Chris and Steve are running two Breeze Master Classes at Photo Booth Expo this year – Introducing Breeze Booth for iPad, and Interface design for DSLR Remote Pro and Multi-Camera. Tickets are free to PBX Key Pass holders Update: 9 February: Both Masterclasses are now fully booked
Both will also give Keynote presentations at PBX. Steve will open on Sunday at 12 with What I’ve Learned From Doing 1000 Events A Year. Chris will cover Choosing the Right Camera for your Booth on Tuesday at 9am. You don’t need to book for Keynote presentations, which are open to all PBX Key Pass holders.
Masterclasses
Introducing Breeze Booth for iPad
Monday 25th February 11-12.30 Steve Bliesner & Chris Breeze
Get the low down on the latest Breeze App from Steve Bliesner (Breeze Brand Ambassador and Photo Booth Guys) and Chris Breeze (Breeze founder and developer).
Update: 9 February This course is now fully booked. To join a waiting list for returned tickets, email sales@breezesys.com using subject line PBX Breeze Booth for iPad Masterclass.
If you can no longer use your ticket, please email sales@breezesys.com so that I can give it to someone else. Thank you.
Interface Design for DSLR Remote Pro & Breeze Multi-Camera
Tuesday 11-12.30 Steve Bliesner & Chris Breeze
Get the most from these powerful DSLR based photo booth Apps with Chris and Steve. This master class will cover
Designing unique interfaces for Breeze booths and Multi-Cam
Making the most of the new Multi-Camera photo booth mode
Update: 9 February This course is now fully booked. To join a waiting list for returned tickets, email sales@breezesys.com using subject line PBX Breeze Booth Interface Design Masterclass.
If you can no longer use your ticket, please email sales@breezesys.com so that I can give it to someone else. Thank you.
PBX expect both classes to be booked out, and have asked that you choose the class you prefer.
As most of you know, Chris is founder and developer in chief at Breeze. Steve Bliesner is our Breeze Brand Ambassador as well as running the Photo Booth Guys and Wilkes Photobooth. Steve’s Breeze class at BoothCon 2019 was standing room only; we expect both the PBX classes to be packed.
This is the fifth Year of Photo Booth Expo, the world’s largest Photo Booth Show. It’s a great chance to catch up with you all as well as showing the latest Breeze offerings at our booth. See you soon.
Breeze Hub is a simple (but powerful) utility, that can manage the process of printing, emailing and the SMS* of images from other Breeze software products such as: Breeze Booth for iPad, Breeze Booth for Windows (DSLR Remote Pro) and Breeze Kiosk.
*SMS is designed for sending images via a microsite and does not currently send the actual image.
Breeze Hub, showing 2 iPads connected over a local network, and several emails that have been sent.
Where it started
Hub was initially developed as a print server app, to enable the printing of images from Breeze iPad based photo booths to professional dye sub printers. Additionally, it was designed as a way to easily sync images back to a Windows PC across a local network from your iPad.
Since then, the capabilities of Hub have expanded, and it can now also be used to email and SMS* images from Breeze Booth for Windows (DSLR Remote Pro), Breeze Kiosk and of course, Breeze Booth for iPad.
Breeze Booth for iPad
Breeze Booth for iPad + Breeze Hub
If you are using Breeze Booth for iPad and you want to print at your event, Hub is the fastest and best way to do so. Hub can run on a small, low powered Windows PC, that connects to your printer via USB. The iPad then connects to Hub over WIFI, and quickly sends the images to be printed. At the same time, Hub can also share your images via email and SMS.
Breeze Booth for Windows (Aka DSLR Remote Pro)
Breeze Booth for Windows running Breeze Hub
If you send emails from Breeze Booth for Windows (DSLR Remote Pro), Hub can run on the same PC, which then allows you to send emails in the background (no waiting for images to upload before next session starts) AND it allows you to attach all images, layouts and GIFs from each session as well as designing more attractive email templates, that can include the thumbnail images.
To get started, configure your emails in Breeze Booth as normal, ensuring that you have enabled XML logging. You can then configure your attachment settings to suit your needs (see GIF below).
Configure the email settings in Breeze Booth for Windows, ensuring that XML logging is enabled. Keep in mind, Breeze Booth requires SMTP settings to be entered, but these will be ignored, as the email will be sent from Breeze Hub instead.Configure Breeze Hub to enable emails, ensuring you have entered your SMTP details.
