Getting Started

What does Pictor do and how does it work?

Using Pictor's AI Photo Booth in 3-Steps Take Your Picture As with all photo booth experiences, the fun begins with a simple press of a button. Pose for the camera and get ready for the fun part. The AI Magic After you've taken your photo, it's time for the magic to happen. Our incredible AI platform processes your photo based on your direction. From custom backdrops to recolors to digital props and more, your wildest dreams can be made reality. Show the World Once your photos are finished processing, you can immediately share your incredible new creations to social media. Create online chatter for your brand with every share of your pictures. Learn More For a complete overview of what Pictor is and what it offers, see What is Pictor?.

What is Pictor?

Pictor revolutionizes the traditional photo booth experience by incorporating facial recognition, customizable backdrops, and digital props using AI technology. Our software maintains the engagement and personalization of a traditional photo booth while elevating events with high-quality pictures and interactive features enhanced by AI. Pictor offers a fully customizable experience aligned with brand identity, engaging audiences with a unique, game-changing event experience. The AI technology behind Pictor represents the latest innovation in instant photography, with a patent pending status for this groundbreaking real-time photography AI platform. This technology combines advanced AI for real-time photo capture and processing, marking a new era in event photo experiences. How Does It Work? Pictor captures photos, applies AI effects, and delivers results to guests in three steps. See the full breakdown in What does Pictor do and how does it work?.

Create an Account

Registering with Pictor is quick and easy! Head over to https://pictor.pro/ and navigate to Register on the main menu (https://app.pictor.pro/register). Simply fill out the registration form and you'll be granted access into the Pictor dashboard to get started with your first event. Please reach out to support@pictor.pro with any questions or issues.

Application Information

See the latest build of Pictor under Application Information area and read more about our privacy policy.

Overview

Located in the upper right corner of your Pictor account, you'll discover details pertaining to your account, settings, billing, and additional options. - Event Presets In the Event Presets section, you have the ability to craft your own preset for Pictor. Generating a preset enables you to establish pre-defined filters, settings, and more for your new events. This streamlines the process, ensuring that your preferred configurations are readily available, resulting in a more efficient workflow when setting up new events. - Security This feature enables you to establish a company-wide passcode, effectively securing all your galleries and restricting external access. - Integrations Within the Integrations part of your account, you will find: Pictor API Key The Pictor API Key serves as a link between Pictor and external services, software, and other integrations. It is crucial to maintain the confidentiality of this key, as it grants access to your Pictor account. To generate a new API key, just click the "New API Key" button. To learn more about Pictor's API features, visit this article. Dropbox Enable Pictor to connect with Dropbox which will store your final, rendered images. You can find your images in Dropbox by navigating to /Apps/Pictor/ - Billing Pictor uses a two-part model: subscriptions (licenses) unlock platform features, and tokens cover AI processing (GPU usage). Licenses A subscription license gives you access to Pictor's platform features on a monthly or annual basis. Annual billing saves approximately 17% compared to monthly. Your license determines which tier you're on (Basic, Pro, or Premium). Tokens Tokens cover the cost of AI photo and video processing. You purchase token packs as needed — ideal for operators who run events with varying AI usage. Tokens never expire, so unused tokens roll over. You can buy tokens from the Billing section at any time. Related article: Pictor Pricing Model: Licenses & Tokens Within the billing section of Pictor, you will also have access to your payment methods, subscriptions, invoices and payment history. - Users In the Users section, you can generate sub-users, granting access to Pictor without providing access to your admin account. - App Info Read about Pictor's privacy policy and more here. - Account Settings Change your company name, name, email address and more from this page, as well as deactivate your Pictor account. You can also update your password here as well. - Logout Logs you out of your Pictor account.

Event Settings

Event Settings is where you name your event, set when it runs, control who can reach it, and decide how long its data is kept. How to open Event Settings 1. Go to Events. 2. Find your event and click Edit & Launch. 3. Click the Event tab. The event workspace has five tabs, and each saves on its own: Tab What it's for Launchpad Event code, share links, QR codes, simulation test Event This article Flow The screens guests move through at the booth Styles Branding and appearance Output How guests receive their photos Open your event, then choose Event on the left rail. Open your event, then choose Event on the left rail. Identity Field What it does Event Name Required. Used on the Events list, as the delivery email subject, and as the Dropbox folder name Description Internal notes about this event. Not shown to guests Client Who the event is for. Choose from the list, or click Create client to add one Project A way to group events. Premium plans only Identity on the Event tab. Identity on the Event tab. Schedule Set the hours you will actually be on site. Field What it does Start Date Required Start Time Required End Date Required End Time Required Your event opens and closes itself at these times: Status When Upcoming Before the start Live Between start and end Completed After the end ImportantThe schedule is what lets guests reach the booth. A guest arriving before the start sees "This event has not yet started.", and after the end "This event has finished." If the booth will not open on the day, check these four fields first. Extending End Time brings a finished event straight back to Live. All four schedule fields decide when guests can use the booth. All four schedule fields decide when guests can use the booth. Access & Limits Max Sessions — a cap on how many booth sessions the event will accept. Leave empty for unlimited. Password (Optional) — set a password to protect your event from unauthorised access. Anyone trying to exit the booth will need to enter this password first. This is especially useful for events at shared venues, or when your device is unattended during setup. The same password also applies to the public gallery and the slideshow. Leave it empty for public access. Leave either field empty for unlimited sessions or public access. Leave either field empty for unlimited sessions or public access. Data retention Three switches control when an event's data is deleted. Switch What it does Scrub data automatically Captures and guest data are deleted when the event ends Scrub data at a set time You pick the exact date and time. Replaces automatic scrubbing Scrub survey answers too Survey answers are scrubbed separately. Needs one of the options above Choosing Scrub data at a set time reveals Scrub date and Scrub time. Both are required. ImportantThe first two switches are alternatives — turning one on turns the other off. ImportantSurvey answers are not covered by the first two switches on their own. To delete everything, switch on one of the first two and switch on Scrub survey answers too. ImportantScrubbing is permanent. Download anything you need first. Scrubbing data automatically when the event ends. Scrubbing data automatically when the event ends. Choosing a set time replaces automatic scrubbing. Choosing a set time replaces automatic scrubbing. Saving Click Save Changes. If you move to another tab with unsaved work, Pictor asks first and offers Discard Changes or Keep Editing. Nothing you change is live until you press Save Changes. Nothing you change is live until you press Save Changes. Header actions These sit at the top of every tab. Action What it does Assign users Give team members access to this event Share code Email the event code to someone Duplicate Duplicate the event Delete Remove the event permanently Close Return to the Events list Important - Deleting an event removes its captures too. The header actions are available from any tab. The header actions are available from any tab. See also - Launchpad — where you launch the event once it is set up - Flow — the screens guests move through - Keeping your event data secure — what the retention settings do

Launchpad

The Launchpad is the first tab on every event. It is where you check the event is set up correctly, collect the links your guests and staff will use, and watch it run on the day. How to open it 1. Go to Events. 2. Find your event and click Edit & Launch. You land on the Launchpad. It has three sections, and each can be collapsed with the – in its corner. The Launchpad, with all three sections open. The Launchpad, with all three sections open. At the top Beside your event's name are two badges: Badge What it tells you ● LIVE / UPCOMING / COMPLETED Whether guests can reach the event right now BASIC / PRO / PREMIUM The licence tier this event needs Tip - Check the tier badge before the day. It is the quickest way to spot that an event has quietly become Premium — see Plans and features for what causes that. The header also has: Action What it does Assign users Give team members access to this event Share code Email the event code to someone Duplicate Duplicate the event Delete Remove the event permanently Focus Hides the menus and gives the event the full window Close Return to the Events list Tip - Focus is worth using on a laptop at a venue, where screen space is short. Exit focus mode brings the menus back. Event status and the licence tier your settings earned. Event status and the licence tier your settings earned. Event summary A read-only view of what you set on the Event tab: Event name, Client, Project, Schedule, Time and Access. Anything you have not set shows a dash. Access reads Public access or Passcode protected. Times appear here in 12-hour form. You enter them on the Event tab in 24-hour form. Tip - Check Time the day before your event. Wrong times are the most common reason a booth will not open, and this is the fastest place to spot them. Event access Event code — six characters, with a copy button. Passcode — your event's password, shown here with its own copy button so you can read it out without digging into settings. If you have not set one, this reads "None, anyone with a link can join galleries slideshow and analytics." The three channels Channel What it is Virtual booth Where guests run the experience Pre-registration Guests answer ahead of time and arrive with a QR code Public gallery Guests browse and download everything captured Each row shows its full web address and three buttons: copy link, open in a new tab, and show QR code for this link. Each channel shows its link and whether guests can reach it. Each channel shows its link and whether guests can reach it. Important - Always take a link with its copy button rather than typing it out. If a channel is not ready The row's usual description is replaced by a warning telling you what to do. Badge Means What to do Off Switched off Click Turn it on in Output settings Needs setup On, but incomplete Pre-registration: no stages picked — click Pick the stages in the workflow QR code The panel says Points at [the channel], and follows whichever row's QR button you pressed. Download QR code saves it for print. The QR panel says which link it points at. The QR panel says which link it points at. Tip - Download the QR code and get it onto signage in advance. It keeps working as long as the channel stays switched on. Simulation "Test your setup in a safe environment before going live with guests." Click Simulation test and walk the whole journey as a guest would. Run a simulation before every event. Run a simulation before every event. Tip - Run it on the device that will be at the venue, on the venue's network if you can. Most event-day problems are the network or the camera, and neither shows up when you test from the office. Control panel "Advanced settings and session statistics." Three live counts — Virtual session, Physical session and Generated media — with a refresh button. Quick actions to everything the event exposes: Internal Gallery · Virtual Booth · Public Gallery · Slideshow · Sharing Station · Pre-Registration · Export CSV · View analytics · Sessions Note - Actions for channels you have not switched on appear greyed out. Live counts and shortcuts to everything the event exposes. Live counts and shortcuts to everything the event exposes. Important - If the event uses features your account is not licensed for, a warning appears here: "This event has no active license — buy or upgrade one so it can run." Deal with it before the day — the booth will refuse to start. Internal gallery — hiding a photo Internal Gallery opens every capture from the event, and it is where you take a photo down. 1. In the Control panel, click Internal Gallery. 2. Find the item, or use Hidden only and Test only to narrow the list. 3. Tick Select on the items you want, or use Select all. 4. Choose Hide, Unhide, Remove or Download. Action What it does Hide The item stops appearing in the public gallery and slideshow. It is not deleted Unhide Puts it back Remove Deletes it permanently Download Saves the selected items Tip - Hide rather than Remove during an event. It takes the photo out of the public gallery immediately, and you can still review it with the client afterwards. Tip - Items from test runs are marked Test. Use the Test only filter to clear them out before handing the gallery to a client. Hide or remove any capture before guests see it. Hide or remove any capture before guests see it. See also For See Changing the event's settings Event Settings Turning channels on Output Delivery What makes an event Pro or Premium Plans and features

Flow

The Flow tab is where you build the guest journey — the screens someone moves through from walking up to the booth to receiving their photo. How to open it 1. Go to Events. 2. Find your event and click Edit & Launch. 3. Click the Flow tab. Flow is the third tab on the event. Flow is the third tab on the event. What you start with Every new event already has a working journey: Media Screen → Choose Experience → Run Experience → Preview Output If that does what you need, leave it alone. Reading the canvas The canvas runs top to bottom, from Start to End. The lines between cards are the path the booth takes. Start card — settings that apply to the whole journey. Stage cards — one per screen, each with a row of icons. End card — where the journey finishes. Every flow runs top to bottom, from Start to End. Every flow runs top to bottom, from Start to End. Adding a stage Click the + on the line between two cards, then pick a stage type. Important - The + adds the stage at that exact point. A + inside a branch adds to the branch, not to the main path. The picker tells you three things about each stage before you add it: What you see What it means PRO or PREMIUM badge Adding this stage raises the event to that licence tier BRANCHING badge This stage can send guests down different paths Already on this path , greyed out The stage is already on the route the + sits on, so you cannot add a second one Search by name if the list is long. The plus on a connector opens the stage picker, and inserts on that exact connector. The plus on a connector opens the stage picker, and inserts on that exact connector. Reordering, editing and removing a stage Use the buttons on the stage card. Button What it does Move stage up / Move stage down The arrows. This is how you reorder Edit stage The pencil — opens the content editor Styles The palette — styles this stage only Load template Load saved content into this stage Save template Save this stage's content for reuse Remove The bin. The cards either side reconnect Important - Reorder with the arrows. Dragging a card does not move it in the journey. Note - Not every stage has every button. Some stages cannot be removed, so they have no bin. Use the arrows to move a stage up or down the path. Use the arrows to move a stage up or down the path. The stage types Stage What it does Media Screen Show an image or video splash, optionally gated by a touch Choose Experience Offer templates; each can lead to a different path Run Experience Capture photo / video using the chosen template Preview Output Let the user preview the generated output On Screen Delivery Wait on screen while output is prepared, then deliver Share Output Capture email / SMS to deliver the output Print Send the output to a printer Text Screen A simple text screen with a continue button Survey Collect answers. Multi-experience mode branches on the response Terms of Service Display legal text with agree / disagree QR Code Scanner Prefill fields by scanning a QR code AI Settings Configure the AI experience External Open an external URL (redirect or modal) Webhook Send data to an external endpoint Paywall Charge before continuing Note - Templates are chosen on Choose Experience, not on Run Experience. Run Experience uses whichever template the guest picked. Print, External, Paywall, QR Code Scanner, Webhook and On Screen Delivery. Print, External, Paywall, QR Code Scanner, Webhook and On Screen Delivery. Media Screen options The most-used stage. Open it with the pencil. Option What it does Title , Subtitle , Body The text on screen In modal media An image or video inside the card. Upload Image accepts PNG, JPG or GIF up to 10MB Tap to move Guests advance by tapping. Off means it advances on its own Tap-to-move text The prompt shown when Tap to move is on Auto-advance after (seconds) How long before it moves on by itself Show continue button Adds an explicit button Show gallery button Adds a link to the gallery Hide timeout timer Hides the countdown Layout , Text position , Body text position How the content is arranged The Start card Six actions that apply to the whole journey. Action What it does Global style settings Styling for every stage Global text Reusable text you can insert anywhere and update in one place Booth behavior What the booth does when a guest walks away mid-session Load workflow template Replace this journey with a saved one Save workflow template Save this journey for reuse on other events Test preview Saves, then opens the booth in a new tab Important - Load workflow template replaces the whole journey. Save the current one first if you might want it back. Tip - Build your standard journey once, save it as a workflow template, and load it on every new event. Settings for the whole flow live on the Start card. Settings for the whole flow live on the Start card. Branching A stage showing the Can branch badge can lead to different next stages depending on what the guest does. 1. Click Add branch on the stage. 2. Drag the new branch's endpoint onto the stage it should lead to. 3. Save. Important - A branch with no destination is an error and will stop you saving. Warnings and errors The builder checks the journey. A chip top right counts what it found — "1 issue(s) to review" — with the detail in a banner beneath the heading and a warning triangle on the stage responsible. Errors stop you saving. Warnings do not. A brand-new event arrives with one warning already showing: WARNING: "Choose Experience" has no templates. That is expected — the picker is in the journey, but you have not chosen which templates it offers yet. Warnings are advice. Errors stop you saving. Warnings are advice. Errors stop you saving. The preview panel The panel beside the canvas runs the real booth, so you can walk the journey without publishing anything. Control What it does Dimensions Switch between device sizes, for example Mobile Vertical Restart Run again from the first screen Eye Hide or show the preview Tip - Check the journey at phone size as well as tablet. Guests using the virtual booth are all on phones. The preview runs the real booth renderer, not a mockup. The preview runs the real booth renderer, not a mockup. Testing before the event Two ways: - Test preview on the Start card — saves, then opens the booth in a new tab. - Simulation test on the Launchpad tab — walks the whole journey including delivery. See also - Choose Experience: Simple or Advanced — the two ways to offer templates - Template Editor — designing what a capture turns into - Output Delivery — how guests receive the resul

