In Operation

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In Operation

 

Once everything is setup simply run NKRemote and press Ctrl+F4 to enter full screen mode and display the ready screen. You probably don't want to have a keyboard on show otherwise users will be able to exit the photobooth mode and access your computer. There are a number of methods that can be used to start the photobooth shooting sequence:

 

1.The simplest option is to use a mouse and set the start option to "Left click to start, right click to toggle B&W mode" or one of the other left click options. Provided the keyboard is hidden away the users won't be able to access your computer but use the left mouse button to start the sequence and the right mouse button to toggle between B&W and color photos.
2.Alternatively you could use a programmable USB input device which can be setup to send an F4 key press to NKRemote:
a) The Powermate from Griffin Technology (http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powermate/) is an inexpensive and nicely made device which works very well.
b) The StealthSwitch (http://www.stealthswitch.com) is a very robust foot switch which simply needs to be plugged in to be used in fullscreen photobooth mode. No additional drivers need to be installed. The desktop hiding software that comes with the StealthSwitch should be disabled otherwise the photobooth screen will be hidden when the switch is pressed.
3.For a more professional setup you could use external panel mounted buttons.
4.Use a touchscreen and one of the left click start options

 

If "auto reconnect" is selected from the "Camera" menu the camera can be turned off when not in use and then turned it back on again to automatically restart photobooth operation. When the camera is turned off the camera_not_connected.jpg screen is displayed and when it is turned back on again the ready.jpg screen is displayed.

 

The keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3, Ctrl+4, Ctrl+5, Ctrl+6, Ctrl+7, Ctrl+8 or Ctrl+9 can be used to specify the number of copies of prints when running in full screen photobooth mode. The number pad "add" and "subtract" keys can also be used to increase or decrease the number of copies. A small confirmation message is displayed for approximately 2 seconds in the bottom right corner of the display when the number of copies is changed.

 

A default profile can be used to reset the photobooth to a known state after each shooting sequence.

 

To exit fullscreen photobooth mode either press the Esc key or hold down the SHIFT key and press the left mouse button.

 

Reprints

 

The last print layout can be reprinted by typing Ctrl+R in full screen photobooth mode. Alternatively select the output option to also save a JPEG copy and then use a browser or image editor to select and print the required layout.

 

XML Shooting Information

After each set of shots an XML file containing information about the set of photos is written to the folder where the photos are downloaded from the camera. The XML file has the same filename as the first shot in the sequence (but with a .XML file extension). An example XML shooting information file is shown below:

 

<?xml version="1.0" ?>

<breeze_systems_photobooth version="1.1">

<photo_information>

  <date>2011/01/26</date>

  <time>16:37:19</time>

  <user_data>sales@breezesys.com</user_data>

  <photobooth_images_folder>C:\Photobooth\PhotoboothImages</photobooth_images_folder>

  <caption1>First caption</caption1>

  <caption2>Second caption</caption2>

  <photos>

    <photo image="1">20110126_163719_1.JPG</photo>

    <photo image="2">20110126_163719_2.JPG</photo>

    <photo image="3">20110126_163719_3.JPG</photo>

    <photo image="4">20110126_163719_4.JPG</photo>

    <output>prints\20110126_163719.jpg</output>

  </photos>

</photo_information>

</breeze_systems_photobooth>

 

The <date> and <time> tags contain the date and time of the first shot in the sequence. Please note that the date and time will only be correct if the camera's clock is set correctly. The camera's clock can be automatically synchronized with the PC's time when it connects to the PC by selecting the automatic synchronization option in the camera settings dialog.

The <user_data> tag contains the text entered by the user if the touchscreen keyboard option is used.

The <photobooth_images_folder> contains the full pathname of the photo booth images folder.

The <caption1> and <caption2> tags contain the text used for the captions printed on the photos or empty strings if these are not defined.

The <photo> tags contain the filenames of the photos taken in the shooting sequence.

The <output> tag contains the filename of the JPEG copy of the printed output (if selected).

 

The writing of the XML shooting information file can be suppressed by setting the following value in the Windows registry to 1:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BreezeSystems\NKRemote\100\PhotoboothSuppressXml

 

This can be done by creating a text file named SuppressXML.reg containing the following and then double clicking on the file in Windows Explorer to copy the information to the registry:

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

 

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BreezeSystems\NKRemote\100]

"PhotoboothSuppressXml"=dword:00000001

 

Please note that this setting will be ignored and the XML will be written if the touchscreen keyboard option is used.