All posts by Sue Breeze

Free print templates for DSLR Remote Pro and Webcam Photobooth

A big thank you to Tomasz Klusczyk of SMOVE, who has generously shared a set of print layouts for Breeze owners to use with DSLR Remote Pro, Hotfolder and Webcam Photobooth.

Download SMOVE 6”x4” (15cm x 10cm) print templates

Download SMOVE 6”x8” (15cm x 20cm) print templates

Note: Webcam Photobooth users need to select the “DSLR template compatibility” option at Step 3 of the Photobooth Setup Wizard to use these templates:

Selecting DSLR template compatiblity mode Webcam Photobooth 2.4
Selecting DSLR template compatiblity mode using the Setup Wizard in Webcam Photobooth 2.4 S

Find out more

Download DSLR Remote Pro, Hotfolder and Webcam Photobooth

SMOVE logo

SMOVE is a Polish photo booth vendor who design and sell photo booths powered by DSLR Remote Pro thoughout Europe.

Copyright Breeze Systems Ltd 2018. Breeze Systems is not responsible for the content of external sites

DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 released: ‘I’ve fallen in love with Breeze again’

DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 – can you resist?

I’ve fallen in love with Breeze again

PBPI delegates last month enthused about a pre-release version of the program. One even exclaimed “I’ve fallen in love with Breeze again”. I am delighted to announce the release of DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 on Valentine’s Day.

What’s new?

  • Improvements to the Photobooth Setup Wizard
  • Animated GIFs with soundtrack
  • Extra branding/ logo overlay for animated GIFs
  • Faster, higher quality green screen processing
  • Fix for issue with complex HTML emails

DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 supports most Canon DSLR cameras and runs on Windows 10, 8 and 7. This release is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license on or after 15th February 2017. Customers with an older DSLR Remote Pro license (and any NKRemote license holder) can buy an upgrade license to use this release.

Download and try DSLR Remote Pro 3.9

Buy full licenseBuy upgrade license

Easier setup – improvements to Photobooth Setup Wizard for everyone

We recommend everyone from Breeze Newbies to Ninjas uses the Photobooth Setup Wizard as a start point for setting up a booth. This is a simple, speedy and safe way to generate a working system which you can customize to your heart’s content (or spend the time you saved doing something even nicer).

Smiling boy eating a piece of choclate cake
Photobooth Setup Wizard – a piece of cake with Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.9

Chris has improved the flow of the Wizard, making it a piece of cake to build a system offering guests choices (such as Photos or GIF), and run the booth with square or full screen live view as an alternative to normal landscape images.

New dropdown list to give guests choices (Photos/Boomerang GIF, Photos only, Boomerang GIFs only, Photo or video, Video only)

DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 Photobooth Setup Wizard Step 2 drop down list
This drop down list is a super-fast way to set up the booth to offer guests choice (DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 Photobooth Setup Wizard Step 2)

New dropdown list to adjust live view

Shows drop down list for live view (DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 Photobooth Setup Wizard Step 2)
Live view drop down list – choose from normal, square and full screen (DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 Photobooth Setup Wizard Step 2)

Use the setup wizard to customize the live view. Changing the live view in the Wizard will automatically adjust the animated GIFs and prints created by DSLR Remote Pro 3.9.

New improved ready screen to choose from Photos or Animated GIFs

Check box for single ready screen (DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 Photobooth Setup Wizard Step 2)

Choose Photos or Boomerang GIFs and check Single ready screen so that guests start the booth and choose between still photos and boomerang GIFs from a single screen as here:

DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 ready screen generated by Photobooth Setup Wizard DSLR Remote Pro 3.9
Ready screen generated by Photobooth Setup Wizard: choice of still photos or animated GIF, and full screen live view (DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 using simulated camera)

Shoot and share without printing

Running a ‘shoot and share’ booth with animated GIFs and no printing is increasingly popular. The DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 Wizard no longer asks you to select a printer when you  offer only Boomerang GIFs or Video.

New animated GIFs with audio

You can now add an optional soundtrack to the MP4 copy of your animated GIFs. Learn more

Enhanced animated GIF branding with additional overlay

New: add a second overlay to animated GIFs with branding & logo. The additional overlay is an easy way to brand animated GIFs you have created yourself or sourced from third parties. Learn more

Greenscreen processing – higher quality and faster

Print higher quality green screened images more quickly.  DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 green screen algorithms have been rewritten to be both faster and produce higher quality results. Greenscreen photobooth

DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 – Try it today!