Custom AI Prompts

A custom AI prompt tells the AI how to transform your guests' photos. You write it once, test it against your own photos, and then use it in as many events as you like. Find it at Custom AI prompts in the side navigation. The page Control What it's for Create new prompt Opens the builder on a blank prompt Request a prompt Ask us to write one for you Saved prompts The prompts you have created Generated previews Every test render you have made, across all your prompts — see below Each prompt in the list has an Actions menu holding Duplicate and Delete. To change a prompt, open it — the builder's title changes from Custom AI prompts to Edit custom prompt, so you can always tell which one you are in. Your saved prompts, with search and the two tabs. Your saved prompts, with search and the two tabs. How the builder is laid out The builder is two columns. On the left you build the prompt: Prompt (name, thumbnail, prompt text) and Generate (test images and output settings). On the right is Generated previews — every render you have made from this prompt, newest first with a Latest badge, filtered by All, Photos or Videos, with a thumbnail strip underneath. Save sits in the top right. Generating does not save the prompt; saving does. Name and thumbnail Prompt name — what you and your colleagues will search for. Thumbnail image — what guests see in the picker. Select thumbnail picks one from your Asset Library, or you can promote any render to be the thumbnail later. Write the prompt Type your description into Prompt text. Underneath, the field tells you how to add tokens: Type @ for reference images or {{ for survey answers. Tokens are highlighted and delete as one piece with backspace. Two rows beneath the field show what the prompt is currently using: - References in prompt — each reference token you have inserted - Survey answers · click to insert — each survey question, which you can click to drop into the text at the cursor ImportantA reference or a survey question has no effect until its token is in the prompt text. Creating it is not enough. Video prompt is a separate, optional field for camera movement — "Slow camera movement" is the placeholder. It only applies when you generate video. Type @ for a reference or {{ for a survey answer. Type @ for a reference or {{ for a survey answer. References A reference is an image the AI should reproduce faithfully — a product, a prop, a logo, a face. You make it once and mention it in as many prompts as you like. Click References to open Reference images. The dialog lists every reference you have, with a search box, a count, and an In prompt badge on the ones this prompt is using. Each carries a short id, like @5723813. To add one to the prompt: type @ in the prompt text and pick it from the list, the way you would tag someone in a message. Creating a reference Click Add reference and fill in: Field Notes Title What you will type after @ Description Optional, for your own reference Reference images 1 to 4 images Important - Images cannot be changed after creation. Check them before you save. If you get them wrong, make a new reference and delete the old one. Tip - Describe the reference in the prompt text as well as inserting the token. In the example above, the prompt also names the telephone's "rotary dial, handset, cord, shape, and red color" — the token tells the AI which object, the words tell it what matters about it. Every reference you have made, and whether it is in the prompt. Every reference you have made, and whether it is in the prompt. Title, description, and one to four images you cannot change later. Title, description, and one to four images you cannot change later. Survey questions Survey questions are asked at the booth, and the guest's answer is substituted into the prompt. One prompt, a different result per guest. Click Survey questions and switch on Enable survey questions. Setting What it does Survey Title The heading guests see at the booth Collect answers? Whether the answers are stored with the event's data Questions One block per question Each question has: - The question text guests read - Required — whether they can skip it - Its token, {{answer1}}, {{answer2}} and so on, numbered in order, with an In prompt badge and Insert into prompt - A list of Option / Token pairs — the option is what the guest sees, the token is what the AI receives - A default token — used when the guest gives no answer, and when you generate previews ImportantAlways set a default token. Previews have no guest to answer the question, so without one you are not testing what guests will actually get. Note - The Option and the Token do not have to match. "Warm and cozy" can send 1, or it can send a whole phrase — whatever reads best inside your prompt sentence. Tip - Turn Collect answers? off if you do not need the responses afterwards. It is the simplest way to avoid holding guest data you have no use for. Each option maps to a token; the default is used when nobody answers. Each option maps to a token; the default is used when nobody answers. Generate previews You generate a batch, not a single image. Pictor renders every combination of what you pick. 1. Add test images — a clear, well-lit photo of a person works best. You can add several. 2. Choose the Media type — Still Image or Video. 3. Choose the aspect ratios. For a still image: 1:1 Square, 4:5 Portrait, 9:16 Story, 16:9 Landscape, 3:4 Photo. Multi-select. 1. Choose the image quality: Low Quality costs 1 token, High Quality costs 2. Also multi-select, so you can compare the two side by side. 1. Read the summary. It spells out the arithmetic and the cost before you commit. 2. Click Generate N previews. On a prompt you have not saved yet the button reads Save & generate N previews — it does both. Important - Every test image is rendered against each ratio and each quality. Three images × two ratios × two qualities is twelve renders, and you are charged for all twelve. The summary box gives you the total before you press anything — read it. Note - Test images are not saved with the prompt. Tip - While you are still finding the wording, use one image, one ratio and Low Quality. Add ratios and raise the quality once the look is close. The summary shows how many previews and how many tokens before you commit. The summary shows how many previews and how many tokens before you commit. Work with your previews Every render carries five actions. Action What it does Set thumbnail Make this the prompt's thumbnail Use as test image Feed the render back in as the next input Use settings Reload the exact settings that produced it Download Save the file Delete Remove the render Tip - Use settings is how you work backwards from a good result — reload it, change one thing, generate again. Tip - Use as test image is for building on a look rather than a face. The render is already AI-generated, so the guest's identity drifts a little further with each pass. Every render carries these five actions. Every render carries these five actions. The Generated previews tab Work with your previews above covers the renders from the prompt you have open. The Generated previews tab on the Custom AI prompts page gathers every render you have ever made, across all your prompts. Every test render produced from your prompts — photos and videos — with the prompt, date and download for each. Control What it does Prompt dropdown Narrows the grid to one prompt All / Photos / Videos Narrows it by media type. Videos is greyed out until you have generated one Every card carries a Photo or Video badge, the prompt that made it, and the date and time it was rendered. Hover a card for two actions: open the prompt that made it, and download the file. Tip - This is the fastest way to answer "which version of the prompt produced that one?" — the date on the card tells you when, and opening the prompt from here takes you straight to it. Note - Renders are test output. They are not what guests receive, and they do not appear in an event's gallery. Every render from every prompt, filtered by prompt and media type. Every render from every prompt, filtered by prompt and media type. Save the prompt Click Save. The prompt appears in Saved prompts and can be edited at any time. Use a prompt in an event There are two places, depending on how your event is built. Simple Mode 1. Open your event and click Flow. 2. Open the Choose Experience stage and switch the mode to Simple. 3. Under AI Configuration, click Choose Prompts. 4. Pick your prompt, then set AI Image Quality or AI Video Quality. Advanced (a template) 1. Open your event and click Flow. 2. Open Choose Experience and open a template. 3. Select the Capture element, open its Settings, then Effect → Add effect. 4. Choose AI Filter, AI Effect or AI Video, then pick your prompt. Note - Using a custom prompt in an event raises that event to the Pro tier. Important - Pictor takes a snapshot of the prompt at the moment you add it to an event. Editing the prompt afterwards in Custom AI prompts does not change events it is already assigned to. To apply an update, come back here and re-select the prompt. This is deliberate — it stops a prompt edit quietly changing the output of an event a client has already signed off. Tip - If you have changed a prompt and the event is still producing the old look, this is why. Re-select the prompt on the stage. Writing a good prompt Work through these in order. The example prompt in the screenshots above uses every one of them. Category Examples Prompt name "Retro Red Telephone Portrait", "Game Day Glory", "Cyber Hero" Test image Clear, well-lit photo of a person with a visible face What to keep "Preserve the person's identity, facial features, skin tone, hairstyle" Subject Football player, superhero, astronaut, fashion model, warrior, chef Action Posing for a portrait, holding a trophy, walking through smoke Setting Football stadium, city skyline at night, 1970s living room Lighting Magic hour, cinematic glow, moody shadows, glowing neon Style Hyper-real, cartoon, comic book, vintage photo, watercolour Specific details Holding a football, gold aviators, confetti falling What to avoid "Do not add extra people, distorted hands, extra fingers, text, or watermarks" Tip - The two people leave out are what to keep and what to avoid. A line telling the AI to preserve the guest's face is what stops it inventing a different person, and a line listing what you do not want is the fastest fix for extra fingers and stray text. Asking us for a prompt If you want a look you cannot get to yourself, click Request a prompt at the top of the Custom AI prompts page and describe what you are after. We write it and it appears in your saved prompts. TipSend a reference photo of the look you want along with the description. It settles more than a paragraph of adjectives will. See also - Using AI Effects — the fixed looks you apply to a capture element - Creating an AI video — generating video rather than stills - Plans and features — what tokens cost and how to top up

Output Delivery

The Output tab decides how guests receive their photos and videos, and who else can see them. How to open it 1. Go to Events. 2. Find your event and click Edit & Launch. 3. Click the Output tab. Each channel is a row you expand, with its own ON / OFF switch. Seven channels, each with its own switch and plan badge. Seven channels, each with its own switch and plan badge. The seven channels Channel What it does Plan Dropbox Backs up captured media to your Dropbox Pro Printing Prints on site through the Print Partner app All plans Virtual Booth Guests run the booth on their own phone Premium Public Gallery A web gallery guests browse and download from All plans Slideshow A live photo wall on a screen at the venue Pro Sharing Station A kiosk where guests find and send their own photo Pro Pre-Registration (QR Code Scanner) Guests answer ahead of time and arrive with a QR code Premium Important - Public Gallery is already on. A new event publishes a gallery whether or not you open this tab. Important - Switching on a Pro or Premium channel raises the event's plan tier. Pictor names the feature responsible before the save goes through. Email and SMS Guests receive their own photo by email or text. Switch them on under Sharing methods inside Sharing Station. NoteThe same delivery fields also appear on Flow → Share Output, as Email delivery and SMS delivery. They edit the same settings — it is one set of values, shown in two places. The Flow stage additionally holds Default sharing option, Limit country codes and Customize email suggestions, which are not on this tab. Email settings Field What it does From name The sender name the guest sees From email Optional. Left empty, delivery falls back to Pictor's own sender address — or yours, if you have connected SendGrid Reply to Where replies go Subject The email's subject line. New events prefill it with the event name; it is required Use HTML Use a designed template instead of plain text Attach output Attach the photo as well as linking it Email content The message body Template Pick a designed template SMS settings Message content holds the text. ImportantThe message must contain {{contentURL}} — that placeholder becomes the link to the guest's photo. Without it the guest gets a text with no link, and Pictor will not let you save: "Message must include {{contentURL}}." Copy it exactly, with no # in front. The message must contain {{contentURL}}. The message must contain {{contentURL}}. Dropbox Dropbox is a connection rather than a switch. Link the account once under Integrations, then set the Dropbox folder name on the event. Until it is connected the section reads "Connect your Dropbox account in Integrations to enable backup." Open Dropbox gallery opens the folder. Export folder downloads everything as a zip. Dropbox backs every capture up to a folder named after the event. Dropbox backs every capture up to a folder named after the event. Pre-Registration ImportantSwitching this on is not enough on its own. Add a QR Code Scanner stage to the workflow on the Flow tab, then choose which stages guests fill in beforehand. Without the stage the Launchpad marks the channel Needs setup. Choosing your combination A typical live event: - Sharing Station for instant guest delivery - Public Gallery so the client can share everything afterwards - Printing for physical keepsakes - Dropbox for the client's copy - Slideshow for the room A virtual or hybrid event: - Virtual Booth for remote guests - Sharing Station for delivery - Public Gallery and Dropbox for afterwards Tip - Enable at least two ways for a guest to receive their photo. If SMS is slow on the venue's network, email still lands. Tip - Connect Dropbox and check the folder name well before the event, not while you are setting up. Where the detail lives For See Slideshow settings Slideshow Sharing station setup How to Set Up a Sharing Station Printing Printing Virtual booth How to Set Up a Virtual Booth Pre-registration Pre-Registration & QR Code Scanner See also - Email and text message sharing — the two channels in detail - Set up a Sharing Station — the guest-facing delivery screen - Troubleshooting: Email & Text Delivery — when it does not arrive

Creating your first event

*Applies to the web app at *app.pictor.pro. CreateEvent.mp4 Create the event 1. Go to Events. 2. Click Create New Event. 3. Choose how you want to build it: Mode Use it when Guided Mode You want the event fully set up before it runs. Five steps, in order Quick Mode You know where the settings live and just want the event on the calendar 1. Fill in Event Name and the four schedule fields — Start Date, Start Time, End Date, End Time. 2. Click Continue (Guided) or Save Event (Quick). Your event exists from this point. Client and Project are optional. Guided Mode walks you through it; Quick Mode drops you into the editor. Guided Mode walks you through it; Quick Mode drops you into the editor. Finish setting it up In Guided Mode you work through four more steps: Workflow Builder, Global Styles, Output Delivery, and Preview & Launch. Every step already has working settings, so Continue is a valid answer to any of them. Click Finish, then Go to Launchpad. What your event can already do A new event is not empty. Before you change anything it has a working guest journey — intro, experience picker, capture, preview — plus email delivery, a public gallery and an event code. Set the times correctly Your event opens and closes itself at the times you set. There is nothing to press on the day. Guests arriving before your start time see "This event has not yet started." After your end time they see "This event has finished." Set the schedule to the hours you will actually be on site, and give yourself a margin at each end. Test it before the day Open the Launchpad and click Simulation test. Walk the whole journey as a guest would, and check the delivery actually arrives. Run it on the device you will use at the venue, on the venue's network if you can. Most event-day problems are the network or the camera, and neither shows up when you test from the office. Run a simulation from the Launchpad before the day. Run a simulation from the Launchpad before the day. Where to go next To See Change anything about the event Event Settings Build the guest journey Flow Brand the booth Global Styles Set up delivery Output Delivery Find your links and QR codes Launchpad See also - Event Settings — every setting explained - Launchpad — testing and going live - Getting around Pictor — the rest of the app

Why isn't my photo attached to the text message?