When designing your email template, if you are using thumbnails in the body of the email, you need to ensure that you are using the relevant tags to display the images:
{image1} – the thumbnail of the print layout or GIF/mp4
{image2} {image4} {image6} etc – the thumbnail of the first, second and third photos in the session
{image3}{image5}{image7} – the high-resolution image of the first, second and third photos in the session (though typically, you would not embed the high resolution images in the email body)
Send emails from Breeze Booth for Windows that attach all images and GIFs/mp4’s from the photo booth session
Where do you install it?
Breeze Hub can be run locally on a PC at your event (for example, on your photo booth/kiosk PC, or on the PC acting as your print server); OR it can be run on a PC in your office, where images from multiple Windows/iPad based Breeze photo booths and Kiosks, can be emailed or sent via SMS* from one central location – essentially creating your own mini cloud solution.
Thank you all for your business this year, and for being such an amazing bunch of people!
It has been great to meet lots of you in person at PBPI, PBX, Photokina and Photobooth Show Europe; and get to know many more of you through your emails and Facebook posts. Thank you all for your enthusiasm, encouragement, suggestions and comments along the way.
Our computers are switched off on Christmas Day, but we will be processing orders and providing limited support between Christmas and New Year. Please be patient if it takes a little longer than usual to receive upgrade licenses.
BreezeBrowser Pro 1.10 and Downloader Pro 2.5 introduce support for the new Canon CR3 raw file format and recent Canon cameras including the EOS R and M50.
BreezeBrowser Pro 1.10
BreezeBrowser Pro is a smart tool used by professional photographers to organize, cull and enhance photos.
What’s new?
Support for the CR3 raw files used by the mirrorless EOS R and M50 cameras.
Raw file conversion and shooting data display for Canon’s EOS R, M50, EOS 1500D/2000D/Rebel T7 and EOS 3000D/4000D cameras.
Both releases are a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license within the last 18 months. Users with older licenses will need to buy an upgrade license to use the latest versions of BreezeBrowser Pro and Downloader Pro.
Guests often want to share images to several email addresses. The default versions of both DSLR Remote Pro and Breeze Kiosk send emails to one address at a time. DSLR Remote Pro 3.12 and Breeze Kiosk 1.5introduce the ability to cc additional addresses when sending emails.
Sending images to multiple addresses from DSLR Remote Pro
Example 1: Adding a CC line to the email keyboard
We need to add a second prompt to the email keyboard. We do this by editing the default email_keyboard.xml file. I am going to walk you through this step by step. It doesn’t matter if you have never seen xml before.
First open the touchscreen editor, click on Test keyboard… and select Email keyboard.
Accessing the email keyboard in DSLR Remote Pro 3.12Email keyboard created by setup wizard in DSLR Remote Pro 3.12
Then left click the mouse while holding down both Shift and Ctrl keys. This lets you save the XML file and the keyboard images.
First delete the four keyboard image files from the PhotoBoothImages folder(otherwise we won’t see any any changes we make to the text prompts).
PhotoBoothImages folder showing email_keyboard.xml and keyboard images (DSLR Remote PRo 3.12)
Open the email_keyboard.xml file in a text editor such as Microsoft Notepad (which comes free with Windows 10)
Replace the highlighted text with this and save the changes:
<prompt1 email_address=”1″ mandatory=”1″>Please enter your email address:</prompt1>
<text1_x>38</text1_x>
<text1_y>170</text1_y>
<text1_r>1882</text1_r>
<prompt2 email_address=”1″>CC:</prompt2>
<text2_x>38</text2_x>
<text2_y>356</text2_y>
<text2_r>1882</text2_r>
Note: Here the second prompt will appear below the first prompt. This is achieved by using the same x coordinate, and different y coordinates. The CC email address is optional and so prompt2 does not need the ‘mandatory’ attribute.
xml changed to share to two email addresses
Two is not enough?
There is usually room on a booth or kiosk screen to add the second line above. You may find it more difficult to find space to enter three or more addresses. The screen size, orientation ( there is usually more empty space in portrait oriented mirror booths than landscape photo booths and kiosks) and the numberof characters allowed for email addresses all make a difference.
These examples in this post have been created for a screen 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels high. If your screen is different you may need to adjust the values you use. It is also possible (but more complicated) to change the size and position of the keyboard buttons on your screen. More details
Example 2 has space for 3 email addresses to be entered below each other. Example 3 includes 4 email addresses in 2 rows. Both are created by editing the email_keyboard.xml in the same way as before. Each time you edit the xml, use DSLR Remote Pro’s test keyboard to check whether your changes work as you expect.