Copyright Breeze Systems Ltd 2018. Breeze Systems is not responsible for the content of external sites.

 

7 Steps to Simple Booth Operation

How to make life easier for your booth attendants, and protect the  settings you don’t want changed in 7 simple steps.

  1. Start the booth as soon as DSLR Remote Pro is started
  2. Hide the camera controls on the main screen
  3. Hide or reveal the large Photobooth Shortcut buttons
  4. Choose which Photobooth Shortcut buttons are shown on the main screen
  5. Change the wording of the Photobooth shortcut buttons
  6. Password protect or lockdown the Advanced Settings and Photobooth Setup Wizard
  7. Create your own shortcut buttons to run specific profiles

This post has been written for DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1.

Start the booth when DSLR Remote Pro is started and the camera connected

To start the Photobooth running as soon as DSLR Remote Pro is started and the camera connected and switched on, select Advanced Settings then check the box Start full screen photobooth automatically ….

Advanced settings screen showing how to start the booth automatically DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
Starting the photobooth when the camera is connected DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

Hide the camera controls on the main screen

DSLR Remote Pro allows you to control the camera from your PC. You can find these settings on the left of the main screen (highlighted in green below).

Shows DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 main screen with camera settings highlighted
DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 main screen with camera settings highlighted

To hide these settings select View then uncheck Show Camera Controls:

How to hide the camera controls in DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
To hide the camera controls at the left of the screen select View then uncheck Show Camera Controls (DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1)

The main screen will no longer show the camera settings:

Shows main screen of DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 with camera controls hidden
Main screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 with camera controls hidden

Hide or reveal the large Photobooth Shortcut buttons

The large buttons at the top of the main screen (highlighted in green below) are called Photobooth Shortcut buttons. They are quick ways to control your booth.

Showing Photobooth Shortcut buttons DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 main screen
Default Photobooth Shortcut buttons DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

To hide or reveal these buttons select View then check or uncheck Photobooth Shortcuts

Shows how to hide or reveal Photobooth Shortcut buttons DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
To hide or show the Photobooth Shortcut buttons at the top of the screen select View then (un)check Photobooth Shortcuts (DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1)
Shows DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 main screen with Photobooth Shortcut buttons and camera controls hidden
Main screen with both Photobooth Shortcut buttons and camera controls hidden DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

Choose which Photobooth Shortcut buttons are shown on the main screen

If necessary show the Photobooth Shortcut buttons as above.

Select View then Photobooth Shortcuts Settings to see the Photobooth Shortcut Setp Screen

Shows the Photobooth Shortcut Setting window DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
Photobooth Shortcut Setting window DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

The standard buttons are highlighted in green above. Check or uncheck any of these buttons to change the Shortcut buttons on the main screen. In this example the operator will only see buttons to start the booth and access the Print Layout Editor (which lets them make changes to the Print Layout)

Shows DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 main screen with 2 Photobooth Shortcut buttons
Photobooth Shortcut buttons limited to 2 choices DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

You can display any combination of the following standard Shortcut buttons in DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

  • Printer Setup
  • Edit QR code
  • Photobooth Setup Wizard
  • Print Layout
  • Advanced Settings
  • Event Info
  • Videobooth Settings
  • Reprint Photobooth Photo
  • Start Photobooth
  • Take Test Photo
  • Camera Settings

The default set of five buttons are shown in red in this list.

Change the wording of the Photobooth Shortcut buttons (great for localization)

Select View then Photobooth Shortcuts Settings to see the Photobooth Shortcut Setp Screen.

Shows the DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 Photobooth Shortcut Buttons scree
Photobooth Shortcut Buttons screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1. Shows where to change the text and size of buttons.

1. Edit the text of any button; here Start Photobooth has been changed to Go!

2. You can also change the size of the buttons

3. Press OK to save the new settings before leaving this screen.

DLSR Remote Pro 3.8.1 main screen with customized Shortcut Buttons.
Main screen with customized Shortcut Buttons. Start Photobooth has been changed to Go! DLSR Remote Pro 3.8.1

Password protect or lockdown the settings

You can prevent unauthorized access to the Advanced Settings and Photobooth Setup Wizard using Lockdown.

Select view then Lockdown mode..

Shows how to access Lockdown mode in DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
Setting Lockdown mode in DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

Enter a password and press OK to save it.

