The post Photo Booth Cables, Connectors and Hubs oh my! appeared first on Darkroom Software.

In this video Wally Carnes, Darkroom Software operations manager, demonstrates cables, connectors and USB hubs for event and photo booth printers, DSLR cameras, computers and tablets. He explains the different types of USB and video cables available and why it is important to always have back up cables and connectors. Have a question or funny cable story from an event or activation? Please comment below.

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post Troubleshooting Tips for Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

This PDF contains some of the most often troubleshooting tips for Darkroom Booth photo booth software shared by the Darkroom support team.

Click here to download Darkroom Booth Troubleshooting Tips

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post How to create Boomerang-style Animated GIFs with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Creating a Boomerang-style animated gif with Darkroom Booth is easy and doesn’t require any special templates or add on software. Simply create a regular GIF and add a template for each photo in order such that they play forward and then in reverse. That way the GIF plays forward and then backward. For example 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Here is a Darkroom Booth Template that you can download if you would like to try it out. (Thank you to our friends at SnapDen for the template!)

Download Boomerang-style Darkroom Booth Template files (.zip)

Load the 4 templates (xbdr files) and order them like this

Try playing with the time between photos to get a faster/different effect.

Have fun and if you have any questions please contact us sales@darkroomsoftware.com

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post Create a Mirror Photo Booth with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Many Darkroom Booth users have asked if Booth photo booth software can be used for a Mirror booth and the answer is yes and it isn’t hard at all. As you will see, the hardest part is coming up with the graphic elements. Here is a demonstration of video graphics created for use with Darkroom Booth by our friends at Atlanta Photo Booth.

How to set up mirror booth graphics in Darkroom Booth Software

1.       You will need videos. Depending on how many photos you want to take and what comments you will need between 10 to 14 in most cases if you are doing 3 to 4 photos. For best results they should have a black background so the images appears to “float” in the mirror. These can be created in several ways such as with Adobe After Effects but you can also find video artist that can create these for you.

2.       Create a screen template that is also black and has a single text box with %text% with the text color black. This will let only the videos show with no other text on screen.

3.       Set all of the basic timing in the TIming tab to 1 sec. You can adjust this to more if you want more blank screen time between videos but this is a starting point that works well in most cases. (see screen shot 1 below)

4.       Turn off Live view in the Live view tab. The mirror will be your live view. You will need a 2 way mirror with the monitor and camera behind that and all of it enclosed so it is dark inside. This will give the appearance of the videos coming from inside the mirror. You can get really fancy and use an expensive “touch sensitive” mirror so the user can touch the screen to start or just a basic 2 way mirror and use a separate arcade button or Booth Control to start the session.

5.       Now add your videos in the Device control section. (See screen shot 2 below.)

1.       The Attract Mode video. This is set to looping and will give some info while the booth is not in use.

2.       If you are using a touch sensitive mirror add a Booth Command here for “Start Session” this will allow the single touch on the screen to end the Attract video and start the session

3.       Start session and End instruction video go here. Theses can be to tell them how many photo will be taken and that the session is over and the photos are printing.

4.       Add videos here that will let them know the next photo is coming like “get ready for photo 1”, etc..

5.       Here you can add videos that can say something about the photo just taken like “Great Job!”, etc..

6.       Finally, you can add a countdown video here. Just add one and it will play prior to each photo. You could also use a traditional countdown in the screen template as well.

That’s it, with a little imagination you can customize the videos by theme. For example, you could have a  vampire in the videos for Halloween or a princess for a little girls birthday party. Imagine a corporate event where  the CEO appears in the mirror saying “You can do better than that on the next photo.” Happy boothing!

Screen Shot 1

Screen Shot 2

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea- Think Outside the Strip. appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Did you know…

You can change the size of your print by clicking the “Print Photo” drop-down menu button. Offering other print sizes sets you apart from your competition. This is also a great way to up-sell and customize those extra special events. The best part is many of your printers already handle these larger sizes like 4×6, 5×7 and 6×8.

Don’t forget to update the template to match the size. Depending on your printer you may also need to update some printer settings in Global Settings > Printer Options.