Pictor sends a link to the photo rather than attaching the file. Guests tap the link to view and save their photo. If the text arrives with no link at all, the message is missing its placeholder. Fix it 1. Open your event and click the Output tab. 2. Expand Sharing Station and find SMS settings. 3. Check that Message content contains {{contentURL}}. Copy it exactly. There is no # or any other character in front of it. Example Your output is ready, check it out here: {{contentURL}} The message must contain {{contentURL}}, exactly as written. The message must contain {{contentURL}}, exactly as written. Important - Adding a character in front of the token — for example #{{contentURL}} — will still save, but your guests will receive that character in their message and the link may not work. Note - New events start with a working default: "Your output is ready, check it out here: {{contentURL}}". If you have not changed it, this is not your problem — see Troubleshooting: Email & Text Delivery. See also - Troubleshooting: Email & Text Delivery — the full checklist - Email and text message sharing — how the message is buil

Troubleshooting: Email & Text Delivery

Work through these in order. The first check catches most cases. 1. Are you using your own sender? Pictor sends email and texts for you. You do not have to connect anything — out of the box, email goes out from a Pictor address and texts from a Pictor number. You only need SendGrid or Twilio if you want messages to come from your own email address or phone number. If you have set one up, that is the first place to look, because a misconfigured sender of your own will stop delivery that would otherwise have worked. 1. Go to Integrations. 2. Check the Sendgrid card for email, and the SMS (Twilio) card for texts. 3. Each card has its own toggle. Filling in the credentials is not enough — the toggle must be on. Tip - To rule your own sender out entirely, switch the card off and send a test. If it arrives, the problem is in your SendGrid or Twilio setup, not in Pictor. Card Fields SENDGRID Key · Email · Name SMS (Twilio) Twilio sender phone number · SID · AuthToken Connect your own sender only if you want messages to come from your address or number. Connect your own sender only if you want messages to come from your address or number. Note - If you are using your own SendGrid sender, verify the address in SendGrid first. SendGrid will not send from an unverified sender. 2. Check the event Email and SMS live in two places, and they edit the same values: Where What is there Output → Sharing Station Sharing methods (the Email and SMS switches), and the Email and SMS delivery fields Flow → Share Output The same delivery fields, plus Default sharing option, Limit country codes and Customize email suggestions 1. Open your event and click Output. 2. Expand Sharing Station and check Email and SMS are on under Sharing methods. NoteEditing the delivery fields in either place changes the same event settings. They are not two independent copies. Email not arriving The message will not save Message Fix "From name is required." Fill in From name "Reply-to email is required." Fill in Reply to "Subject is required." Fill in Subject "Email content is required." Write a message body "Enter a valid email address." Check From email and Reply to It saves but nothing arrives Ask the guest to check spam. Automated mail lands there routinely — especially on a newly verified sender domain. Check the address. Pictor suggests gmail.com, yahoo.com, icloud.com and hotmail.com once a guest types @. If you replaced those under Customize email suggestions — on Flow → Share Output → Email delivery — or turned them off with an empty list, guests get no help catching their own typos. Corporate addresses. Company mail servers reject unknown senders more aggressively than personal ones. Ask the client's IT contact to allow the From email the event sends from. Large attachments. If Attach output is on, the photo travels with the email and some servers reject it on size. Switch Attach output off and the email carries a link instead. From name, From email, Reply to, Subject — and the Attach output switch. From name, From email, Reply to, Subject — and the Attach output switch. Texts not arriving The message will not save Message Fix "Message content is required." Write the message "Message must include {{contentURL}}." Add the placeholder The link is broken or has a stray character Message content must contain {{contentURL}} exactly. Nothing in front of it. Adding a character — for example #{{contentURL}} — still saves, but your guests receive that character in the message and their phone may not turn the link into something tappable. Your output is ready, check it out here: {{contentURL}} Guests cannot enter their number Go to Flow → Share Output → SMS delivery and check Limit country codes. When it is on, guests only see the countries listed under Allowed countries. A guest from anywhere else cannot enter a number at all. Either add their country or switch the limit off. Note - An empty Allowed countries list behaves as unrestricted, even with the switch on. The number is right but nothing arrives Check Default SMS country code, on Flow → Share Output → SMS delivery. A guest who enters a local number without a country code gets this one added. If the event is set to one country and the guest is from another, the text goes to a number that does not exist. Carrier filtering. Some networks block bulk or automated messages. Try a second number on a different network to confirm. Blocked unknown senders. Some phones block texts from numbers not in contacts. Ask the guest to check their blocked or filtered messages. The message must contain {{contentURL}}, and the country settings decide who can enter a number. The message must contain {{contentURL}}, and the country settings decide who can enter a number. Before your next event Run Simulation test from the Launchpad and send yourself both an email and a text. It is the only way to know the whole chain works before guests are standing in front of it. See also For See All the delivery channels Output Delivery Why the photo is a link, not an attachment Why isn't my photo attached to the text message? Connecting accounts Integration

Security

The Security page holds two things: a company-wide passcode for guest-facing pages, and your own account password. Company event passcode What it does: One code that opens the guest-facing pages of every event on your account — galleries, slideshows and shared reports. Steps 1. Open the user menu and choose Security. 2. Type a code into Passcode. Up to 15 characters. 3. Click save. You will see "Company passcode saved." Leaving the field empty means there is no company passcode. Clearing an existing one removes it. One code across every event, alongside each event's own. One code across every event, alongside each event's own. How it works with an event's own passcode This is the part worth understanding. Each event can have its own passcode, set on the Event tab. A company passcode works alongside it and changes two things. On events that already have a passcode — guests can now get in with either code. Your company passcode opens every one of them, including events you locked deliberately for a particular client. On events with no passcode — they become locked. Pages that anyone with the link could open will start asking for the company passcode. Important - Setting a company passcode changes access on every event on your account, in both directions. Check which of your events are currently open before you set one — any gallery link you have already sent out will start asking for a code. Tip - Use it when all your galleries serve the same audience — one internal team, or a single long-running client. Important - Avoid it if you run events for clients who should not see each other's galleries. It gives each of them a code that opens the others. Tip - To lock a single event, set a passcode on that event instead. The company passcode is an account-wide switch, not a per-event one. Change your password You can also change your password from Profile. Steps 1. Enter your Current password. 2. Enter a New password, then Confirm new password. 3. Click Update password. You stay logged in afterwards. Message What it means "Must be at least 6 characters." The new password is too short "The new password must be different from the current one." You reused the old one "Passwords do not match." The two new fields differ "Could not update the password. Check your current password and try again." The current password is wrong See also For See Setting a passcode on one event Event Settings Who can sign in to your account User

Template Editor

The template editor is where you design what your guests' photo actually looks like — the frame, the branding, the text around their capture. How to open it 1. Go to Events and open your event. 2. Click the Flow tab. 3. Open the Choose Experience stage. 4. Click Add template, or click an existing template to edit it. There is no menu for the editor. You reach it from Choose Experience. There is no menu for the editor. You reach it from Choose Experience. Pick a size first The canvas size sets your output's dimensions and shape, so choose it before you design anything. "Pick the size of your photobooth layout — the canvas everything else is arranged on." Common choice Use it for 6x4 / 4x6 Standard prints, landscape or portrait 2x6 The classic photo strip 1x1 Square, for social 9x16 Stories and reels Insta Portrait Instagram's 4:5 portrait Custom Any size you type yourself Others available: 8x6, 6x2, 3x4, 4x3, 7x5, 5x7, 16x9. ImportantCustom requires a Premium licence on the event. If you can use a preset, use one. The canvas size decides the shape of everything your guests receive. The canvas size decides the shape of everything your guests receive. The workspace Area What it is Editor tools (left) Layout · Move · Capture · Text · Images · Videos · Audio · Templates · Effects Canvas (middle) Your design Layers (right) The stacking order of everything on the canvas Tip - If something has vanished, it is usually behind something else. Open Layers and drag it up rather than rebuilding it. Tools on the left, canvas in the middle, layers on the right. Tools on the left, canvas in the middle, layers on the right. Add a capture The capture is where the guest's photo lands. Every template needs one. Kind What it shows Image A single photo from the booth GIF An animated GIF burst Video A short looping video Add text Click Text, then Add a text, or start from Add a heading, add a subtitle or add a little bit of body text. You can set the font, weight (Regular, Italic, Bold, Bold Italic, Light, Medium, Semi Bold), size, colour, alignment and case (Auto, Uppercase, Lowercase). Note - Start from Add a heading, add a subtitle or add a little bit of body text for a sensible starting style. Note - Using a saved text preset, or putting a {{token}} in your text, changes the licence your event needs — Pro for a preset, Premium for a token. Add images Browse library / Upload for your own files, Search Unsplash for stock, or Add from URL. TipUse high-resolution PNGs for logos and frames. Anything low-resolution will look worse once printed. Effects Select an element, then open its Settings and use Effect → Add effect. Note - The Effects tool in the left rail is a different thing — it sets which filters guests can apply to their own photo. Do not go there to add an effect to your design. Effect What it does Filter A colour treatment Cutout Cuts the subject out of their background Green Screen Replaces a green background Blend / Opacity How the element mixes with what is under it Border Rounds the corners AI Filter · AI Video · AI Effect AI transformations of the capture Important - Only one AI effect — AI Filter, AI Video or AI Effect — is allowed per element. Important - Cutout, Green Screen and the AI effects only work on a still Image capture. Important - The three AI effects are not on the same plan. AI Filter runs on Basic. AI Effect and AI Video both make the event Premium. Note - AI Filter is called AI Image in Simple Mode. Same feature, two names depending on where you are. Important - Filters and Cutout need a Pro licence. Audio and video elements need Premium. Effects apply to whichever element you have selected. Effects apply to whichever element you have selected. Save 1. Type a name in Template Name. 2. Click Save Changes, or Save as to keep the original and create a copy. Important - Saving the template is not enough on its own. Save the event too, or your change will not reach the booth. Tip - Reset Canvas clears everything. Undo and Redo are next to it. Before the event Run a Simulation test from the Launchpad and look at a real output. A frame that looks right on the canvas can still crop awkwardly around a real person. TipLeave room around the edges if you are printing. Printers trim. See also - Using AI Effects — the looks you can apply to a capture - Fonts in the template editor — adding and choosing type - Creating GIFs and boomerangs — the animated capture type

Using AI Effects

An AI Effect transforms your guest's photo — a beautified version, a retro treatment, black and white. You choose the look when you build the template, and every guest gets it automatically. ImportantAn event using an AI Effect needs a Premium licence. You can build the template on any plan, but the booth will not start without one. Before you start - You need enough Tokens. Each capture that goes through an AI Effect spends them. - Check your balance under Billing. Add an AI Effect to a template 1. Go to Events and open your event. 2. Click the Flow tab and open the Choose Experience stage. 3. Click Add template. 4. Pick a size, then add a Capture. 5. Select the capture, open its Settings, then Effect. 6. Choose AI Effect. 7. Pick the looks you want. You can select more than one. 8. Name the template and click Save Changes. 9. Save the event as well. Important - The capture must be a still Image. AI effects cannot be applied to a GIF or Video capture. Important - Do not use the Effects tool in the left rail — that sets which filters guests can apply to their own photo, and selecting it clears your element selection. AI Effect is applied to the capture element. AI Effect is applied to the capture element. Select one or several. Every guest gets the same result. Select one or several. Every guest gets the same result. NoteThe looks here come from prompts tagged as effects, so your list may differ from someone else's. Important - A prompt you write yourself will not necessarily appear in this picker — there is no control in the Prompt Builder for tagging a prompt as an effect. If you need a custom look, use AI Filter instead, or contact us. Important - Only one AI effect — AI Filter, AI Video or AI Effect — is allowed per element. Tip - If Premium is the problem, AI Filter does a similar job on a Basic licence. It is the same feature Simple Mode calls AI Image. You cannot combine AI Effect and AI Video on the same capture. Tip - An AI Effect gives every guest the same treatment, which keeps a set of photos looking consistent. Note - AI Filter works differently: one prompt produces up to four output variations, and a template is capped at four AI Filter captures. It is not a menu of unrelated looks for guests to browse. Test it before the event 1. Open the Launchpad. 2. Click Simulation test and take a photo. 3. Wait a few seconds for processing. 4. Check the result under Sessions or the Internal Gallery. Tip - Always look at a real generated output rather than the canvas preview. AI results vary with the photo, and this is where you find out whether the look suits your lighting. See also For See Building your own looks Custom AI Prompts Everything else in the editor Template Editor What each plan includes Pricing Plan

Fonts in the template editor

Type in a Pictor template comes from Google Fonts, from fonts already used elsewhere in the template, or from a font file you upload yourself. This is where you choose between them. What fonts can I use? Two sources: - Google Fonts — the full library, searchable from inside the editor. - Your own fonts — uploaded to your Asset Library and picked from there. Choosing a font 1. Open your template in the template editor. 2. Select a text element. 3. Open Font Settings. Tab Shows Popular The most-used Google Fonts In This Template Only the fonts already used in this design Use Search fonts to find anything else in the Google Fonts library by name. TipIn This Template is the fastest way to keep a design consistent. Pick from there rather than searching again and accidentally choosing a near-match. Search the Google Fonts library, or reuse a font already in the template. Search the Google Fonts library, or reuse a font already in the template. Using your own font Your font has to be in your Asset Library before you can use it. 1. Go to the Asset Library and upload your font file. 2. Open your template and select a text element. 3. Open Font Settings and click Add custom font. 4. Pick your font from the library. 5. Click Use. Add custom font opens your Asset Library, filtered to fonts. Add custom font opens your Asset Library, filtered to fonts. Note - Use a WOFF2, WOFF, TTF or OTF file. These load reliably in the browser and on the booth. Important - If a font file will not load, your text quietly falls back to a default font rather than showing an error. If your text looks wrong, that is why — check the font file first. Tip - Always run a Simulation test after adding a custom font and look at a real output. A font that renders on your computer is not guaranteed to render on the booth. Licensing your font Make sure you have the right to use the font commercially. Pictor does not check this for you, and a font licensed for personal use only should not go on client work. See also For See Everything else in the editor Template Editor Managing your uploaded files Asset Library

Plans and features

How Pictor licensing works Two separate things decide what you can do. Your subscription — Basic, Pro or Premium — is what you pay monthly. It sets how many licences you hold and what the account can do. Each event's licence tier is worked out from the features that event uses. You do not choose it. Switch on a Pro feature and the event needs a Pro licence; switch on a Premium feature and it needs a Premium one. Important - An event always needs the tier of its highest feature. One Premium feature makes the whole event Premium, however little else it uses. What makes an event Pro Feature You trigger it by Event Branding Adding a logo in Global Styles Slideshow Switching Slideshow on Sharing Station Switching Sharing Station on Customized Email Using a designed email template Customized Gallery Using a designed gallery template Surveys Adding a survey to the flow Custom Prompt Editor Using a prompt you wrote yourself Effects & Filters Applying a filter Background Removal Applying Remove Background Pre-made Text Placing text from a saved preset Tip - Adding your logo is the most common one. If your events keep coming out as Pro and you are not sure why, that is usually the reason. What makes an event Premium Feature You trigger it by Virtual Booth Access Letting guests use the booth from their own device Pre-Event Registration Switching pre-registration on Webhooks Adding a Webhook stage AI Video Generating video from a photo AI Effect Applying an AI Effect to a capture Audio Upload Putting audio in a template Video Upload Putting video in a template Custom Layouts Choosing the Custom canvas size Tokenized Survey Data in Templates Putting a **{{token}}** in template text Tip - If you only need Premium for the canvas size, check whether a preset size fits first. It is the cheapest Premium trigger to avoid. Seeing what your event is using You do not have to work this out yourself. 1. Open your event. 2. Open Used Features — "Features in this event that determine its license tier." It lists exactly which features are driving the tier. The event tells you which features set its licence tier. The event tells you which features set its licence tier. When you save If a change pushes the event up a tier, Pictor tells you before it saves: - Current license — what the event is on now - Requires — what your change needs If you have a spare licence of that tier, it will be used when the event runs. If you do not: No Premium license is available on your account. You can still save these changes, but a Premium license will be required to execute this event. Important - You can save in that state, but the event will not run until you have the licence. Sort it out before the day, not on it. Pictor names the new features and the tier they need before saving. Pictor names the new features and the tier they need before saving. Which plan should I buy? If you Look at Run simple photo events, no branding Basic Brand your events, use filters or surveys Pro Offer guests the booth on their own phones, AI video, or pre-registration Premium See also For See Prices and what each plan costs Pricing Plans Billing and licence counts Billing & Licensing Upgrading How to Upgrade to Pro

Pricing plans

How licensing works Your subscription is what you pay for monthly. Each event also needs a licence, and its tier is worked out from the features that event uses — you do not pick it. Switch on a Pro feature and the event needs a Pro licence. Switch on a Premium feature and it needs a Premium one. An event always needs the tier of its highest feature. Tip - Before choosing a plan, look at Plans and features and check which triggers your typical event would hit. It is a more reliable guide than the plan names. The plans Plan Monthly Annual Basic $49 $490 Pro $99 $990 Premium $149 $1,490 Enterprise add-on — $1,500/year Annual billing saves around 17%. Basic Everything you need to run a straightforward photo event. - Photos and GIFs - Printing - Email and SMS sharing - Public gallery links - AI photo generation using preset prompts - iOS and Android apps - Virtual Booth in a browser, for you to operate - Session and event tracking Pro Everything in Basic, plus the features that make an event look like yours. - Your logo on the event — this is the most common reason an event becomes Pro - Custom AI prompts you write yourself - Filters and background removal - Sharing Station - Slideshow - Surveys and data collection - Designed email and gallery templates - Saved text presets - DSLR camera support Premium Everything in Pro, plus the features that change what an event can be. - Virtual Booth for guests — guests use the booth from their own phone - Pre-registration and QR codes - AI Video - AI Effects - Webhooks - Audio and video in templates - Custom canvas sizes - Survey answers printed into templates Enterprise add-on Added on top of any plan. - Account-wide white labelling - Your own domain on galleries - Branded email delivery through your own SendGrid account - Early access to new features - A dedicated support contact Tokens Tokens are separate from your subscription and cover AI processing. Outputs without AI do not use them. Tip - Check your token balance before an event, not during one. Changing plan Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the end of your billing period. Both are under Billing. Is Pictor right for a personal project? Yes. Nothing about Pictor requires you to be running a business — a wedding, a birthday or a reunion works the same way a corporate activation does, and the Basic plan covers stills, GIFs, boomerangs and video. Two things worth knowing before you buy for a one-off: - Licences are per device, so a single booth needs a single licence. - AI features spend tokens on top of the licence. Check Pricing plans for what a run costs. See also For See Exactly what makes an event Pro or Premium Plans and features Your invoice Understanding Your Invoice Upgrading How to Upgrade to Pro

