Welcome

This manual describes RAWCaptureBooth version 3.0.0: installation, setup, running an event and troubleshooting.

Who it is for#

The manual knows three roles and is organised around them, so nobody has to read what does not concern them.

How the manual is organised#

• Getting started goes from installation to the first picture. These chapters are written step by step, naming every button.
• Event management covers the heart of version 3.0.0: every party is its own event, with its own settings, layouts and pictures.
• Event settings and System and device settings follow the structure of the admin area. They are meant for looking things up, not for reading front to back.
• Tools covers the layout editor, the digital background and the web photo album.
• Running an event contains the timeline of an event day, storage locations, data protection and troubleshooting.

Conventions#

• A path inside the admin area is written like this: admin area "Event management" > "My events".
• Labels of buttons and fields appear in quotation marks.
• Boxes with a coloured bar highlight what is easily missed:

The fastest route to the first picture#

If the booth has just been unpacked, read in this order: Installation, First start, Setting up the camera, Setting up the printer and Your first event. Everything else can wait.

Installation

System requirements#

Without an internet connection the booth keeps working: capture, layout, print and gallery need no network. Only sending, cloud upload and the licence check catch up later.

32-bit or 64-bit#

There are two installers. Both contain the same features, with one exception:

• 64-bit — the normal choice. Only here are modern Sony Alpha cameras supported through the official Sony SDK.
• 32-bit — only for old machines running 32-bit Windows, or for camera drivers that exist in 32-bit only.

Installing#

1. Run the installer: RAWCaptureBooth_..._x64_Setup.exe or ..._x86_Setup.exe.
2. Choose the language, then accept the licence terms and the privacy notice. The language chosen here also sets the language of the application; it can be changed later in the admin area.
3. Confirm the target folder. The default is the Windows program folder.
4. Choose the additional tasks:
• Desktop icon and Start menu entry — preselected on a first installation.
• Start with Windows — useful for kiosk operation, so the booth comes back on its own after a power cut. Can be changed later under "System Settings" > "System".
5. Finish the installation and start the application.

Where the data lives#

The program itself sits in the program folder, while everything that changes lives in the profile of the signed-in user:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\RAWCaptureBooth\
├── config\      device settings
├── events\      per event: settings, layouts, graphics, pictures
├── storage\     working files of the current session
├── logs\        logs for troubleshooting
└── backups\     backups

Uninstalling leaves this folder in place, so pictures and settings survive a reinstall.

First launch#

On the very first launch a short setup assistant sits on top of the start screen. It covers language, admin access and licence. See First start.

Updating#

An update is installed with the same installer; no uninstall is needed. Settings, events and pictures are kept. The software reports new versions itself and shows the list of changes.

First start

The setup assistant#

On the first launch an assistant sits on top of the start screen. It has four steps and takes less than two minutes.

1. Choose the language — the language of the booth. It can be changed at any time; which languages guests are offered is set separately, per event.
2. Admin access — the assistant shows where the admin area is: behind a hidden area at the bottom left of the screen, marked by a blinking dot. The factory PIN is 0000.
3. What happens next — a pointer that the real setup happens in the admin area.
4. Licence — either a licence key or the free trial with the full feature set. Without an active licence or trial no capture can be started. Both can be sorted out later under "System Settings" > "License management".

"Finish" closes the assistant; it does not come back.

Into the admin area#

1. Tap the hidden area at the bottom left of the screen, where the dot blinks.
2. Enter the PIN (factory default 0000).

"To Photobooth" at the top leads back to the guest view.

The guided tour#

The first time the admin area opens, it offers a short tour: menu, search, favourites, automatic saving and event management. It can be ended at any time and started again later.

It is worth taking, mostly because of the menu structure. The menu is split into three blocks, and the difference decides where a setting lives:

Above them sits "Favorites": the star in the header of each area puts it there — handy for the handful of areas touched before every party.

The setup list#

"System Settings" > "Setup" walks through everything that has to be done once per device. The order follows the way through the setup: first make the device operational, then connect the hardware, then decide the routes the pictures take to the guest — and last the first party. What the booth can detect it ticks off itself; everything else is ticked with "Done". "Go to setting" jumps straight to the matching area.

The eight items:

1. Activate licence — without an active licence or trial no capture can be started. While the trial runs, the item counts as done and points out that a key can be added at any time.
2. Change admin PIN — ticks itself once saved.
3. Prepare Windows for photobooth operation — switch off edge swipe gestures and make sure in the power options that neither the screen nor USB devices are turned off. The easiest way is the free "FST" tool from the download area of the website; it converts Windows in one go. Then press "Done".
4. Set up and test the camera — on DSLR and mirrorless cameras a successful test shot ticks the item. See Setting up the camera.
5. Set up and test the printer — a test print ticks the item. If printing is switched off entirely, the item disappears. See Setting up the printer.
6. Add an email account — server, login and sender address of the outgoing mail under "Access & accounts" > "Mail access (SMTP)". As soon as server and sender are set, the item ticks itself. The access applies to all events; whether a party sends pictures by email is set with the event. See Cloud and e-mail.
7. Set up a cloud service — sign in to a Dropbox or Google Drive account or enter the address of your own server, under "Access & accounts" > "Cloud account". The account applies to all events too; which service a party uses is set with the event. See Cloud and e-mail.
8. Create the first event — see Your first event.

