Tag Archives: Camera control

Breeze Booth for iPad 3.4 Quick Guide

These notes are intended as a quick guide to the latest release for existing Booth (iPad+iPhone) users.

For more detailed explanations please see the online manual

What’s in this release?

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) 3.4

  • extends Photographer Mode introduced in v3.3
  • adds time limited photo booth sessions
  • adds a privacy option to encrypt guest email addresses and cell phone numbers.
  • adds actions to delete unwanted photos from the gallery
  • adds support for the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon EOS R8, Canon EOS R50 and Canon EOS R100
  • includes EXIF data when saving individual photos from external cameras
  • processed photos can be placed within a larger canvas

Photographer Mode/Tethered Shooting

Shoot tethered without waiting for photos to download. Switch between landscape and portrait on the fly. Two free Roaming events optimised for mirrorless and DSLR cameras.

Faster Shooting

Run tethered shooting as before. Chris has added a buffer so there is no need to wait for photos to download before taking the next shot.

Switching between landscape and portrait

Photos can be taken in either landscape or portrait orientation and a different print layout can be used for each. Simply rotate the camera to frame photos vertically  or horizontally – you don’t need to adjust the app settings.

To enable the automatic selection of the print layout you need to set the event up correctly in the Event Editor:

In the Event Editor

  • use one of the Roaming events below or create your own event with profiles for both landscape and portrait orientations
  • print layouts in the landscape profile should be in landscape orientation
  • print layouts in the portrait profile should be in portrait orientation
Download Roaming Events to the app using the QR code. Two events are downladed. Roaming ( Mirrorless) is designed for Canon’s mirrorless cameras. Roaming ( DSLR) is for Canon DSLR cameras. Live view is switched off, enabling the photographer to use the camera’s view finder.

To adapt these events to meet your requirements download this zip file to your PC and import the events into the Event Editor.

In the App

  • Connect your camera
  • Enable the orientation lock on the iPad/iPhone.
  • When photos are printed the app uses the orientation information stored in the EXIF shooting data to determine whether it was taken  in landscape or portrait.
  • Photos taken in landscape use the print layout from the landscape profile.
  • Photos taken in portrait use the print layout from the portrait profile.

Time limited sessions

Switch on Time Limited sessions and set start and end times in the App Settings.

Toggle Timed sessions on and off on the App settings screen. Select the start and end times and add a message for the Before opening screen if desired (Breeze Botoh for iPad 3.4)

Custom screen names: before_session.jpg, before_session.gif, before_session.mov/mp4, before_session.png; after_session.jpg, after_session.gif, after_session.mov/mp4, after_session.png

Hidden exit buttons

The Event Creator will automatically include before_session.jpg and after_session.jpg screens in the Screen folder. Both screens have a hidden exit in the top right corner of the screen.

When adapting existing Breeze Booth designs, add  before_session.jpg and after_session.jpg screens to the Screens folder and give these  exit actions. Exit actions are essential – without them you cannot exit the event outside booth opening hours. The exit action is called exitFromBeforeAfterSession.

Events running past midnight

End time can be before the start time for events running past midnight, eg  start time 21:00 and end time 01:00. (This only works when end time is before 8:00.)

Optional Booth opening message

Text including opening and closing times can be added to the before_session.jpg screen using the Msg field*

Messages can be made up of more than one line of text by adding \n to start a new line. The following tokens can be used:

{startTime} – this is replaced with the start time e.g. 19:00
{endTime} – this is replaced with the end time e.g. 22:30
{timeToStart} – this is replaced with the time until the photo booth opens e.g. 2:34:52

*before_session.jpg and after_session.jpg screens built by the Event Creator include text.  If you add your own message, you also need to replace  before_session.jpg and after_session.jpg in the Event Editor.

Touch screen actions

Remember to include a hidden exit touchscreen action so that you can exit the event outside opening hours.

You can also add actions to open early and add an extra 10 minutes.

These actions can all be password protected using the standard Exit Password.