Slideshow

The slideshow is a live photo wall. Put it on a screen at your venue and guests' photos appear as they are taken. Note - Slideshow makes an event Pro. Turn it on 1. Open your event and click the Output tab. 2. Expand Slideshow and switch it on. 3. Click Copy slideshow link. 4. Open that link in a browser on the screen you are using. Tip - Open it in full screen and disable the machine's sleep and screensaver settings. A slideshow that goes black an hour in is the most common complaint about this feature. The grid, the look, and what appears on it. The grid, the look, and what appears on it. Set up the grid Setting What it does Grid columns / Grid rows How many photos are on screen at once Grid refresh duration Seconds between each media refresh Image size Contain shows the whole photo; Cover fills the tile and crops Important - Maximum visible images: 50. Pictor shows a running Total visible images count as you change the grid — keep it at or under 50. Tip - Fewer, larger tiles read better across a room. A 4×3 grid on a big screen beats an 8×6 that nobody can make out from the bar. Choose what appears Media types — pick Motion, Static, or both. Tip - If your event captures GIFs and video, a motion wall draws far more attention. If the screen is near a dinner service, stills are less distracting. Brand it Setting What it does Background color The colour behind the grid Slideshow background image An image behind the grid Slideshow header image A logo or header across the top Adverts You can put sponsor or client content into the slideshow, in two ways. In the grid — an ad takes a tile. Setting What it does Grid ad media The images to use. They appear at random Grid ad refresh How many photos show between ads Grid ad duration The ad stays until it is replaced Full screen — an ad takes the whole screen. Setting What it does Full screen ad media The image to show Full screen ad interval Minutes between full screen ads Full screen ad duration Seconds each one stays up Important - The two work in different units. Grid ad refresh counts photos; Full screen ad interval counts minutes. Grid ads take a tile; full screen ads take the room. Grid ads take a tile; full screen ads take the room. Tip - Full-screen ads are effective and quickly become annoying. Every few minutes is plenty. Before the event Open the slideshow link on the actual screen and leave it running for ten minutes while you take test photos. You are checking three things: that photos appear, that the grid is readable from a distance, and that the machine does not sleep. See also For See The other delivery channels Output Delivery What makes an event Pro Plans and features

Email and text message sharing

Guests receive their photo by email or text. Both are set up in the same place. Before you start Nothing. Pictor sends both for you — email from a Pictor address, texts from a Pictor number — so you can switch these on and use them straight away. Optional: if you want messages to come from your own email address or phone number, connect SendGrid or Twilio under Integrations and switch that card on. It changes who the message appears to come from; it is not required for delivery. Where the settings are They live in two places and edit the same values. Where What is there Output → Sharing Station Sharing methods — the Email and SMS switches — and the delivery fields Flow → Share Output The same fields as Email delivery and SMS delivery , plus Default sharing option, Limit country codes and Customize email suggestions 1. To switch them on: Output → Sharing Station → Sharing methods. 2. For the full set of settings: Flow → Share Output. Note - Changing a delivery field in one place changes it in the other. It is one set of settings shown twice, not two independent copies. Both sit inside Sharing Station, each with its own switch. Both sit inside Sharing Station, each with its own switch. Email Field What it does From name The sender name guests see. Required From email Optional. Leave it empty and Pictor uses its own sender address, or the one on your SendGrid account if you have connected one Reply to Where replies go. Required Subject The subject line. New events prefill it with the event name. Required Email content The message body. Required Use HTML Send a designed template instead of plain text Attach output Attach the photo as well as linking to it Template Choose a designed template Note - New events start with your event's name as the subject. You can change it, but it does not support placeholders — type whatever you want it to say. Note - Using a designed Template makes the event Pro. Tip - Set Reply to to an address someone actually reads. Guests do reply — usually to ask for a photo that did not arrive. Text messages Message content holds the text. Important - It must contain {{contentURL}} — that becomes the link to the guest's photo. Without it Pictor will not save: "Message must include {{contentURL}}." Copy it exactly. Text before and after it is fine; what matters is that the token itself is intact and unaltered. Your output is ready, check it out here: {{contentURL}} Tip - Keep the message under 160 characters. Longer messages get split into several, which costs more and can arrive out of order. Tip - Avoid hashtags and extra links. Carriers flag messages that look like marketing, and a flagged message may never arrive. Other SMS settings These are on Flow → Share Output → SMS delivery. Setting What it does Default SMS country code Added to numbers guests type without one Limit country codes Restricts the country menu to the countries you pick Allowed countries The list, when the limit is on Important - If Limit country codes is on and a guest's country is not in the list, they cannot enter their number at all. Leave it off unless you have a reason. Which do guests see first? Default sharing option, on Flow → Share Output, decides whether Email or SMS is pre-selected when both are on. TipEmail is the safer default at venues with poor signal — it sends when the guest's phone next has a connection. The message needs {{contentURL}}. The country settings decide who can enter a number. The message needs {{contentURL}}. The country settings decide who can enter a number. Test it Run a Simulation test from the Launchpad and send yourself one of each. See also For See Nothing arriving Troubleshooting: Email & Text Delivery All delivery channels Output Delivery Connecting SendGrid and Twilio Integrations

Set the default sharing option

Who it's for: You offer guests both email and text, and want one of them selected first. What it does: When both are enabled, guests see one option already selected on the sharing screen. Choosing the right one for your crowd saves a tap and reduces mistakes at busy moments. Steps 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Open the Share Output stage. 3. Make sure both Email and SMS are enabled. 4. Set Default sharing option to Email or SMS. 5. Save the event. Note - This applies to the in-booth sharing screen and the standalone Sharing Station. Tip - Pick SMS for US events, where most guests prefer texting. Pick email at venues with weak signal — an email sends as soon as the guest's phone reconnects. Note - Guests can still switch to the other option. The sharing methods, where the default is set. Customize country codes for SMS Who it's for: Your guests are all from one country, or a known handful, and you want the phone number field to reflect that. What it does: Limits the country menu guests see when entering their number, so nobody scrolls a global list or picks the wrong code. Steps 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Open the Share Output stage and find SMS settings. 3. Switch on Limit country codes. 4. Use Add country to build your Allowed countries list. Search country helps you find one. 5. Save the event. Note - If you allow a single country, it is pre-selected automatically — you do not need to set a default as well. Note - To set a starting country without restricting the list, leave Limit country codes off and set Default SMS country code instead. It is added to numbers guests type without a code. Important - Guests whose country is not on your list cannot enter a number at all. If there is any chance of international guests, either add their countries or leave the limit off. Tip - For a US-only event, allowing just United States (+1) removes the country menu as a source of mistakes entirely. Customize or remove email domain suggestions Who it's for: Corporate events where most guests share a company domain, or events where the standard suggestions are just noise. What it does: As guests type their email address, Pictor suggests a domain to finish it. By default it suggests gmail.com, yahoo.com, icloud.com and hotmail.com. Steps 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Open the Share Output stage and find Email settings. 3. Switch on Customize email suggestions. 4. Use Add domain to build your Email suggestion domains list. 5. Save the event. Important - Your list replaces the four built-in suggestions rather than adding to them. For a corporate event with outside guests, add the company domain and the common ones you still want. Note - An empty list turns suggestions off completely. Tip - At a single-company event, one domain is faster for everyone. At a mixed event, replacing the defaults with only the company domain will slow down every guest who is not staff. See also - Email and text message sharing — setting both up - Set up a Sharing Station — where guests choose

Set up a Sharing Station

A Sharing Station is a second screen where guests find and send their own photos. The booth keeps capturing while they do it, so your queue keeps moving. Note - A Sharing Station makes an event Pro. Turn it on 1. Open your event and click Output. 2. Expand Sharing Station and switch it on. Choose how guests can share Method Notes Email Sent by Pictor. Connect SendGrid under Integrations only to send from your own address SMS Sent by Pictor. Connect Twilio under Integrations only to send from your own number QR code Guests scan to get their photo AirDrop Native iOS booth only — a Sharing Station running in a browser cannot AirDrop Print Needs the Print Partner app connected Enable any combination. Important - If you are running the station in a browser, do not rely on AirDrop — it will not work there. Use QR code as the offline-friendly option instead. Five methods. Two of them depend on what you are running the station on. Five methods. Two of them depend on what you are running the station on. Write what guests see Field What it is Title The heading at the top of the station Subtitle A line under it Body Instructions for guests Tip - Use the Body line to tell guests what to do — "Find your photo and tap it" beats leaving them to work it out at a busy event. Brand it Customize styles opens the appearance settings: background colour, title, subtitle and body colours, button colours, the share dialog's colours, font size and corner radius. Background media sets an image or video behind the station, with separate Default, Desktop, Tablet and Mobile slots. "Device-specific slots fall back to Default." Tip - Set the Default slot at minimum. The others are only worth doing if you know the station will run on a particular device shape. The station picks up your event branding; this is where you adjust it. The station picks up your event branding; this is where you adjust it. Run it 1. Open your event's Launchpad. 2. In the Control panel, click Sharing Station. 3. Open it on the device you are using as the station. Sessions appear automatically as guests use the booth. Note - If a photo is still being generated, guests can still send it. They receive the finished version once it is ready. Before the event Run a Simulation test, open the Sharing Station, and send yourself a photo by each method you have enabled. Sharing methods fail quietly, and this is the only way to find out before a guest does. See also For See Nothing showing up Troubleshooting: Sharing Station Issues Email and SMS setup Email and Text Message Sharing Everything else on the Output tab Output Delivery

Charging guests with Paywall

The Paywall stage asks guests to pay before they continue. Payment goes to your own Stripe account. Before you start Connect Stripe Connect under Integrations. Use the same email address as your Pictor account. Paywall.mp4 Add the stage 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Click + and choose Paywall. 3. Place it where you want guests to pay — at the start of the flow to charge before capture, or later to charge before they receive their photo. Place the paywall before capture, or before delivery. Place the paywall before capture, or before delivery. Write what guests see Field What it is Title The heading on the payment screen Subtitle A line under it Description What they are paying for Tip - Say what they get, not just what it costs. "Your photo, printed and emailed — $10" performs better than "Payment required". Set the price Field What it does Amount The price per session, for example **9.99** . Required Currency USD ($) or EUR (€) Note - Title, Amount and Currency must all be filled in before the stage will save. Important - Only US dollars and euros are available. If you need another currency, contact us before planning a paid event. Button labels The stage has three label fields — Tap to Pay button label, Pay with QR button label and Skip for now label. Important - These labels are not used by the web booth. A guest on the web sees Amount Due, How would you like to pay? and a single Open checkout button. Set the labels if you are running on the iPad booth; do not rely on them on the web. What guests actually see on the web 1. The amount due, and Open checkout. 2. Stripe checkout opens in a new tab. 3. The booth waits and shows the status — Pending payment, then Paid or Failed. 4. On success: "Payment successful — you can close this tab and return to the booth." 5. On failure: Try to pay again, or Reset flow to start over. Important - Guests pay in a separate tab. At a booth, tell them to come back to the booth screen after paying — the stage is waiting for them. Amount, currency, and the wording of all three buttons. Amount, currency, and the wording of all three buttons. Fees Pictor takes a percentage of each payment and the rest goes to your Stripe account: Your plan Pictor keeps You receive Pro 10% 90% Premium 5% 95% Before the event Run a Simulation test and take a real payment with your own card — a small amount you can refund. Check it lands in Stripe. Payment problems on the night cost you the whole event's revenue. See also For See Connecting Stripe Integrations Building the flow Flow

On Screen Delivery

On Screen Delivery shows guests their finished photo or video on the booth screen, where they can download it straight away. They never have to give an email address or phone number. Note - Available on all plans. When to use it - Privacy-restricted events where you are not permitted to collect contact details at all - Virtual booths, where guests are already on their own device and can save the file directly - As a backup, alongside email, so a guest who mistypes their address still leaves with their photo Add the stage 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Click + and choose On Screen Delivery. 3. Place it after Preview Output. 4. Save the event. It goes after Preview Output, where delivery would normally happen. It goes after Preview Output, where delivery would normally happen. Set it up Copy — Title, Subtitle and Body: what guests read while they wait and when the output appears. Setting What it does Indicator type Progress bar or Spinner while the output renders Download button text The wording of the download button Next button text The wording of the button that moves them on Tip - Make the download button say what it gives them — "Save my photo" beats "Download". On a touchscreen in a crowd, the clearer label gets pressed. Tip - A Progress bar suits longer renders because guests can see it moving. A Spinner is better for short ones, where a progress bar that jumps to full instantly looks broken. The waiting indicator and both button labels are yours to set. The waiting indicator and both button labels are yours to set. Keeping your queue moving Important - This is the one thing to plan for. A guest who stands at the booth watching their output render can occupy it for 3–5 minutes, which drastically cuts how many people you get through. Rendering begins before guests reach this stage, so the wait is shorter than it looks — but it is not nothing. Tip - Put something worth watching between capture and delivery — a sponsor video or branded content on a Media Screen stage. Guests wait happily and your throughput stays high. Tip - At a high-volume event, pair On Screen Delivery with email. Guests who do not want to wait can leave an address and walk away. See also For See Building the flow Flow Other ways to deliver Output Delivery

Choose Experience: Simple or Advanced

The Choose Experience stage decides what guests get from the booth. It runs in one of two modes. Which should I use? Simple Advanced Best for Getting a booth working quickly; overlay-only branding Fully designed, branded outputs You provide An overlay image per aspect ratio Templates you design yourself Setup time Minutes Longer, with far more control Guest sees A straightforward booth Whatever you design Note - Only one mode is active at a time, and switching does not delete the other's setup. Only the saved mode runs at your event. Simple Mode 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Open the Choose Experience stage. 3. Switch the mode to Simple. Output Types "Select one or more output types." Choose any combination — stills, GIFs, boomerangs, video, AI images, AI video. Note - If you enable only one output type, guests skip the selection screen entirely and go straight through. Aspect Ratios "Select one or more aspect ratios." Overlays "Upload one overlay per selected aspect ratio." Important - Overlays go with aspect ratios, not output types. Pick one ratio and you need one overlay, however many output types you enable. Pick three ratios and you need three. Tip - Export your overlay at the exact pixel dimensions of the ratio. Overlays are sized to the output, so a mismatched file will look soft. AI Configuration If you enabled AI Image or AI Video, choose your prompts under Select AI Prompts, then set AI Image Quality or AI Video Quality. Important - Quality affects token cost. Pictor shows the token count against each option — check it before a large event. Output types, aspect ratios, overlays, and AI settings in one panel. Output types, aspect ratios, overlays, and AI settings in one panel. What must be set Pictor will not let you save until: - At least one output type is selected - At least one aspect ratio is selected - At least one prompt is selected, if you chose an AI output type Advanced Advanced lets you design templates in the Template Editor and control how guests pick between them. Setting What it does Display name Shown to guests instead of the template's own name Preview mode Crop to aspect ratio , Full screen , or Display template Export mode Template , or Template + images Allow search Lets guests search when you have many templates Show templates as cards / Show template names How the picker looks Groups organise templates. Use Create group, drag templates into it, and Show groups as cards / Show group names to control how they appear. Tip - Use Display name for anything guest-facing. Internal names like "ACME-final-v3" are useful to you and confusing to a guest. Tip - Apply preview mode to all templates saves setting it one by one. Templates, groups, and how guests choose between them. Note - Each template shows its tokens per session, so you can see what a choice costs before the event. Pre-registration Pre-registration follows whichever mode is active. You do not configure it twice. See also For See Designing templates Template Editor Building the flow Flow What each plan includes Plans and features

