Help & Documentation

What is Cine Power Planner?

— A web app for film, video, and photo crews to build, organise, and export gear lists. It runs in your browser, works offline, stores data locally on your device, and exports professional PDFs (gear lists, sub-rental quotes, invoices, delivery/return notes).

Is it free?

— Yes. The free plan covers gear lists, PDF export, Cloud Sync and collaboration for up to 2 active projects at a time, with 5 Power Calculator runs, 1 template, and time tracking on up to 2 projects. Pro removes those four limits and adds Accounting (quotes, invoices, expenses, bank, taxes) and Data Management (camera-card offloads and verification). Your plan is shown under Settings → Account → Subscription. Note on the project limit: deleting a project moves it to Trash (still counts toward the limit so you can recover it); only 'Delete permanently' from the Trash actually frees a slot.

Do I have to create an account?

— No. The app works fully offline without one. An account is only needed if you want Cloud Sync (your data shared across more than one device) or collaboration.

What devices work?

— Any modern browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge are all supported. For the smoothest mobile experience, install the app as a PWA from your browser's menu.

Is there a separate mobile app?

— There is a native Android app. You download it from the website; it is not in the Play Store. The Mac and iPhone apps are not available for download yet — the website lists them as coming soon. On every device the web app also installs as a PWA and behaves like a normal app: its own icon, its own window, full offline support.

Can I use it on multiple devices?

— Yes, with Cloud Sync turned on. Without sync, each device has its own separate data — they don't talk to each other.

Where should I start?

— Open the Help panel and read 'Getting Started' first. Or just create a project and start adding gear — there's no setup required.

Where is my data stored?

— Locally in your browser, using IndexedDB (a built-in browser database) with an additional OPFS backup. Your data never leaves your device unless you turn on Cloud Sync.

Is it secure?

— Without Cloud Sync, your data lives in your browser profile only — nobody else can read it. With Cloud Sync, traffic is TLS-encrypted in transit, and the server-side Postgres database runs on our self-hosted Supabase in Nuremberg, Germany. No third-party cloud vendor sits in the middle.

Can I export my data?

— Yes. Settings → Backup & Data → Download full backup gives you a single .gz file that contains every project, device, contact, template, and setting. You can re-import that file on a new device, in a new browser, or after a factory reset.

What happens if I clear my browser cache?

— Cache and IndexedDB are different stores in your browser — clearing the cache usually leaves your data alone. But 'Clear all site data' (a stronger option some browsers expose) wipes IndexedDB too. Export a backup before doing that.

How much storage do I get?

— Modern browsers give a single site somewhere between roughly 10% and 60% of your free disk space. For typical project sizes that's thousands of projects before you ever hit a limit.

What if my browser crashes mid-edit?

— The app writes to disk after each change and the OPFS backup follows shortly after. You may lose the last few seconds of typing, but you won't lose entire projects.

Can I move data to a new computer?

— Two options. (1) Sign in to the same account on both computers and let Cloud Sync copy everything. (2) Export a backup from the old computer (Settings → Backup & Data) and import it on the new one.

How many projects can I create?

— Free plan: 2 active projects at a time. Pro plan: unlimited. Deleting a project sends it to Trash (open the dashboard and click the 'View Trash' link, or use the project card menu) where it still counts toward the free limit so you can recover it. Choose 'Delete permanently' from the Trash to actually free the slot. Soft-deleted projects sync across your signed-in devices too.

Can I duplicate a project?

— Yes, from the project's menu on the dashboard. Useful for recurring shoots — duplicate, rename, adjust dates, done.

What's the difference between a project and a template?

— A template is a saved starting point. New projects can be created from a template, copying its gear, categories, and metadata. A project is one specific production.

Can I share a project with someone?

— Three ways. (1) Export a PDF for non-users. (2) Export the project as a backup file and send it. (3) With Cloud Sync, invite collaborators directly — they get real-time access to the project.

How do I archive a project?

— Use the archive action on the project card. Archived projects leave the All Projects list; the 'View Archived' link on that page opens them on their own page, where you can restore them. Archiving doesn't delete data.

Can I recover a deleted project?

— Yes. A deleted project goes to the Trash: open 'View Trash' on All Projects and choose Restore in the project's ⋯ menu. It stays there until you delete it permanently. A project that was deleted permanently can only come back from a local auto-backup at Settings → Backup & Data, or from a manual backup file.

What is a Camera Package?

— A preset that picks a camera body and pre-fills the technical specs (resolution, codec, sensor mode) plus suggests matching accessories (cages, FIZ motors). It saves typing on every new project and keeps technical info consistent.

Why does the Shoot Schedule matter?

— It drives rental-day calculations, calendar entries, and crew call sheets. Setting Prep / Shoot / Return days early makes downstream features (Calendar, Time Tracking, sub-rental day counts) accurate.

What is the Device Library?

— Your reusable catalog of gear. You add a device once and it's available across every project. The toggle 'My Devices / All' in the toolbar switches between only the items you added and the full built-in stock catalog (thousands of cameras, lenses, cages, FIZ motors, and so on).

Can I import my own equipment?