Entering password to protect Lockdown mode DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
Lockdown mode is protected with a password

Lockdown prevents unauthorised access to the Advanced Settings and Photobooth Setup Wizard. Operators will still be able to alter the print layout if necessary during an event.

Note: The lockdown password can be reset if necessary. Contact support@breezesys.com for details.

Create your own Shortcut buttons to run specific profiles

Profiles are a powerful tool in Breeze software; they are often used to offer guests choices. You can also use profiles to give the operator a menu of common ways to set the booth up, which are tailored to your business model. Profile 1 might be a basic booth with simple prints; Profile 2 a choice of prints or animated GIFs, Profile 3 prints and GIFs with social sharing. See this post for an introduction to profiles

This section explains how to link profiles you have already created to Shortcut buttons. It does not explain how to create profiles.

Select View then Photobooth Shortcuts Settings to return to the Photobooth Shortcut Setup Screen

Shows DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 Photobooth Shortcut Buttons Setup screen showing profiles with profiles highlighted
Photobooth Shortcut Buttons Setup screen showing profiles. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

Check the buttons for each profile you want to use (1), and customise the text for each button (2).

When you have finished, press OK (3) to return to the main screen.

The new buttons for each profile are shown highlighted in green.

Download DSLR Remote Pro to try for yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you found it helpful; please share the post with others.

Copyright Breeze Systems Ltd 2018.

 

Learn more about Breeze at PBPI 2018

PBPI starts this Sunday! Our bags are (almost) packed; Chris and I can’t wait for this amazing opportunity to learn more about the industry, and spend time with as many of you as possible.

Here’s a sneak preview of the breakout sessions Chris will be running at PBPI this year.

Monday 3:30pm – Breeze Systems Photo Booth Software

The first session will focus getting the most from DSLR Remote Pro; including

  • Letting the Setup Wizard do the hard work
  • Branding your screens
  • Using Profiles to offer choices
  • Boomerang GIFs – basics, branding, animated overlays
  • Photoshop Droplets
  • What’s new?

Tuesday 3:30pm – Camera Arrays

Chris has a unparalled worldwide reputation in multi-camera arrays. DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera has been used in block buster movies, the video games industry and high profile activations for more than 10 years.  Learn from the man himself:

  • What you can do with a camera array
  • Five, fifteen or ninety five cameras?
  • Choosing equipment and triggering the cameras
  • Time it right – syncing with flash
  • How to create animated GIFs and MP4 movies from your images

Wednesday 2:45pm – Open Session

On the final afternoon Chris will run an Open Session covering topics raised by delegates at PBPI. Likely subjects include

  • Panoramic photo booth photos
  • Green screen
  • Sharing for camera arrays
  • Hashtag Monitoring
  • Worked examples
  • Automation and startup scripts

Find us at the Breeze table in Tech Alley & around the Academy.

The content of sessions may vary to meet the needs of those attending.

PS Just heard from Lisa that there is still time to join in – Enroll here!

Sue

Copyright Breeze Systems 2018

Getting started with Breeze profiles: how to offer a choice of print layouts

Update December 2020: Thi s post has been replaced by a series of 3 tutorials about profiles on the main website.

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:

Showing saving photo booth settings from Photobooth Settings screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
Saving photo booth settings (1) DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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 :

Saving photo booth settings (2). Overwriting the settings saved by the Photobooth Setup Wizard DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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

Removing live view from menu and saving the settings: Photobooth Settings Screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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.

Defining profiles for the menu and each option: DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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.

Photobooth ready.jpg screen: menu offers choice of print layouts. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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

Touchscreen Settings Screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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

Touchscreen Actions for menu screen before changes DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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..

Shows how to delete touchscreen actions DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1
Deleting the Photo Start Touchscreen action from the new menu screen. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

Then add the new actions

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

Right click to add a new touchscreen action to the screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

Choose Profile 2 from the drop-down list.

Selecting the required action from the drop down list. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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

Resizing the touchscreen action box to cover the icon. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

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.

Adding a touchscreen action for a hidden button

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.

Saving the new tocuhscreen actions for the menu screen. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1.

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

Adding a password to the hidden option to exit the photo booth. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1.

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

Tradewind Blue button set used in this example ( kindly provided by Wilkes Photobooth Co http://wilkesbooth.co/breeze-themes). Included with DLSR Remote Pro 3.8.

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.