What comes next#

Camera, printer and the accounts for mail and cloud belong to the device and are now done. Everything else — layouts, start screen, print permission, gallery, QR codes — belongs to the individual party and is set up in the event.

Setting up the camera

Found under admin area "System and device settings" > "Camera". The camera belongs to the device: it stays set up no matter which event is loaded.

There are two separate areas — "Camera: photos" and "Camera: GIF & boomerang". Both can use the same camera or different ones, for instance a DSLR for photos and a webcam for moving images. The button "Copy from photo camera" saves setting everything twice.

Camera type#

The camera assistant#

Setup runs through the button "Set up camera". The assistant asks for manufacturer and connection, checks the link and tries a capture. Nothing is stored until you finish with "Apply & save".

1. Connect the camera by USB, switch it on and set it to M (manual).
2. Insert a memory card — even with direct transfer to the PC, some models insist on a card.
3. Open "Camera: photos" in the admin area, start "Set up camera" and follow the steps.
4. Finish with "Apply & save".

For Canon cameras the assistant enables extra drivers (EDSDK) and asks for a restart of the application. That is normal.

Checking detection#

The "Detected camera" section shows what the software currently sees — model and serial number. "Refresh detection" repeats the search, for example after switching the camera on.

With several identical cameras connected, "Select a specific camera" decides which one is meant (by serial number, port or model).

Test shot and live view#

• "Show LiveView" opens the camera image inside the admin area, with grid and mirroring for alignment.
• A successful test shot ticks the item "Set up and test the camera" in the setup list.
• A webcam has no test shot in the strict sense; checking the live image is enough, and the item is ticked by hand.

Exposure#

The "Exposure" section reads aperture, shutter speed and ISO straight from the connected camera and applies changes there immediately. The values are not stored in the software — they stay in the camera.

A common case: with flash settings such as 1/160 s, f/9 and ISO 400 the live image is almost black. "Brighten live view via the camera" helps — exposure is raised for the preview only and restored immediately before the shutter fires, so the flash shot stays correct. Cameras that never show an exposure preview in live view (common on entry-level models) will not react to it; there, use "Brighten preview image", which works purely in software.

Autofocus#

• "Trigger autofocus before every capture" — needed on older cameras, but it costs time before the shutter fires.
• "Trigger autofocus before starting live view" — not every camera can do this, and some cannot focus at all while live view is running.

Manufacturer drivers#

After changing these switches, restart the camera session.

When it does not work#

Setting up the printer

Found under admin area "System and device settings" > "Printer" > "Printer setup".

Printing is split across two areas on purpose:

• Which device prints and how the picture reaches the paper — here, with the device. Applies to all events.
• Whether and how often anything is printed — with the event, under "Print". No printing at the company party, two copies at the wedding: same booth, same paper, different party.

Preparing Windows#

The printer has to be installed in Windows with the correct paper size in the driver (usually 6″ × 4″). Whatever is set there is what the software uses.

Main printer#

1. Under "Main printer" pick the mode:
• Single printer — the normal case.
• Printer pool — several identical printers share the jobs.
• Disabled — this booth does not print.
2. Select the printer from the list.
3. Run a test print. If it succeeds, the setup list ticks off "Set up and test the printer".

Photo strips: why two printers#

On many printers — the DNP RX1 and RX1-HS for instance — the 2″ cut for photo strips is a setting in the printer driver, not in the individual job. One printer can therefore do either 6 × 4 or strips, and the layout choice at the booth would have to be restricted accordingly.

The way around it: install the same printer twice in Windows.

1. First queue without the cut — enter it as the main printer.
2. Second queue with the 2″ cut — enter it as the photo strip printer.

Both formats are then available at the same time. Pool operation with several devices works for both.

Printer pool#

The pool spreads jobs across several printers — meant for events where one device cannot keep up or where a paper change must not stop the queue.

The software watches the devices and shows which printer is online, which reports an error and what is queued.

Aligning the margins#

Hardly any printer hits the paper exactly. There are two levels for that:

1. Per-printer correction ("Correction top/bottom/left/right") — compensates for the quirks of the device. It belongs to the printer and stays the same across all events. "Test print on this printer" checks the result, "Reset correction" starts over.
2. Offsets with the event — move the artwork inside the printable area, for example when a layout is meant to have a wider white margin.

DNP info tool#

For DNP printers such as the RX1 and RX1-HS the software uses the DNP info tool to read the consumables level and extended status information — in other words, how many prints the loaded media still has. The tool's folder is entered under "DNP info tool"; the setting applies to both printers.

When it does not work#

Your first event

Camera and printer are ready and the licence is active. What is missing is the party. This chapter creates a complete event, using the running example "Smith wedding".

What an event is#

An event is a party with everything that defines it: its own layouts, its own graphics, its own start screen, its own print and sharing rules and its own pictures. Exactly one event is loaded at a time. Camera, printer, accounts and licence are untouched by it — they belong to the booth.

The full picture is in How events work.

Creating the event#

1. Open the admin area, go to "Event management" > "My events".
2. Press "Add or reconfigure event". The event assistant opens.

The assistant walks through up to 14 steps. For a first event it is enough to leave the defaults alone and set the three or four entries that really matter.

Step 1: New or existing#

Choose "Create new event". Below it, pick where the content comes from:

For the first event: From preset, preset "Standard".