— Yes. CSV import from the library page, or paste a CSV in the project's Item Import dialog. The 'AI assist' block in the import dialog gives you a ready-made prompt that converts PDFs, rental quotes, or messy lists into the right CSV format.

How do I add a device from the library to a project?

— Open the device in the Device Library and click 'Add to Project' in its detail panel, then pick the project. Or work from the project: on the Gear List tab, type the device's name into a category's add row, or use 'Add multiple' to pick several devices at once. Quantity can be adjusted after — the default is 1.

Can I edit library items later?

— Yes. Edits apply to future uses. Items already added to existing projects keep the values they had when added (so old projects don't change underneath you).

How do favorites work?

— Click the star on any device card — or beside any device dropdown, or on a row in a device list — to favourite it. Pick the '★ Favorites' category in the library toolbar to see only your starred devices. Every device picker lists your favourites first, then your recently used devices, then the full list.

What if I have thousands of items?

— The library is built for large catalogs. Use the search box (Cmd/Ctrl + F while focused on the library) and categories to navigate quickly.

Can I share my library?

— Your library is included in the full backup file (Settings → Backup & Data → Download full backup). Send the file; the recipient imports it on their device.

What do the PDFs look like?

— Professional gear lists with a project header (dates, crew, location), categorised equipment with quantities and details, and provider breakdowns. They're built to be readable on screen and to print cleanly.

Can I customise the layout?

— You can pick which sections / categories / providers to include in the export dialog. The visual template of the gear-list PDF itself is fixed for consistency. Accounting documents are different: invoices, quotes, order confirmations, delivery notes and Mahnungen can get your own layout in Accounting → Layout designer.

Do PDFs include my company logo and signature?

— Yes, on issued documents (invoices, sub-rental quotes, delivery/return notes). They pull your logo, signature, IBAN, and Tax/VAT ID from Settings → Account → Signature & Branding and Settings → Account → Billing & Issuer Details. Fill those once and every issued PDF is self-contained.

Why is my PDF blank?

— The project has no items, or every item was excluded by the export filters. Open the project, confirm items exist, then redo the export.

Can I export a partial gear list?

— Yes. The export dialog lets you tick which categories or providers to include. Common use: a 'rental only' PDF for the rental house, a separate 'owned + crew' PDF for production.

Are PDFs printer-friendly?

— Yes. The layout, margins, and font sizes are designed for both digital reading and A4/US-Letter printing.

Can I export multiple projects at once?

— Not currently. Export each project individually, or use the Backup feature if you need a single archive of everything.

How do I sign a PDF?

— The PDF Tools page (sidebar → Additional Tools → PDF Tools) has a 'Sign PDF' tool that places a saved signature on an existing PDF. For issued documents, your signature is stamped automatically from Settings → Account → Signature & Branding.

Do I have to use Cloud Sync?

— No. The app is fully usable without it. Sync is opt-in and reversible. Since v0.223, sync also requires an explicit consent decision: right after your first sign-in, a one-time Cloud Sync consent dialog asks for it (the sign-up form has no sync checkbox). Choosing 'Sign out instead' uploads nothing and keeps your data on this device.

What gets synced?

— Projects, templates, contacts, and the device library — that is, everything in the app — once Cloud Sync is enabled and consent is granted. Contracts are an exception: they're per-user by design and don't sync to other collaborators.

How do I withdraw Cloud Sync consent (without deleting my account)?

— Settings → Security & Privacy → Privacy & Legal → Cloud Sync → 'Withdraw cloud sync consent'. Type WITHDRAW to confirm; optionally leave a reason. The server immediately purges every cloud-side row tied to your account — projects, devices, contacts, templates, attachments — while leaving your local IndexedDB copy intact and keeping you signed in. Sync simply stops. You can re-consent later from the same panel; re-consent uploads this device's local copy fresh. Important: the purge is immediate, so export a backup (Settings → Backup & Data → Download full backup) BEFORE withdrawing if you want a recoverable copy.

Where is the cloud copy stored?

— On our self-hosted Supabase instance in Nuremberg, Germany (Hetzner). It is not on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.

Is it encrypted?

— Yes in transit (TLS). The Postgres database lives on encrypted storage on our server.

What if I edit on two devices while both were offline?

— The Conflict Resolver dialog appears when the devices come back online and finds the same record changed on each side. You pick per field: 'Keep local', 'Use cloud', or 'Merge items' (for lists). Nothing is dropped silently.

Does Cloud Sync cost extra?

— No. It's included in the free tier — the only paid step is the Pro plan, which removes the project limit and adds Accounting and Data Management.

What happens if I stop using sync?

— Sign out and the local copy stays exactly as it is. Your cloud data is kept on the server until you delete the account; you can sign back in any time and resume sync.

Can I sync only some projects?

— No. Sync is currently all-or-nothing per account. If you want a project to stay offline-only, work in a separate browser profile or sign out before creating it.

How do I delete my account?

— Settings → Security & Privacy → Danger Zone → Delete Account. That removes everything from the cloud and revokes all device sessions. Local data on each device stays put — you'd remove that separately if you want to.

How do I see the shortcuts list?