Enhanced Privacy of personal data

For additional privacy select Encrypt email addresses and phone numbers for privacy. This will encrypt email addresses and phone numbers when they are stored in the XML email and text files and the journal files so that they can’t be read.

Encrypted addresses and phone numbers are decrypted when sending the email or text, but are always encrypted when saved to file.

There is no option to display the decrypted email address or phone number in the Breeze Booth for iPad app, Event Editor or Breeze Hub’s reporting tools.

Encrypting email address and cell phone numbers for enhanced privacy (Breeze Booth for iPad 3.4)

Removing  unwanted photos from the gallery

New touchscreen actions galleryDelete and galleryDeletePermanently allow unwanted or inappropriate images to be removed from the gallery sharing screen gallery_share.png. These options can be protected using a password if required. To do this set the exit password in the iPad’s App Settings screen.

  • galleryDelete does not delete any files, instead it marks the image as deleted
  • galleryDeletePermanently deletes the photo booth summary file and all associated photos, GIFs and MP4 files

© Breeze Systems 2023

 

Breeze Booth for iPad 3.4 released

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) 3.4 was released today.

This release updates the tethered shooting support introduced in the last release, and adds time limited photo booth sessions. A new privacy option encrypts guest email addresses and cell phone numbers. We have also added the ability to delete unwanted photos from the gallery.

Photographer Mode/Tethered shooting

Thank you for the enthusiastic feedback for tethered shooting, introduced earlier this year.

Upgrade to Booth 3.4 to shoot faster, switch freely between landscape and portrait, and save EXIF data with the photos.

Tether your camera to Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone)

Fast shooting rate

There’s no wait for photos to download before taking the next photo

Switch between landscape and portrait

Switch freely between shooting in landscape and portrait. Booth automatically applies appropriate overlay and background to landscape and portrait oriented prints. Learn more

EXIF Shooting Data

EXIF shooting data is  saved with individual photos when external cameras are used.

Timed Sessions

Limit the booth to timed sessions

  • Set start and end times for an event
  • Display custom Before Session and After Session screens or videos outside opening hours
  • Password protected Early Start
  • Password Protected Extra Time

Privacy Option

For additional privacy email addresses and phone numbers can be encrypted when they are stored so that they can’t be read.

Improved support for Processed Photos

Processed photos can now be placed within a larger canvas to allow space for borders etc.

Quick guides to the new features

Learn more about the new features here

What cameras can I use?

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) supports iPad and iPhone front and rear facing integral cameras. Alternatively choose from  a huge range of Canon camera models.

At the time of writing (June 2023) we believe the Canon EOS R100, R10, M50 Mk II and M50 are good choices. These are all compact models with Canon’s excellent dual pixel AF with face detect in live view.

Booth supports: Canon EOS R100, R50, R10, R8, R7, R6 Mark II, R6, R5, R3, RP, M50 Mk II, M50, M200, M6 Mark II. Most Canon DSLRs. Canon PowerShot SX70 HS, G5 X Mark II, G7 X Mark III.

Images courtesy of Steve Bliesner and Chris Breeze

Breeze Systems 2023

Breeze Photographer Mode – Shoot tethered with instant sharing

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone)’s new Photographer Mode for tethered shooting is proving a huge hit with event photographers.

To find out how to use the app to shoot tethered, see the new tutorial here.

Sue

© Breeze Systems 2023

Connecting Canon cameras to Booth (iPad+iPhone)

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) can shoot photos, GIFs and video with  external Canon cameras, as well as the front and rear cameras built into the device.

I have just published a new tutorial explaining how to connect your camera to the iPad/iPhone using a couple of cables and a USB hub with a charging port.

The charging port is needed to charge the device and connect to the camera at the same time.

Which cameras can I use?

All the Canon cameras commonly used in the photo booth industry. Choose from the huge range of Canon EOS R series, M series, DSLR and PowerShot cameras here: Full list

How easy is it to switch between the iPad camera and a external camera?

Very simple. You switch between internal and external camera in the Breeze Booth app.

Where’s this tutorial?

