Moving from Studio Ninja: export, then switch
Export your clients, leads, jobs and payment history from Studio Ninja before you cancel, then set up the jobs you have on now in Tellisto.
3 things to set up · about 38 minutes all up
Skip to the setup ↓Still deciding? Read how Tellisto compares to Studio Ninja first. This page is the how-to for once you have.
The safe order for moving across, in 36 seconds.
What this does
Studio Ninja exports your clients as a CSV, your leads and jobs as a ZIP (with their invoices, quotes, contracts and questionnaires), and your payment history as a spreadsheet. Email templates and workflows don’t export, so you copy those out by hand.
The guide works in this order: get everything out of Studio Ninja, set up your current work in Tellisto, then cancel. You don’t need to move your whole history into Tellisto on day one. Your exported files are the archive, and Tellisto starts with the jobs you have on now.
Set it up
These steps describe Studio Ninja as it was in September 2026. Please check their current help pages before you cancel, downgrade or delete anything.
Step 1 of 3 · 20 min
Get everything out of Studio Ninja
Your clients, leads, jobs and payment history saved to your own computer, before anything happens to your Studio Ninja account.
- Export your clients first. In Studio Ninja, open the Clients tab and click Export Clients. A CSV downloads straight away with names, contact details, addresses, and your client notes.
- Now the big one. Open the Leads/Jobs tab and click Export Leads/Jobs. This bundles every lead and job with its invoices, quotes, contracts, and questionnaires into a ZIP. It can take up to an hour to prepare; Studio Ninja emails you a Download your data here link when it's ready. Click it and keep the ZIP. If you click export again within 15 minutes of that email, Studio Ninja shows an error, so give it a moment.
- Export your payment history for your accountant. Open the Payments tab, click Export payments, choose All Payments and All time, tick Select All on the columns, and export as CSV.
- Copy out any email templates you want to keep. Studio Ninja has no export for templates or workflows, so open each one you actually use and paste the text into a document. Most photographers only ever use a handful; don't copy the ones you never send.
- Don't cancel yet. Studio Ninja doesn't publish what happens to your data after you cancel, so treat the moment you cancel as the moment access ends. Check the ZIP arrived and opens before you touch your subscription.
Step 2 of 3 · 15 min
Set up your active work in Tellisto
Your current clients, open leads and upcoming shoots set up in Tellisto and ready to use.
- Import the contacts file you just exported. In Tellisto, open Clients → Import, choose Studio Ninja as the source, check the columns line up, look over the preview and confirm. Names, emails and phone numbers come across in one go. Only contacts are imported, so bookings and invoices stay in your export files. Import contacts
- Then add your open leads: anyone you've quoted or are still talking to. Put the gist of the conversation in the enquiry detail so the thread isn't lost. Add a lead
- Create your upcoming shoots as bookings. Pick the client you just added, set the date and location, and the deposit and total if there's money attached. Tellisto carries the client's details across, so there's no re-typing. Add a booking
- Now check it. Open your Clients list and look for everyone you're working with this month, each with an email or phone number. From today, that list is the one you work from. Open your Clients list
Step 3 of 3 · 3 min
Keep the archive, then cancel
Your full history saved in your own storage, and your Studio Ninja subscription cancelled.
- Put the clients CSV, the Leads/Jobs ZIP, and the payments CSV somewhere safe: your backup drive, Google Drive, Dropbox. You'll rarely open them, but the day you need a 2023 contract, you'll have it.
- Cancel Studio Ninja from Settings → Account & Subscription. You already have everything out, so the timing doesn't matter.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers
How long does the Studio Ninja export take?
Your clients and payments download straight away. The leads and jobs ZIP can take up to an hour, depending on how many you have. Studio Ninja emails you a download link when it's ready. Wait at least 15 minutes after that email before exporting again, or you'll see an error.
Can I keep using Studio Ninja while I set up Tellisto?
Yes, and it's the safest way to switch. Set up your new work in Tellisto while Studio Ninja stays open, and finish your current jobs where they started. The free plan has no time limit, so there's no clock running while you overlap.
Does Tellisto import my Studio Ninja jobs and invoices?
No, only your contacts. Tellisto reads Studio Ninja's client export as it comes, including its single name column, so names arrive whole. Jobs, invoices, quotes and contracts stay in your ZIP as the record. You add the jobs you have on now as bookings, which takes a few minutes each.
Will importing email my clients?
No. Importing never emails anyone. Clients come in as clients and leads come in as quiet leads, and nothing is sent to either. You decide when a client first hears from Tellisto, usually the next time you send them something.
What happens to a client who is part-way through paying in Studio Ninja?
Leave it in Studio Ninja until it's paid. The client keeps paying through the link they already have, and you mark the job done there. Start new jobs in Tellisto. That way nobody gets a second invoice for the same shoot.
Will my clients' signed contracts still count?
Changing software doesn't undo an agreement your client signed. What matters is keeping a copy. Studio Ninja includes contracts in the leads and jobs ZIP, so check it opened before you cancel. For new bookings, you send the contract from Tellisto and your client signs it online.
What replaces my Studio Ninja workflows?
You set them up again in Tellisto, and there's less to build. A new enquiry gets an instant reply in your studio's name, on by default. Under Automations you can switch on a booking confirmation, a drafted pre-shoot check-in and after-shoot note, and reminders for unpaid invoices.
What if a step here doesn't match what I see?
Email me at hello@tellisto.co with what you're seeing. Maybe a column doesn't line up in the import, or Studio Ninja has moved a menu since this guide was written. Either way, I'll help you sort it and fix the guide.