This video explains the main new features added in RightBooth v7.10.0.

RightBooth version 7.9.7 has been released.  New features and fixes:

• Add option to use SendGrid for emailing files
• Remove redundant setting: 'Process videos in background'
• If an overlay video is included, it is now repeated for the duration of the enhanced video
• Improvements to image load speed and image memory usage
• Improve the clarity of buttons in the Screen Editor
• Fix: Prevent random crash when including photo printing and animated gif creation
• Fix: Camera items no longer block the user input to a screen click action
• Fix: Video emails would fail to be sent if video resizing was selected in 'Media size' settings
• Fix: Allow the 'After creating' photo copy action to work in Watch folder events

Note: This feature requires RightBooth v7.9.3 (or later).

This article explains how to use RightBooth to create videos and photos by taking the camera feeds from two webcams and combining them into one file, as shown in the following demonstration video:

Your webcams are now set up to be used for Picture in Picture recordings.

Step 2 - Design your event

• Create a video recording and photo capture event.
• In Event Designer --> Event structure --> Miscellaneous, tick 'Picture in picture', then use the arrows to select the webcam layout option shown in this shot:

Choosing this option will cause RightBooth to overlay the camera feed from webcam 2 directly on one half of the camera feed from webcam 1.  The two feeds will then be treated as one combined feed for the purposes of recording videos and taking photos in RightBooth.

• Go into the Screen Designer and arrange your screens and webcam item as required, making sure that your webcams are both pointing at your intended subject (or subjects):

• Save the event.

​You are now ready to Play the event and record videos and photos from two combined webcams.

Note:

• When recording videos, if you are recording audio, the audio feed will be taken from the audio device specified in Settings --> Cameras --> Webcam audio.
• There a lots of other Picture in Picture layouts to experiment with, involving up to three additional webcams.

Demonstration video showing augmented reality photo capture in RightBooth:

How to create your own greenscreen videos for use in RightBooth:

How to take augmented reality photos in RightBooth using greenscreen videos:

RightBooth now includes support for wireless Canon cameras, including wireless live view.  Details here

See the Release notes page to read the complete list of new features and fixes in this release.

Here are some suggestions to help reduce your GoPro video transfer time and also reduce the video processing and enhancement time in RightBooth.

1 - Reduce the GoPro Video File Transfer Time

1.1 - Record GoPro videos in HEVC format
Newer GoPro models provide the following choice of video recording formats:

• H.264+HEVC
• HEVC

You will find these options on the GoPro menu: Preferences > General > Video Compression.
Choose HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding).  This is the H.265 format and it produces smaller file sizes than the older H.264 format.  By choosing HEVC you will benefit from faster file transfer times between the GoPro and the PC.  Note: RightBooth can process HEVC files.
Here is a comparison of the file sizes and transfer times of a 10 second video that was recorded at 1920x1080x120fps using each of the formats:

1.2 - Record videos at 60fps or less
Most GoPro models let you record videos at 120fps and some allow recording at 240fps.  Recording at a higher frame rate will produce larger files which will take longer to transfer and longer for RightBooth to process. 
Try dropping the recording rate on the GoPro to 60fps (or even 30fps).  Transfer times and processing times will be quicker and most people will be unable to see much difference in the finished results.

1.3 - Use the GoPro 5Ghz WiFi Band
If your GoPro offers both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi band options, try using its 5GHz WiFi band.  In our tests we have seen that this can significantly reduce the file transfer times.  Typical saving:  11 second transfer time on the 2.4GHz band equates to an 8 second transfer time on the 5Ghz band.
Note: If you find that the GoPro 5GHz band is not working with your PC WiFi adapter you will have to use the GoPro 2.4GHz WiFi band.

2 - Reduce the Video Processing and Video Enhancement Times

2.1 - Reduce the frame size of the video file
The GoPro will usually be set to record videos at a frame size of 1920x1080.  After each video file has been transferred to RightBooth, you can set RightBooth to reduce the frame size of the videos, which effectively reduces the amount of data in the video file.  This can have a significant effect on reducing the video enhancement times and most people will not be able to see any difference in the final video quality.  We recommend you reduce the videos to 1280 x 720 or (better still) 960 x 540 (quarter HD).
​You can do this in RightBooth Settings --> Miscellaneous --> Conversion settings:

2.2 - Reduce the video quality and increase the conversion speed
In the Video Conversion Settings, experiment with reducing the Quality slider setting and increasing the Speed slider setting:

2.3 Reduce the number of video enhancement segments
If you are using RightBooth Video Enhancements and you are including a list of video segments, try reducing the number of segments used.  Each segment you define will add extra time to the overall enhancement process.  Also, try to use 'Fast mode' if possible:

See Release Notes for more details.