Example 2: Adding two CC lines to the email keyboard
Here a third prompt has been added below the others. To fit this in above the keyboard, the y coordinates of all 3 fields have been adjusted and the size of the text reduced (DSLR Remote Pro 3.12)
Example 3: Four email addresses on the email keyboard
In this example a single email is sent to four different addresses:
For more detail and other ways you can customize the touch screen keyboards in DSLR Remote Pro see the help files
Sending images to multiple addresses from Breeze Kiosk
Use the same technique with Breeze Kiosk. Start with the default email_keyboard.xml file by (1) selecting Settings. (2) Check that sending emails is enabled, and (3) click on Test keyboard…
Accessing the email keyboard in Breeze Kiosk 1.5
Then left click the mouse while holding down both Shift and Ctrl keys. This lets you save the XML file and the keyboard images. Delete the keyboard images and edit the xml in the same way as for DSLR Remote Pro.
For more detail and other ways you can customize the Breeze Kiosk touch screen keyboards see the touchscreen keyboard section of the help files
Summary
This post has walked you through adding cc email addresses to your DSLR Remote Pro screens, and outlined how to make similar changes to Breeze Kiosk.
Each Breeze Kiosk license costs just US $150 for a lifetime license & one year’s free upgrades. For this great price you can run one kiosk and have a second backup/office copy of the program.
Breeze Kiosk 1.5 is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license on or after 28th November 2017. Customers with an older Breeze Kiosk license can buy an upgrade license for just US $75 to use this release.
Prices quoted are correct at 28th November 2018, and are valid for online sales from our website. They exclude any tax due.
How to get your hands on it
Download Breeze Kiosk and try it for yourself for up to 14 days before buying a license.
This release enhances Photo Booth Mode and adds support for Canon’s EOS R camera.
Breeze Multi-Camera 2.1 – what’s new
Support for Canon EOS R camera
Photo booth mode supports cameras in portrait as well as landscape orientation
Photo booth mode includes new screen ready_no_live_view.jpg . This disables live view, and allows external triggers to capture action shots with minimum delay
Animate Photo booth screens with full screen MP4 videobehind live view images
Multi-Camera Animator can save GIF and MP4 animations with a unique id making it easier to provide privacy when sharing images on a microsite
Product name shortened to “Multi-Camera”
New name – same product
Please note that DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera has been shortened to Multi-Camera in this release. It is the same software and registrations for DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera issued within the last twelve months still work.
Breeze Multi-Camera 2.1 is a free upgrade for all registered users of DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera who purchased a license on or after 29th November 2017. Customers with older licenses can buy an upgrade license to use this release.
If you are new to DSLR Remote Pro or Webcam Photobooth, first run the Photo booth Setup Wizard. This creates all the screens for a basic working system. It also creates print layouts with a plain white background. The video demonstrates
How to change the background color of your prints
How to add logos and other graphic icons to your prints (DSLR Remote Pro only)
How to add simple captions
how to use Breeze tokens to show the correct date on prints
How to use Breeze tokens to automatically add the event name to prints
How to import pre-designed layouts
How to add a QR code
Notes
The video is intended to give you a taste of the Print Layout Editor. See the program help files for more details
Find a great video introduction to using tokens with Breeze here
Importing pre-designed layouts into Breeze
Learn more about using layouts I used in the video here .These free templates were kindly provided by SMOVE for use by Breeze customers.
NB: Logos are not saved in the Photobooth Print Layout (pblt file) in this release. To use both predesigned layout and logos, you need to import the layout before adding the logos to your design.
Try for yourself
Download copies of DSLR Remote Pro, Hotfolder Prints and Webcam Photobooth from our website
Breeze Booth Event Editor runs on a Windows 10, 8 or 7 computer. Download it from here.
You will also automatically download the designs for nine sample events we provide for Breeze Booth for iPad. When you install the event editor, these files will automatically be saved in your Documents folder as shown here
C:\Users\sue\Documents\Breeze Booth for iPad\events
The Breeze Booth Event Editor installer will create this folder of sample events. C:\Users\sue\Documents\Breeze Booth for iPad\events
The first event is called Designer and showcases many of the features included with Breeze Booth for iPad. You are welcome to use this design (or parts of it) with Breeze Booth for iPad at your own events.
The remaining 8 events are much simpler. They are intended to help you create your own designs.
This post will show you how to copy one of these simple events (Photos with virtual props) and edit it for your own use.
