All posts by Sue Breeze

Breeze Booth, Breeze Booth for iPad

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 Booth, DSLR Remote Pro, Video tutorial

Using the DSLR Remote Pro Scrapbook Effect

The latest release of Breeze Booth (DSLR+Windows) aka DSLR Remote Pro 3.19 introduces a scrapbook or outline effect.

We have released a YouTube video tutorial explaining how to add this effect to your designs.

Try for yourself

Download: free fully functional 14 day trial *

Free upgrades: for one year from the date of purchase

Platforms Supported: Windows 11 and Windows 10

Download Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.19

Have a great week.

Sue

 

© Breeze Systems 2023

DSLR Remote Pro, Quick Tips, Tutorial

Adding time limits to events in DSLR Remote Pro

We’ve had a lot of interest in adding time limits to events in DSLR Remote Pro 3.19, so I have added a tutorial to the website explaining how to use this new feature.

Find Time Limited Events here

Thanks for reading,

Sue

© Breeze Systems Ltd 2023

Breeze Booth, DSLR Remote Pro, Getting started, News

Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.19: Time limited events, Outline mode, Print Compositing and Surveys

Breeze Booth (DSLR+Windows) aka DSLR Remote Pro 3.19 was released today, bringing users support for two new cameras, an easy to use Survey Generator, Outline/Sticker Mode, Print Compositing and Time Limited events

Included in this release

  • Booth opens at… and closes at.. screens for time limited events
  • Outline/Scrapbook feature
  • Simple Survey Generator
  • Print Compositing
  • Support for new Canon cameras EOS R8 and EOS R50.

Time limited events

  • Set start and end times for a photo booth session and the booth will only operate between these times.
  • Display custom screens before and after the event.
  • Password protected exit buttons can override these settings

Learn more

Outline/Sticker mode

Grab attention with DSLR Remote Pro’s new scrapbook style Outline effect for photos and slideshow GIFs. Guest love them.

Breeze Booth outlines come in any color you choose, and work with both greenscreen and AI background removal.

Simple Survey Generator

  • Fast and simple way to create guest surveys.
  • Up to 10 screens to collect data from guests before starting the session.
  • Email addresses collected in a survey can be used to automatically share images from the session.
  • Use data collected in print captions, emails, directory and file names as well as reports
  • Surveys generated can be adapted for more complex layouts
Survey screen created by new survey generator in Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.19

Learn more

Print Compositing

No Photoshop required!

A whole new level of creative control.  Wide range of innovative photo effects ranging from transparency and blurring to filters and blend modes.

Repeated image with varied opacity

Learn more

Support for new cameras

DSLR Remote Pro adds suport for Canon’s new EOS R8 and EOS R50 cameras.

Canon EOS R8  camera (Image courtesy of Canon Europe)

Chris’s comments on the EOS R8 and EOS R50

The EOS R8 is a compact, high quality full frame camera with excellent autofocus which is capable of 180fps slow motion video. It’s less expensive and more compact than the Canon EOS R6 Mark II while offering similar autofocus and image quality.

The EOS R50 does not have a center contact on the hotshoe. To use this camera for a photo booth with external flash you need a Canon AD-E1 Multi-Function Shoe Adapter which fits into the hotshoe and provides a hotshoe with a center contact. Please note that this adds to the height of the camera: please ensure there is enough space in your photo booth housing for it to fit.

Try for yourself

Download: free fully functional14 day trial *

Free upgrades: for one year from the date of purchase

Platforms Supported: Windows 11 and Windows 10

Download Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.19

Images courtesy of Steve Bliesner and Chris Breeze

© Breeze Systems 2023

DSLR Remote Pro, Quick Tips, Screens

Adding a quick consent screen to your booth

Did you know that there are several ways to add a simple consent screen or disclaimer to DLSR Remote Pro?

Data is usally collected using a survey. However there are simpler ways to ensure guests agree to disclaimers or terms and conditions at the start.  This post runs  through three alternatives:

  • Add a disclaimer to the Welcome/standby screen
  • Add a disclaimer to the Ready screen (with optional link to detailed T&C)
  • Use a profile menu screen for the disclaimer

Note: All three methods provide a gate guests pass by answering one question. In the worked examples I use But first.. May we share your photos online. Replace this  with any question which suits your purpose.

