Animated GIFs, DSLR Remote Pro

Free animated overlay for Boomerang GIFs

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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 here .  Copy 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

Breeze Kiosk, DSLR Remote Pro, Multi-Camera, News

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

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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

Animated GIFs, DSLR Remote Pro, Getting started

Slideshow GIFs from photo booth strips: DSLR Remote Pro

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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!

Animated GIFs, DSLR Remote Pro, News, Screens, Setup Wizard

New Breeze DSLR Remote Pro 3.8: simple, powerful branding

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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

 

Multi-Camera

DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera on location

Video

This awesome video which used DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera was shot in 2012. It is still a favorite..

Thanks to Splice Boys Richard Kendall for allowing us to share this video with you. You can see more of their work here.

Find out more about DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera

DSLR Remote Pro, Troubleshooting

Auto focus blues & how to cure them

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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.

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

Try out DSLR Remote Pro                         Breeze Systems website

Copyright Breeze Systems 2022

Animated GIFs, DSLR Remote Pro, Getting started, Prints, Screens, Setup Wizard

Getting Started DSLR Remote Pro (1): Photobooth Setup Wizard

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This is the first of a series of posts explaining how to setup your photo booth using the DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Photobooth Setup Wizard.

Getting Started with DSLR Remote Pro (2) will explain how to customize your prints. Getting Started with DSLR Remote Pro (3) will explain how to customize your screens.

Downloading the program

First download DSLR Remote Pro from our website; and install the program on your computer. You can run the program as a free trial for up to two weeks from the day you download it.

Screen shot downloading DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3
Downloading DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 from http://breezesys.com/downloads.htm#dslr

Start the program. If you are running a trial version of the program you will see the registration window each time you start. Click on Evaluate.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 registration dialog

There are five buttons at the top of the main screen. They are shortcuts to the most used parts of the program.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Photobooth Shortcut buttons
  • Printer Setup
  • Photobooth Setup Wizard
  • Print Layout
  • Advanced Settings
  • Start Photobooth

First connect your printer to the computer and switch it on. You can also connect and switch on your camera now; or use the ‘simulated camera’ at this stage.

Select Printer Setup to tell DSLR Remote Pro about about the printer you intend to use. Choose prints in Portrait or Landscape orientation.

Hint: Portrait is used for narrow strips of 3 or 4 photos, unless you have a DNP printer.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Printer Setup screen showing Landscape oriented 6″ x 4″ print layout (non DNP printers)

Hint: For DNP printers using 6″ by 4″ media portrait and landscape orientation are swapped.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Printer Setup screen showing Landscape oriented 6″ x 4″ print layout ( DNP printers only select ‘Portrait’ instead of ‘Landscape’)

Finish by clicking on OK.

Now start the Photobooth Setup Wizard. The program will prompt you to save any existing settings before the wizard overwrites them

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 check at start of Photobooth Setup Wizard

At Step 1 you choose the photo layout you need. The wizard offers a choice of 8 popular layouts; if you want something different choose whichever is closest to your design (you will be able to change this later).

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Photobooth Setup wizard step 1. Landscape layout with 1 large and 3 small photos

Next Step 2. Tell the program which folder to save the photo booth photos you are going to shoot.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Photobooth Setup Wizard Step 2

Finally choose the options you want to offer your guests.

  • The first 5 check boxes tell the Wizard whether you are using a touchscreen, whether guests can choose between color and B&W prints, whether to display a preview of each photo after it is taken and the maximum number of prints allowed.
  • The next five check boxes tell the wizard whether a sharing screen (after the photos are taken) should offer uploads to guest’s Facebook and/or Twitter account, share photos by email or MMS/SMS, or offer optional printing. Hint: some operators prefer to offer browsing and sharing from a kiosk separate to the booth. You can use Breeze Kiosk for this. To share and print photos away from the booth leave these boxes unchecked.
  • Beginners should leave  ‘Add a background.jpeg’ blank at this stage. Print layouts can be branded/customised later.
  • To offer ‘boomerang’ animated GIFs check ‘Enable videobooth..’ and  ‘Capture Boomerang GIFs..’.
  • To offer video booth check ‘Enable videobooth..’

