Wifibooth Direct for Mac/PC

[joshanoya]

Hi Tim!
First off, you have created an amazing app that I'm sure have helped a ton of Photo Booth owners out there! Now I have been playing with the app for a week now and truly make the switch over to your app but is missing a feature that I use often and I'm sure would benefit other users out there as well who run a Photo Booth on a computer and wanting to switch from using Live Booth entirely. It would be great to have a Mac/PC app or script similar to the one that Live Booth offered. I know you have comparisons on your site with Live Booth and I feel that this feature would truly outshine any other app out there like Live Booth, Simple Booth and other apps like it. I would even gladly pay for the separate script/app. Here is a reference to the suggestion/idea http://www.liveboothapp.com/livebooth-direct/

Here's a screenshot from my Mac


For Photo Booth owners that utilize a computer to store photos or utilize an app to "filterize" photos then send back to the iPad I feel this would be a seamless and great addition to your app. It would allow to connect to a wifi network if available or an ad-hoc type network where computer creates the wireless connection that the iPad connects to and transfers photos that way when there is no network available. It essentially watches a folder on the mac/pc and transfers photos back into your app in the gallery which can then be emailed and printed from the Wifibooth app.

Here's a screenshot from my iPad


Keep up the great work!

[tim]

hi Joshua,
Thanks for the post & compliments.
Just checking if I understood you right: your Mac would be tethered to your camera using some other software (perhaps from your camera manufacturer), loading JPG files etc onto the Mac, and once a photo is taken then the Mac sends it to Wifibooth?
How does live-view work? I imagine there is no live view in this setup with livebooth?

[joshanoya]

Thanks for getting back to this! And yes you got it right! As far as live view goes, there would be no live view unless a screen is attached to the computer. So in this instance Wifibooth would be utilized as the social media/email/printing kiosk.

I feel there are quite a bit of Photo Booth owners that have a similar setup. This way your app would tap into both styles of Photo Booths! And would be awesome addition under your Small Events and Pro package. I'm ready to make the switch because your app is by far the best when it comes to features and pricing model and I feel this would make more people switch specially ones that ran Live Booth previously or even capturing Simple Booth and Mash Booth's user base.

[tim]

Hi Joshua,
Hmm, I like your enthusiasm, but I don't understand: what is the big benefit you would be getting by giving up live view, the ability for guests to use remotes (their iphone to trigger the camera via the iPad), animated GIFs, and all the other things you'd lose? Is it just to have a filter applied to the photos? If that's the only reason then it would make more sense to me to do this on the iPad, rather than make it necessary for you now to lug an expensive macbook around too...
What kind of filter are you talking about?

[joshanoya]

I guess it would just be beneficial to have Wifibooth as a separate social/printing kiosk for those that do have photo booths that utilize a computer. Even with just running Wifibooth as is I think most of the time after having to take the photo guests stand there to pick their photos and spend a bit of time doing so which in turn holds up the line. With events that have a large number of guests it would almost be like waiting for a ride at Disneyland. This would drive the traffic away from the booth to a nearby location for them to look through the photos without having to feel rushed when other guests are just staring at them haha

I use Capture One and or Lightroom to run a Photo Booth and I'm sure others do the same or use software like dslrbooth where photos are stored in a folder then transferred to the social sharing kiosk iPad via that "Live Booth Direct" Script. It would just be great to have the option to be able to drive guests away from the main booth. I hope I'm making a little sense haha

I can make a video of the way it runs now on my setup as a visual reference if this idea peaks your interest as well. I'm just thinking of flow of traffic as well as your app outpacing others aside from you being such a cool person and in touch with your community

[tim]

Haha thanks Joshua
I'm definitely keen to explore the idea a little, but if I'm building something like this then I'll be honest, it's a big investment of time so it really needs to be worth it.
The aspect of speeding guests through the booth is something quite important to me: that's why features like autopilot exist (also helps when your clientele have enjoyed an open bar, heh).
One thing i've been thinking about is a two-ipad solution: one ipad does what it does now, and the other acts as a gallery-only clone (ie. what you see on the second ipad is like what you'd see on the first ipad if you turned on the setting "start on gallery screen"). This would help with guest "throughput". But to be honest after doing some events with lots of guests I haven't seen a need for this: I just use autopilot and turn on dropbox. In the next update you'll be able to combine autopilot with forcing the guest to enter an email address, which is a way of making sure they get a link to the photos, but cannot spend ages picking/choosing photos.

Finally, another issue is live display of photos. A two-ipad solution here would also work: first ipad does what it does now, second ipad shows a "slideshow" of photos already taken. This slideshow part might make more sense to have as a separate macOS or tvOS app, as you're more likely to be able to connect to a big TV/projector from a macbook or apple TV (vs an ipad). If i'm going to build this for the mac, then i'd already be doing all the work to build a separate macOS app, and it's logical to think about adding a mode to this app that allows you to send photos to wifibooth...

[LifeonFilm]

Is there any contact number I can use to get this thing going. I have everything EVERYONE recommended and the forum is so hard to follow. I want to tether my monitor to a MacBook and use the IPAD or MacBook. Is there an app for my new MacBook? Can I have someone call me, please. Going crazy in VA and I have an event in August. I went with Wifi booth because of the million great reviews but the training videos are horrible. I have a canon mark 7Dii.

[tim]

Hi Lifeonfilm
I removed your phone number from your last post: these forums are public and I don’t want your private information being abused by anyone.
Wifibooth is an iOS app. Like other iOS apps, it does not offer telephone support. Unlike other iOS apps it offers not only videos and help articles, but these forums where I (the developer) respond typically the same day.
I am not sure what you are trying to do re tethering to a macbook. Wifibooth does not currently offer any tethering functionality or work with a macbook. Please help me understand what you are trying to do.

[LifeonFilm]

Thank you, trying to hard tether the camera to the monitor via the Macbook for clients to view while using wifi app on the iPad connected to camera via the Canon W-E1 card. The MacBook and iPad can connect via bluetooth, I think. The canon, per the youtube link, can all run on my PORTABLE wifi hotspot through AT&T. The printer, camera and MacBook can connect to the hotspot. Essentially I'm throwing a 32" monitor in the mix and need help with this flow. It's just not working, urggg. Also is there a video to use the app and all its features? Trying to figure out this flow, Thank you

[tim]

No, currently there is no way for Wifibooth to connect to a mac while running, using bluetooth or anything else. That is not standard behavior for any iOS app, and would need to be specially built in. It is planned for investigation at the end of this year, when I anticipate the release of a vital platform component from Apple that will make building this much easier for me.

Help articles and videos are at https://wifibooth.com/help

The Canon W-E1 is supported but personally I have not tried it. Start your setup small and simple, then build it up once you get it working. Start by connecting the camera to the ipad any way you can, without a printer

[LifeonFilm]

Thank you, so essentially the camera wifi connects to the iPad. The iPad works the app for the wifi booth via and sends the pics to the printer via what method? It prints and emails from the iPad correct? Due to the fact I have a canon 7Dii, the iPad and camera all connect to the same hotspot. Too many youtube video completely confused this for me

[tim]

I am not clear on what exactly the W-E1 can do, but if it can make an outgoing connection to your wifi router (ie you can choose the router on the camera and enter the router password etc), then that is indeed best. Connect the camera to the router, the ipad to the router, start wifibooth, and it should find the camera once you set it to look for a camera with builtin wifi.

AFTER you get that working, connect the printer to the same wifi router and add it in wifibooth too.