Removing the background from a photo

Pictor can cut your guest out of their background, so you can drop them onto a themed scene, a branded backdrop, or nothing at all. It works on captured photos and on AI-generated images. Important - Using background removal makes the event Pro, whichever option you choose. Add it to a template 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Open the Choose Experience stage and open a template. 3. Select the Capture element. 4. Open Effects and add Cutout. Note - The effect is called Cutout in the editor. Note - Cutout can only be applied to a still Image capture. Tip - Cutout quality depends far more on your lighting than on any setting. An evenly lit guest cuts out cleanly; a badly lit one looks rough however it is processed. Cutout is applied to the capture element. Cutout is applied to the capture element. On an AI image Add an AI Output element, choose your prompt, and apply Cutout to that layer. The effect works on the generated image rather than the original photo. Using several captures Each capture element has its own settings. You can cut out one and leave another untouched in the same template — useful for a collage where one photo is the subject and another is scenery. Tip - Add a Blend effect on top for a more finished look. Blend and Cutout can be used together. If you have a real green screen Use the Green Screen effect instead. It is built for it, and guests get a background picker — "Select a background" — so they choose their own scene. Good uses for it - A "greenless green screen" where there is no room for a physical backdrop - Themed scenes matched to the event - Collages that combine guests and scenery - Venues where the only available wall is unattractive Test it Run a Simulation test from the Launchpad and look at a real cutout. Edge quality varies with your lighting more than with any setting, and this is the only way to see it. Tip - Even lighting on the subject matters more than anything else. A well-lit guest cuts out cleanly; a badly-lit one looks rough whatever you do. See also For See Everything in the editor Template Editor What makes an event Pro Plans and features

Creating an AI video

AI Video turns a guest's photo into a short cinematic clip. You set the look once in a template, and every guest gets their own version. AI Video events need a Premium licence to run. You can build and test one on any plan — the licence is checked when the event goes live. Build the template 1. Go to Events and click Create New Event. 2. Name your event and finish creating it. 3. Open the Flow tab, open Choose Experience, and click Add template. 4. Pick your canvas size. 1x1, 16x9 and 9x16 are the usual choices for video. AI outputs support ten aspect ratios: 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 21:9, 3:2, 2:3, 5:4, 4:5, 4:3, 3:4. The editor tells you if a size is not supported. Add the effect 1. Add a Capture element and set its Output Type to Image. 2. With the capture selected, open its Settings, then Effect → Add effect. 3. Choose AI Video and pick your prompt. 4. Set Quality — Low, Standard or High. Quality changes the token cost, and that cost multiplies by every guest. Token prices are set for your account, so check your own Billing page before a large event rather than relying on a figure from an article. If your prompt uses a reference image added with @, keep that reference in the image prompt only, not the video prompt. If your prompt does not describe camera movement, Pictor applies a slow cinematic motion by default. Override it in the prompt if you want something else. AI Video, added to the capture element. AI Video, added to the capture element. Position it Place the AI output where you want it on the canvas and use Layers to control what sits in front of what. Make the timeline at least as long as the video. Test it 1. Open the Launchpad and click Simulation test. 2. Take a photo and answer any prompt questions. 3. Wait for the render. Output Typical render time AI stills around 37 seconds AI videos 1–2 minutes each Check the result under Sessions → View Output. Budget that render time into your event plan. At 1–2 minutes a clip a queue builds quickly — see On Screen Delivery for how to keep guests occupied while they wait. Multi-scene videos You can stitch several AI clips into one video. 1. Create a new template. 2. Add Capture 1 with an AI Video Output, then Capture 2 with its own AI Video Output. 3. Set the timeline long enough for both. 4. Hide the captures so only the AI results are visible. 5. Arrange the clips side by side on the timeline. The results stitch into one continuous video. Overlays and blend modes Video overlays add transitions and texture — white flashes, strobes, light leaks. 1. Add a Video Asset to the template. 2. Resize it to match the canvas. 3. Add a Blend Mode and choose Screen. In Screen mode dark areas become invisible and bright areas stay, so a white-flash clip reads as a transition rather than a black box. Adding a video element to a template is itself a Premium feature. On an AI Video event that changes nothing, but bear it in mind if you reuse the technique on a simpler template. Rendering happens in parallel Multiple scenes render at the same time, not one after another. Two one-minute videos take roughly one minute plus stitching, not two. Reviewing the result Go to Sessions and click View Output. You will see each scene, the overlays, and the combined video. See also - Custom AI Prompts — writing the prompt behind it - Plans and features — AI video needs Premium - Pricing plans — what tokens cost

Do I need internet for Pictor to work?

Yes, for almost everything. Pictor does its image processing in the cloud, which keeps the work off your device — but it means a connection is not optional. What stops working without a connection Feature Why AI images, AI video, AI effects Generated in the cloud Cloud background removal Processed in the cloud Email and text delivery Sent by Pictor, or through your own SendGrid and Twilio if you connect them Public gallery Guests load it over the web Slideshow Pulls photos from the cloud Sharing Station Pulls sessions from the cloud Virtual booth Guests reach it over the web What still works On-device background removal runs on the booth itself and needs no connection. Planning for a venue with poor wifi Tip - Test on the venue's actual network before the day, not on your phone's hotspot standing in the car park. Venue wifi is often fine for a laptop and not fine for continuous uploads. Tip - A mobile hotspot as a backup is worth the cost on any paid event. Tip - If the venue's connection is genuinely unreliable, plan an event that leans on printing and on-device processing rather than AI and instant delivery. Important - Check your connection at the booth's actual position, not at the entrance. A wall between you and the access point changes everything.

Event code

Every event has a short event code. Anyone with it can open the booth on a device without signing in to your account. Find it 1. Open your event. 2. On the Launchpad, look under Event access. 3. Click Copy event code. Note - The code is created when you first save the event. Send it to someone 1. Click Share code in the event header. 2. Enter their Email address. 3. Click Send. You will see "Event code sent to …". They receive the code and can open the booth with it. Tip - Use Share code rather than copying it into your own email. It is quicker and you cannot mistype the code. The event code, on the Launchpad. The event code, on the Launchpad. Important - Anyone with the code can open your booth. Send it only to the staff running the event.

Changing your password

If you know your current password 1. Go to Profile. 2. Find Change Password. 3. Enter your Current password, then your New password and Confirm new password. 4. Click Update password. You stay logged in afterwards. Message What it means "Must be at least 6 characters." Your new password is too short "The new password must be different from the current one." You reused the old one "Passwords do not match." The two new fields differ "Could not update the password. Check your current password and try again." Your current password is wrong If you have forgotten it 1. Go to app.pictor.pro/forgot. 2. Enter your email and click Send reset link. 3. Open the link in the email and set a new password. Note - Reset links expire. If yours has, request a new one from the same page. Note - Passwords must be at least 6 characters. Message What it means "Invalid or expired link" Request a new link "This link is missing the email or token." Open the link from the email rather than typing it "Could not reset your password. The link may have expired." Request a new link Tip - If no email arrives, check spam first. If it is genuinely missing, contact support.

Pictor will not load

Work through these in order. 1. Check whether it is us Open status.pictor.pro. If there is an incident, it will be listed there and we are already on it. 2. Refresh properly A hard refresh — Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac — reloads everything rather than using what your browser has cached. 3. Try a different browser If Pictor loads in another browser, the problem is local. Clearing your original browser's cache usually fixes it. 4. Work out how much is affected - One event will not open — the event may be mid-save, or another person may have it open - Nothing loads at all — likely your connection or a browser extension - It loads but is very slow — usually the network 5. Check your connection Open another site. If everything is slow, it is not Pictor. Still stuck? Contact support and include: what you were doing, what you saw, your browser, and whether another browser works. That is usually enough for us to find it on the first reply. See also - Devices, cameras and system requirements — what to run it on - Contacting support — if you are stuck on site

Analytics

Analytics shows what happened at your events — how many sessions ran, what was created, and how guests shared it. Note - Analytics requires a Pro plan or above. Open it - For one event: open it, and in the Control panel click View analytics. - Across events: click Analytics in the main menu. On a Basic licence, Analytics is locked behind an upgrade. On a Basic licence, Analytics is locked behind an upgrade. What it shows The page is six blocks, top to bottom. Event snapshot Three headline numbers for whatever the filters currently cover: Total Sessions, Total Output and Total Shares & Views. The two export buttons sit directly underneath. The three headline numbers, and the exports that go with them. The three headline numbers, and the exports that go with them. Sessions Three rings. Ring What it breaks down Count by type Physical (a booth device) against Virtual (a guest's own phone) Count by device Which devices ran the sessions — Windows, iPad, iPhone and so on, named as their owners named them Output What was produced: Photos , AI Photos , AI Videos , Videos Note - Output counts items, not sessions, so its total is usually higher than the session count. One session can produce several files. Physical against virtual, which devices ran them, and what came out. Physical against virtual, which devices ran them, and what came out. Shares By channel is a bar chart of how guests received their photos. Distribution gives the same split as counts — Email and Gallery are the two that appear most. How guests actually received their photos. How guests actually received their photos. Session data Every session as a row: ID, Timestamp, Status, Sent, Clicked, Shares, Views, and a View link to the content. Sortable by any column, and paginated. Tip - This is the table to open when a guest says they never got their photo. Find their session, and Sent tells you whether Pictor sent it at all. Every session, with whether it was sent, clicked and viewed. Every session, with whether it was sent, clicked and viewed. The Most Viewed / The Most Shared The individual results that travelled furthest, by unique ID, with their view and share counts and a link to each. The results that travelled furthest. The results that travelled furthest. Activity A chart of sessions over time, split Static against Motion and Physical against Virtual. Filtering Filter What it shows Start / End The date range Select Client One or many clients Select Project One or many projects Select Event One or many events Select Device One or many devices Include Virtual Whether virtual-booth sessions are counted Click Apply to update. Important - Include Virtual changes your totals. If you are reporting numbers to a client, decide whether virtual sessions should count and keep that consistent between reports. Tip - Filter by client across a date range to see everything you have run for them. This is far more useful in a renewal conversation than a single event's figures. Filter by date, client, project, event and device. Filter by date, client, project, event and device. Exports Two buttons, under the Event snapshot. Button What you get Download ZIP Every generated file from the events in range Download CSV The numbers behind the page as a spreadsheet Both respect the filters. Set the range and the client first, then export — otherwise you get everything. Download the media as a ZIP, or the numbers as a CSV. Download the media as a ZIP, or the numbers as a CSV. See also For See Where the counts come from Launchpad What each plan includes Plans and feature

Pre-registration and the QR code scanner

Pre-registration lets guests fill in parts of the booth experience before they arrive — surveys, consent, contact details — so the queue moves faster on the day. Important - Pre-registration makes an event Premium. Set it up — both halves are required 1. Switch it on 1. Open your event and click Output. 2. Expand Pre-Registration (QR Code Scanner) and switch it on. 3. Set a Subject line for the email guests receive. 2. Add the stage 1. Click the Flow tab. 2. Add a QR Code Scanner stage and make it the first stage. 3. In Pre-registration, tick the stages guests should complete in advance. Important - Switching it on without ticking any stages leaves guests an empty form. The Launchpad warns you: "No stages selected, so guests would see an empty form." Tick the stages guests complete before they arrive. Tick the stages guests complete before they arrive. Allow skipping Setting Effect at the booth Allow skipping on Guests who did not pre-register can continue anyway Allow skipping off Pre-registration is required Tip - Leave it on for public events. Walk-ups will always outnumber pre-registrations, and turning it off means staff have to register them on the spot. Share the link 1. Open the Launchpad. 2. Under Event access, find Pre-registration. 3. Use Copy link, or Show QR code for this link and Download QR code for print. Tip - Put the link in the invitation email, not just on signage at the door. The whole point is that guests arrive already registered. What guests see 1. They open the link and answer the questions you chose. 2. They get "Registration complete!" with a QR code and a short code. 3. They are told to screenshot it, or scan the QR code at the booth. 4. At the booth they scan or type the code, and the stages they already completed are skipped. Note - Guests can use Register again if they need to start over. Note - Pre-registration prepares the booth experience — it does not replace it. Guests still visit the booth for their photo. Advanced settings Collect AI surveys when available gathers AI-related survey answers during pre-registration too. Before the event Open your own pre-registration link, complete it, and take the resulting code to a Simulation test. Check the stages you ticked are genuinely skipped. See also For See Finding your links and QR codes Launchpad Building the flow Flow What makes an event Premium Plans and feature

Integrations

Integrations connects Pictor to the outside services your events depend on. Integration What it is for SENDGRID Sending guests their photos by email SMS (Twilio) Sending guests their photos by text Dropbox Backing up captured media Stripe Connect Taking payments with the Paywall stage Pictor Api Key Connecting your own software to Pictor Aduvi Connecting your Aduvi account Important - Each card has its own toggle, separate from its credentials. Filling in the fields is not enough — switch the card on as well. This is the most common reason delivery silently fails. Email — SENDGRID Optional. Pictor already sends email for you. Connect SendGrid only when you want it to come from your own address instead. Enter your API Key, Sender Email and Sender Name, then switch the card on. NoteVerify your sender address in SendGrid first. SendGrid will not send from an unverified sender. Connect SendGrid to send email from your own address instead of Pictor's. Connect SendGrid to send email from your own address instead of Pictor's. Text messages — SMS (Twilio) Optional. Pictor already sends texts for you. Connect Twilio only when you want them to come from your own number instead. Enter your Twilio sender phone number, SID and AuthToken, then switch the card on. Connect Twilio to send texts from your own number instead of Pictor's. Connect Twilio to send texts from your own number instead of Pictor's. Dropbox 1. Click Connect with Dropbox. 2. Click Authorize and sign in to Dropbox. It then reads Connected with Dropbox. Set the folder per event under Output → Dropbox. Stripe Connect Connect Stripe if you are charging guests with the Paywall stage. Use the same email address as your Pictor account. Pictor Api Key Your key for connecting your own software. Important - New Api Key replaces your existing key. Anything already using the old one stops working immediately. Only generate a new key if you are ready to update everything that uses it. Each integration has its own credentials and its own toggle. Each integration has its own credentials and its own toggle. Important - Use a demo account for screenshots — these cards show live API keys. See also For See Delivery not arriving Troubleshooting: Email & Text Delivery Charging guests Using Paywall Sending data to other systems Using Webhooks

Using webhooks

A Webhook stage sends event data to another system — Zapier, Make.com, a CRM, or your own API — at the moment a guest reaches it. Important - A webhook makes an event Premium. Add one 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Click + and choose Webhook. 3. Place it after the stages whose data you want to send. Important - Position decides what you can send. A webhook placed before the guest has done anything has nothing to report. Pictor tells you: "No payload sources available yet — add Run Experience, Survey or Share Output stages before this webhook to send their data." Request Setting What it does Request URL Where to send it. Must start with **http://** or **https://** Request type GET sends data as URL parameters; POST sends JSON Custom headers Switch on to add Headers — for an API key or token Payload Choose what to include: Switch Sends Send output The generated photo or video Send survey data Survey answers Send email The guest's email address Send SMS The guest's phone number Custom payload Your own Custom fields as key/value pairs Where it goes, how it is sent, and what is in it. Where it goes, how it is sent, and what is in it. Notifications Notify on failure emails a Notification email address when a request fails. Tip - Always set this. A webhook failing silently means you find out when the client asks where their data is. Several webhooks Add as many as you need. Each has its own URL and settings, so you can send different data to different systems at different points in the flow. Test it Run a Simulation test and check the request arrives. Use a free request-inspection service as the URL first, before pointing it at anything real.