You can find the tutorial here

Sue

© Breeze Systems 2023

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) 3.2 adds direct USB connection to Canon cameras

Breeze are delighted to announce the release of  Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) 3.2 today, Wednesday 18th January.  We have also released upgrades to the Breeze companion apps: Event Editor 3.2, Hub 1.2.6.5 and Camera Controller 1.1.4.

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) 3.2 brings you direct USB connection between iPads /iPhones and Canon cameras.

This release also adds the ability to specify the age of photos deleted from the device using Auto Purge at 4am, fixes issues switching between built in cameras using the new iPad 10th Generation, and fixes an issue saving printer filters in Breeze Hub.

Why use  an external camera?

Running an iPad or iPhone booth with a separate Canon DSLR or Mirrorless camera gives you

  • appeal to discerning customers looking for quality
  • better image quality
  • ability to use flash instead of ambient lighting
  • less obtrusive lighting when the booth is not active

Breeze Booth shoots video, stills and GIFs using Canon cameras or cameras built into the device in both landscape and portrait.

Which cameras can I use?

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) supports a huge range of Canon cameras. Choose from most Canon DSLRs, R10, R7, R3, M50 Mk II, M50, M200, M6 Mark II. Booth also supports Canon’s PowerShot SX70 HS, G5 X Mark II & G7 X Mark III Full list

Hot tip: Chris‘s pick is the Canon EOS R10. He believes the face detect auto focus gives it great potential for photo booth use.

How easy is it to switch between the iPad camera and a external camera?

Very simple. You switch between internal and external camera in the Breeze Booth app.

  1. Connect your camera to the device running Booth
  2. Switch on the camera
  3. Start the Breeze Booth App, select Camera  from the Home page, and switch on External Camera.

More

Connecting the camera

Connect the camera to the iPad/iPhone with a USB connection. It’s best to have a charging port so you can charge the iPad/iPhone at the same time.

Devices with USB C connection

We recommend using a USB C hub with a USB C charging port so you can charge the device and connect to the camera simultaneously.

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) connected to Canon camera via USB C hub with USB Ccharging port

You can connect devices with USB C connectors directly to the camera, but won’t be able to charge the device at the same time.

Devices with lightning connector

For older devices with lightning connectors, you need a lightning to USB adaptor. We recommend the lightning to USB adaptor has a lightning charging port so you can charge the device and connect to the camera simultaneously.

Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) connected to Canon camera via lightning to USB adptor with lightning charging port

Do I still need the Breeze Booth camera controller to use a Canon camera with Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone)?

There’s no need to use the old Windows or Raspberry Pi Camera Controller to connect to an external camera.

Technical Stuff

Cameras Supported: Most Canon DSLRs, R10, R7, R3, M50 Mk II, M50, M200, M6 Mark II, PowerShot SX70 HS, G5 X Mark II & G7 X Mark III. iPad and iPhone front and rear facing integral cameras

Platforms Supported: iPads and iPhones running iPadOS 16, iPadOS 15, iOS 16 and iOS 15

Trial version/While logged out: There’s no need to use a subscription while you test Breeze for iPad or work on new events. Watermarks are added after the first 10 images each day.

Free upgrades: included with all subscriptions.

Download Breeze Booth for iPad 3.2 and try for yourself

© Breeze Systems January 2023

Solving camera connection problems

The first Breeze tutorial of 2021 has been written to help fix that most irritating issue – when the camera won’t connect to the app. Finding the cause can be difficult and frustrating.  Solving camera connection problems is here to help.

While this tutorial focuses on  Booth (Windows + DSLR)  aka DSLR Remote Pro, Breeze Multi-Camera and Flipbook users, most of the content also applies to other camera control apps.

Find Solving camera connection problems on the main Breeze website here

With very best wishes for 2021,

Sue & Chris

 

 

© Breeze Systems January 2021

Breeze Multi-Camera 2.1 released

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 video behind 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.

What next..

Learn more about Breeze Multi-Camera software and download a copy of the program to try for yourself.

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.

Download Breeze Multi-Camera 2.1           Buy your own license

© Breeze Systems 2018

Which camera is best for my photo booth?