Step 2: Event basics#

Name, date and note. The name matters most — the cloud folder and the link to the web photo album are derived from it. The assistant shows both while you type, and only where they are actually used.

For the example: name "Smith wedding", the date of the party, note along the lines of "contact: best man John, teardown from 2 am".

Step 3: Scheduling#

Decides whether the booth loads this event by itself when the time comes. Start and end with times, across midnight as well — a party from 3 pm to 2 am is recognised right to the end. For a new event the period is prefilled: starting now, ending a week later.

This is the setting that makes a restart in the middle of the party harmless: the booth comes back up and loads exactly the party that is running.

The remaining steps#

While saving, the assistant shows which area it is working on. If an area could not be saved, the report is highlighted and the view jumps to it.

The first picture#

1. Go back to the guest view with "To Photobooth".
2. The start screen shows the name of the party and the start button.
3. Trigger a capture, wait for the countdown, check the result.
4. If printing is enabled: print one copy and check colour, margins and cropping on the actual paper.

Switching between events#

"My events" lists every event with name, period, note, counters and disk usage; the loaded one is highlighted. "Load" switches to it. Layouts, graphics, access code and limits are exchanged — camera and printer stay as they are.

How events work

Every party is its own event. It brings its own settings, layouts, graphics and pictures. Exactly one event is loaded at a time; its name appears in the heading of the admin area, so it is always clear what is being edited.

The split everything else builds on#

The split is visible in the menu as well: the green areas belong to the event, the purple ones to the device.

What happens when an event is loaded#

Loading exchanges the event-bound settings, layouts and graphics, and the gallery shows the pictures of the new event from then on. Camera and printer stay connected.

Pictures are never lost: they live in their event's folder and reappear as soon as it is loaded again.

How an event gets its name#

Three entries belong together and are maintained in the event assistant or under "My events":

Presets, copies and templates#

An event can start empty or descend from something existing:

• Preset — a template of layouts, fonts, graphics and event-bound settings. A preset never contains camera, printer, cloud account or licence, so it never reconfigures the hardware. The supplied "Standard" preset is always available.
• Copy of an event — takes everything from an already configured party, without its pictures.
• Customer form — the customer's wishes are read from a file, see Customer configuration.

Where the data lives#

%LOCALAPPDATA%\RAWCaptureBooth\events\<event>\
├── config\      settings of this event
├── layouts\     layouts
├── fonts\       fonts
├── branding\    logos and graphics
├── sessions\    pictures per session
└── gallery\     gallery with thumbnails

The storage location for all events can be changed in the device settings — useful when many parties are kept and the system drive is small.

Managing events

Found under admin area "Event management" > "My events". Every event is listed with name, period or date, note, counters and disk usage; the loaded event is highlighted.

Actions per event#

A note per event holds what would otherwise end up on a scrap of paper — contact person, teardown time, special arrangements. It is only visible internally.

Scheduling and automatic loading#

"Period/schedule" defines when the event applies:

• Start and end with times, across midnight as well. If the party ends after midnight, simply enter the following day's date as the end.
• Without an end, the period runs to the end of the starting day.
• Without a period nothing changes: the event is loaded by hand.

What follows from that:

1. At startup the event is loaded automatically if its period is currently running — even after a restart in the middle of the party.
2. While running, the admin area suggests loading the matching event when you sign in. The switch only happens after confirmation, because it exchanges layouts, graphics, access code and limits.
3. If two periods overlap, the one that started most recently is suggested; both events are kept.
4. The head of the list states which event will be loaded next by itself.

Date and time are set on a screen of their own: a month calendar with large day tiles, times in quarter-hour steps, plus "Today", "Tomorrow", "Next Saturday" and "In a week".

Event picker at startup#

The switch "Show event picker at startup" makes the booth ask which event to load when the program starts. The picker appears instead of the start screen and waits without a timeout; "Continue without switching" keeps the last loaded event. The question is asked once per program start.

With the option off, the last loaded event simply continues — the right setting for kiosk operation with autostart. If a scheduled event's period is running, the picker is skipped anyway and that event is loaded.

Backing up, moving, handing over#

Below the event list, "Import / export" leads to event packages. A package contains the settings, layouts, digital backgrounds and graphics of a party — and, if you want, its pictures.

On export you choose whether the pictures come along; the checkbox states in advance how much extra space they need. Archived events can be backed up as well.

The package also contains the access code and the quick settings PIN — so that a backup after a device failure is complete and QR codes already handed out still work.

On import a new event is always created; an existing one is never overwritten. The access code from the package is kept so that QR codes handed out keep working. If it is already in use on this booth, a new one is generated automatically.

After the import the event exists but is not loaded yet — tap "Load" in the list for that.

Customer configuration

Instead of collecting wishes over the phone and typing them in by hand, the customer fills in a form. The file that comes back is read in — and the booth is set up the way they wanted.

The process has three parts:

1. Assemble the form and send it to the customer.
2. The customer fills it in and returns the export file.
3. Read the file in — either while creating an event or into the current configuration.

Assembling the form#

Found under admin area "Event management" > "Customer configuration" > "Create customer form".

1. Tick the questions the customer should answer. On first use a common selection is prefilled; after that the last selection is kept.
2. Set the headline, the subtitle and a note at the top of the form. The note appears unchanged above the questions — so word it the way the customer should read it.
3. Choose the language of the form. The customer can change it inside the form; all six application languages are available.
4. Optionally tick "Use current settings as defaults" — the customer then sees the current state of the booth and only changes what they want differently.
5. Press "Create form" and pick a location to save it.