Setting up white label

White labelling serves Pictor from your own domain, in your own colours, with your logo. It applies to your whole account, not to individual events. Important - White labelling is part of the Enterprise add-on, which sits on top of whichever plan you are on. It is not included in Basic, Pro or Premium on their own. And unlike most things in Pictor it is not something an event switches on for itself — it applies to your whole account and is arranged with us. Talk to us before you start. What you need - An Enterprise plan - A domain you own, with access to its DNS - A SendGrid account, if you want delivery email to come from your domain White label settings: your domain, your colours, your logo. White label settings: your domain, your colours, your logo. Step 1 — Add your domain 1. Go to Whitelabel. 2. Enter your domain in Custom domain — host name only, no https:// and no path. For example booth.yourcompany.com. 3. Save. 4. Copy the CNAME target shown on the page. 5. In your DNS provider, add a CNAME record pointing your subdomain at that target. Set TTL to 3600 or Auto. Step 2 — Turn on HTTPS 1. Back on the Whitelabel page, click Provision SSL. 2. Wait for the status to read SSL valid. DNS changes take time to spread. If you see "The certificate request failed. Check the CNAME record and try again.", your record has probably not reached us yet — wait and try again. Save the domain before you provision. Pictor will tell you if you have not: "Save a custom domain first." Once a certificate exists, the domain is locked. To change it, click De-provision SSL first. Step 3 — Connect SendGrid So that delivery email comes from your domain rather than ours: 1. Create a SendGrid account and complete Sender Authentication. 2. Add SendGrid's DNS records to your provider. 3. Generate an API key with full access. 4. Enter the SendGrid details on the Whitelabel page. Verify your sender address in SendGrid first. It will not send from an unverified sender. Step 4 — Add your branding Title appears in the browser tab and the sidebar. Logo — PNG or JPG. It displays best at around 100×40 px. Use Choose from library to pick one you have already uploaded. Colours — each has a defined job: Colour Where it shows Primary Primary actions — Create New, Edit, Launch Secondary Secondary actions Accent Navigation and state indicators Title Page titles and section headers Background The main app background Inner background Cards and content panels Table header Table header rows Success Confirmations Danger Destructive actions and errors Change Primary first and look at the Events list — it carries most of the visual identity. Reset to defaults puts them all back. Step 5 — Test it Open your custom URL and check: - It loads over HTTPS with no security warning - The camera works - Your branding appears - A test email arrives from your sender address Removing a white label Deleting one releases the certificate and stops the custom domain resolving. Everyone on that domain falls back to Pictor branding, so anyone with a bookmark loses access. Tell your team before you do it. See also - Plans and features — the tiers, and what Enterprise adds - Pricing plans — what each plan costs - Getting around Pictor — where account settings live

Set up a Virtual Booth

A Virtual Booth lets guests run your photo booth experience on their own phone — no app, no account, no physical booth. Important - Virtual Booth makes an event Premium. When to use one - Remote or hybrid events — guests who cannot attend still take part - Client previews — let a client walk the experience before the day - Brand activations — reach people beyond the room - Testing — open it yourself on your phone to check the whole flow Turn it on 1. Open your event and click Output. 2. Expand Virtual Booth and switch it on. Switching Virtual Booth on, and the link guests will use. Switching Virtual Booth on, and the link guests will use. Get the link 1. Open the Launchpad. 2. Under Event access, find Virtual booth. 3. Use Copy link, or Show QR code for this link then Download QR code for print. The link and QR code live on the Launchpad, under Event access. The link and QR code live on the Launchpad, under Event access. Note - If the row shows Off — "Guests cannot reach this yet." — click Turn it on in Output settings. When guests can use it Important - Your event opens and closes on its schedule. There is nothing to launch. Guests arriving outside those times are told: They see Because "This event has not yet started." Before your start time "This event has finished." After your end time "This event is expired!" Your Max Sessions limit has been reached Tip - Set the schedule wide enough for a virtual booth. Unlike a physical booth, guests use it whenever they see the link — often well before or after the event itself. Branding it The virtual booth uses your Global Styles. For complete control, use custom HTML in the Virtual Booth output settings. This replaces the standard styling entirely, so you get exact fonts, layouts and sizing — but you are then working outside the normal style settings. What guests do 1. Open the link on their phone. 2. Take a photo with their own camera. 3. Wait while it processes, if your template uses AI. 4. Receive it by whichever sharing methods you enabled. No app, no account. Before you share the link Tip - Open it on your own phone and go all the way through, including delivery. Guests have no operator standing next to them, so anything confusing costs you the session. Tip - Keep the flow short. Every extra stage loses people. Tip - Check your token balance. Virtual captures spend tokens exactly like booth captures, and a link shared widely can go through them faster than you expect. If something is wrong Problem Check The link does nothing Is Virtual Booth switched on, and is it within the event's schedule? Guests see "not yet started" Your start time Guests see "expired" Your Max Sessions limit The camera does not work The guest must allow camera access in their browser Photos do not arrive See Troubleshooting: Email & Text Delivery

Public Gallery — Downloading Photos & Videos on Mobile

Want to save your event photos or videos from the Public Gallery straight to your phone? Here's how, whether you're on an iPhone or Android device. 1. Open the Gallery Open the Public Gallery link on your phone. You'll see all the photos and videos from the event. 2. Tap the One You Want Tap any photo or video to open it in full view. 📱 On iPhone / iPad 1. Tap Select to download under the photo or video — a checkmark will appear. 2. Tap Download Selected. 3. Your browser will download the file. You can find it in the Files app. 4. Want it in your Photos app instead? Open the downloaded file, tap Share, and choose Save Image / Save Video (or share it wherever you like). 🤖 On Android You don't need the "Select to download" button — there's a faster way: 1. Press and hold the photo or video until a menu pops up. 2. Tap Download image (for a photo) or Download video (for a video). 3. That's it! You'll find it in your Downloads folder or your Gallery/Photos app. Heads up: If you use Select to download + Download Selected on Android instead, you'll get a share menu (Share, Send, Google Drive, etc.) rather than a direct save. If you just want the file saved on your device, press-and-hold is the quickest way. Quick Summary Device Steps iPhone/iPad Select to download → Download Selected → Save from Files Android Press & hold the photo/video → Download image/video

Cancelling or changing your subscription

Everything to do with licences, payment and tokens is under Billing. Open Billing Click Billing in the menu. It has three tabs: Tab What is there Licenses Your device licences, and adding or cancelling them Payment Your saved cards Invoices Your invoice history Your licences The Licenses tab opens on Active tier, then Monthly subscriptions with a count. Licences are grouped by plan. Each group shows the plan name, how many licences you hold of it and the price per licence per month. Under the group, one row per licence with its Next billing date and a ⋮ actions button. Note - Licences are individual and licensed per device. If you hold five and only need three, cancel two and keep the rest. Your licence stays active until the next billing date. Your licence stays active until the next billing date. Add a licence Click Add license and choose the plan and billing period. Tip - Buy the tier your events actually need . A Pro event on two booths needs two Pro licences; a Premium event alongside it needs its own Premium licence. See How many licences you need. Cancel a licence 1. Go to the Licenses tab. 2. Find the licence you want to stop and click its ⋮ button. 3. Choose Cancel license. 4. Read the confirmation, then click Cancel license again. The confirmation names the licence and gives you the exact date: Cancel license Are you sure you want to cancel your Pro license? Your license will remain active until the next billing date: 2026-10-21 Important - Cancelling stops the renewal. It does not switch the licence off. It keeps working until that date, so events already booked inside the period are unaffected. If you change your mind at this point, click Keep license — nothing happens. Confirming a cancellation tells you the exact date it runs to. Confirming a cancellation tells you the exact date it runs to. Once confirmed, that licence's row swaps Next billing for Cancels on, with the same date. A cancelled licence shows Cancels on instead of Next billing. A cancelled licence shows Cancels on instead of Next billing. Changed your mind? A cancelled licence can be brought back, any time before the date arrives. 1. Click the licence's ⋮ button. 2. Choose Reactivate. 3. Confirm with Reactivate license. Reactivate license Are you sure you want to reactivate your Pro license? Your license will be reactivated and will renew on: 2026-10-21 The renewal date is the one it already had — reactivating does not move it or start a new period. Reactivating restores the renewal date it already had. Reactivating restores the renewal date it already had. Payment methods On the Payment tab you can Add card, Set as default, and remove cards you no longer use. Each card shows its expiry. Important - Deleting a card cannot be undone. Make sure another card is set as Default first, or your next renewal will fail. Tip - Check your default card's expiry date well before a busy season. Cards live on the Payment tab, not on a licence. Cards live on the Payment tab, not on a licence. Invoices The Invoices tab lists every invoice with its date, description, amount and status, and lets you download each one. Every past charge, with a download for each. Every past charge, with a download for each. Buying tokens Click Top up to open Purchase tokens and choose a package. If you have a coupon, use Have a coupon code? before paying. Tip - Larger packages cost significantly less per token. If you run AI events regularly, buying in bulk is worth it — tokens do not expire. Free trials Any complimentary licences on your account appear under Free trials, with their device count and expiry. See also For See How licensing and tokens work in detail Billing & Licensing: Complete Guide What each plan costs Pricing Plans What makes an event Pro or Premium Plans and features Reading your invoice Understanding Your Invoice

Printing

Printing involves two pieces of software: Pictor, and the Print Partner App on your computer. This article says which is which at each step. Note - Printing is available on all plans. Before you start Install and open the Print Partner App on the Windows or Mac computer your printer is connected to. Pictor cannot find the printer unless the app is running. Download the Print Partner App: - Windows: Download for Windows - Mac: Download for Mac In Pictor — connect 1. Open your event and click Output. 2. Expand Printing and switch it on. 3. Pictor looks for the app — "Searching for Print Partner…". 4. When it finds it, you will see Connected to Print Partner. If it does not connect: - Click Retry connection. - If it still fails, click Configure manually and enter the IP address and Port of the computer running the app. Tip - Manual configuration is the fix on venue networks that block device discovery. Get the computer's IP address before you leave for the event and you will not be looking it up under pressure. Pictor only needs to find the Print Partner App. The printer settings are in the app. Pictor only needs to find the Print Partner App. The printer settings are in the app. In the Print Partner App — set up the printer Everything about the printer itself is in the app, not in Pictor: Tab What it is for Print Jobs Watching jobs go through and spotting failures Devices Choosing your printer Logs Detail when something goes wrong There you choose the printer, set the paper size to match your loaded media (4×6", 5×7", 6×8" or 2×6" strips), and set cutter behaviour, copy counts and auto-print. The gear icon opens the DNP driver settings. Printers Dye-sublimation printers give the best results at events. DNP models — DS-RX1, DS620, DS820 — are the most tested. HiTi also works well. Other printers with working drivers on your computer should also work, but we haven't tested them (for example, Citizen CX). Do a test print well before the event. iPad printing always goes through the Print Partner App on a computer connected to the printer. iPad print bridges such as AirCast Pro are not supported. Printing from the Sharing Station If you want guests to print from a Sharing Station, enable Print as a sharing method. It needs the Print Partner App connected, the same as event printing. Before the event Tip - Open the Print Partner App first, then Pictor. The connection is more reliable that way. Tip - Run two or three real prints before guests arrive. You are checking the connection, the paper size, and the colour — all three fail in different ways. Tip - Bring more media than you expect to use, and enable email or text delivery as well. If the printer jams, guests still get their photos.

Countdown

The countdown is the delay between a guest pressing the button and the photo being taken. Note - Available on all plans. Change it 1. Open your template in the template editor. 2. Select the Capture element — on the canvas, or from Layers. 3. Set Countdown seconds. 4. Save the template, then save the event. Tip - Three seconds suits one or two people. Use 10 seconds for groups — people need time to arrange themselves, and a short countdown produces photos of everyone still moving. Tip - Longer countdowns also help at loud events where guests do not hear the prompt straight away. Test it Run a Simulation test from the Launchpad and go through a capture. Not the countdown you meant? There is a second, unrelated countdown. Countdown length under Booth behavior on the START node controls how long a guest has to tap "I'm still here" before the booth resets to the beginning. That is the idle timeout, not the capture delay. See also - Output Delivery — switching printing on - Template Editor — canvas sizes match print sizes - Devices, cameras and system requirements — what the Print Partner app runs on

Creating themed cards with AI

Trading cards, baseball cards, character cards — all of these are made the same way: an AI prompt that transforms your guest's photo, placed in a template you design. There is no separate "trading card" setting to switch on. What you need - Tokens. Every AI image spends them. - A prompt that produces the look you want. Preset prompts work on any plan; writing your own needs Pro. - A template with your card design — borders, name, number, team. How to build one 1. Create your event and open the Flow tab. 2. Open Choose Experience and add a template. 3. Add a Capture, then apply an AI Effect or AI Filter with your chosen prompt. 4. Add text and images for the card frame, name and number. 5. Save the template and the event. Tip - Put the guest's name on the card with a survey question and a {{token}} in the template text. Note that tokenised text makes the event Premium. The AI effect picker on the capture element. The AI effect picker on the capture element. Token cost Output Tokens AI image, low quality 1 AI image, high quality 2 See Billing & Licensing for the full list. How long it takes Stage Time AI processing 30–90 seconds Whole experience, per guest 45 seconds to 3 minutes One booth with one printer produces roughly 35–45 cards an hour. Tip - Use that figure when quoting. A three-hour event on one booth is around 120 cards — if the client expects 300, you need a second booth. Tip - What slows a card event down is printing and guests admiring their card, not the AI. Plan for the queue, not the render. Can't get the look you want? See Requesting a custom prompt.

Requesting a custom prompt

If you need a look Pictor does not offer, our prompt team can build it for you. Before you ask Try the Prompt Builder first — see Custom AI Prompts. Many looks are achievable yourself, and it is immediate. Send a request 1. Go to Custom AI prompts and click Request a prompt. 2. Fill in the form: Field What it asks Your email Where we reply Artistic style "Describe the artistic style you're looking for so we can match your vision. (Example: watercolor, photorealistic, cartoon, oil painting, cyberpunk, etc.)" What to generate "Tell us what the AI should generate—this could be a character, scene, or object." Budget "What is your budget for this custom prompt?" Exclusivity "Would you like this prompt to be exclusive to your brand or available to the Pictor community?" Sample images Up to 10 . Optional but recommended 1. Click Submit. You will see *"Your request has been submitted, we will reach back as soon as possible!"* Tip - Upload sample images even though they are optional. A reference picture communicates a style in a way a paragraph cannot, and it is the difference between one round of revisions and three. Note - Your exclusivity answer affects the price. An exclusive prompt costs more and no other operator gets it; a community prompt is cheaper and shared. See also - Custom AI Prompts — writing the prompt - Using AI Effects — the ready-made looks - Plans and features — what AI needs

Devices, cameras and system requirements

Which Pictor is which There are two pieces of Pictor, and it helps to know which one you are in. What it is Where Web dashboard Where you build events, design templates and see results app.pictor.pro , in any browser Booth app What runs at the venue and takes the photos App Store and Google Play Guests need neither. The virtual booth and the public gallery open in any browser, with no app and no account. Web dashboard Any modern browser — Chrome 90+ (best performance), Safari 15+, Edge 90+ or Firefox 90+ — with JavaScript enabled. There is nothing to install. Booth app — iPad iPadOS 16.0 or later. Model From iPad Pro 11-inch 2nd generation iPad Pro 12.9-inch 4th generation iPad Air 4th generation iPad 9th generation iPad mini 6th generation An A13 Bionic chip or newer makes a noticeable difference to AI processing time. Everything works on older supported hardware, but guests wait longer. Booth app — Android Android 7.0 (Nougat) or newer. We recommend 4GB RAM (8GB if you are using AI), 64GB storage, a Snapdragon 865 or equivalent, and an 8MP or better front camera. Android hardware varies a great deal. Test AI output on your actual device before an event rather than assuming it will match an iPad. Using a DSLR DSLR cameras connect through the booth app on iPad, not through the web dashboard. Connect the camera 1. Connect the camera to your iPad by USB and switch it on. 2. In the booth app, open your event and go to Devices. 3. Switch the detected camera ON and wait for it to initialise. 4. In each template, set the camera as the capture source. Preview and capture settings are separate Preview settings control the live view you see on screen. Capture settings control the photo that is actually taken. They can differ, so always take a test photo rather than trusting the preview. Available controls: exposure mode, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, image quality, white balance and colour temperature, plus autofocus step size and pause duration. Settings that work Set Exposure Mode to Manual (M) so the camera stops changing its mind between guests. A reasonable starting point: ISO 400–800, f/4, 1/125s. Adjust at the venue — lighting is the variable that matters. Set autofocus step size to its lowest value for a faster, smoother capture. Adjusting during an event Triple tap the right side of the screen to reach DSLR settings without stopping the event. When something goes wrong Problem Fix Camera stops responding Toggle it OFF, wait two seconds, toggle it ON No live view Check the camera is on, the USB cable is firm, and the camera is not in video mode Settings greyed out Switch to Manual exposure mode Preview looks dark with flash Normal — flash fires on capture, not in preview Carry spare USB cables and a power adapter. Cables are the most common failure at an event. Printing Printing needs the Print Partner App on a Windows or Mac computer connected to your printer. See Printing for setup. Download the Print Partner App: - Windows: Download for Windows - Mac: Download for Mac Everything needs a connection See Do I need internet for Pictor to work? See also - Do I need internet for Pictor to work? — connectivity - Printing — the Print Partner app - Contacting support — what to send us