Updated ready.jpg for 1+3 print layout includes a back button. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1. (This screen was created using an image editor outside DSLR Remote Pro.)

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.)

Adding a touchscreen action to go back to the main menu using Profile 1. DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1.

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

If you found this post useful please share it with others.

Copyright Breeze Systems 2018

PBPI Academy 2018: 21st to 24th January

PBPI starts one month today in Dallas. Have you booked your place yet?

The Academy focuses on business and technical education for Photo Booth Industry professionals.  It is also a lot of fun!

Chris will give presentations on both photo booth shooting and multi-camera rigs; there will be plenty of opportunities to learn more about Breeze software and to talk in more detail than is practical at a trade show.

PBPI Academy 2018 flyer

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Chris and Sue

Book your place

Free animated overlay for Boomerang GIFs

This post explains how to add animated overlays and titles to boomerang (aka ‘burst’) GIFs using DSLR Remote Pro 3.12.

How to create slideshow GIFS with animated overlays.

Setup your booth to create boomerang GIFs

1.Run the setup wizard to create simple boomerang GIFs. You can find details in the the  video for the 3.12 Setup Wizard

Customise the boomerang GIF

2. Next click on File (A) then Videobooth Settings (B) to show the Videobooth Settings screen.

3. Check that the boxes for Create Animated GIF and Use camera’s photo mode are both checked, then select the Animated GIF Settings buttom (C) to see the Animated GIF Settings (video booth) screen

Video Booth Settings screen choosing settings for boomerang animated GIF DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

3. The settings below  create a ‘boomerang’ animated GIF from the whole photo (landscape orientation) without any border. This GIF will be 600 wide x 400 pixels high. When you have chosen the settings you need click OK (here and  the other pop up windows until you return to the main screen).

Add the animated overlay

4. You need the same number of overlay images as frames in the boomerang GIF. In this example the animated GIF has 29 frames (separate images) created from 15 original images*. You need 29 overlay images; called video_stills_overlay_1.png, video_stills_overlay_2.png …. video_stills_overlay_29.png .

*If you don’t use a title, there are 28 frames so you only need 28 overlays.

You can download the snowflake overlays hereCopy all 29 images into the  folder you are using for the photobooth screens.

Shows folder containing DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 boomerang GIF overlay images
DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 boomerang GIF: 29 overlay images placed in folder used for screens

Give your boomerang GIF a title

Note: Boomerang GIFs need one extra overlay if they have a title.

For a single title create a title image named video_stills_title.jpg and insert this into the same PhotoBoothImages folder.

For an animated title replace video_stills_title.jpg with several images called video_stills_title_1.jpg, video_stills_title_2.jpg, video_stills_title_3.jpg etc

You can adjust the length of time the title is displayed (D) and whether it is shown at the start or end of the animation (E) in the Animated GIF Settings (videobooth mode) screen

Adjusting the title for a boomerang (burst) animated GIF DSLR Remote Pro 3.8
Adjusting the title for a boomerang (burst) animated GIF DSLR Remote Pro 3.8

Run the photobooth and boomerang GIFs created by guests will have animated overlays.

Download DSLR Remote Pro and try this yourself.

This example uses DSLR Remote Pro’s simulated camera; a handy feature which lets you try out features and set up designs without connecting a real camera to the computer. The GIF has an animated overlay of falling snow and a title. It has been captured in black & white.

Boomerang GIF with animated overlay and title Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

The falling snow effect here uses 29 images to create the animation. The snow flakes are in a different position on each  image.

You are welcome to use these snowflake overlays in your own booth with DSLR Remote Pro. If you found this post useful please share it with others.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.12 is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license on or after 26th November 2017.

Copyright Breeze Systems 2018

DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera 1.9.5, DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1, Breeze Kiosk 1.4.3 & BreezeBrowser Pro 1.9.8.11 released

 

DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera 1.9.5 released

This release adds support for the Canon EOS 6D Mark II and includes a number of enhancements to the Multi-Camera Animator:

  1. Save the current calibration settings with each set of downloaded photos. This makes it much easier to regenerate GIF or MP4 files after an event using the calibration settings that were used when the photos were taken.
  2. Integrate multi-camera array shooting into a workflow e.g. post processing photos using Adobe After Effects or copying files to a viewing or sharing station. An optional command can be run on the calibration settings file that is saved after each set of photos has been processed.
  3. Shoot in portrait orientation. The auto alignment tool now supports cameras in portrait or landscape orientation.
  4. Raw+JPEG support for the Multi-Camera Animator. JPEG images are used to create animated GIFs/MP4s. The raw files can be used for high quality post-processing after an event.