The result is a single HTML file. It can be sent by e-mail and works at the customer's end without an internet connection — a double-click is enough.

Among other things the form also asks whether the booth should be operated by touchscreen, by buzzer or both.

Reading the answer back in#

The customer returns the export file. There are two ways on from there:

As a new event — in the event assistant, first step, "Content" > "From customer form". Name, note and all wishes come from the file, so the following steps are already filled in. Below it you choose where the remaining settings and the layouts come from: a preset, a copy of an event, or nothing at all. A name or note you typed yourself is not overwritten.

Into the current configuration — under "Customer configuration", select the file, press "Check preview" and read the report. It shows the entries from the form, the planned changes and any warnings. Only "Apply configuration" commits them; a preset is created as a backup beforehand.

What the customer does not see#

The form asks about wishes, not about technology: no credentials, no camera settings, no printer selection. It is meant to replace a conversation, not to remote-control the booth.

Event presets

A preset is a template. It stores the settings of a party together with its layouts, fonts and graphics — but no pictures and no counters.

How it is used#

1. Set up one event exactly the way it will be needed again — layouts, colours, print rules, sharing.
2. Save that state here as a preset and give it a telling name: "Wedding classic", "Company party without cloud", "Trade fair with pay-per-use".
3. When creating the next event, choose that preset as the basis in the assistant.

A supplied preset called "Standard" is always available and cannot be deleted. It is the fallback when an event has to be built from scratch.

Passing presets on#

Presets can be exported and imported again — handy for putting the same state on a second booth or for keeping a backup.

Start screen, screens and texts

Everything in this chapter belongs to the event and travels with an event switch.

Guest languages#

"Guest languages" defines which languages are offered to the guests of this party. That is something different from the language of the admin area, which lives under "System and device settings" > "Language" and stays with the device.

Customise start screen#

The first screen guests see. It has three blocks:

Colours, font and logo are not here but under Appearance — they apply to the whole interface, not just the start screen.

Usage and privacy notices#

A notice screen before the session — for privacy, terms of use or warnings. The content is entered as HTML and used unchanged.

Directly afterwards a custom HTML notice screen can follow, with a freely chosen label for the continue button. It is meant for anything beyond a simple notice, such as a worded consent.

Info screen before the first capture#

An overlay on the live image just before things start — "Smile and look at the camera!". You can set the text, a timer and whether the "Start now" and "Cancel" buttons are visible. With the buttons hidden, only the timer moves things on; the duration then has to be at least one second.

Info screen before further captures#

The same between the captures of a multi-shot layout. Here a separate text can be stored per capture: the first text appears before the second capture, the second before the third and so on.

If the layout has more captures than there are texts, either the last text keeps showing or the list repeats from the start.

Contact button#

Puts a button on the start screen through which guests can see contact details or report a problem. Label, title and content are freely chosen; the default is "Contact / report problem".

Appearance

The appearance applies to the whole guest interface: start screen, selection screens, gallery, overlays and buttons. It belongs to the event, so every party can look different.

Colours and font#

Logo and background media#

Logos and backgrounds are scaled automatically. Every medium can be removed or reset to the factory state.

Preview images#

The photo stored here fills every image slot in the layout selection and shows in the filter selection how each filter looks. Without a photo of your own the supplied sample image is used.

A landscape picture with a 6:4 aspect ratio works best (PNG, JPG or WebP).

Session flow

The menu item "Session flow" gathers what happens between the start button and the return to the start screen. It has four parts.

During the session#

Controls during the session — whether guests may cancel a running session and how the cancel looks: as a button in the row below the picture or as a round "X" in the top right corner.

Layout selection screen — whether title, description and number of captures are shown there.

Capture and info screens — whether the layout title and the capture counter are visible during the session and on the in-between screens.

Notices on the final screen — the short messages at the top when printing, mailing or uploading starts. Size and duration can be set.

Picture preview and retakes#

Shows the picture just taken for a moment after each capture.

Countdowns#

Three seconds is a good starting value: enough to get sorted, short enough not to lose the smile.

Return to the start screen#

Sends the booth back to the start screen when nobody is operating it. Every touch restarts the clock. It can be set separately for:

• selection and info screens
• the gallery
• the final screen

0 switches the respective area off, the maximum is 900 seconds. A progress bar runs along the bottom edge and can be switched off; above it a notice can be shown in which {seconds} inserts the remaining time.

In addition the booth can ask "Are you still there?" first: "I'm still here" restarts the clock, no answer returns to the start screen.

Without this return, a half-used booth sits on its last screen, and the next guest cannot tell whether they are interrupting or free to start.

Capture modes, layouts and filters

Capture modes and layout assignment#

This is where you define what guests can see and choose during a session. There are three modes, each with the same structure.

Per mode you set:

• Available layouts — at least one, otherwise the mode cannot be enabled.
• Allow guests to choose the layout — with it off, the default layout is always used.
• Default layout — applies when guests may not choose; "automatic selection" leaves it to the software.

For GIF and boomerang there is more: number of frames, interval between frames, loops and whether printing is allowed.