Managing templates and backgrounds

Hiding a template You can take a template out of the guest's view without deleting it. 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Open the Choose Experience stage. 3. Find the template and switch Visible off. Guests no longer see it. Everything about it is kept, and you can switch it back on at any time. Hide, remove, or delete? Action What happens Visible off Guests do not see it. It stays on the event and stays editable Remove from stage Taken off this event. The template itself still exists Delete Gone permanently Switch Visible off when a client is deciding between versions, or when a design belongs to a later part of the day. Use Remove from stage for a template that belongs to a different event. Past captures are unaffected either way, and there is no limit on how many you hide. Every template in the stage, with a switch on each. Every template in the stage, with a switch on each. Backgrounds for different devices Your Sharing Station can show a different background depending on the screen it is running on, so a wide image is not cropped to nothing on a phone. 1. Open your event and click Output. 2. Expand Sharing Station and find Background media. 3. Fill in the slots you need: Default, Desktop, Tablet and Mobile. Any slot you leave empty falls back — first to Default, and if that is empty, to whichever other slot you have filled. Setting one slot is enough to give every device a background. You can use a video here as well as an image. What counts as each device Slot Screen width Mobile Below 640px Tablet 640–1023px Desktop 1024px and above Composing each one Slot Aim for Mobile A 9:16 composition, with branding centred and in the upper third Tablet 4:3 or 3:2, usually landscape Desktop 16:9 or wider Keep the same colours across all three. The layouts differ; the identity should not. The event background The event's own background, on the Styles tab, is a single Media slot plus a Background Color. The colour is used when no media is set. Per-device slots are a Sharing Station feature. See also - Template Editor — building a template - Choose Experience: Simple or Advanced — offering them to guests

Keeping your event data secure

Your guests' photos and details are your client's data as much as yours. These are the controls you have, and what to tell a client who asks. Deleting event data automatically On the Event tab, under Data retention: Setting What it does Scrub data automatically Everything captured is deleted when the event ends Scrub data at a set time Deleted at a date and time you choose Scrub survey answers too Survey responses are deleted as well The first two are alternatives — switching one on switches the other off. Survey answers are not covered by either on its own. If a client has asked for everything to be deleted, switch on one of the first two and switch on Scrub survey answers too. Scrubbing is permanent. Download anything you need first. The data retention switches, on the Event tab. The data retention switches, on the Event tab. Running an event that collects nothing If a client cannot permit guest contact details to be collected at all, use On Screen Delivery instead of email or text. Guests download their photo on the spot and never enter an address or phone number. This is usually the right answer for government, healthcare and some corporate events. It is worth saying so in the proposal. Restricting who can see the photos Set a Password on the event, under Access & Limits on the Event tab. Guests need it to open the public gallery, the slideshow or a shared report. Leave it empty and anyone with the link can look. The same value is called Passcode on the Launchpad. The company passcode affects every event Under Security you can set a company-wide passcode. It changes access on your whole account, in both directions: - Events that already have a passcode can now be opened with either code - Events with no passcode become locked — links that used to open now ask for it Before setting one, check which of your events are currently open. Any gallery link you have already sent out will start asking for a code. Use it when all your galleries serve one audience. Avoid it if you run events for clients who should not see each other's galleries, because it gives each of them a code that opens the others. Restricting who on your team can see what Users sets permissions per person. Assign users on an event gives someone access to that event rather than all of them. Assign freelance staff to the single event they are working. It is quicker than adjusting permissions, and it ends naturally when you unassign them. What we do Your data and images are kept private. We do not share or sell your information, and access is restricted to authorised users. If a client's procurement process needs specific detail — encryption, hosting location, retention periods or certifications — contact us and we will provide it. See also - Security — passcodes and access - Event Settings — the data retention settings - Users — who can see what

Getting around Pictor

The main menu runs down the left of the screen, in four groups. Main Item What it is Dashboard Your recent activity Discover Inspiration and featured content Analytics Session and sharing figures across your events Marketplace Templates and prompts to buy The sidebar, in its three groups. The sidebar, in its three groups. Events & Assets Item What it is Events Every event you have. This is where most of your time goes Event presets Reusable starting points, so you are not setting up from scratch each time Asset library Your uploaded images, videos, fonts and templates More Item What it is Custom AI prompts AI prompts you have written Projects Grouping for your events Clients The people you run events for Whitelabel Your own domain and branding Integrations SendGrid, Twilio, Dropbox, Stripe and your API key Billing Licences, payment methods, invoices and tokens Users Your team and their permissions. Admins only If you cannot see Users, you are not an admin on the account. Your account menu Click your name to find: Item What it is Profile Your details and your password Appearance Light, Dark or System theme App info Version and legal information Help & support Our help centre Show tour Replays the guided tour Log out Signs you out Your account menu: settings, App information and sign out. Your account menu: settings, App information and sign out. Inside an event Opening an event gives you five tabs: Tab What it is for Launchpad Your links, QR codes, live session counts and the simulation test Event Name, schedule, access and data retention Flow The screens guests move through Styles Branding and appearance Output How guests receive their photos Each tab saves separately. Save before you move between them. Beside the event's name are two badges: its status — LIVE, UPCOMING or COMPLETED — and its licence tier — BASIC, PRO or PREMIUM. The tier badge is the quickest way to spot that an event has become more expensive than you intended. Five tabs inside an event, each saving on its own. Five tabs inside an event, each saving on its own. Creating your account Register at app.pictor.pro, fill in the form, and you are in. New accounts receive 25 free tokens, one time only. Tokens cover AI processing; standard outputs do not use them. You will need a licence to run a live event. You can build and test events without one — the licence is checked when the event runs. See Billing & Licensing. See also - Creating your first event — the quickest way in - Plans and features — what your plan includes - Contacting support — when you need us

Creating GIFs and boomerangs

Pictor can capture an animated GIF instead of a still photo, and play it back and forth as a boomerang. Note - Available on all plans. Set it up 1. Open your event and click the Flow tab. 2. Open Choose Experience and open a template. 3. Select the Capture element to open Capture Settings. 4. Under Output Type, choose GIF. Frames and timing Setting What it does Number of Frames How many photos make up the animation Frame Duration (s) How long each frame is shown Important - Frame Duration is per frame, not the length of the whole GIF. With 3 frames at 0.2 seconds you get a 0.6-second animation. Enter 3 seconds and you get a 9-second slideshow. Tip - Leave Frame Duration on Auto unless you have a reason not to. It picks sensible timing for the number of frames you chose. Tip - Four to six frames gives a lively loop. Two or three reads as a flicker. Number of frames and how long each one is shown. Number of frames and how long each one is shown. Boomerang Switch on GIF Reverse (Boomerang). The animation plays forward then backward in a loop — the effect people know from Instagram. Tip - Boomerangs work best with a clear movement — a wave, a jump, a spin. A group standing still makes a dull boomerang. Burst GIF Burst GIF takes all the frames rapidly after a single countdown, rather than counting down before each one. Tip - Use Burst GIF for action and reactions. Use the standard mode when guests need a moment to change pose between frames. Test it Run a Simulation test from the Launchpad and watch the result end to end. Timing is very hard to judge from the settings alone.

Contacting support

How to reach us, when we are available, and what to send so the first reply is a useful one rather than a question back. Chat and email Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm CST. - Chat — the widget on pictor.pro, or Help & support in your account menu - Email — see the contact details in your account Messages outside those hours are monitored for emergencies. Emergency phone support For current subscribers with a live event in progress. The emergency line is for on-site problems during an event — for anything else, use chat or email and you will get a better answer. What to include Whatever the channel, these four things get you a useful first reply instead of a follow-up question: 1. Your Event Code 2. What you were doing and what happened 3. The device and browser, or the booth device 4. Your Version and Environment, from App information in your account menu A screenshot of the error beats a description of it, every time. App information has the version and environment we ask for. App information has the version and environment we ask for.

What can Pictor generate?

Output What it is Stills A standard photo GIFs A short animated loop Boomerangs A GIF that plays forward and back Video A short clip AI images A photo transformed by an AI style AI video A short cinematic clip generated from a photo Getting several outputs from one event A single capture produces a single output. Ticking several output types in Simple Mode does not change that — it gives the guest a choice, and they pick one. Tick only one and the choice is skipped, because there is nothing to decide. To have one session produce several files, add more than one capture element to the template. Two captures, two outputs. What you want How to get it Let the guest choose photo or GIF Simple Mode , tick both. They pick one Give every guest a photo and a GIF Two capture elements in the template Shapes and sizes Templates come in fifteen preset sizes: prints (6x4, 4x6, 5x7, 7x5, 8x6, 6x8), photo strips (2x6, 6x2), square (1x1), social (9x16, 16x9, Insta Portrait) and others, plus a Custom size. AI outputs support a smaller set — 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 21:9, 3:2, 2:3, 5:4, 4:5, 4:3, 3:4. The editor tells you if a size is not supported. Custom sizes and AI Video both need a Premium licence. AI images using preset styles work on any plan. What it looks like The look comes from your template — frames, branding and text — and from the AI prompt if you use one. See Template Editor and Custom AI Prompts.

Upgrading to Pro

Pro adds the features that make an event look like yours rather than generic. What you get - Your logo on the event — this is the most common reason an event becomes Pro - Using a custom AI prompt in an event - Filters and background removal - Sharing Station and Slideshow - Surveys and data collection - Designed email and gallery templates - DSLR camera support - Analytics AI photo features are available on all plans. Basic includes curated AI presets and styles, ready to use. Pro adds the full Custom Prompt Editor, so you can create your own AI styles. AI Video is a Premium feature, not a Pro one. How to upgrade 1. Go to Billing → Licenses. 2. Click Add license and choose the Pro plan. 3. Choose monthly or annual billing. 4. Confirm payment. Each active device needs its own licence. You do not have to move licences between events by hand — Pictor assigns them when an event runs and releases them when it finishes, so the same licences cover next week's event automatically. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the end of your billing period. See also - Getting around Pictor — finding your version and environment - Do I need internet for Pictor to work? — the most common on-site problem

Lookbook bookings, without BoothBook

The Lookbook is a public page of your event presets. You send a client one link; they browse the designs you chose to show, personalise the wording, and send their pick back to you. Their full requirements reach you by email — no BoothBook integration, and no Pictor login for them. Lookbook without BoothBook This video gives an overview of how Lookbook works on its own, from sharing available presets with a client to receiving their selections back in Pictor. Lookbook.mp4 01 . What the Lookbook is What it does: Turns your event presets into a public gallery a client can browse and book from. You already build event presets to reuse your own work. The Lookbook puts a chosen subset of them on a public page, under your company, and lets a client pick one for their event. Their choice comes back to you as a booking request. Who it is for: Anyone who sends clients a list of designs to choose from and is tired of doing it by email. The whole thing in four moves 1. Switch Show on lookbook on for the presets you want to offer. 2. Check the wording the client will see, in the preset's Global text. 3. Send them the link from Integrations. 4. They pick a design, fill in their wording, and submit. The request lands in your inbox. Note Event presets are a Pro feature, so the Lookbook is only useful on a plan that has them. BoothBook is not involved. The Lookbook collects the booking and emails you the requirements by itself; it is a separate integration you do not have to set up for this. Using BoothBook? See How to Connect Pictor with BoothBook. 02 . Choose which presets a client can see What it does: One switch per preset decides whether it appears in your Lookbook at all. 1. Go to Event presets in the side navigation. 2. Find the Show on lookbook column. 3. Switch it on for every preset you want clients to be able to choose. The Event presets table. The Show on lookbook column has a switch on each row. The Show on lookbook switch. Only presets switched on here ever reach a client. The change takes effect immediately — there is no publish step. Switch one off and it disappears from the Lookbook for anyone holding your link. Tip Keep the list short. A client choosing between three designs decides; a client choosing between fifteen asks you which one you would pick. 03 . Change the wording your client sees What it does: Each field a client fills in has a label and a starting value, and both live on the preset as global texts. This is the part that is not obvious from the Lookbook itself. Every field a client sees comes from a global text on the preset — a reusable snippet your template pulls in. The snippet's Label is what the field is called; its Text override is what the field starts out saying. A preset you built already has sensible wording on it. You do not have to change anything. This section is here for when the default label does not read the way you would put it to a client. The START node on the workflow canvas, with a Global text button in its header. START node → Global text. Also where global styles and booth behaviour live. The Global text dialog. Each entry has a Label and a Text override. Label names the field for your client. Text override is the value it starts with. Changing a label 1. Open the preset and go to Flow. 2. On the START node, press Global text. 3. Edit the Label, the Text override, or both. 4. Press Save, then Save Changes on the workflow. Both fields are free text, so the wording is yours. Some operators keep the label short (Graduate name); others spell it out (Who is the graduation party for?). Either works — it is the same field underneath. Careful Change the Label and the Text override freely. Do not delete an entry you are still using — every text element in the template is mapped to it, and deleting it unmaps the design. Note Each preset has its own global texts. Rewording the Graduation preset does nothing to your Birthday or Wedding ones. 04 . Find your Lookbook link What it does: One link, for your whole company. 1. Go to Integrations in the side navigation. 2. Open the Lookbook section. 3. Press Copy, or Open Lookbook to see it yourself. The Lookbook section in Integrations, showing the Lookbook URL with Copy and Open Lookbook buttons. Your Lookbook URL already carries your Company ID, so it opens your gallery for anyone who follows it. The link does not change and does not expire. Send it as it is, or embed it on your website. 05 . What your client sees What it does: Three steps, no login. Step 1 — Theme Your presets, as cards they can search and filter. The Lookbook's Select Your Theme step, showing preset cards. Select Your Theme. Only the presets you switched on appear here. Step 2 — Customize The design on the left, your fields on the right. What they type is what the booth will print. The Customize step: the chosen design beside a Personalize Your Text panel. Personalize Your Text. These labels are the preset's global texts . Step 3 — Review Their selections, plus their contact details and event date. The Review and Confirm step, with the selection summary and a contact form. Review & Confirm. Name, email and event date are required; phone and notes are not. 06 . What comes back to you What it does: The client gets a confirmation; you get an email with everything they chose. Pressing Confirm Selections sends the request. The client sees a confirmation and the page returns to the start, ready for another booking. The Lookbook after submitting, showing a thank-you message above the theme list. “Thank you for your booking!” — what the client sees after submitting. The request arrives by email You get an email from Pictor titled Lookbook Booking. It carries everything the client entered, so you can act on it without opening the app. A Lookbook Booking email listing the client's name, email, phone, event date, the preset they chose, and each text field with its answer. The Lookbook Booking email. Contact details, the preset they picked, and every field they filled in. In the email What it is Name, Email, Phone How to reach the client. Phone is only there if they gave one Event Date The date they picked on the Review step Event Preset Which of your designs they chose Text Configuration Every field, by its label, with the client's answer The labels in Text Configuration are the ones you set — so clear labels make the email easier to read, not just the form. Note This is the Lookbook on its own. The email carries the client's full requirements — who they are, when the event is, which design they chose and every answer they typed — without BoothBook set up. Switching the Lookbook on in Integrations is the only thing needed. 07 . Common questions A preset is missing from the Lookbook Check Show on lookbook on that row in Event presets. That switch is the only thing that decides it. The client sees the wrong wording The labels come from the preset's global texts, not from the Lookbook. Edit them on the START node . I reworded a label and nothing changed Saving the Global text dialog is not enough on its own — press Save Changes on the workflow afterwards. Can I have more than one Lookbook? No. There is one per company. Control what each client sees with the switches, or send them to a specific design yourself. Does the client need a Pictor account? No. The link carries your Company ID and opens straight onto your gallery.