When you need guests to answer several questions, record or analyze their responses, use a survey instead.

Use the welcome/standby screen

To query consent at the standby screen,:

  • Check Auto standby in Advanced settings
  • Add a suitable  graphic called welcome.jpg to the PhotoboothImages folder
  • Add the touchscreen action to switch from standby to your Ready screen

Check Auto standby

Auto standby returns the booth to the Welcome screen instead of the Ready screen at the end of each session.

Start DSLR Remote Pro and click on Advanced Settings. Check Auto standby and save your changes.

Checking Auto standby in Breeze DSLR Remote Pro

Add your welcome.jpg

Make your graphic a jpg image which is the same size as your screen (in pixels). Call the graphic requesting consent to use the photos welcome.jpg and add it to your PhotoboothImages folder.

To attract attention, you can also animate the screen.  How to animate screens.

Add the touchscreen action

Add the touchscreen action Switch from standby to ready  to welcome.jpg

Using touch screen actions

Use the Ready screen ready.jpg

You can ask the same question on the ready screen instead of the standby screen.

You can also link from the ready screen to Information pages providing detailed term and conditions.

Guests clicking Yes! starts the countdown. Guests choosing No are returned to the standby screen. Guests clicking Maybe are shown information screen(s).

In the example above, ready.jpg is white with  Yes, No and Maybe buttons. (Maybe is optional and links to information screens.)

ready_overlay.png provides the question text on a transparent background so that it shows in front of the live view.

Make sure both ready.jpg and ready_overlay.jpg are the same size in pixels as the screen.

You may prefer to switch off live view in the ready screen by checking Disable live view in ready screen in Live View Settings.

Add the touchscreen actions

You need to add three touchscreen actions to the ready screen.

  1. Add action Photo start to the Yes! button
  2. Add action Switch from ready screen to standby to the No button
  3. Add action Photo info open to the Maybe button
Adding touchscreen actions to Breeze DSLR Remote Pro ready screen

Learn how to add information screens here

Use a profile menu

This option may be preferred by advanced users comfortable with profiles. If you are not familiar with profiles, use  one of the approaches above.

Build a menu profile asking May we share your photos… ?

Use

  • Yes/accept to take the guest to the ready screen of a second profile.
  • No/reject returns the guest to standby using the Switch from ready to standby action
  • Maybe takes the guest to information screen(s) as above

Before you leave…

Check everything works and save your changes before you finish.

More about guest consent

Collecting data and recording consent

Create custom surveys to collect guest data and record consent.

Survey data can be analysed, displayed in prints, and used to separate images into different folders.

Information screens

To add a detailed GDPR compliant privacy statement, terms and conditions or any other information screen(s) to your booth use DSLR Remote Pro Information screens.

Coming soon

Watch out for DSLR Remote Pro 3.19, which will introduce a new way to create simple surveys.

© Breeze Systems May 2023

Breeze Booth, Breeze Booth for iPad, Quick Tips, Tutorial

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
Breeze Booth, Misc, Quick Tips, Video

Breeze software for 360 booths

A quick note about using Breeze with 360 booths.

Truth is you don’t need a special app to run a 360 booth. You need a great photo booth app with video capture, slow motion, video FX and a way to start the session ….. like Breeze.

We recommend using Breeze Booth (iPad+iPhone) for 360 booths with an iPhone running 2022 iPhone SE, iPhone 14 or iPhone 13.

Use the high quality rear camera to shoot your videos, and either share them directly from Breeze Booth, or from a Windows tablet running Breeze Kiosk.

Video FX & Built in AI background removal

Use Breeze Booth for iPad’s powerful AI background removal and video effects.

  • locally processed AI background removal or blurring, with live view 
  • awesome slow motion
  • fabulous video FX

Find more examples of video effects here

Breeze for iPad Auto Start

Auto Start detects when a 360 degree spinner starts spinning – automatically starts the countdown and captures the video.

Auto Start detects when a 360 degree spinner starts spinning, automatically starts the countdown and captures the video (Breeze Booth for iPad 3.3)

Sharing your videos

Videos can be shared directly from Booth (iPad+ iPhone), or a sharing station running Breeze Kiosk.

To share from the iPhone screen set up email and/or SMS sharing as standard for the app.
To share from Kiosk use a local network to wirelessly connect the iPhone to a Windows tablet running Breeze Kiosk.