Layout editor#

Layouts are built in the layout editor — image slots, frames, texts, graphics, backgrounds. It has a chapter of its own; here only the assignment of layouts to modes is set.

Layouts belong to the event. A preset brings its own, and a copy of an event takes over its layouts.

Filter selection#

"Enable filter overview" shows a choice of looks after the capture — black and white, comic or a warm vintage look for example. Tick which filters are on offer.

How a filter looks is shown using the photo from Appearance > "Preview images".

Decorate picture#

Lets guests draw on the finished picture and add stickers before sharing or printing.

Custom stickers can be uploaded; they appear in the sidebar before the built-in ones.

Digital background

The digital background replaces whatever is behind the guests. It is configured in the background studio (admin area "Digital Background" > "Open background studio"), based on a reference photo rather than on guesswork.

Two ways to cut people out#

Chroma key#

In the studio the key colour is picked on the reference photo, along with the tolerance. The mask preview shows immediately what is being cut away.

AI cutout#

The 64-bit AI service (a rembg server for instance) is installed and started separately; the booth sends the photo there and places it on the new background. Settings:

Managing backgrounds#

Background images are uploaded as PNG or JPG and named. Every background can be marked active:

• One active background is always used.
• Several active backgrounds produce a choice for guests during the session.
• With the choice switched off, the background marked active in the studio is always used.

Printing at the event

This area governs how printing works at this party. Which device prints and how it hits the paper is set separately under Setting up the printer, with the device.

Whether and where printing is offered#

How many copies#

Where the picture sits on the paper#

In addition to the per-printer correction there are offsets for this event:

• Symmetric margin offset — the same distance on all sides.
• Simple shifting — horizontally, vertically and the picture size in millimetres.
• Advanced individual offsets — top, bottom, left and right separately.
• Orientation — automatic, or force portrait or landscape.
• Job name — what appears in the Windows queue; the default is "Photobooth".

Limits and counters#

How many prints are allowed in total is set under "Counters & limits". That is also where you can see how much has been printed — the most reliable basis for the question whether the paper will last until midnight.

Cloud and e-mail

This area describes the routes by which a picture leaves the booth. The accounts behind them — cloud sign-in and outgoing mail — belong to the device and live under Access and accounts.

Cloud upload#

You can also decide what is uploaded besides the finished layout picture:

• Processed individual captures — the single pictures as they appear in the layout, with digital background and filter. Makes the upload longer.
• Unprocessed camera originals — explicitly not recommended: raw files can reach 50 MB depending on the camera.

E-mail to guests#

Defines whether the guests of this party can receive their pictures by mail and what the mail says.

Placeholders are available in the text: {session_id}, {layout_id}, {final_image_url}, {gallery_url} and {recipient}.

What happens without a network#

Nothing is lost: uploads and mails go to the outbox and are retried as soon as the connection is back. The state of the queue is shown under "Outbox / Send later".

QR codes

Two different QR codes that are easily confused:

Web album QR#

Shows the QR code permanently on the start screen so guests can pull the gallery onto their own phone.

Single-image QR#

Gives a guest exactly their picture, without it having to appear in the web photo album.

No cloud, no QR code#

Both features need an upload route. If cloud upload is off or privacy by default is on, they are not offered at all.

Gallery at the booth

The gallery shows the pictures of this party on the booth. It opens through a button on the start screen and only shows the pictures of the loaded event.

Basic settings#

Presentation#

What guests may do from the gallery#

Each of these can be switched off for the gallery separately, even when the feature is offered on the final screen.

With privacy by default active, the gallery disappears entirely — session data is deleted right after the session.

Slideshow and screensaver

When the booth sits idle for a while, it can show the pictures taken so far. That is also the best advertisement it has: whoever sees other people's pictures joins the queue.

Screensaver#

A tap on the screen ends it.

Slideshow#

Video instead of pictures#

A video (MP4 or WebM) plays silently in an endless loop. With a different aspect ratio you can choose whether it fills the screen and gets cropped, or appears with black bars.

Useful for sponsor clips, wedding films or the operator's own advertising — anywhere the guests' pictures should not be on public display.

Second screen#

For a second monitor, open the address http://localhost:8000/slideshow in a separate browser or kiosk window on that screen. The slideshow runs there permanently, regardless of what guests are doing at the booth.

Pay-per-use

With pay-per-use active, a payment screen appears before the session starts. It is meant for public installations — trade fairs, funfairs, bars — where the guest pays rather than the host.

The payment provider's credentials belong to the device and live under Access and accounts. Here you set whether and how much is charged.

Basic settings#

When payment is due#

How guests pay#

• Directly — the payment page opens on the booth.
• QR — the guest scans with their own phone and pays there.

For QR payment a return URL is recommended so that the guest does not end up on the booth's local address, which their phone cannot reach.

You can also set a timeout in seconds and whether a new attempt is allowed after a failure.

Test mode#

In test mode no real charge is made. That allows the whole flow to be rehearsed before the booth goes public.

Counters, limits and operating hours

Counters#

Two numbers per event: sessions total and prints total. They are the basis for invoicing and for the question whether the paper will last.

They are reset under "My events" > "Reset counters"; the pictures themselves are kept.

Usage limits#

The texts are the real work here: "Limit reached" annoys, "The photo package is used up — please talk to the host" explains.

Operating hours#

Define when the booth can be used at all. Outside that window an overlay covers the screen, with a freely worded heading and message.