Don’t stop at 4×6!
Your software can help you produce 4×12, 8×10, keychains, mugs, and so so much more. Here is a free template to help the gears start turning.

I would like to encourage everyone to show off how they “think outside the strip”.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/691666584194045/

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – 6 Reasons why I use manual focus for my booth. appeared first on Darkroom Software.

1. The subjects are all standing in the same place.
   Because the subjects should all be standing in generally the same place and the camera does not move there should be no need to refocus. Using F11 should achieve a few feet of good focus. The further the point of focus is from the camera the longer the range of focus or “Depth of Field” becomes.
2. It handles large groups better than auto focus.
   If people pile in to the booth it will stay focused on a middle point rather than focus on the front row.
3. Lenses have a minimum focusing distance.
   There is always some dude that wants to stick his face too close. If the lens cannot focus because the subject is too close, then I will not take the picture. I would rather he be out of focus and the image still capture.
4. Auto focus can delay the image capture.
   When Darkroom sends a command to take a photo the camera will pause to focus. In lower light the focusing process can be a little slower. Most of the time the difference is less than a second, but that could also mean the difference in a smile or a blink.
5. The camera will still fire even in low light.
   Auto focus relies on light and contrast to achieve focus. If there is not enough light, then lens will not focus and the camera will not fire.
6. The camera will not accidentally focus on the background instead of the subject.
   This one speaks for itself.

If you are getting a “Retaking” message most of the the time this issue an issue with your camera trying to auto focus. If you want snappy consistent results from your camera try using manual focus!

Happy shooting!
– Eugene Wise

The post A Wise Idea – 6 Reasons why I use manual focus for my booth. appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post Things to Keep in Mind When You Need Tech Support appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Sooner or later you may find yourself in need of tech support and if you do here are a few tips to make that process go smoother.

First, go to the source. No one knows your software better than the people who made it. Facebook is great if you have a question on how to do something or locate a setting. But if you have a real problem and need real help, email us at support@darkroomsoftare.com. I know Darkroom is closed on weekends but we have a soft spot for those in need so we keep an eye on email. If you can wait until Monday say so, but if your gig starts in an hour, let us know.

Second, know your gear; what versions of software and windows you are running, and the camera and printer you use. All of these are important so know the answers before you contact us. Be sure to answer any additional questions we have; if we ask 3 questions in an email, please answer all 3 not just the first one. All of those details are important.

Next, have basic spare gear. By now you should know how I feel about back up gear, but at a minimum you must have a few extra cables. A bad USB cable can cause a lot of issues, only costs a few bucks, and could keep you from having to refund hundreds. You can get them on Amazon.com for around $5.00.

Another thing, if you have multiple booths run by attendants, train them well and give them our support email (support@darkroomsoftware.com). Valuable time is lost while they contact the owner and the owner contacts us and we have to get info about the problem third hand. It is best if we deal with the person onsite.

Last, be honest with us. If you deleted a bunch of files from outside Booth and then had issues, tell us. If you just downloaded that cute hello kitty graphic off the web, added it to a template, and then crashed, we need to know. We are gonna figure it out eventually so you might as well tell us up front and save a lot of time. We won’t judge you and we aren’t your momma so we can’t send you to your room, but details like these can help us resolve your situation faster. The more details the better.

No one wants to keep you up and running more than we do, so know we are here to help.

Happy Boothing!

– Wally

The post Things to Keep in Mind When You Need Tech Support appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – Get the most out of PBX appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Are you looking to up your game at Photo Booth Expo? Wally Carnes and Bill Vahrenkamp are teaching some advanced premium classes with limited seating. This is a very special opportunity to learn from two masters of the game! Find out more below and get your seat before they are gone. Sitting on laps will not be permitted

Wally Carnes

• Darkroom Booth Software Green Screen Essentials
• Darkroom Booth Training from A-Z

Bill Vahrenkamp Cr. Photog.