— Press ? (just the question mark, no modifier) anywhere outside a text input — that jumps straight to the 'Keyboard Shortcuts' help article. Cmd/Ctrl + / opens the Help home page instead, from where you can navigate to any article. The full shortcut list with descriptions is in the 'Keyboard shortcuts' topic.

Do shortcuts work on macOS?

— Yes. Every shortcut listed as Ctrl+X also works as Cmd+X. The app accepts either modifier.

What's the single most useful shortcut?

— Cmd/Ctrl + K opens the Quick Switcher — a search box that jumps to any project, page, or recent item. The same surface is available via Cmd/Ctrl + P.

What about new project / save / search?

— Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + N creates a new project. Cmd/Ctrl + S forces an immediate save. Cmd/Ctrl + F focuses the in-project category search (or jumps to the global Search page if you're not in a project).

Can I customise shortcuts?

— Not at the moment. The current set is chosen to avoid clashes with common browser shortcuts.

Does a shortcut work with a screen reader?

— Yes — keyboard shortcuts are independent of mouse/visual focus and work with assistive technology.

Can I import from a spreadsheet?

— Yes — save the spreadsheet as CSV and import it. The required columns are Category, Name, Quantity, Details, Status. Category is optional in single-category mode.

What status values does the CSV expect?

— rental, owned_user, owned_contact, or crewmember. The legacy value 'owned' is still accepted and is mapped to owned_user.

Can I import from another gear-list app?

— If the other app exports CSV, yes. If it only exports PDF, use the 'AI assist' block in the import dialog — copy the prompt, paste it into ChatGPT or Gemini with your PDF, and import the resulting CSV.

Does import overwrite my existing data?

— No. Imports ADD to what's there. Nothing is deleted. Re-importing the same file twice creates duplicates, so if you're unsure, export a backup first.

What file types are supported?

— CSV (.csv) for equipment imports. JSON (.json) and gzipped JSON (.gz) for full backups.

Can I import photos through CSV?

— Not currently. Add photos to library items individually after importing.

My import fails — what now?

— Open the file in a text editor and confirm the header is comma-separated and matches the required column names. Try importing 5 rows first to isolate the bad section. UTF-8 encoding is safest for non-ASCII characters.

Short pointers; the full Troubleshooting topic has the detailed walkthrough.

App won't load

— Hard-refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R) to clear the browser's cached version, then try once in a private/incognito window to rule out extensions.

Changes aren't saving

— You may be in private/incognito mode (IndexedDB is blocked there in most browsers). Confirm the site has permission to store data, and check the local-save indicator under the sidebar profile button.

PDF export does nothing

— Check the address bar for a blocked-popup/download icon. Confirm the project actually has items. Try Preview before Download.

Search isn't finding something

— Try shorter or partial words, or a synonym. The Search page also looks in project notes and finds archived projects (ranked lower); projects in the Trash are left out. The search box on All Projects only matches a project's name or client, and archived projects are on their own page ('View Archived').

App is slow

— Close other tabs, archive old projects, clear the cache, and try without browser extensions. Very large device libraries (2000+) slow search slightly.

Sync isn't working

— Sign out, close the app, open it, and sign back in. That fixes most stuck-sync cases. See the Cloud Sync topic for deeper diagnostics.

PWA won't install

— Must be HTTPS, a modern browser, and not a corporate-managed device with PWA installs disabled. iOS only installs PWAs from Safari.

How do I completely reset the app?

— Settings → Backup & Data → Factory Reset (the last section). This deletes all local data on this browser. If you use Cloud Sync, the data still exists on the server and will come back when you sign in. Export a manual backup before resetting either way.

What's the difference between Free and Pro?

— Free covers gear lists, PDF export, Cloud Sync and collaboration for up to 2 active projects, 5 Power Calculator runs, 1 template, and time-tracking on up to 2 projects. Pro removes those four limits and unlocks Accounting, Data Management and the custom accent colour for PDFs. The free project limit is on active projects — archived and soft-deleted (Trash) projects count, hard-deleted ones don't.

How do I upgrade?

— Settings → Account → Subscription → 'Upgrade now'. You're redirected to Stripe Checkout. Card details are entered there, not in the app.

How do I manage or cancel my subscription?

— Settings → Account → Subscription → 'Manage subscription' opens the Stripe Customer Portal where you can change payment methods, view invoices, or cancel. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period — Pro features stay active until then.

Can I get a refund?

— Yes, within 14 days of the initial purchase. Cancel via the Stripe Customer Portal and then contact support to confirm the refund.

Is my payment information safe?

— Yes. Payments are processed entirely by Stripe. The app never sees or stores your card details.

What currencies are accepted?

— Stripe handles currency conversion automatically based on your region.

Do deleted projects free up a Free slot?

— Soft-deleted projects (sitting in Trash) still count — they're recoverable, so they keep their slot. To actually free a slot on the free plan, open the project in Trash and choose 'Delete permanently'. Hard-deletion cascades through every persistence layer (IndexedDB, OPFS, the cloud row, any pending sync outbox entries) and the project cannot be recovered afterwards. Export a backup first if you're not 100% sure.