Taking photos
After the customer picks a template, the booth runs the capture sequence, which is the actual photo-taking. This article walks through what the customer sees and what BoothIQ is doing behind the scenes.
Who this is for: Operators who want to understand the capture flow well enough to help customers and identify problems.
The flow
There are two screens involved:
- Look At Camera. A brief instructional screen with a live camera preview
- Template Capture. The actual capture sequence with the countdown
Look At Camera screen
A short "get ready" beat with:
- A live camera preview so the customer can see themselves
- Instructions like "Look at the camera" and "Get ready"
- An automatic advance to the capture screen after a few seconds (or when the customer is ready)
This screen exists so customers don't get caught off guard by the countdown starting immediately.
Template Capture screen
The actual capture sequence. For each photo the template needs:
- Live camera preview fills most of the screen
- A short delay (about 1.5 seconds) gives the customer time to pose
- Countdown. The screen and a voice prompt count down 3, 2, 1, Smile
- Flash. The screen briefly washes white to confirm the photo was taken (and to give the customer a "did it just happen?" cue)
- Captured photo appears as a small tab so the customer can see what they got
- If the template needs more photos, the next countdown starts immediately
If the template needs 3 photos, this loops 3 times. If it needs 4 photos, it loops 4 times. Templates are designed for specific photo counts (typically 1, 2, 3, or 4).
Photo area shapes
Different templates use different photo area shapes for where each photo will go on the final print:
- Rectangle. Square corners
- Rounded rectangle. Rounded corners
- Circle. Perfect circle
- Heart. Heart shape
- Petal. Petal / leaf shape
The capture screen shows a visualization of the shape during the live preview so customers can frame themselves correctly. The capture itself is a normal rectangular photo. BoothIQ crops it to the shape during composition.
Retakes
If a photo comes out badly, the customer can retake it. The exact UI varies by version, but typically:
- A Retake button appears after each photo, or
- A Retake option appears on the offer screen (see Editing photos) once all photos are captured
When the customer taps retake, the booth re-runs the capture sequence for that specific photo (or for all photos, depending on the implementation).
Voice prompts
BoothIQ plays voice prompts during capture:
- "Look at the camera"
- "Three, two, one"
- "Smile!"
- "Got it!"
These help customers who aren't watching the screen carefully (which is most of them, because they're posing).
What you control
You don't control much about the capture flow itself. It's part of the customer experience and operator-configurable settings are minimal. What you can control:
- Camera settings in the Diagnostics tab: brightness, zoom, contrast. Tune these to your venue's lighting once and forget.
- Which templates are available in the Templates tab. This indirectly controls how many photos each session takes.
- Free Play mode in the Settings tab. Doesn't affect capture itself but means the customer didn't pay to start.
What can go wrong
Camera disconnects mid-capture
The booth shows a Camera Error Screen with a Retry option. The customer's session is preserved. If they paid, their credits are still there and they can retry. See Camera not working (coming soon).
Photo is dark or washed out
The lighting at the booth is wrong, or the camera settings need tuning. Open Diagnostics → Camera and adjust brightness/contrast. The settings persist across booth restarts.
The countdown is too fast for the customer to pose
The countdown timing isn't operator-configurable in the standard release. Tell customers to pose during the Look At Camera screen, before the countdown even starts.
The customer wasn't ready and the photo is bad
Have them tap retake after the photo, or after the offer screen if retake-per-photo isn't available in their version.
Idle behavior
The capture screen has aggressive timeouts to prevent the booth from getting stuck on an abandoned session. If the customer walks away mid-capture, the booth eventually returns to the welcome screen.
What to tell customers
- "Stand back so we can see your whole face. About an arm's length from the camera is good."
- "Don't move when the screen flashes. It's the camera taking the photo."
- "If the photo looks bad, you can retake it after."
- For multi-photo strips: "It's going to take 3 photos in a row. Pose between each one."
Common operator questions
The customer's photo always comes out blurry.
The camera autofocus may be confused by the lighting or the customer's distance. Adjust camera settings in the Diagnostics tab. If it persists across many sessions, the camera may need replacement. Contact support.
Half the photo is dark.
Bad lighting on one side of the booth. Adjust the room lighting or the booth's position.
The customer says the photo doesn't match what they saw on screen.
The live preview is mirrored (like a mirror) but the captured photo is not mirrored. That's standard for booths. Customers usually adjust quickly.
Customer asks "can I see the photo before I pay?"
Yes. The offer screen after capture (see Editing photos) lets them preview the composed print before paying.
Next steps
- Editing photos. The optional editor screen with filters and stickers.
- Diagnostics tab (coming soon). Where you tune the camera.