Operating hours are not the same as the period of an event: the period decides which event is loaded automatically; the operating hours decide whether the loaded booth can be used right now.

Buzzer, lighting and relay

Everything in this chapter belongs to the device: it is attached to this booth and stays unchanged when events are switched.

Buzzer and key control#

For guests a buzzer is the more natural control than a screen — anyone can hit a button. Technically a wired buzzer identifies itself as a keyboard or mouse.

Buzzers are told apart by key, not by device: two buzzers are two keys, even when they share one USB receiver.

Wireless buzzers over Bluetooth#

A wireless buzzer needs no cable and is identified by its Bluetooth address. That address is fixed in the device, unique worldwide and survives any firmware update.

Setting up: start "Search buzzers" and press the buzzer to be assigned while the search runs — it then shows up as "currently pressed". Registered wireless buzzers appear in the "Buzzer / key control" section, where you set what they trigger.

Lighting control#

Controls the connected LED lighting: continuous light during operation and a trigger light at the moment of capture. The trigger light is enabled in the camera area ("Enable LightControl trigger light", photos only).

Relay#

Switches connected devices through a USB relay — a ring light, a flash or a socket that should come on together with the booth.

Access and accounts

This is where the credentials live. They belong to the device and apply to all events. What a party does with them is set with the event: under Cloud and e-mail and Pay-per-use.

The split has a practical reason: an event package handed on never contains credentials. Sending an event as a template does not send your Dropbox account with it.

Cloud account#

Dropbox, Google Drive and the RAWCaptureBooth self-hosted server are supported.

Signing in runs through the browser: an assistant opens the provider's authorisation page, access is confirmed there and the code is carried back into the booth.

A base folder can be set as well. Every event creates its own folder underneath, named after its identifier.

Mail access (SMTP)#

The outgoing mail account the booth sends through: host, port, user name, password and encryption (STARTTLS or SSL/TLS). One account for all events.

Payment provider#

Keys and credentials for Stripe or Adyen — one provider account for all events. Leaving the secret key field empty keeps the key already stored.

Amount, trigger and flow of the payment are set with the event.

Outbox

The outbox is the device's queue. Whatever cannot go out right now — no network, an unresponsive server, a failed mail — lands here and is retried automatically later.

It deliberately belongs to the device rather than to an event: the individual jobs know which event they belong to and outlive an event switch. Yesterday's upload still goes out even when the next party has long been loaded.

What it shows#

Per job: what it is (cloud upload or mail), which event it belongs to, when it was created and what the last attempt failed on.

Individual entries can be deleted, as can the whole list.

System settings

The collecting point for everything concerning this booth as a device.

Setup#

The list that guides through the initial setup — described under First start.

Change admin PIN#

The PIN for the admin area. While the factory default 0000 is in place, anyone can get in.

Automatic saving#

With the switch on, every change is applied immediately and the save buttons disappear; that includes the layout editor.

Not affected are buttons that do something instead of saving — test print, factory reset, retry cloud upload and the like. Those still need a deliberate click.

Menu view#

Plus: which area appears when the admin area opens, whether accordions start expanded or collapsed, and whether the buttons for the on-screen keyboard and the layout editor are visible.

Timeouts & error messages#

After these times the software aborts a step that does not respond and shows an error message. They are an emergency brake against hanging, not a waiting time for guests.

They only need attention when steps abort during operation that actually work: a slow camera, a weak computer or a thin mobile connection need longer than the default. Set too tight, the booth discards running captures and transfers for no reason.

The values depend on camera, computer and network and therefore apply to all events.

Online/offline mode#

Puts the booth deliberately into offline operation. The area lists what is then not offered — cloud upload, mail sending, web album QR codes.

Remote management#

The booth reports its state to a web server and accepts commands from there.

Reported are the state and load of the machine, counters, enabled features and errors that occurred — no pictures.

Licence management#

Shows licence type, remaining term, issue date and the time of the last synchronisation. This is where a key is activated and, before a device change, released again.

Backup and restore#

A backup covers the whole device — all events, settings and accounts. It is the fallback for a device change or a failure.

To hand a single event to a customer or a second booth, the event package is the right way, see Managing events — it contains no credentials.

System#

Restart and quit the software, restart and shut down the machine, plus:

• Check configuration — looks for missing or invalid fields and repairs them. Helps when something stops working after an update.
• Clear UI cache — clears the browser cache of the kiosk mode so changes become visible immediately.
• Edge swipe gestures — switch them off so that a swipe from the screen edge does not open Windows.
• Debug console — for troubleshooting; the application should run in windowed mode for it.

Layout editor

A layout determines what the finished picture looks like: how many captures are on it, where they sit, what surrounds them. Layouts belong to the event.

The editor opens through "Layout editor" in the menu or through the icon at the top of the admin area.

How it is built#

Creating a layout#

1. Choose the canvas size to match the paper format (6 × 4 or photo strip, for instance).
2. Insert and arrange the placeholders.
3. Add graphics and texts — logo, date, names, frames.
4. Use the layers to set the order: whatever should sit on top of the photo goes to the top.
5. Save, then check in the preview.
6. In "Capture modes & layout assignment", enable the layout for the mode you want.

Fonts#

Texts use installed fonts. If one is missing, the editor says so explicitly — otherwise the printed picture would look different from the preview.

Fonts belong to the event and travel with a preset or an event package.