• Advanced Photography: Understanding the advanced features of your cameras and how to use them to make the most of your photos.
• Lighting Techniques for your Booth and Beyond – Secrets from a 30-year Professional

The post A Wise Idea – Get the most out of PBX appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post Slow Motion with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Booth makes it easy for you to add slow motion videos to your customer’s booth experience. For best results, we recommend videos to be shot at least 60 frames per second with adequate lighting. Our examples in the video were produced using a Canon T6i SLR camera and a GoPro Hero 4 combined with 3 LED lighting panels.

Here are the slow motion settings used in our demo in Darkroom Booth:

Canon T6i

1. Exposure and white balance settings will need to be set for your lighting.  For these demos we used ISO 800 and Program mode along with Auto white balance.
2. Playback speed is set to 10x slower. The video frame rate is a setting in the camera menu and is set to 60 fps at 1920×1080

GoPro Hero 4

1. For these demos we used the GoPro Hero 4 set to 720P at 120 fps. The playback is also set to 10X slower as well
2. The camera lens is set to medium.

View slo-mo samples included in video

The post Slow Motion with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea- Screen Templates Across Multiple Displays appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Boothers,

Here is an example of how to span your screen template across multiple displays, a brand new option in Booth 3.0. In this case I used 2 horizontal 1080×1920 monitors stacked. This would also work the same way if you wanted to have your live-view on 50”TV and your buttons on a smaller touchscreen. The configuration possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Here is a free template so you can test for yourself.
http://darkroomsoftware.com/tnt/downloads/Metal_Span2.xbdr

*Important*
This template has new features designed for Booth 3.0 We advise Booth 2 users to update to Booth 3.0 before they install this template.

Happy shooting!
– Eugene Wise

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post Burstslide Animated GIF with Darkroom Booth 3 appeared first on Darkroom Software.

The burst mode in Darkroom Booth 3 captures a short video to produce a Boomerang style video which can also be output as an animated GIF. Combine Burst mode with a camera slider to take the effect even further (see more samples below).

There are many different types of “camera sliders” available in the marketplace. We are using the PROAIM Curve-n-Line 36″ camera slider mounted on a fairly heavy duty Bogen tripod. The slider has a standard camera mount. The camera is a Canon T6i tethered to a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 running Darkroom Booth version 3. The Surface tablet is mounted to the tripod with a Tether Tools AeroTab Universal Tablet System. We used two 900 LED banks for lighting these samples. (The small light in the first video below is a Rotolight Stealth RL48-B Professional HD LED Ringlight.)

To set up Booth software, follow the instructions in Booth Manual for Burst mode setup. NOTE: we reduced the recording time to 4 seconds from 10 to better work with the camera slide motion.

We hope you and your customers enjoy this feature. Please share your samples in the comment section below.

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea- Thank You! appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Boothers,

We are very excited about all of the positive response with the release of Booth 3.0. We know you love the new burst mode GIF and we just wanted to say “Thanks for the Love!” Here are a few free graphics to help spruce up your screen templates.

The post A Wise Idea- Thank You! appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – Save prints as Album Pages appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Boothers,

Did you know you can output your prints to beautiful album pages. This is a great add-on for those doing weddings. Here is a free template to try for yourself. For those using Darkroom Core Edition, check out the steps to auto print the pages below.

How to auto print album pages with Darkroom Core Edition

If you follow the instructions below Darkroom Core will auto-print after every four sessions so the guests have an 8×8 album page printed almost immediately to add comments and well wishes.

1. Use save output that goes to a second PC running Darkroom Core.
2. Use the hot folder camera to auto import.
3. Add an auto print 8×8 with this template.

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post Creating 180° and 360° VR Panoramic Templates with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

With Darkroom Booth version 3 it is possible to post VR 180 and 360 images to Facebook. Checkout some samples of VR 360 images posted to Facebook from Darkroom Booth. These images are really cool when viewed on a smartphone but will work in a browser too.

Now, here are some guidelines for creating your own 180° and 360° templates.

360° Templates

• The dimensions for a 360° background are 6000 x 3000 and the file type should be PNG. The PNG must be a 2:1 ratio and needs to be warped to spherical coordinates (see image below).
• It is best practice to place the photo node in the middle of the picture; the closer you get to the edge of the photo the more warped an object will become.
• You can use any camera as this template utilizes a standard photo node.
• You CAN NOT print a 360° photo. It is strictly for social media only. You can however take that photo and crop it down to create a printable template at your desired size.
• 360° photos are only meant to be viewed within Facebook since it is special programming through the Facebook App.