We are often asked which camera is best for a photo booth. Canon cameras have very good live view quality, an important attribute for photo booths. The models below are not the only cameras you can use. Many older Canon DSLR cameras work very well. You can find a button linking to a list of the cameras you can use with Breeze DLSR Remote Pro here.

At the time of writing* (September 2021) we believe the ultimate photo booth cameras are ….. the mirrorless Canon  EOS M50 Mark II and EOS M50 . For photo booth use there is no practical difference bewtween the two.

The standard kit lens ( EF-M 15-45mm STM ) has a flexible 15-45 mm zoom. For a super slim booth, try the EF-M 22mm STM lens

Best: Canon EOS M50 Mark II and EOS M50

Update: February 2019 Canon have released firmware version 1.0.2 for the M50 which fixes the issues with triggering external flash. The new firmware can be downloaded fromCanon’s UK site 

A big thank you to Caroline Winata of Giggle and Riot Funbooth  for sharing this example of slow motion video (EOS M50 with DSLR Remote Pro 3.10)

  • 120FPS Slow motion video with no additional processing
  •  Similar performance to the Canon EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 including Canon’s excellent dual pixel auto focus in live view.
  • Suitable for video with external microphone socket.
  • Compact, slim and light; the M50 will fit in a smaller housing than Canon’s DSLR cameras.

July 2018 This post has been updated to include cameras supported in DSLR Remote Pro 3.11.2 ie the  Canon EOS 1500D (aka Canon EOS 2000D/Rebel T7/EOS Kiss X90) and Canon EOS 3000D (aka Canon EOS 4000D).

The photo below shows the different sizes of the EOS M50, EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 and new EOS 2000D/1500D/Rebel T7:

Photos of Canon EOS M50, 200D and 2000D with kit and pancake style lenses
[top to bottom] EOS M50 with EF-M 22mm STM lens, EOS M50 with standard kit lens EF-M 15-45mm STM , EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 with 24mm pancake lens, EOS 2000D/1500D/Rebel T7with 18-55mm kit lens

Disadvantages

  • Access for external power is underneath the camera instead of at the side.
Photo of Canon EOS M50 showing power cable attached to base of camera
The external power cord connection for the M50 is on the camera base
  • Update February 2019

Canon have released firmware version 1.0.2 for the M50 which fixes the issues with triggering external flash. The new firmware can be downloaded from the Canon UK site (There was a bug in the original firmware of the Canon EOS M50 which meant that triggering an external flash or studio strobe via the hotshoe could be unreliable. We reported this bug to Canon, who have fixed it.)

Good for video: 200D/Rebel SL2, 850D/Rebel T8i/Kiss X 10i

These cameras do everything the M50 can do except slow motion video. They are larger and heavier than the M50.

  • Excellent auto focus in live view
  • Suitable for video & have an external microphone socket

Budget: 1300D/T6

Good for still photos and boomerang and slideshow animated GIFs. Slightly higher resolution live view than 200D or 800D.

Disadvantages

  • No external microphone socket so not a good choice for video including sound.
  • Power zoom is not supported.
  • Old model becoming difficult to source new
  • Autofocus less reliable

Canon 2000D/1500D/Rebel T7

(Updated 25 February 2020)

The 2000D/T7 is an update of the popular Canon EOS 1300D/Rebel T6 with a higher resolution 24 mega pixel sensor. Unfortunately Canon initially removed the center contact on the hotshoe. This means early versions of this camera cannot trigger most external flashes or studio strobes so is not recommended for photo booth use.

Tuesday 25th February. Canon announced at Photo Booth Expo that the EOS Rebel T7/2000D camera has been  updated to add a center contact (X sync) on the hotshoe, making this a great budget choice for photo booth users. More details.

Canon EOS 4000D/3000D

Similar to the Canon EOS 1300D/Rebel T6 with the same 18 mega pixel sensor but cheaper build quality (plastic lens mount, fewer buttons, no remote release socket and no cable access for external power). This camera has no center contact on the hotshoe. This means the camera cannot trigger most external flashes or studio strobes so is not recommended for photo booth use.