Click on <Finished> and you will see a final screen reminding you where the screen and print layouts created by the wizard have been stored; and where photos taken today will be stored.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Photobooth Setup Wizard completed

Close this window, connect your camera and switch it on before selecting ‘Start Photobooth’. That’s it!

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 default photo booth screen created by the Photobooth Setup Wizard

Customise your screens  Customise your prints

Buy DSLR Remote Pro

Copyright Breeze Systems 2017

 

Animated GIFs, Breeze Kiosk, DSLR Remote Pro, Hotfolder Prints, Multi-Camera

Photo Booth Show 2017 Round Up

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Thanks to all who came to the stand and listened to Chris’s presentation at the first UK Photo Booth Show. We had an amazing time catching up with old friends and making new ones.

The Breeze stand focused on three industry trends: animated GIFs, 3D activations, and magic mirrors.

DSLR Remote Pro appeared in multiple guises on several stands. It was beautifully complemented by a Wilkes booth and ran the magic mirrors on our own stand and at I Love Photobooth; partnered with Breeze Kiosk at Everybooth; and powered green screen software at Incredible Booth.

Andrew Bliesner’s professionalism, knowledge of our software and willingness to share his experience and tips with visitors was fantastic.  The screen and GIF designs were adapted from Breeze Themes at Wilkes Photobooth ‘The Lab’. Thanks Andrew and Steve!

Activations creating 3D GIFs are are increasingly popular; and Breeze software is trusted by many industry leading operators to provide ‘bullet time’ animated GIFs.

Multiple images are taken using DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera, automatically combined into an animated GIF, and shared using Breeze Kiosk.  Hotfolder Prints was used to provide visitors with a printed takeaway.

Samuel Waters‘ video shows just how fast this process is:

Thanks to Matt at Noonah for lending us the multi-camera rig in this video. You can buy your own multi-camera system powered by DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera from Noonah.

I Love Photobooths kindly lent us the magic mirror running DSLR Remote Pro to show on the stand. Purchase the complete magic mirror from I Love Photobooths (their Green Screen Dream Machine and Hashtag Printers also run Breeze software).

Missed Chris’s talk on light painting? Much of the content is covered here

Chris demonstrating light painting props at Photo Booth Show 2017 (Photo by Peter Leese Everybooth)

Interested in multi-camera activations? Download a copy of DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera and try it for yourself. Chris will also be giving a presentations about multi-camera systems at PBPI in January and PBX 2018 in March.

A big thank you to Jon Sharp for organising the show.

Find out more about I Love Photobooths, Noonah, Photobooth Guys Andrew and Steve , The Lab, Wilkes, Everybooth, Incredible Booth

Copyright Breeze Systems 2017

DSLR Remote Pro, NKRemote, Prints, PSRemote, Screens, Webcam Photobooth

Shooting Square photos with Breeze Photo Booth software

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Usually photo booth images are shot in ‘landscape’ mode; so that you can comfortably include several people in the shot. Sometimes we want to vary this.

Update: DSLR Remote Pro 3.9 introduced a  simpler way to shoot square images

This post explains how to create and print square  photos using DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3. Webcam Photobooth, NKRemote and PSRemote work in a very similar way. First we need to change the shape of the live view image; then change the print layout to match.

1. Start DSLR Remote Pro and run the Photobooth Setup Wizard to set up a basic booth, selecting a single photo at Step 1.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 main screen: Photobooth Setup Wizard button highlighted

2. Start the photo booth. DSLR Remote Pro allows you to customize your booth setup without connecting the camera. (NKRemote  and PSRemote users  connect and switch on the camera. Webcam Photobooth uses the PC’s internal camera if you have not connected an external camera.)

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 main screen: Start Photobooth button highlighted

3. Crop the live view guests see by holding down the ‘shift’ key and pressing the cursor right arrow -> until the live view window is square. The amount of cropping is shown in the lower right corner of the screen. If you overshoot press ‘shift’ and the left arrow <- to reduce the cropping.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 : changing shape of Live View

4. Check the crop size to see whether the live view window is square: numbers in brackets show (width x height) of the live view.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 : 160 pixels have been cropped from each side of live view image to a create 640×640 square

5. Press <Escape> to exit Photobooth mode and select the large ‘Print Layout’ button to open the Print Layout Editor.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 main screen: Print Layout button highlighted

6. Right click on the photo in the print layout and select ‘Edit image position’. Set the image width and height to the same value to make the photo square.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Print Layout editor: image on print cropped to square shape

7. Click OK, drag the photo to the required position and/or resize it by dragging the corners. Add any captions, background etc before exporting the layout to save your work.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Print Layout editor: Export layout button highlighted

Square photos can be combined with filters to give a pop art effect, or used singly for a ‘polaroid’ look.

