Happy New Year! This first post for 2018 explains how to use profiles to create a touchscreen menu of print layouts.

Breeze photo booth profiles are powerful building blocks you can use to customize your booths to offer guests choices such as print layouts and green screen backgrounds; or add an element of surprise such as random comments in a magic mirror booth.

This blog post has been written for DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1.

Download DSLR Remote Pro

What you need to do

• Run the photo booth setup wizard for each option you want to offer; saving the settings for each option
• Run the photo booth setup wizard for the main menu
• Create a profile for the menu and each option
• Replace the initial ready.jpg screen with a menu screen; adding ‘touchscreen actions’ linking to the option screens
• Add a ‘back’ button and touchscreen action to each option screen so that guests can go back to the menu
• Start the photo booth and check everything works correctly

Run the photobooth setup wizard for a 1+3 photo layout

Start DSLR Remote Pro and run the Photobooth Setup Wizard.

• At Step 1 choose ‘1 large photo with 3 smaller ones below’
• At Step 2 name the folder your images will be stored 1+3
• At Step 3 make any other changes you need before selecting Finish

To customise the print or load predesigned layouts choose Print Layout. As you leave this screen you will be prompted to Save print settings to the default profile. Choose No.

Select the large ‘Advanced Settings’ button then, Save.

You will be asked whether to save the printer settings as well as the photo booth settings:

Take care to save the settings in the correct folder; here …\PhotoboothImages\1+3\settings.xml . You are updating the settings saved by the Photobooth Wizard; so choose Yes when asked whether to replace settings.xml :

Press OK to leave the Photobooth settings screen. Before moving on select Start Photobooth and check this layout works as you expect.

Run the photobooth setup wizard for a single photo layout

Now repeat the process for the second option on your menu, the single photo. Run the Photobooth Setup Wizard again.

• At Step 1 choose ‘Single Photo’
• At Step 2 name the folder your images will be stored single
• At Step 3 make any other changes you need before selecting Finish

Customise the print using the Print Layout Editor and make any other changes you need.

Select the large ‘Advanced Settings’ button then Save. Take care to save the settings in the correct folder; here …\PhotoboothImages\single\settings.xml

When you have saved your settings Press OK to leave the Photobooth settings screen. Before moving on select Start Photobooth and check this layout works as you expect.

Tip: During this process you need to keep saving your updated settings. Take care to check you are saving them in the correct folder each time.

Run the photo booth setup wizard to create the menu

• At Step 1 choose ‘Single Photo’ or any other option
• At Step 2 name the folder Menu

Remove the live view from your menu screen

1. Select the large ‘Advanced Settings’ button and remove the live view by unchecking Enable live view.

2. Select Save and update …\PhotoboothImages\Menu\settings.xml

Create profiles for the menu and each option

Next create three profiles: one each for the menu, 1+3 print layout, and single print layout. The menu profile needs to be loaded each time the photo booth is started; and after each guest session finishes:

3. Stay in the Photobooth Settings screen and select the Profiles… button. This takes you to the Photobooth Profiles screen.

4. Set Profile 1 to C:\Users\sue\Documents\PhotoboothImages\menu\settings.xml

5. Set Profile 2 to C:\Users\sue\Documents\PhotoboothImages\1+3\ settings.xml

6. Set Profile 3 to C:\Users\sue\Documents\PhotoboothImages\single\settings.xml

7. Set Default profile loaded at startup and after each shooting sequence to Profile 1. This will display your menu each time the photo booth is started; and after each guest session finishes.

8. Click on OK to leave the profiles screen

9. If you want to be able to use this set of profiles again; save them using the Save Profiles button. I have called the profiles xml file demoprofiles.xml and saved this in my menu folder : …\PhotoboothImages\menu\demoprofiles.xml

Create a new menu screen

Use an image editor to create a new jpg image containing icons for the 2 print layouts. This should be the same size as the screens generated by the wizard. Replace the original ready.jpg screen in PhotoboothImages\Menu with this image.

Link the menu screen to each menu option using profiles

If necessary start DSLR Remote Pro and select Advanced Settings to Load your menu (…\PhotoboothImages\menu\settings.xml).