Photos with virtual props takes one photo and shares it on a custom background. Guests choose between 3 virtual props. They can also choose whether to shoot in color, B&W, sepia, comic effect or using a filter. The photo can be shared by email .
Copy the asset folders from Photos with virtual props
Start by copying the Photos with virtual props folder to a new folder called My virtual props event
Creating a new assets folder for a new event
Run Breeze Booth Event Editor
Start the Event Editor, and select Open.
Open the Breeze Booth Event Editor
Load the list of existing events by selecting events.xml
Select events.xml to load the list of events into Breeze Booth Event Editor
Initial list of sample events displayed in BBEE
Initial sample events folder (Breeze Booth Event Editor) Note: this list of events was created from the events.xml file we opened
Create a new event ‘My virtual props event‘
Select New event to create your new event..
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1) Give the new event a name
2) Add a description
3) Select the landscape version of ‘My virtual props event‘, by
4) finding the correct folder, opening it and
5) selecting settings.xml
6, 7, 8, ) Repeat for the portrait version of My virtual props event
9) Save your new event
Portrait, landscape or both?
Breeze Booth for iPad lets guests switch between portrait and landscape orientation on the fly (great for roaming booths like the Ring Roamer). My virtual props event can be used in both portrait and landscape orientation, so has designs for both.
If you will always run an event in the same orientation, you don’t need to create both designs.
Editing an event
Select an event and choose Edit event..
We will just edit the portrait version of My virtual props event(10) today. Click on the portrait Edit button:
Editing the portrait version of My virtual props event
This brings us to the Photo Booth Settings screen, where you can start to customize your design
Tabs on Photo Booth Settings screen (Breeze Both for iPad build 20)
The original Photos with virtual props takes one photo and shares it on a colored background with a custom logo. Guests choose between 3 virtual props. They can also choose whether to shoot in color, B&W, sepia, comic effect or using a filter. The photo can be shared by email .
We are going to change My virtual props event to
take 2 square photos
remove the branded background print layout
add a new background color, 2 logos* and a caption to the print layout
create a slideshow GIF from the 2 photos
customize the wording of the email
share the slideshow GIF instead of the print layout
*You can add up to 5 different png or jpg logos to each print layout in addition to the background and overlay. This is a simple way of branding a design for a particular event, and can also be used as a quick way to add an image of the bride and groom (taken earlier in the day) to wedding photo booths.
Photo Booth Settings Screen
The Photo Booth Settings Screen is displayed for the profile you selected. It has 5 tabs : General, Photos, Slideshow GIFs, Burst GIFs, and Share. You can access powerful editors to design your screens, prints and GIFs from these settings.
Photo Booth Settings – General tab
11) Change the aspect ratio of the photos to square
Changing the photo aspect ratio to square (Breeze booth Event Editor)
You can find a full list of Breeze Booth for iPad screens here
Photo Booth Settings – Photos tab
12) Change the number of photos to 2
13) Change the countdown text color to black
14) Open the Print Layout Editor
Changing the number of photos, color of countdown text and opening the Print Layout editor in Breeze Booth Event Editor
Print Layout Editor
Use the Print layout editor to customize your prints. In the slideshow below I will:
15) Remove the branded background
16) Add a new background color to the print
17) Change the printed photo to a square
18) Right click on the background to add the second photo
19) Resize and reposition the two photos
20) Add the two logos
21) Right click on the background to add a caption, then right click again to edit it
22) Save my changes
Note: You can add up to 5 different JPG or PNG logos to a print
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Photo Booth Settings – Slideshow GIFs tab
Check Create animated GIF,... to create an animated GIF from the two photos
Creating a slideshow GIF from the photos
Photo Booth Settings – Share tab
23) Check Share slideshow first to share the GIF instead of a print layout
24) Open the slideshow email editor to customize the message
Telling Breeze Booth for iPad to share the slideshow GIF
Breeze Booth Event Editor email editor for slideshow GIFs
Change the subject and email text. You can use Breeze tokens (25) in emails
Before you leave the event editor….
When you have finished editing the event, check OK to save all your changes. You will need to update the list of events (events.xml), the manifest for My virtual props event (manifest.xml) , and the settings file for the event (settings.xml)
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Add an extra countdown GIF and sharing screen to the asset folder
The new event includes has two photos instead of one so we need a second countdown GIF 2.gif . We also need a screen called share_slideshow.jpg to share the new slideshow GIF.