Connecting the app with Kiosk

To connect the iPhone and Kiosk tablet together you need to set up a local network.

  • Switch on Personal Hotspot on the iPhone, and Allow Others to join. This creates a your network ( no wifi or mobile signal needed) Set a Wi-Fi password in the iPhone to prevent others accessing the network
  • Alternatively set up your network with a MiFi or 4G modem router. These can provide a local wi-fi network as well as connecting to a mobile data network

Breeze Kiosk is fully customizable Windows app for guests to display, print and share photos, videos and GIFs from your event.

* Kiosk https://www.breezesys.com/solutions/breeze-kiosk/ is a separate Purchase.

Have a great week,

Sue

© Breeze Systems 2023

 

Advanced techniques, Breeze Booth, Breeze Booth for iPad

Breeze for iPad Blend Modes

Breeze Blend Modes can be used creatively to achieve many different effects.

Booth (iPad+iPhone) includes normal, lighten, darken, overlay, screen, hard light, soft light, multiply, difference, exclusion, color dodge, color burn, hue, saturation, color and luminosity blend modes.

Breeze Booth blend example Lighten blend

Original [left] and Lighten blend overlay applied [right]

Depending on the effect you want to achieve, you can use two methods to apply these blends

  • Overlay blend mode – blend the overlay with the print or GIF layout
  • Photo blend mode – blend individual photos with the print layout behind the photo.

Overlay blend modes

Here print , slideshow GIF or burst GIF overlay(s) are blended with the print or GIF layout

Original [left] and Darken blend overlay applied [right]

To use print overlay blends

  • Open your event in the Event Editor
  • Open the Print Layout Editor from the Photos tab
  • Import your overlay (overlay.png) into the Print Layout Editor
  • Select the overlay blend mode in the Photos tab
  • Save your changes

To use slideshow GIF overlay blends

  • Place your overlay (slideshow_gif_overlay.png or slideshow_gif_overlay_1.png, slideshow_gif_overlay_2.png etc) into the Screens folder
  • Open your event in the Event Editor
  • Select the overlay blend mode in the Slideshow GIFs tab
  • Save your changes

To use Burst GIF overlay blends

  • Place your overlay (gif_overlay.png or gif_overlay_1.png, gif_overlay_2.png etc.) into the Screens folder
  • Open your event in the Event Editor
  • Select the overlay blend mode in the Burst GIFs tab
  • Save your changes

Photo blend modes (prints only)

Photo blends can be used for more complex effects.

Use photo blends to

  • apply different blend modes to each image on a print
  • layer the effects of different blends
  • blend two or more photos together
  • combine blends with other print compositing effects
Overlay blend + color wash & contrast adjustment (Breeze for iPad Print Compositing)

Overlay and logos can also be placed over blended photos.

Individual photo blends are applied to everything behind that photo – including parts of any other photos, logos and background it overlaps.

To use photo overlay blends

  • Open your event in the Event Editor
  • Open the Print Layout Editor from the Photos tab
  • Select an image you want to blend, and right click anywhere on this image
  • Choose Edit photo position and effects…
  • Select the blend mode from the drop down list
  • Save your changes
Selecting screen photo blend for a single image (Breeze Booth for iPad 3.3)

Combining  blend modes with AI background removal

Blend modes often work best when used with AI background removal so that they only apply to people in the photo and not the background.

Darken photo blend with AI background removal

Choosing a blend mode

Booth (iPad+iPhone) includes normal, lighten, darken, overlay, screen, hard light, soft light, multiply, difference, exclusion, color dodge, color burn, hue, saturation, color and luminosity blend modes.

Blend modes can be used to achieve many different effects, and detailed descriptions of each are beyond the scope of this post.

This wikipedia article is a useful source of information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blend_modes.  Online videos about Photoshop blend modes may also be helpful.

Note: When experimenting with blend modes the free version’s 10 sessions/day limit before adding a watermark may prove frustrating. Please email me (sales@breezesys.com) if you would like a short term Breeze Booth for iPad license to try Breeze blend modes.

Sue Breeze

Blended images courtesy of Steve Bliesner.