Import and export#

• Export layout writes a ZIP file with the layout and its graphics.
• Import layout reads it back in — on another booth as well.
• Templates in dslrBooth and LumaBooth format can also be imported directly, as sold by template vendors.

Web photo album

The web photo album is the gallery on the internet: guests scan the QR code on the start screen and browse the pictures of the party on their own phone.

Three routes, three appearances#

Which upload target is set under "Cloud & mail" decides what the guest sees after scanning. Pictures arrive in all three cases.

The software creates the sharing link itself: when first needed, the event's folder is shared and the QR code is pointed at exactly that folder — not at the parent folder, which would expose every event.

Access code and identifier#

Three entries belong together with the event:

The QR code#

The QR code on the start screen is configured under "QR codes", see QR codes. Normally the address is derived automatically from the active upload target; with your own domain it can be assembled manually from base URL and parameter.

What guests can do there#

View and download pictures — in the provider's view on Dropbox and Google Drive, on the album page with the self-hosted server. Anything beyond that, such as a host's login for managing the album, depends on the version of the self-hosted server and is described in its documentation.

Keeping the server current#

When the album stays empty#

Language editor

The language editor changes the texts of the interface without needing a new program version. It is meant for two cases: a wording should sound different, or a translation is missing or does not fit.

Found in the admin area under "Language".

How it is laid out#

Each row has three columns:

At the top are the language selection, a filter across key and text, and the switch "Show missing only". A status line names the total number of entries and how many are without a translation.

"Copy reference" takes the text from the reference column — useful as a starting point. "Reset" restores the shipped text.

How to work with it#

1. Select the language.
2. Use the filter to find the place in question — fastest by typing the text that is visible at the booth.
3. Enter the translation.
4. "Save changes".

The event day

One or two days before#

•  Event created and loaded, name and period correct
•  Layouts checked: are they the right ones, and do logo and date fit?
•  Complete rehearsal: capture, layout, print, scan the QR code, open the web album
•  Consumables counted: paper and ribbon for the expected number of prints
•  Event exported as a package to a USB stick (without pictures) — the fallback if the booth has to be swapped
•  Quick settings PIN set and written down
•  Free disk space checked
•  Software update: either done in good time or deliberately postponed

Setting up on site#

•  Booth placed, camera aligned, lighting checked
•  Camera on M, mains adapter or a full battery, auto power-off disabled
•  Printer connected, paper loaded, test print done
•  Wi-Fi connected if cloud, mail or web album are used
•  One real test session run and the result checked on paper
•  Test pictures deleted, counters reset
•  Full screen active, admin area closed

Handing over to the host#

Show briefly and leave on a sheet of paper:

1. How a session starts and what happens on screen.
2. Where the quick settings menu is and what the PIN is.
3. What to do when the paper runs out.
4. A phone number for emergencies.

Which switches the host gets at all is described under Quick settings for the host.

During the party#

Teardown#

•  Last uploads finished: is the outbox empty?
•  Pictures secured — for example by exporting the event including its pictures
•  If a web photo album is running: give the customer the link and the access code
•  Unplug camera and printer, pack the booth
•  Archive the event once the customer has everything

Quick guide for the host

This page is meant to be printed and addresses the host, that is the customer who has the booth for the evening. Replace the entries in square brackets before printing.

Using the photobooth#

Taking a picture

1. Tap Start — or hit the buzzer.
2. Get into position, wait for the countdown, smile.
3. The finished picture appears. From there you can print, send or share it.

Looking at pictures

Through the gallery button on the start screen. All pictures of the evening are there.

Pictures onto a phone

Scan the QR code on the start screen. It leads to the online gallery with all the pictures.

If something goes wrong#

The quick settings menu#

Individual functions can be switched here during the party — printing, for instance, when the paper runs low.

• Opening it: [arrow button at the screen edge / press and hold the bottom right corner]
• PIN: [____]

What can be switched there was decided by the operator. Anything not in the menu stays as it was set up.

Good to know#

• The pictures are [also stored online / not stored online]. The online gallery is available until [date].
• [Number] prints are included. After that [it stops / it continues at extra cost].
• Set up by [name]; teardown is planned from [time].
• Questions during the evening: [phone number]

Quick settings for the host

The quick settings menu is not meant for the operator but for the host — the customer who has the booth for an evening. It gives them a PIN-protected area in which they can react to a failed printer, dead Wi-Fi or a queue that is too long, without the operator having to drive over.

It is configured in the admin area under "Quick Settings Menu"; it belongs to the event, so it can differ per party. Often nothing at all at a company party, and a fair bit at a wedding with a designated contact.

Setting it up#

1. Set a PIN (4 to 12 digits). The host opens the menu with it. "Remove PIN" releases the menu without one.
2. Choose the access: through the visible arrow button, through an invisible corner at the bottom right of the screen, or both. A hold duration can be added — the area then has to be held for a few seconds so a guest does not hit it by accident.
3. Tick the permissions: every single switch is released or blocked. Anything not ticked does not appear in the menu at all.

Optionally the menu can also be opened with the admin PIN.

What can be released#

Recommendation for the handover#

A small, clearly explained selection works better than every switch. Proven useful:

• Printing — in case the paper runs out or the printer refuses.
• Cloud upload and online/offline mode — in case the venue Wi-Fi dies.
• Capture modes — to switch off GIF and boomerang when the queue gets long.