I have copied the existing 1.gif and share.jpg screens to 2.gif and share_slideshow.jpg in C:\Users\sue\Documents\Breeze Booth for iPad\events\My virtual props event\portrait
C:\Users\sue\Documents\Breeze Booth for iPad\events\My virtual props event\portrait showing 2.gif and share_slideshow.jpg
When you make any changes to this folder you must also go back to the Breeze Booth Event Editor and regenerate the manifests
Regenerating the manifests in Breeze Booth Event Editor
Copying events from a PC to your iPads
There are currently 3 ways to copy events from your PC to an iPad:
Method 1: Sync via Dropbox
Install the official DropBox app on your iPad (this can be downloaded from the Apple App Store).
Select Sign in to Dropbox in Breeze Booth for iPad’s app settings and authorize the app. This will create a “Breeze Booth for iPad” folder in your DropBox “Apps” folder.
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Now on your PCcopy the whole Breeze Booth for iPad folder
fromC:\Users\yourname\Documents\Breeze Booth for iPad
Copying the whole Breeze Booth for iPad folder
toC:\Users\yourname\Dropbox\Apps
Dropbox folder structure for events
Note: When you sync the events using Dropbox on your iPad, the program will look for this folder. You must name it correctly, or the App will not find your events.
As there are several ways to sync events, you need to tell your iPad which to choose. In Breeze Booth for iPad go to Settings and select the Sync via Dropbox.
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Method 2: Sync via a secure https web server
Upload the events folder to a folder on a web server, then go the to the settings screen in Breeze Booth for Ipad and edit the URL for the sync server to point to this folder. Then use the events screen in Breeze Booth for iPad to sync the events. Important: This method can only be used with secure servers that have https e.g. https://breezesys.com. It will not work with http URLs.
Sample events are available by setting the sync server to https://bb4ipad.com/sync in the iPad’s app settings.
Method 3: Copy the files via iCloud
Copy the event folder to a folder on iCloud that is visible on the iPad. Then use the Files app to copy the files to Breeze Booth for iPad’s assets folder.
Update Breeze Booth for iPad to use the new event
Before you can run a new event on an iPad, Breeze Booth for iPad needs to update it’s list of events. Once My virtual props event has been added to this list, sync the event to download the new assets and xml files
Using AirPrint to print directly from Breeze Booth for iPad
25) To print directly from the iPad connect up your printer ( which must support AirPrint) and choose Print using Airprint on the Breeze Booth for iPad Settings screen
26) To print using a Windows PC you need Breeze Hub. Choose Connect to Breeze Hub on the Breeze Booth or iPad Settings screen
Summary
This has been quite a marathon post. I have outlined the new features in Breeze Booth Event Editor, how to download and install this program on your PC, how to create your own event based on one of the samples provided by Breeze, and how to download the new event to use on your iPads.
If you found this post useful please share it with others.
Have you tried Breeze transparent greenscreen? It’s a great way to make your GIFs stand out.
This tutorial assumes you can already shoot simple green screen photo booth images with DSLR Remote Pro, and explains how to add animated backgrounds and overlays to a slideshow GIF.
Usually when you shoot in greenscreen, each photo is saved with a single green screen background. Transparent greenscreen removes the background from an image and stores it as a png with a transparent background. This lets you add a variety of backgrounds later.
Selecting transparent greenscreen processing in Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.11.4
The original photo is shot against a greenscreen background
DLSR Remote Pro removes the green background and saves the photo on a transparent background
Breeze lets you combine these images into a slideshow GIF which has an animated background.
Add the GIF backgrounds
To make a slideshow GIF with an animated background, you need to add a series of GIF backgrounds to your PhotoBoothImages folder.
My GIF has 3 photos. Each of these photos will have 3 different background images.
9 GIF backgrounds in the PhotoBoothImages folder (Breeze DLSR Remote Pro 3.11.4)
The background images are named GIF_background_1.jpg through to GIF_background_9.jpg
Add the GIF overlays
My GIFs will have 9 overlays called GIF_overlay_1.png through to GIF_overlay_9.png
9 GIF overlays in the PhotoBoothImages folder (Breeze DLSR Remote Pro 3.11.4)
Add the on-screen background
To keep things simple I am using 1 still background image for the on screen preview. This is called greenscreen_background.jpg as usual.
Greenscreen background image in the PhotoBoothImages folder (Breeze DLSR Remote Pro 3.11.4)
There are 3 backgrounds and overlays for each photo
Each photo will be shown for one second
The GIF will be displayed for at least 3 seconds
Printing transparent greenscreen images
The photos are saved with transparent backgrounds, so you can print them against a white background, or on a single background image. The images can be a different color from the background.