© Breeze Systems 2023

 

 

 

BreezeBrowser Pro, Downloader Pro

BreezeBrowser Pro 1.12.4 & Downloader Pro 2.6.4 released

BreezeBrowser Pro 1.12.4 and Downloader Pro 2.6.4 were released today 24 March 2023, adding support for new Canon cameras.

BreezeBrowser Pro

BreezeBrowser Pro is a smart tool used by professional photographers to organize, cull and enhance photos.

Video thumbnails (BreezeBrowser Pro 1.12.4 filmstrip view)

What our customers say

I’m an ardent promoter of BB [BreezeBrowser Pro], it’s my beloved file selection and management tool. Adam Trzcionka

I have never encountered a photo manager program better than BreezeBrowser Pro. It does everything you could want, and is designed to be of maximum help to the user. Very few modern programs do that, and none better than BreezeBrowser Pro. Bill Ford

BreezeBrowser Pro 1.12.4

  • adds support for displaying video previews and thumbnails
  • adds support for the display of focus points from the Canon EOS R3, Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon EOS R7, Canon EOS R10 and Canon EOS R50
  • fixes an issue displaying portrait orientation images when linking raw+JPEG

Learn more

Downloader Pro

Often used with BreezeBrowser Pro, Downloader Pro minimises the time spent downloading and organising images on your PC.

What our customers say

… nothing can replace BBPro and DLPro for me 🙂  Jen

STILL one of my favorite all times apps. Edward Dombek (Downloader Pro user since 2006)

Downloader Pro 2.6.4

  • Adds support for Canon EOS R3, Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon EOS R7, Canon EOS R8, Canon EOS R10 and Canon EOS R50

Learn more

Download, Try, Buy

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.

Download BreezeBrowser Pro 1.12.4 and Downloader Pro 2.6.4

Buy licenses

Featured image courtesy of Canon Europe

© Breeze Systems March 2023

Breeze Booth for iPad, News, Video Effects

Breeze for iPad 3.3 adds print compositing & tethered shooting

Photo Booth Expo 2023 attendees were wowed by the innovative and powerful print compositing in Breeze Booth for iPad 3.3.

Now on public release, Breeze for iPad 3.3 introduces

  • Print Compositing
  • Photographer Mode
  • Outline/Scrapbook feature for video, photos and GIFs

 

Repeating image with varied opacity (Breeze Booth for iPad Print Compositing)

Print Compositing

No Photoshop required!

A whole new level of creative control.  Wide range of innovative photo effects ranging from transparency and blurring to filters and blend modes.

Click the thumbnails for larger images of these samples:

More..

Breeze Booth Photographer mode

Photographer mode puts the photographer in control. Shoot tethered to an iPhone or iPad. Share branded images straight from your iPhone/iPad.

Ideal for roaming photographers

  • Capture the action – photos are taken immediately the camera shutter is pressed
  • Full control over the camera
  • Shoot in landscape or portrait

Instant Sharing

  • Display branded photos on your iPhone/iPad ready to share
  • Photos automatically branded with your overlays, logos and QR codes
  • Built in sharing gallery
  • Images queued if internet connection is flakey
  • Supports all Print Layout Editor tools

Pair with professional Canon cameras

Choose from a huge range of Canon EOS R series, M series, DSLR and PowerShot cameras. Full list

No extra charges

Photographer Mode is included in the standard Breeze Booth for iPad subscription. There are no extra costs for using this feature, and no per event charges.

More

New outline/sticker mode

Grab attention with Booth’s scrapbook style Outline effect for videos, photos and GIFs. Guest love them.

Breeze Booth outlines come in any color you choose, and show up in live view as well as outputs.

Scrapbook effect outline with local AI background removal

Outlines are also supported in video:

More

Try for yourself

Free Trial version & free 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.

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

We strongly recommend using fast recent devices to post process videos and offer built in background removal with live view.

Download Breeze Booth for iPad 3.3 and try for yourself

Sample event for Roaming Photographers

Use your camera in landscape to take photos with this event. It is designed to run on a small iPhone (e.g. iPhone SE) connected directly to a Canon camera. The phone can be fixed to the camera in either portrait or landscape orientation. For best results enable the orientation lock on the phone.

Once you have installed Breeze Booth for iPad 3.3, download this event to your iPhone or iPad by scanning this QR code with the device camera:

Images courtesy of Steve Bliesner and Chris Breeze

© Breeze Systems 2023