Quick Start Guide — Your First Event in 10 Minutes

E

Eve Martin

Last updated on Jun 20, 2026

Welcome to Pictor! This guide gets you from sign-up to your first live photo booth as fast as possible. We'll cover the essentials — creating your account, setting up a Simple Mode event, testing it, and going live.

If you're looking for advanced customization, check out Creating My First Event after you're comfortable with the basics.


What You'll Need

  • Your device — Pictor runs on iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, and as a Virtual Booth on any Mac or PC browser. Check system requirements for supported models.
  • A stable internet connection — Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot. Pictor needs internet for AI processing.
  • A Pictor account — Sign up at app.pictor.pro if you haven't already.
  • A license — You'll need an active license to run live events. See Licenses and Tokens for details.

Step 1: Download and Sign In

  1. Download the Pictor app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
  2. Open the app and sign in with the email and password you used to create your account.
  3. You'll land on the Events screen — this is your home base.

[Screenshot: Events screen after first login]


Step 2: Create Your First Event

  1. Tap the + button to create a new event.
  2. Choose Simple Mode — it sets up smart defaults so you can get started fast.
  3. Fill in the basics: Event Name, Client Name, and Start and End Dates.

[Screenshot: Simple Mode event creation form]

Tip: Don't overthink it for your first event. You can edit everything later.


Step 3: Pick a Template

In Simple Mode, Pictor will prompt you to choose a template — this determines how your guests' photos will look.

  • Browse the available templates and pick one that fits your event style.
  • Templates include overlays, layouts, and AI effects like style transfers.
  • You can preview how each template will look before selecting it.

[Screenshot: Template selection screen]

Tip: Start with a simple overlay or frame for your first event. AI effects are powerful but use tokens — make sure you have enough before going live.


Step 4: Test Your Event

Before going live, always test. From the Control Panel:

  1. Simulate — Walks through the guest flow on-screen without using tokens. Use this first to check your screen flow and layout.
  2. Test — Runs the full experience including AI processing (uses a test token). Use this to verify the output quality.

[Screenshot: Control Panel with Simulate and Test buttons]


Step 5: Go Live

  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Tap Launch Photo Booth.
  3. Your iPad enters the guest-facing experience — you're live!

While running, the Control Panel tracks session count, active status, and displays a QR code for the sharing station or virtual booth.


Step 6: Share Photos with Guests

By default in Simple Mode, Pictor enables a Sharing Station so guests can receive their photos via email, text, or QR code scan.

For other sharing options (printing, Dropbox backup, virtual booth), see Output Delivery In-Depth.


Quick Troubleshooting

Issue What to Do
App won't load Check your internet connection and try restarting the app. See Loading Issues.
Photos not sending via text/email Check Email/Text Delivery Troubleshooting.
Ran out of tokens Top up under Billing → Tokens in your account.
AI output looks wrong Make sure you're using a supported template and re-run a Test.

What's Next?


Need Help?

Reach out through the chat widget on pictor.pro or email [email protected].