Start the booth to check that your new menu screen is displayed; then <Esc> to return to the main DSLR Remote Pro screen.

10. Select Advanced Settings; and select the Settings button for the touchscreen

Tip: Touchscreen actions. The Touchscreen settings screen allows you to choose what action the program takes when a guest touches different parts of the screen. These are called touchscreen actions.

11. Select Show/edit touchscreen areas to display a copy of the screen layout showing the ‘Touchscreen actions’ currently enabled. Each action and the part of the screen affected is shown like this

First remove the actions you no longer need

Remove each action you no longer need from the screen (here Photo Start, Photo Select Color mode, Photo Select B&W mode) by right clicking on the action and choosing Delete Action..

Then add the new actions

Move the mouse over your 1+3 icon and right click; then choose Add Action.

Choose Profile 2 from the drop-down list.

Click on OK. Move and resize the red dotted action box to cover your icon.

Repeat for your single photo icon; choosing Profile 3.

Optional: Add a hidden button to the main menu to exit Full screen photobooth mode

Adding a hidden action

You may also wish to add a secret or hidden button to exit the full screen photo booth.

Position the mouse roughly where you want the hidden button (usually a corner of the screen so the operator can find it easily). Right click, choose Add action and then Exit Fullscreen photobooth from the drop down list. Resize and position the red dotted action box as before.

Right click the mouse on an unused part of the screen and choose Exit from the list. You will be prompted to save your edited settings – select Yes to return to the touchscreen settings screen.

Add a password to stop guests using the hidden button. Save the changes you have made by choosing OK on the touchscreen  Settings Screen:

When you leave this screen you will return to the Photobooth Settings screen.  Press Save and save the changes you have made to  …\PhotoboothImages\Menu\settings.xml as before.

You now have a menu offering a choice of print layouts. The final stage is to add a mechanism for guests to return to the menu from each option screen. You need to add an exit button to each option.

Add an exit button to each option so that guests can return to the main menu

Tip: if you are using the predesigned sets of buttons (such as those provided with DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 and later releases) you may want to use one of these as your back button. They are usually kept in sub-directories at C:>Program Files(x86)>Breezesys>DSLR Remote Pro>wizard as shown here

Use an image editor to edit the ready.jpg image containing icons for the 2 print layouts. These should be the same size as the screens generated by the wizard.

Add a back button to the 1+3 ready.jpg screen

Use an image editor to edit the …\PhotoboothImages\1+3 \ready.jpg image. The final image should be the same size as the screens generated by the wizard. Replace the original ready.jpg screen in …\PhotoboothImages\1+3 with this image.

Start DSLR Remote Pro, choose Advanced Settings and select Load. To load the settings for your 1+3 layout; select  …\PhotoboothImages\1+3\settings.xml

Stay on the Photobooth Settings screen, select the Touchscreen Settings button and then Show/Edit touchscreen areas to display the Touchscreen Actions for the 1+3 ready screen:

Move the mouse to your new back icon and right click to add an action for this icon. Select Add Action as before, then Select Profile 1 from the drop down list. (Profile 1 is the menu profile we set up earlier.)

Exit and save your updated settings to …\PhotoboothImages\1+3\settings.xml. Click OK to leave the touchscreen settings screen and return to Photobooth Settings.  Press Save and update …\PhotoboothImages\1+3\settings.xml before hitting OK to return to the main screen.

Add a back button to the single photo ready.jpg screen

Repeat the steps above for the second print layout. To load the settings for your single print layout; select  …\PhotoboothImages\single\settings.xml and save them to the same directory and file when you finish.

Start the photo booth and check everything works correctly

Check that the booth operates as you expect for both options, returning to the main menu ready for the next guests.

Find yourself a drink and take a well earned break

Congratulations – you have learnt how to use one of the most important features of DSLR Remote Pro. You can use the same method to create other menus (and sub menus if you wish).

Want to know more?

Note: This section was updated on February 17th and July 11th 2018.

Learn more about using profiles in the DSLR Remote Pro help files

Learn more about customising touchscreens in the DSLR Remote Pro help files

Learn how to combine Breeze tokens with profiles

DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license on or after 12th December 2016.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license on or after 15th February 2017

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Copyright Breeze Systems 2018