This video demonstrates 2 new features in RightBooth version 7.7.33:

RightBooth Version 7.7.31 was released on July 5th 2022. It contains the following new features,  modifications and fixes:

• Add 'Mouse hook' to User Input settings to allow the mouse to be returned to the primary monitor when secondary monitor touch input 'steals' the mouse
• Provide a set of 'Filename include' naming options in Settings --> Folders/Files
• Add {PCBATTERY} text variable to allow showing the laptop battery percentage on event screens
• Allow 'Show' actions to be added to all non stock screen items
• Allow screen items to be designed so that they are initially hidden when the screen is shown in the playing event
• Allow screen items to be named with the Name property
• Allow the display time to be altered on video enhancement outro images
• Add new actions:  Show item, Hide item, Next sequence item
• Add the 'Lip sync adjustment' option in Webcam audio settings
• Modifications to the video item and video sequence item to improve playback
• Add support for more USB HID relay boards
• Fix: Sequence items now work correctly on extended monitor event screens
• Fix: Prevent crash when video enhancement is attempted on a failed video recording
• Fix: Prevent crash if 'start up' messages appear while a DSLR camera is attached
• Fix: Prevent occasional video file transfer failures with Canon cameras
• Fix: Items can sometimes be shown in the wrong position on the 'Show photo' screen

RightBooth version 7.7.27 is released today.
The full list of new features and bug fixes is available here.
Watch this video for an explanation of the main new features:

​spacedesk is an amazing app.  It lets you use a tablet as an extended desktop to your main computer.  Then you can show and interact with RightBooth on the tablet.

Here's how:

• On your computer, visit the spacedesk download site:  https://www.spacedesk.net/#products and install the spacedesk driver software for Windows.
• On your tablet, visit the associated app store and install the spacedesk Viewer app.
• Make sure your PC and your tablet are both connected to the same local network, such as your home WiFi network or your own private router network.

Then:

• On the PC run the spacedesk Driver console app.
• On the tablet, run the spacedesk app.  You should then see your computer listed for selection. Select it.
• spacedesk will then connect your PC to your tablet and you will see your computer display duplicated on your tablet screen.
• On the PC you can then use the Windows Display settings to extend the Windows desktop onto your tablet screen.
• You can now run RightBooth and show/interact with it on the tablet.

Watch this video that demonstrates this setup:

RightBooth version 7.7.25 is now released, containing the following new features and bug fixes:

• Can now save preferred colors in the Screen Editor Color Palette by right clicking the mouse on any color box to allow storing the currently selected palette color within it
• Updated the DLLs used for creating video and image thumbnails
• Can now add multiple questions at the same time into the Event Designer Question grid
• Can now add all stamp items into webcam video recordings when they are used on any of the Record video/karaoke/answer screens. E.g text, image, button stamp items. Prior to this, only video stamp items could be added to webcam recordings.  See the video below.
• Stamp items will now be applied if they are placed lower in the Z order than the camera item
• Option to show a 'Wait' screen when switching between playing events that take a significant amount of time to open
• Option to define the 'behind event screen' color. This color might be shown during screen animations
• Allow multiple question rows to be selected in the event question grid, for moving or deleting the rows
• Fix: Prevent mouse clicks or touches from being accepted until an event is fully open and playing
• Fix: Ensure all event questions have a unique ID
• Fix: Event packages now correctly include all question and answer event screens
• Fix: Prevent a video enhancement segment from having the same start and stop value
• Fix: Prevent crash when building the media view item in sharing station events where thumbnails do not exist for video files
• Fix: Unable to register the RightBooth product code on some systems
• Fix: Crash when installing packages that include Question events
• Fix: Crash when the last question Branch is set to Next in a Question event
• Fix: Crash when printing to UNC defined networked printers on some computers

I was recently asked if it is possible to reduce the amount of time it takes for a recording event to process video files, which in turn allows you to have a greater throughput of users at the recording station.
This question seems particularly important when recording videos and then applying video enhancements, prior to showing them on a sharing station.

