Does your software work with Powershot cameras like the G9 or the S5 IS?
Our software supports Nikon and Canon SLRs, web cams and Canon Powershots made before 2009. Canon dropped support for tethering (that is the built in ability to allow a computer to control the camera) in Powershots after 2008. No current Powershot supports tethering.
I have a Nikon D40 and although your software detects it I get a message that says “Live view is not supported. Why?
The Nikon D40 does not support live view but it will work with Booth as far as taking images. We can’t give the camera a feature that Nikon or Canon did not include in the camera. To use Booth with a live view you will need to use another camera that supports that feature.
How easy is it to move screen and print templates from one computer to another?
All of the elements that make up screens and photo strip template (graphics, text, fonts, etc.) are compiled into one file for the screen and one file for the photo strip. Just copy those to a thumb drive and you can easily transfer those from one to another.
What are the recommended specs for a PC to run Darkroom Booth, e.g. Ghz, RAM etc?
Booth has low requirements. We have run test on computers as low as Atom processors with 1 gig of RAM (about the lowest you can buy today) and it runs well so almost any computer you can buy will be fine. For faster live view frame rates and special effect like drop shadows etc. you may want more power like an i3 with 4 gig of RAM.
My printer is not showing up as an option in the list of choices.
Booth can print to any Windows printer. The drivers that are listed in the add printers window are popular booth printers that we include our own drivers but you can use any other printer. If you click on Windows printer at the bottom of that list you will see all of the windows drivers currently installed on the computer. If yours is still not listed you need to install the driver provided by the manufacturer.
I don’t see any way to record video, can Booth do that?
Booth does support video recording on SLR cameras that record video as well as webcams.
Does Booth work with a touch screen?
Yes, Booth has very powerful touch screen support. With our screen layout editor you can make buttons of almost any shape and color with text. You can then associate that button with a booth command like start, B&W, color and many others.
I don’t have a touch screen, can I use booth too?
Of course! Booth does not require a touch screen. There are keyboard shortcuts and you can program up to 3 mouse buttons (left, middle and right) each to its own command. You can also add arcade style buttons and use a serial interface and use 4 more buttons. Combined that would be 7 total buttons each with its own command.
I really like the photo email feature, what if I don’t have internet at the event?
You can still use the photo email. Your paper prints will come out right away and the emails will wait in a queue until an internet connection is available and then they will start sending.
I want to use my Canon SLR with an external flash but the live view is dark and the flash won’t fire.
Canon cameras have a feature called “Live View Exposure simulation” where the live view approximates the way the finished image will look. That is great except when you want to use an external flash and set the exposure manually the live view will be dark. In Booth go to the Live View Tab and check the box for “External flash compensation” and that will take care of the live view being dark. For the second part, making the flash fire, on that same tab you will need to set the “pause live view” to at least one second for the flash to fire.
What about auto focus?
Some cameras also require the live view to pause at least one second for auto focus to work. You can set that in the Live View Tab.If you are using auto focus make sure there is sufficient light on the subject for the camera to "see" the subject and lock the focus. If the camera is unable to focus Booth will make 2 attempts and then move on resulting in a blank spot on your photo strip.
Can I use my own graphics in Booth screens and prints?
Yes, in both the screen and photo strip designer there is an icon at the bottom called “Add Artwork” from there you can browse your hard drive and import almost any graphic format like .jpg, .png or .tif. Once imported, you can drag to move or re-size the image however you wish. Graphics that are 24 or 16 bit are not compatible. Files saved with progressive or interlaced progression are also not compatible. All file formats should be 8 bit and not saved with any compression.
If I am doing a 2x6 photo strip do I need to design it on a 4x6 and duplicate both sides.
No, unlike other photo booth software, if you want a 2x6 then design it as a 2x6 and Booth will duplicate and print both sides on a 4x6 for you.
I want to use an external microphone to record videos, how can I do that?
Booth records video using the camera's video recording feature. To use an external microphone the camera would need to have that as a feature like the Canon T3i or the Nikon D5200.
The software appears to lock up if I go for about 30 minutes without doing a session
SLR cameras were never designed to have the live view stay on continuously. After a time (usually about 30 minutes) the live view feed will shut off and Booth will continue to display the last frame we received from the camera giving the appearance that is has locked up. If you start a session it will take photos and then the live view will cycle back on with the next session. The best way to prevent this is in the Live View tab set the live view to only be on during a session.
What graphic formats can I use in screen and print templates
Booth is compatible with most most all graphic formats like JPG, PNG, TIF.