No glare detected" | "No glare" |
| Exposure | "Good exposure" | "Good" |
| Blur | "Slightly blurry" | "Slight blur" |
Advanced Mode
Advanced mode displays no text at all - only icons with penalty value badges. The icon type indicates the detection category:
- Eye icon: Eyes detection result
- Warning icon: Pose issues
- Glasses icon: Glare detection
- Smile icon: Smile detection
- Blur icon: Sharpness/focus quality
Penalty values appear in square brackets next to each icon: [-2.0], [-1.5], etc.
Changing Your Skill Level
Only company administrators can change skill level assignments. If you believe your skill level should be adjusted:
- Talk to your company manager or owner
- Explain why you believe a change is appropriate
- Manager updates your skill level in the Admin Portal
- Log out and log back in to the desktop app
- Your new skill level downloads automatically
- Feedback display updates immediately
Progression Path: Most photographers start as Trainee, move to Intermediate after gaining familiarity with the system, and advance to Advanced once they're comfortable interpreting icon-based feedback.
Offline Behavior
When the Rails API is unavailable (no internet connection):
- Desktop app uses local PIN cache for authentication
- Your skill level is stored in the local cache
- Feedback continues to display according to your cached skill level
- Default skill level is "trainee" if not previously cached
Test Accounts
For testing and demonstration purposes, three test PINs are available with different skill levels:
| PIN | Name | Skill Level |
|---|---|---|
11111111 | Test Trainee | Trainee |
22222222 | Test Intermediate | Intermediate |
33333333 | Test Advanced | Advanced |
Try All Three: Test all three skill levels to see how feedback display adapts. This helps managers understand what photographers at different levels experience.
Next Steps
- Rating Workflow - Learn how to rate photos and view AI feedback
- Session Feedback - Provide feedback on AI detections to improve accuracy
- Photographer Management - Admin guide to assigning skill levels