Let's consider recording videos using a wireless GoPro.  This is a typical workflow:

• Allow 2 instances of RightBooth to run on the same computer. Each instance has its own independent configuration and settings, allowing multiple event files to run simultaneously, ideally on an extended desktop with multiple touchscreens. Example:  
  • 2 recording events each with a different camera  or
  • 1 recording event + 1 sharing station event

Details - see Option 4 here

• New User input setting: 'Mouse as secondary input'. When playing events, this allows the mouse to be used as a User input method in addition to the chosen User input method
• Video conversion settings. Frame rate: Can now select any value up to 60 fps. Or leave the frame rate set at the original recorded value
• QR codes for videos and photos now link to a html wrapper file that includes a Download button for easier downloading of files on phones and tablets
• QR code and clock items can now be added to print layout designs
• Confetti overlay videos added to the Media Library

• Fix: Allow the main camera to return to showing the live preview after cancelling a playing event while a video recording is underway
• Fix: The multiple monitor feature now correctly positions event screens when the Windows Display scale is larger than 100%. e.g. as found on Surface tablets
• Fix: Video thumbnails are now displayed at the correct aspect ratio in the Sharing Station Media Browser item
• Fix: Unicode characters causing problems with QR code scanning and video enhancement when RightBooth is run with the French or Spanish language option
• New colour selector in the Screen editor
• Fix: Recording events containing video enhancements were not processing videos after recording countdown completed if the event was played after performing recording tests in settings
• Fix: GoPro recording events were incorrectly warning about the need for a webcam on computers that did not have any webcam connected
• Fix: Video enhancements not working consistently on non English Windows OS's (e.g. Spanish) or when the current Windows user name contains space characters
• Fix: Entering a new product code could incorrectly warn that the code was already in use

The chosen device can then be used to progress through the event screens and to make choices on various event screens.

Single keyboard key – Selecting this option will require users to interact with events by pressing a key on the computer keyboard. By default this key is set to be the keyboard spacebar, but this can be altered to another key from the Key list.  With this input mode you will need to give users access to the physical computer keyboard during events.

Key list – This setting lets you choose one keyboard key that can be used to control your events when the User input mode is set to Single keyboard key or USB button. By default the control key is set to be Space (i.e. the spacebar on your keyboard). Other valid keys you can use are the function keys 1 – 12, the Scroll Lock key or the Pause key. 

Multiple keyboard keys – When this option is chosen, then during the event each text prompt that accompanies a choice button will also be shown with the associated key required to select the option.  The keys that are associated with the various button actions are listed in the 'Action Key' table (see below).

USB button – Users will be prompted to ‘press button’ during events.  A USB button is an optional peripheral device that connects to your computer via a USB lead and it can be configured to send one or more specific keystrokes to the computer.  By doing this, your users would simply need to press the USB button in order to control the recordings and you can then hide your computer keyboard and mouse out of sight.  When using the ‘USB Button’ input mode, your USB button should be configured to send the keyboard key to the computer that matches the key you have selected in the Key list box (see earlier), which by default is the Space (spacebar).

USB buttons – Users will be prompted to ‘press button’ on various screens during the event.  This mode allows you to control RightBooth with a number of USB buttons attached to your computer. The USB buttons must be configured to send keyboard keys to the computer that match the keys listed in the Action key table.
Compatible, low cost USB buttons can be obtained here: www.usbbutton.com  Details on how to configure a USB button for sending keyboard characters to the computer are provided in the USB button user manual.  However, in order to configure a USB button so that it works with RightBooth, we have included a USB button configuration file (rightbooth.ubn) with our software. This file can be found in the RightBooth program installation folder and can be loaded into the USB Button Configuration utility available from www.usbbutton.com.

Mouse – Selecting this option will require users to interact with events using the computer mouse.

Touchscreen – Selecting this option will require users to interact with events using a touch screen monitor.  You can then hide your computer keyboard and mouse out of sight during events.

Latest video demonstrating the new photo post-processing features introduced in RightBooth version 7.7.10.