This method can be used to create rectangular photos of any proportions you choose. More details.

Ready for more? You can also create round (or any other shape) photos using  a live view overlay and print overlay. You will need to create these overlays in an image editor such as Photoshop. The DSLR Remote Pro help files explain how to customize screens and prints in more detail.

Copyright Breeze Systems 2017

DSLR Remote Pro, Multi-Camera

Light painting without a tent

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When we first showed light painting in a bright exhibition hall at Photo Booth Expo 2016, the industry was amazed. This post explains how to use light painting at indoor venues with an open or closed booth using DSLR Remote Pro.

You can use the same technique with DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera .

DSLR Remote Pro Multi Camera animated GIF (5 cameras). Flash with 3 second exposure.

What equipment do I need?

  • Camera
  • Photo booth software that lets you control the camera settings
  • Flash
  • Black backdrop
  • Lighting props

Camera: we recommend using a Canon DSLR camera. Webcams and iPads are not suitable because you need complete control over the exposure and settings (including aperture). This is not possible with a webcam or an IPad.

Photobooth software: The examples here use DSLR Remote Pro and DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera. You can use the same technique with other programs which allow you to control the camera settings.

DSLR Remote Pro with open photobooth at Photo Booth Expo 2017

Flash: You need a powerful flash to freeze the subject at the start of the exposure. We like to position the flash high up so that people are less likely to look directly at it and be dazzled by the light. The flash also acts as a cue to the guests to start light painting. Ask them to pose until the flash fires and then start moving the lights.

Black backdrop: the light trails show up best against a black background. If you have a light background you may get ghosting (dark shadows) when guests move around.

Lighting props: guests’ phones, colored torches, LED batons or more elaborate props such as pixel sticks.

How do I use DSLR Remote Pro to control the camera to create the light trails?

  • Use external flash mode
  • Set a slow shutter speed
  • Use a small aperture and low ISO to cut out ambient lighting

External flash mode: Run the photo booth setup wizard; select <Advanced Settings> and check the box to set external flash mode. If you also check ‘Mirror output images’ the words guests write with the lights will be reversed to read correctly:

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Photobooth Settings screen: check boxes for External flash mode and Mirror Output Images highlighted

Shutter speed: You need an exposure of at least 1 second to create the light trails. We find between 2 and 3 seconds is best. (Guests start to run out of ideas with exposures longer than 3 seconds).

In the <Advanced Settings> screen select camera settings mode Bank 1, then click on the <Camera Settings> button to the right. This takes you to the camera settings screen. You need to adjust the Bank 1 settings for both taking photos and live view.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Photobooth Settings screen: select Bank 1 and click on <Camera Settings>

Camera settings: Start with  exposure (Tv) set to 2″ (2 seconds), aperture (Av) 22, ISO 100 and white balance ‘flash’.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Camera Settings screen: Bank 1 ‘taking photos’ settings highlighted

Live view: Select Tv: bulb for a bright live view image and White balance: Auto (ambience) for reliable colors.

DSLR Remote Pro 3.7.3 Camera Settings screen: Bank 1 live view settings highlighted

In a brightly lit venue you may need to reduce the length of the exposure or use a screen to dim the ambient light.

DSLR Remote Pro Multi-Camera users should use the same technique.

Ideas for lighting props

Colored torches (DSLR Remote Pro with open photobooth)

The simplest props are guest’s own mobile phones and colored LED torches. A set of LED finger torches can be glued together.

LED baton (DSLR Remote Pro with open photobooth)

Our most popular props are made from LED lighting strips wound round a foam baton and powered by rechargeable batteries. Pixel sticks can be customized for branded events.

For more ideas search for specialist websites and articles such as these

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Powerful reliable & flexible software for event photographers

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