This release is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera after 11th December 2016. Customers with older licenses need to buy an upgrade license to use this release.

Download DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera 1.9.5

DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1 released

This maintenance release fixes a problem with using droplets in photo booth mode that affected v3.8. The HideWindowsTaskbar utility, which helps to hide Photoshop windows when running droplets, has been updated to work with the latest version of Photoshop.

This release is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased DSLR Remote Pro after 11th December 2016. Customers with older licenses need to buy an upgrade license to use this release.

Download DSLR Remote Pro 3.8.1

New in DSLR Remote Pro 3.8

Breeze Kiosk 1.4.3 released

This release includes the following enhancements:

  • New controls for the size of the image cache held in memory to allow more images to be loaded on computers with limited RAM
  • New ability to share event info via the Windows registry
  • Fixed a problem with a blank frame being displayed initially for GIFs when running a slideshow

This release is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased Breeze Kiosk after 11th December 2016. Customers with older licenses need to buy an upgrade license to use this release.

Download Breeze Kiosk 1.4.3

BreezeBrowser Pro 1.9.8.11 released

This release includes the following enhancements:

  • Added support for Canon EOS 6D Mark II raw conversion, shooting data and focus point overlay display
  • Performance enhancements reading shooting data from some Canon DSLR models
  • Fixed a problem displaying focus points from some Canon cameras that affected v1.9.8.10
  • Fixed a problem printing photos that caused v1.9.8.10 to crash

This release is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased BreezeBrowser Pro after 11th June, 2016. Customers with older licenses need to buy an upgrade license to use this release.

Download BreezeBrowser Pro 1.9.8.11

Copyright Breeze Systems 2017

Slideshow GIFs from photo booth strips: DSLR Remote Pro

Slideshow and Boomerang animated GIFs

You can make two kinds of animated GIFs using DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 and Webcam Photobooth 2.4 : slideshow and boomerang. Slideshow GIFs contain still photos taken during normal photobooth operation. You can set up your booth to print the strips (or other layout) and share the same photos in an animated GIF – which looks much more interesting than viewing a strip on a phone.

Boomerang aka Burst GIFs are captured with a short video clip. Both types of GIF can be shared via MMS/SMS, emailed and uploaded to social media.

How to create slideshow GIFs

This blog post explains how to create  slideshow GIFs with animated overlays using the Photo Booth Setup Wizard in DSLR Remote Pro 3.8. Photos are printed in the usual way; guests can share the same images as an animated GIF. You can customize your GIFs using the advanced settings.

Start DSLR Remote Pro and run the Photobooth Setup Wizard. This example uses a strip of 4 photos. Choose whether to share via Twitter, MMS/SMS or email at Step 3. (Leave these boxes unchecked if you are using a separate sharing station.) This  example creates a 4 photo strip; guests can share their GIFs using MMS/SMS.

Shows DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 Setup Wizard Step 2
Photobooth Setup Wizard Step 3: sharing MMS/SMS DSLR Remote Pro 3.8

Next tell the program to create a slideshow GIF:

Showing Slideshow GIF settings DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 for blog post
Slideshow GIF settings DSLR Remote Pro 3.8

1. Select Advanced Settings

2. Choose Settings on the Photobooth Settings screen

3. Check Share animated GIFs so that guests can share their GIF from the booth.  (Leave this box unchecked if you are using a separate sharing station.)

4. Check Create an animated GIF from the photos

5. Then choose the Animated GIF settings to display the Animated GIF settings screen:

Shows Animated GIF settings screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8
Animated GIF settings screen DSLR Remote Pro 3.8

6. A photo width of 600 pixels is a good start point. Use the settings in the image above to create an animated GIF from the whole photo (landscape orientation) without any border. Check the final box if you want to make an MP4 copy of each GIF.

7. When you have chosen the settings you need click OK (here and  the other pop up windows until you return to the main screen).

Adding an animated overlay to a slideshow GIF

You can create an animated overlay from a set of transparent png images. The falling snow effect here uses 12 images to create the animation. The snow flakes are in a different position on each  image. (3 snowflake overlays are shown over each of the 4 photos.) You can download the snowflake overlays here .

To add an animated overlay return to the Animated GIF Settings screen (Repeat 1 to 5 above, selecting Advanced Settings, then Settings, then Animated GIF Settings.)