Web cameras & iPad booths

This post does not cover booths powered by web cameras or the built-in cameras provided with iPads, laptops and tablets. Breeze Booth (iPad + iPhone) uses either the device’s built in camera or Canon EOS DSLR cameras, some mirrorless and PowerShot models. Breeze Webcam Photobooth software will run a booth with either a webcam or built in camera in a Windows 11, 10 or 8 PC or laptop.

*This post has been updated in November 2021.  As new cameras are introduced this post will inevitably become outdated.

© Breeze Systems 2021

Auto focus blues & how to cure them

Canon’s DSLR cameras can be set to auto focus (AF)  or manual focus (MF). The auto focus setting is very convenient for photo booth operators, but when the camera cannot find anything to focus on it will not take a photo.

This post was originally written for DLSR Remote Pro 3.7.3 and last updated to include more recent camera models  in October 2022

What can go wrong using auto focus?

You may notice a long pause before the camera takes  a photo. The focus motor whirrs and the camera lens moves as the camera tries to focus. Two different error messages may be displayed: ‘Unable to release shutter’ or ‘Unable to focus’.

Unable to release shutter

When setting up the booth the operator presses Release(F8)  or Preview (F9) to check camera operation. No photo is taken and this error message is displayed:

Error message for DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 displayed: Unable to release shutter. This may be because the AF was unable to lock
DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 ‘Unable to release shutter’ error message

Unable to focus

After the countdown there is a long pause before the camera takes  the first photo. The focus motor whirrs and the camera lens moves as the camera tries to focus. Eventually this message* is displayed:

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 error message 'Unable to focus! If you are standing close to the camera please try moving back a bit. The booth will retake the photo in ... seconds...
DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 ‘Unable to focus!’ error message *

*Hint (localization) You can translate this message into your local language using the PhotoboothAfErrorMsg message in the configuration files

Why does this happen?

Usually the camera cannot focus because

  • there is not enough light
  • the booth is empty and has a plain background
  • guests are too close to the camera
  • the lens cap has not been removed

Autofocus works best with good lighting and guests positioned at the right distance from the camera. It may be improved by changing from a plain background. The most reliable solution is to switch the camera to manual focus.

How to make sure the camera will fire: Set the camera to manual focus

Exception : cameras with dual pixel AF. If your camera has dual pixel AF please see the Camera Settings section of the program help files.

At present (October 2022) the Canon EOS  cameras with dual pixel AF we support are:

  • R Series : EOS R, RP, R5, R6, R7, R10
  • M series: M6 Mark II, M50 Mark II/EOS M50M2/Kiss M2, M50, M200
  • DSLR models: EOS 800D/Rebel T7i, 200D/Rebel SL2, 90D, 70D,  77D, 80D, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark IV and 6D Mark II.)

Simplest way to set the camera to manual focus

  1. Set the AF/MF switch on the camera lens to the MF (manual focus) position.
  2. Each time you set up the booth turn the focus ring on the camera lens until you see a sharp image on the PC live view display.
Photo of Canon REBEL T5 camera how how to switch between auto and manual focus
Canon REBEL T5 (1200D) showing AF/MF switch
Photo by Kārlis Dambrāns (edited to highlight AF MF switch)

Photo sourced from Flickr

Use the camera controls to set manual focus

Use the screen on the back of the camera to set the custom function “C.Fn IV: Operations/Others – Shutter/AE lock button” to “1:AE lock/AF” (refer to your camera manual if necessary).

Canon 200D camera display showing Customer Function IV
Customer function IV screen on Canon EOS 200D camera

This setting has the advantage that focus can still be adjusted remotely from the PC but auto focus won’t be used when taking a photo. The lens can be focused in fullscreen photobooth mode by typing Ctrl+A.

For more precise control of focus exit photobooth mode and type Ctrl+L to display the live view window. Then use the <<<, <<, <, >, >>, >> buttons or the mouse wheel to manually adjust the focus.

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