Data and privacy

Where the pictures are#

All pictures belong to an event and live in its folder:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\RAWCaptureBooth\events\<event>\
├── sessions\    per session: raw pictures, processed pictures, layout pictures, animations
└── gallery\     gallery with thumbnails

An event switch moves nothing: the pictures stay with their event and reappear when it is loaded.

The routes a picture can take#

Each of these routes can be switched off per event. Whatever is pending because there is no network is collected by the outbox and sent later.

Privacy by default#

"Data Processing" > "Privacy by default" deletes the session data immediately after every session. When switching it on, the software asks whether e-mail, cloud upload, gallery, QR codes and the live folder export should be switched off as well.

The setting suits occasions where nothing should remain: company parties with strict rules, events in public authorities, trade fair appearances with data protection requirements.

Handing pictures over#

"Data Processing" > "Export event pictures" writes the pictures of the loaded event into a target folder. You choose what comes along:

• Pictures with layout
• Unprocessed individual captures
• Processed individual captures
• Animations (GIF and boomerang)

The target folder receives the subfolders "layout pictures", "raw pictures", "processed pictures" and "animations". Pictures of other events are untouched.

To pass on or back up a whole event including its settings, the export as an event package is the better route, see Managing events.

Deleting pictures#

"Data Processing" > "Delete event pictures" permanently removes all sessions, outputs and individual captures of the loaded event. Other events are untouched.

Alternatively, when deleting a whole event you can decide whether the pictures go with it.

What the operator should tell guests#

The software brings its own screens for that, configured per event:

• Usage and privacy notices — a notice screen before the first capture.
• Custom HTML page — for text you word yourself, such as a consent statement.

What it says is up to the operator and depends on the event and the legal situation. The software does not force any wording.

Troubleshooting

First moves#

When something jams and the party is running, in this order:

1. Change nothing. Turning knobs mid-event makes the situation harder to read.
2. Restart the software. With a period set for the event, exactly that event comes back by itself.
3. Check the cables. Camera and printer, both ends.
4. Only then go into the admin area.

Camera#

Printer#

Network, cloud and mail#

Screen and controls#

Events#

When nothing helps#

1. Create a backup under "System Settings" while the machine still runs.
2. The logs are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\RAWCaptureBooth\logs.
3. Send a description of what was done last, together with the log, to hello@rawcapturebooth.app.

Frequently asked questions

Events and settings#

I loaded a different event — are my pictures gone? No. Pictures live in their event's folder and reappear as soon as it is loaded.

Why does the booth look different after an event switch? Because layouts, graphics, colours and permissions belong to the event. Camera and printer stay as they are.

Can I change a running event afterwards? Yes. In the event assistant choose "Reconfigure loaded event" — counters and pictures stay untouched.

How do I get the same setup onto a second booth? Through an event package (with access code, for the same party) or through a preset (without access code, as a template).

Why was my scheduled event not loaded automatically? Because it only has a date, not a period. Only events with an explicitly set period are loaded automatically.

Camera and printing#

The camera is not detected. Switch the camera on, close programs that access it, then "Refresh detection". On Canon a restart is needed after enabling the driver.

Why is the live view almost black while the photo is exposed correctly? Because the camera is set up for flash. The remedy is "Brighten live view via the camera".

Why can't I change aperture and ISO? Because the camera is not in manual mode (M). In automatic modes the values are locked.

How do I get photo strips and 6 × 4 at the same time? Install the same printer twice in Windows — once without the cut as the main printer, once with the 2″ cut as the photo strip printer.

The print is not centred. First check the paper size in the printer driver, then set the per-printer correction. Only after that the offsets with the event.

Sharing and privacy#

The QR code leads nowhere. Usually the event's access code or identifier was changed after the codes were handed out, or the upload target was switched. On Dropbox an unconfirmed account can be the cause as well — without confirmation Dropbox refuses to create sharing links.

Do guests get all the pictures with Dropbox or Google Drive too? Yes. There the QR code leads to the shared folder of the party, with previews and downloads. The difference to the self-hosted server is the interface: it offers an album page of its own with an access code instead of the cloud provider's view.

Nothing is being uploaded. Usually the network is simply missing. The jobs sit in the outbox and go out automatically later.

How do I make sure nothing is left on the booth? Enable privacy by default and switch off the live folder export along with it — otherwise it leaves permanent copies in the target folder.

Can guests see other people's pictures? At the booth, yes, as soon as the gallery is active. Where that is unwanted: switch the gallery off and offer only the single-image QR.

Operation#

The screen goes dark during the party. Windows power options. The item "Prepare Windows for photobooth operation" in the setup list takes care of it.

Swiping from the screen edge opens Windows. Switch off edge swipe gestures, same item.

The booth shows the slideshow instead of returning to the start screen. Then the screensaver is set faster than the return to the start screen. Tune both times to each other.

May I update on the day of the event? Better not. An update may rearrange settings or require a restart.

What happens during a power cut? The booth restarts and loads the event whose period is currently running. Without a period, the last loaded event continues.

Licence#

Can I move the licence to another machine? Yes — release it under "License management" first. If the machine has failed, the seat can be released through the licence management on the server.

Does the booth run without internet? Yes. Capture, layout, printing and the gallery need no network. Only sending, uploading and the licence check catch up later.

Glossary