Change the number of overlays per photo to 3 and click OK (here and  the other pop up windows until you return to the main screen).

Shows Animated GIF settings for animated overlay
Animated GIF settings for animated overlay (here 3 overlays per photo)

Now copy the overlay images you downloaded into the PhotoBoothImages folder containing your screens (A). The overlays must be named GIF_overlay_1.png through to GIF_overlay_12.png (B).

Showing PhotoBoothImages folder containing screen layouts and overlay png files
PhotoBoothImages folder containing screen layouts and overlay png files

Run the booth and you will create both a strip of four photos and a slideshow GIF with the animated overlay here:

Christmas slideshow GIF with animated overlay DSLR Remote Pro 3.8

Learn how to create animated GIFs with a border and/or title.

Create boomerang GIFs with an animated overlay.

If you found this post useful please share it with others. You are welcome to use these snowflake overlays in your own booth with DSLR Remote Pro.

Happy Christmas!

New Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.8: simple, powerful branding

Breeze Systems is proud to announce the release of DSLR Remote Pro 3.8. Easier to use and more powerful than ever before, DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 includes two free button sets designed by Wilkes Booth Co.

Highlights of the new release

  • Fast simple branding for photo booth screens
  • Create and save new photo booth screen themes
  • Transfer themes between PCs
  • Free sets of touchscreen buttons
  • Create custom caption sets in any almost language
  • Photobooth Setup Wizard now simplifies screen customization
  • Animated backgrounds for green screen boomerang GIFs
  • Support for Canon’s EOS  6D Mark II

Fast, powerful branding for photobooth screens

Brand screens quickly and easily with new DSLR Remote Pro themes

Create themed photobooth screen sets

Create, load and save DSLR Remote Pro themes containing screen background, touchscreen button, and caption sets

DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 theme including (A) screens, (B) buttons & (C) captions

A. Complete sets of custom photo booth screen backgrounds  can now be generated from a single image. The same background image can be tiled, stretched or cropped to fit any screen with new themes

DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 single background_tiled.jpeg image used to create themed set of background screens

B. Create your own buttons or choose from those shipped with DSLR Remote Pro 3.8. Touchscreen buttons can be placed below the image or to one side using the Setup Wizard. 

C. Customize captions in almost any language. Adjust the color of your text.

Transfer themes between PCs

To generate themed screens on PCs with different screen size/aspect ratio by just copy the theme to the new PC and run the Photobooth Setup Wizard.

Free touchscreen button sets

Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 includes 2 new free button sets created by  Wilkes Booth Co

DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 Welcome screen: Wilkes Booth Co Tradewind White buttons
DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 Sharing screen Wilkes Booth Co Tradewinds Blue buttons
DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 Sharing screen: Wilkes Booth Co Tradewind Blue buttons

Buy Breeze Wizard themes or complete interface designs for DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 from Wilkes Booth Co

Choose whether to run buttons across the screen or to the side using the Photobooth Setup Wizard.

Create custom caption sets

Breeze software is used in over 80 countries world wide. DSLR Remote Pro already supports Unicode and handles characters in most languages. Use the Photoboth Setup Wizard to create reusable caption sets, and apply them to different themes.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 is shipped with English, German, Polish, Italian and Romanian captions.

Thanks to Jürgen Mayr (Photobooth-deluxe), Tomasz Klusczyk (Smove), John Bonardo (Babooth), and Dan Neamtu (Mirror Magic), for providing the German, Polish, Italian and Romanian caption sets shipped with DSLR Remote Pro 3.8

Brand and customize screens with the Setup Wizard

  • Change screen and keyboard background color at the touch of a button
  • Generate complete screen sets from a single background image
  • Automatically  tile, stretch or crop images to fit any size of screen
  • Create and save customized caption sets
  • Save touch screen button sets
  • Choose buttons running down the side or across the bottom of the screen

Improved animated GIF support

  • New Animated backgrounds for green screen boomerang GIFs
  • New support for animated GIFs in sharing screens (email, text, Facebook and Twitter)

More new features

  • Useful shared print counter for events
  • Send emails with or without image attachment
  • Enhanced ability to pass information to microsites
  • Tap for speedy countdown
  • Default delay before taking first photo reduced to 5 seconds

DSLR Remote Pro 3.8 is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license on or after 29th November 2016.

Download  DSLR Remote Pro 3.8       Buy your own license