360° Background Sample Image

180° Templates

• The dimension for 180° are anything equal to or greater than 5000 x 2300.
• Photo nodes can be placed anywhere throughout the picture as a Panoramic does not need to be warped.
• You can use any camera as it is just a regular photo node.
• You can print a Panoramic photo but the template size needs to be different than the social media upload template. For example: you would have a template that is 5000 x 2300 for uploading to FaceBook, and, for example, to print a 6×14 you would create a new print template that is 4200 x 1800. Some Booth users have created some really cool pano prints using the built in drivers for the FujiFilm DX100.

180° Sample Background Image

During the photo booth session:

This is where you can get creative with what you offer your customer. You can create a print template of any size to give to your customers while also offering a fun and impactful social media 180°/360° experience. The key to doing this is keeping your photo node the correct aspect ratio from template to template.

Download the free template from the Darkroom Template Store and give it a try!

The post Creating 180° and 360° VR Panoramic Templates with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – Adding a Hot Folder Camera to Darkroom Core Edition appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Photogs,

Would you like to use a unsupported camera or unsupported transfer method? Did you know you can use the Hot Folder Camera to automatically import images dropped into a folder. I sometimes use a Canon Camera with built-in WiFi so I utilize the EOS Utility to transfer the image but this concept works the same way for CamRanger, Eyefi or other camera manufactures. All you have to do is get the utility(3rd party software) to transfer it to a folder on your PC and Darkroom takes it from there. Below are a couple screenshots to guide you through the setup.

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Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – Fuji DX-100 Packages appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Photogs,

Did you just get a new Fuji DX-100? To help save you some time on package setup, I have 3 pre-built package groups along with the supporting templates made specifically for the DX-100.

Copy the two folders from this zip file to your x-drive. Download

The post A Wise Idea – Fuji DX-100 Packages appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – Updating the Green Screen Selection Template in Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Boothers,

Here are a few quick videos with step by step instructions to help you update and customize you green screen selection templates. The last video is a bonus video that will show you how to update the background graphic when you are using multiple backgrounds in a single session.

Updating Graphics Lists pt1

Updating Graphics Lists pt2

Updating Graphics Lists pt3 – Adding Overlays

Updating Graphics Lists Bonus – Green Screen Changer

The post A Wise Idea – Updating the Green Screen Selection Template in Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – How to Change the Print Size for Windows Printers in Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Photo Booth Friends,

For those of you using directly supported printers, this is not an issue because Darkroom will change the print size/cut options automatically. For the rest of us here is a helpful reminder of how to change the print size for a few common printers. Click the link below to see how to change this option for your printer.

Changing Paper Size – Sinfonia

Changing Paper Size – Hiti

Changing Paper Size – Mitsubishi

The post A Wise Idea – How to Change the Print Size for Windows Printers in Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post A Wise Idea – Using Masks with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Photo Booth Friends,

Masks are an incredibly versatile design tool that is somewhat complicated to understand. Until now. The term comes masking is a lot more familiar when it is in reference to painting. Yep, I am talking about masking tape. You tape molding and windows to protect certain parts of a wall from being painted. We are using masks the exact same way by hiding parts of an image, graphic or effect for design ascetics. Here are couple videos to show how masks can be used in Darkroom and a bonus video for you Photoshop users.

Here are a couple sample files to help you get started. Download Sample Files

Video 1. Using Masks with photo objects

Video 1. Using Masks with Effects

Video 1. Using Masks with Photoshop

The post A Wise Idea – Using Masks with Darkroom Booth appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business

The post Using Quick Print in Darkroom Core appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Howdy Photogs,

Here is a quick video utilizing the quick print option to save a few clicks and seconds each time you print.

Here is a screenshot to help you locate this option.

The post Using Quick Print in Darkroom Core appeared first on Darkroom Software.

Darkroom Software - Solutions for the Professional Photographer and the Photo Booth Business