How to Connect Pictor with BoothBook

The integration links your BoothBook account to your Pictor company so BoothBook can send booking information to Pictor. It is configured in both platforms: an API key goes from BoothBook into Pictor, and your Company ID goes from Pictor into BoothBook. You only do this once. Watch the setup in action See how to connect BoothBook and Pictor using the BoothBook API key and your Pictor Company ID. Boothbook Integration.mp4 —Before you start What you need: An account on both sides, and permission to reach the settings pages below. - Your BoothBook account, with access to Settings and its Developers section - Your Pictor account, with access to Integrations Two values change hands, in opposite directions. It helps to keep both tabs open. Value Made in Pasted into BoothBook API key BoothBook Pictor Pictor Company ID Pictor BoothBook 01 . Create an API key in BoothBook What it does: Lets Pictor connect securely to your BoothBook account. 1. Sign in to BoothBook. 2. Open Settings. 3. Scroll down to the Developers section and open it. 4. Find API Keys. 5. Select Add API Key. 6. Give it a name — Pictor Integration is a good one. 7. Create the key, then copy it. The BoothBook account menu open, with Settings at the bottom and an Apps entry under Explore. Open the account menu at the bottom left. Settings is at the foot of it. The BoothBook settings navigation scrolled to the bottom, showing an Advanced group with Developers in it. Inside Settings, scroll the left-hand list to the bottom. Developers sits under Advanced. The Developers API Keys page listing a key named Pictor with an Active status, and an Add API key button. Developers → API Keys. Press Add API key, name it, and copy the key it gives you. The key here is masked; yours is shown in full. Your new key appears in the list as Active, with Last Used reading Never until Pictor first calls BoothBook. Copy it — you paste it into Pictor in step 3. Treat it like a password An API key gives whoever holds it access to your BoothBook account. Do not send it by email, chat or a support ticket, and mask it in any screenshot — the key above is blanked out for that reason. If one is exposed, open the … menu on its row, remove it, and create a replacement; then paste the new key into Pictor. 02 . Open the BoothBook integration in Pictor What it does: Finds the panel where both values live. 1. Sign in to Pictor. 2. Open Integrations from the side navigation. 3. Find BoothBook in the list and open it. The panel holds both halves of the exchange: your Company ID at the top, and the BoothBook API Key field below it. The BoothBook section in Pictor Integrations, showing Your Company ID and the BoothBook API Key field. Integrations → BoothBook. Company ID above, API key below. 03 . Add the BoothBook API key to Pictor What it does: Saves the key so Pictor can talk to BoothBook. 1. Paste the key into BoothBook API Key. 2. Save. Once saved, Pictor shows only the last few characters — *A key is saved (***tclk). Enter a new one to replace it. That is how you confirm a key is stored. To rotate, paste a new key over it; to remove it, press Unlink BoothBook. Note Saving the key is one direction only. BoothBook still does not know which Pictor company to talk to — that is steps 4 to 6. 04 . Copy your Pictor Company ID What it does: Identifies your Pictor company to BoothBook. 1. On the same BoothBook panel, find Your Company ID. 2. Press Copy. The Your Company ID field in Pictor with a Copy button beside it. Your Company ID, with Copy. Keep it on the clipboard for the next step. Note The Company ID is not a secret — it already appears in your public Lookbook link. It identifies your company; it does not grant access to it. 05 . Open the Pictor app in BoothBook What it does: Finds where BoothBook stores your Company ID. 1. Return to BoothBook. 2. Go to Apps (also called the App Centre). 3. Search for Pictor. 4. Open the Pictor app and select Configure. BoothBook asks for your Pictor Company ID. The BoothBook account menu with Apps highlighted under the Explore column. Apps sits under Explore in the account menu — the same menu you opened in step 1. The BoothBook App Centre with Pictor searched, showing the Pictor app marked Installed with Configure and View buttons. Search the App Centre for Pictor, then press Configure. View only opens the listing. Note The app shows as Installed once it is on your account. Installed is not the same as configured — it still needs the Company ID in the next step before anything works. 06 . Add your Pictor Company ID What it does: Completes the link, in the other direction. 1. Paste the Company ID you copied in step 4 into Company ID. 2. Choose a Client Portal Visibility. 3. Press Save. The Pictor Settings dialog in BoothBook, with a Company ID field and a Client Portal Visibility dropdown. Pictor Settings in BoothBook. The Company ID is the one from Pictor; visibility decides who gets the Pictor step. Client Portal Visibility This decides which customers are offered the Pictor step in their portal. Show for all customers is the default and is what you want unless you have a reason to narrow it — a customer who is not shown the step never picks a design, so no event is prepared for their booking. Both values are now in place: - BoothBook API key → saved in Pictor - Pictor Company ID → saved in BoothBook Your BoothBook account and your Pictor company are connected. Next step See How to Use Pictor with a BoothBook Booking to create a booking, send the Client Portal, and get the event into Pictor.

How to Use Pictor with a BoothBook Booking

With the integration connected, your customer chooses their own photo booth design before the event. You take the booking in BoothBook and send them the Client Portal; they pick a template, personalise the text and confirm. One press of Sync events in Pictor turns that booking into an event, already set up. See how to create a booking, send the Client Portal, what the customer can customize, and how the event is created in Pictor. Use Boothbook.mp4 Before you start This guide assumes the integration is already connected. If it is not, do How to Connect Pictor with BoothBook first — nothing below will work without it. 01 . Create a booking in BoothBook What it does: Starts the booking exactly as you normally would. 1. Sign in to BoothBook. 2. Open Bookings. 3. Select Add Booking. 4. Enter the event information and any other booking details. Nothing here is Pictor-specific. The integration uses the booking you were going to make anyway. The BoothBook Bookings list with an Add Booking button and a booking row showing its customer. Bookings, with Add Booking. The customer on the row is who the portal gets sent to. 02 . Add the customer What it does: Gives BoothBook somewhere to send the portal. 1. Add or select the customer on the booking. 2. Check their email address is right. 3. Save the booking. Careful The portal invitation goes to the email on the customer record. A typo here means the customer never gets the link, and nothing arrives in Pictor either — there is no separate error to warn you. 03 . Send the Client Portal What it does: Emails the customer a link to configure their experience. 1. Open the … menu on the booking row. 2. Choose Send Client Portal Link. 3. Check the email, then press Send. The booking row menu open, showing Edit, Delete, Send Client Portal Link and View Client Portal. The row menu. Send Client Portal Link emails it; View Client Portal opens it yourself without sending anything. It does not send straight away — it opens an email you can read and edit first. A New Email dialog with From, To, Subject and a message containing an Access Your Client Portal link. The subject and the Access Your Client Portal link are filled in for you. Change the wording if you want, then Send. The email as the customer receives it, with an Access Your Client Portal link. What lands in their inbox. Tip Use View Client Portal on that same menu to see exactly what the customer will see, without emailing them. 04 . What the customer does What it does: Four steps, in their own time, with no Pictor login. Choose a template They pick from your Pictor templates — a wedding, a birthday, a graduation, a corporate design, whatever you offer. The client portal's Select Your Theme step, headed Thank you for your booking, with preset cards. Step 1, headed with the booking's own name. Only presets with Show on lookbook switched on are offered. Personalise the text They replace the default wording with their own — names, a date, a message. The fields they see are the preset's global texts, so whatever you called them is what the customer is asked. The client portal's Customize step: the chosen design beside a Personalize Your Text panel. Step 2. The design sits beside the fields so they can see what they are changing. Review and confirm A preview of the finished wording, then one button. They are only confirming the text — the booking already holds who they are and when the event is, so nothing is asked twice. The client portal's Review and Confirm step, previewing the text with a Confirm - Text is Correct button. Step 3. Confirm - Text is Correct is the point of no return — nothing reaches Pictor before it. Note This is where the Client Portal differs from the Lookbook. The Lookbook asks a stranger for their name, email and event date, because it has no booking behind it. Here the booking already has all of that. 05 . Find the event in Pictor What it does: Turns the confirmed booking into a Pictor event, already configured. When the customer confirms, their booking is waiting on the Pictor side. One press brings it in. You never recreate the booking by hand — but you do have to ask for it. 1. Sign in to Pictor. 2. Open Events. 3. Press Sync events. 4. Confirm when Pictor tells you what it found. 5. Open the new event to review it. Pictor says what it is about to do before it does it — BoothBook has 2 new booking(s) to create and 1 booking(s) whose choices changed. Sync now? — and reports the result afterwards. With nothing waiting, it answers No events are waiting to sync. The event carries the template the customer chose and the wording they entered. Change anything else you need before the event. The Pictor Events page showing an event named after the BoothBook booking, marked Upcoming. The booking as a Pictor event, named after the booking and carrying its dates. Edit & Launch opens it. The Events page in Pictor, with a Sync events button in the header. Sync events is in the Events header. Do not skip this A confirmed booking does not become an event on its own. It sits waiting until someone presses Sync events. If you are expecting an event and cannot find it, this is almost always why. Events made this way remember where they came from They carry a BoothBook booking badge and the date they last synced. If the customer changes their choice afterwards, the event says so — The booking's choices changed since this event was last synced. — and Sync with BoothBook on that event pulls the change through on its own. 06 . The whole workflow Step Where Who Create the booking BoothBook You Add the customer BoothBook You Send Client Portal BoothBook You Choose a template Client Portal Customer Personalise the text Client Portal Customer Review and confirm Client Portal Customer Press Sync events Pictor You Event is created and ready Pictor — BoothBook keeps the booking and the customer conversation. Pictor gets the event and runs the booth. Neither one asks you to type the same thing twice. 07 . Troubleshooting Problem What to check The customer never got the portal The email address on the customer record, then their spam folder No templates to choose from Show on lookbook on your presets. A preset switched off is never offered The event is not in Pictor Press Sync events on the Events page — nothing arrives until you do. If it says nothing is waiting, check the customer actually confirmed: an unfinished portal sends nothing Nothing works at all The connection itself — see How to Connect Pictor with BoothBook

Using a DSLR with Pictor

A tethered DSLR gives you image quality a tablet camera can't. You connect it to the iPad by USB, tell Pictor which captures should use it, and set two separate groups of settings: one for the live view guests see, one for the photo that is actually taken. 📍 Where this happens: DSLR settings live in the booth app on iPad, not the web dashboard. Open your event, then Devices. Connect the camera What it does: puts the camera in the Devices list, alongside the tablet's own cameras. 1. Connect the camera to the iPad by USB and switch it on. 2. In the booth app, open your event and go to Devices. 3. Switch the camera on and wait for it to initialise. A connected camera shows Connected and its battery level. The front and rear cameras sit above it in the same list. The camera's own name appears on the card, so you can tell two bodies apart. The settings below it adapt to what that camera supports: a setting your camera doesn't expose is greyed out or shows N/A. 💡 Tip: Watch the battery figure. A DSLR running live view all day drains faster than you expect, and this reading is the only warning you get without walking to the booth. Choose which captures use it What it does: Capture mapping assigns a camera to each capture, one at a time. A layout with three photos has three captures, and each one can come from a different camera. Open Capture mapping at the top of Devices and pick a camera for each row. Each capture has its own camera. Here captures 1 and 2 use the tablet and capture 3 uses the DSLR. Captures left on Default use the tablet's front camera with its mirrored preview. GIF and video captures are mapped the same way, each in its own group. ℹ️ Note: This replaces setting a capture source inside the template. The mapping lives on the event, so the same template can run on a DSLR at one event and on the tablet at the next. Preview settings and capture settings What it does: two separate groups of settings, one for the live view and one for the photo. Preview settings drive the live view. Capture settings are applied at the moment the photo is taken. They are separate on purpose. Live view often needs a brighter, noisier image so guests can see themselves, while the photo itself is exposed for the flash. The live view pane tells you which set you are looking at: Showing preview settings or Showing capture settings. Copy from Preview brings the preview values across, so you can adjust from there instead of starting over. ⚠️ Careful: Because the two are separate, the preview is not proof. A live view that looks right tells you nothing about the photo. Always take a test shot (see Take a test shot before guests arrive below). Exposure What it does: Exposure Mode, ISO, Aperture, Shutter and Exposure Compensation, set separately for preview and capture. Start in Manual Set Exposure Mode to M. On an automatic mode the camera re-reads the scene for every guest, so a dark jacket and a white dress come out differently. Manual keeps every photo the same, which is what you want from a booth. Several settings only become editable in Manual. If ISO, aperture or shutter is greyed out, that is usually why. A starting point ISO 400–800, f/4, 1/125s, then adjust at the venue. Lighting is the variable that matters; these numbers are only somewhere to begin. Each field offers only the values your camera supports, so the lists differ between camera bodies. Image quality and white balance What it does: these live under Advanced Settings, which is collapsed by default. Press Show next to Advanced Settings for image quality, white balance and colour temperature. ****White balance options come from the camera. Choosing Color Temperature enables the Color Temp field below it. If your lighting is fixed (a studio flash, a constant LED), pick the matching preset rather than leaving it on Auto. Auto can shift between shots, which shows up as a colour change across a strip of photos taken seconds apart. Autofocus What it does: decides when the camera refocuses, and how far it hunts. When it focuses - Auto focus during countdown: focuses while the guest is waiting, so the capture itself isn't delayed. - Auto focus on capture: focuses at the moment of the shot. More accurate, but adds a pause. - Auto focus on start: one focus pass when the live view opens, before the first capture. Test Auto Focus runs a focus pass on demand, so you can check it without starting a session. How far it hunts Under Advanced Settings, Size of one focus step is Small or Big, with a Pause between focus steps and a Focus time. Small steps focus more precisely; big steps get there faster. With the camera on a stand and guests standing in roughly the same place, Small is usually right: the distance barely changes, so there is little to hunt through, and a precise pass is quick anyway. Shooting preferences The Shooting preferences dialog holds the step sizes those options map to, plus a custom exposure value. Each field has its own Apply. Each value is applied on its own. There is no single save for the dialog. ℹ️ Note: These are fine-tuning for a camera that focuses badly with the defaults. If autofocus is behaving, leave them alone. Live view rotation and location hint What it does: two small settings that save a lot of confusion on site. Live view rotation (0°, 90°, 180° or 270°) turns the live view to match how the camera is mounted. If guests appear sideways or upside down on screen, this is the fix, not the camera. DSLR location hint is a free-text note, such as Main hall, left corner. It does nothing to the photo; it tells whoever is setting up or troubleshooting which physical camera this is. 💡 Tip: Fill in the location hint when you run more than one booth. It is the difference between "the DSLR is down" and "the DSLR in the main hall is down". Take a test shot before guests arrive What it does: Test capture takes a real photo and shows you the file. Switch the right-hand pane from Live view to Capture preview and press Test capture. What comes back is the last captured file, with its filename: the actual output, not a preview of it. Capture preview shows the real file, so you can check sharpness, flash exposure and final quality. This is the most useful check in the whole setup. It is the only way to see what your capture settings actually produce, and it takes seconds. ✅ Do this every time: Take a test capture once after setting up, and again whenever you change the lighting. A dark live view with flash is normal; a dark test capture is not. Adjusting during an event What it does: reaches the camera settings without stopping the session. Triple tap the right side of the screen while the booth is running. A Device settings sheet slides up over the session. Nothing stops, and guests can carry on the moment you press Close. The sheet shows the camera's name and battery, so you can check both without leaving the booth screen. Everything from the Devices tab is here: both settings groups, Advanced Settings, autofocus and Test Auto Focus. Fixing a bad photo mid-event If photos are coming out wrong, it is Capture Settings you want, not Preview. Changing the live view won't change the photo. Capture Settings, mid-event. Copy from Preview is here too. The Lights tab The same sheet pairs and controls a booth light, with a badge showing whether one is connected. No booth light in red means nothing is paired. Worth a glance if the lighting looks wrong. 💡 Tip: Learn the triple tap before your first event. Hunting for it with a queue waiting is not the moment to find out it is three taps, not two. When something goes wrong - Camera stops responding: toggle it off, wait two seconds, toggle it on. - No live view: check the camera is on, the USB cable is firm, and the camera is not in video mode. - Settings greyed out: switch Exposure Mode to M. Some settings are simply not supported by that camera body and show N/A. - Preview looks dark with flash: normal. The flash fires on capture, not in live view. Take a test capture to see the real result. - Photos are sharp but the preview is not: also normal. They use different settings. - Guests appear sideways on screen: use Live view rotation, not the camera mount. - A capture came from the wrong camera: check Capture mapping. Each capture is set separately, so one row can be left on the tablet by mistake. - Focus hunts between guests: set the focus step size to Small, and turn on Auto focus during countdown so the hunt happens before the shot. Carry spare USB cables and a power adapter. Cables are the most common failure at an event. See also - Devices, cameras and system requirements: supported iPads and Android devices - Printing: the Print Partner app - Contacting support: what to send us