In-App Camera Settings
Learn the ins-and-outs of the In-App Camera Settings to take control of your captures.
With just a few small adjustments, you can deliver consistently striking photos, boomerangs, and videos, no matter the venue or time of day.
Table of Contents
Explainer
What Are In-App Camera Settings?
The In-App Camera Settings allow you to fine-tune how captures will look when running a DSLR event using the Salsa iOS app.
Guac’s In-App camera settings are split up into two sections:
Photo Settings
Adjust settings for Photo and GIF Mode captures.
Video Settings
Adjust settings for Boomerang, Video, and Slo-Mo Mode captures.
The default settings for both Photo and Video will provide the best result in almost all situations if both the flash and umbrella are used for the event.
Learn about setting up your Guac Booth to get the most out of the default camera settings
Note: Camera settings can only be adjusted from the Salsa iOS app.
What To Know
Best Practices
Making sure that the camera, flash and umbrella are assembled and set up correctly can make the difference between a great event and an amazing event. Follow these best practices for the best results.
Photo Booth
Placed 4 to 5 feet from backdrop
Double-check all of your Canon M50 camera settings
Camera Lens: 15mm
Continuous AF: Enabled
Image Quality: S1
Auto Power Off: Disabled
Image Stabilizer: Off
Movie Shooting Mode: Manual Exposure
Flash
Facing umbrella at a 45 degree angle
Modeling Lamp: 100%
Power: 1/2
Note: You may need to adjust the power level for the flash if Photo and GIF captures appear overexposed.
Features
Photo Settings
The Photo Settings allow you to make adjustments for Photo and GIF Mode captures.
Default Photo Settings:
Aspect Ratio: Traditional Landscape (4:3)
Mirroring: On
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Aperture: 8.0
LED Ring Flash: On
Flash Brightness: 50%
White Balance: Cloudy
IMPORTANT: The In-App settings default the aspect ratio to 4:3. You may need to adjust the aspect ratio to match any overlays added to the event if they do not have a 4:3 aspect ratio. Failing to do so will result in stretched or distorted art assets.
The default settings will provide the best result in most situations when both the flash and umbrella are set up correctly.
If your photo or GIF captures are not to your liking, you can adjust the settings.
To reset any changes that have been made, tap Restore Default Settings.
Features
Video Settings
The Video Settings allow you to make adjustments for Boomerang, Video, and Slo-Mo Mode captures.
Default Video Settings:
Aspect Ratio: Traditional Landscape (4:3)
Mirroring: On
ISO: Auto
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Aperture: 8.0
LED Ring Flash: On
Flash Brightness: 50%
White Balance: Auto
The default settings will provide the best result in most situations when both the flash and umbrella are set up correctly.
If your photo or GIF captures are not to your liking, you can adjust the settings.
You can tap Restore Default Settings to reset any changes that were made.
Features
Aspect Ratio
The aspect ratio determines the shape and size of your captures, which can affect how much is captured in each session. The different options for aspect ratio include:
Traditional Portrait (3:4)
Best to capture a close up, but will crop an image. Not good for group shots!
Traditional Landscape (4:3)
Default aspect ratio
Best for multiple guests in a single capture
Square (1:1)
Ideal for hybrid events where Virtual Booth is also being used
Portrait (2:3)
Compatible with 4x6 prints in portrait
Landscape (3:2)
Best option if your event includes printing
Compatible with 4x6 prints in landscape
IMPORTANT: You may need to adjust the aspect ratio to match any overlays added to the event if they do not have a 4:3 aspect ratio.
The aspect ratio is automatically adjusted for Photo Mode captures if a photo template has been added to an event.
Learn more about overlay file dimensions
Features
Mirroring
By default, the live preview mirrors an image, making it easier for guests to arrange themselves before and during a capture.
The capture is automatically flipped to the correct view once the capture is completed.
Note: When mirroring is turned on, overlays will be flipped and may look backwards in the live preview.
Once the capture is completed, the image will be flipped so that the overlay displays normally.
Features
ISO
The ISO adjusts how sensitive the camera is to light. The value ranges from 100 to 25600, with the higher value resulting in a brighter capture.
If your captures appear grainy, or “noisy”, the ISO may be set too high in a low-light or dim environment. You also want to check and make sure that the flash is connected correctly and is set to 100% power.
If your captures appear too bright or blown out, you will want to make sure that the booth is set up 4 to 5 feet from the backdrop and guests are standing about 3 feet away.
If captures continue to look too bright, try reducing the ISO.
Features
Shutter Speed
The Shutter Speed adjusts how long the shutter is open during each capture. Shutter speed is measured in seconds or fractions of a second, ranging from 1/4000th of a second to 1 second.
The camera’s sensor will be exposed to more light the longer the shutter is open, producing a brighter capture. However, longer shutter speeds might cause captures to appear blurry if the guests are moving.
Shorter shutter speeds may produce a sharper image, but it may result in darker captures.
If you adjust the shutter speed, you may need to adjust the aperture to compensate for any excess or loss of light.
Note: Setting the shutter speed faster than 1/200th of a second may prevent the flash from syncing properly with the camera, resulting in black bands or bars across the capture.
If you’re using the flash included with Guac, it is not recommended to set the shutter speed faster than 1/200.
Features
Aperture
The aperture controls how much light enters the camera and reaches the sensor. This is measured in f-stops where higher values will result in a sharper image.
If the shutter speed is increased, you may need to increase the size of the aperture, which is done by lowering the f-stop value.
If the shutter speed is decreased, you may need to decrease the size of the aperture, which is done by raising the f-stop value.
Features
LED Ring Flash and Flash Brightness
While the flash and modeling lamp are your main source of light when capturing content from the booth, the LED ring can be used as an additional light source.
You have the ability to control its brightness from 0 - 100%. Adjusting the Flash Brightness will not affect the branding of the LED lights.
It is recommended to set the Flash Brightness before making any adjustments to the Photo or Video settings.
Note: Flash Brightness is limited to 50% brightness when Hands-Free Mode is turned on.
Features
White Balance
The White Balance adjusts the color temperature of the captures from cool to warm. This setting is used to compensate for ambient lighting conditions that may cause colors to not appear correctly in captures.
If the flash and umbrella are assembled and set up correctly, there shouldn’t be any need to change the white balance for Photo and GIF captures, as the flash should produce a strong enough light that pairs perfectly with the default Cloudy setting.
If Boomerang, Video, or Slo-Mo captures are appearing too cool (blue), you may want to change the setting to Shade. If captures are appearing too warm (red), you may want to change the setting to Daylight, White fluorescent light, or Tungsten.
What To Know
Running an Event with Multiple Photo Booths
All of Guac’s camera settings are set and saved locally to the iPad and not synced with any other iPad.
This means that you will need to adjust the settings for each photo booth, even if they’re running the same event.
This allows you to make camera setting adjustments for a specific booth while retaining all other event settings.
