Frequently asked questions about RightBooth

What do I need to create my own video or photo booth?

You will require:
  • your own desktop computer, laptop or tablet running one of the following operating systems: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10
  • a computer monitor, keyboard and mouse
  • a webcam
  • the RightBooth software

Other things you may find useful are:
  • a touchscreen
  • a USB button
  • a light source
  • an external storage device such as a USB hard disk drive
  • an external microphone

Details on some of these additional items can be found on our Equipment page.

If you would like to run RightBooth on Windows Xp, then you need RightBooth Lite

Will RightBooth work with my computer and webcam?

Almost certainly Yes.

We have tested RightBooth with many combinations of desktop computer, laptop, webcam (internal and external) and Windows operating system. We also have a healthy base of customers who are running RightBooth on a wide variety of equipment configurations.

See: Recommended computer equipment

Try to avoid using RightBooth on lower spec equipment.

Note:  RightBooth works best on newer PC equipment.  If you find that RightBooth does not perform well on your equipment you might want to try RightBooth Lite which is designed for old, slower computers.
For example, RightBooth Lite works well on the Microsoft Surface 3 tablet, powered by the Intel Atom processor

Simply download the RightBooth software and try it for yourself before deciding to purchase.

Does RightBooth run on Apple Mac or Linux Operating Systems?

While RightBooth is developed for Windows platforms you may find that it runs on an Apple Mac computer using Parallels Desktop for Mac

RightBooth Lite has been found to run very well on Linux operating systems when using the Wine compatibility layer

Please note that we do not normally provide technical support when running RightBooth on Apple Mac or Linux operating systems.

Can you recommend a webcam I can use?

Yes. Take a look at our webcam page
You may also be able to use a camcorder.  Check this Blog article

Can I use my DSLR camera with RightBooth?

Possibly.  RightBooth provides support for over 80 makes and models of DSLR camera.
IMPORTANT  Please test your camera with the evaluation version of RightBooth BEFORE purchasing the software
Please read this for more details

Is my computer powerful enough to run RightBooth?
​
​Can you recommend computer equipment?

The general rule of thumb is that the newer and faster your computer, the better it will perform.
The simplest way to find out is to download the RightBooth software and try it.
Remember that RightBooth allows you to reduce the video recording and photo capture settings in order to find something that will work on your system.

Our recommended minimum specification
  • A PC, laptop or tablet based on an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor running at least 1.8GHz or faster.
  • A minimum of 4Gb memory, ideally 8Gb or more.
  • A fast hard disk with plenty of free space.  Ideally an SSD
  • A good quality dedicated graphics card ideally from Nvidia or GeForce.  Try to avoid using equipment that has an integrated graphics card as these cards share the CPU memory, and can cause reduced performance
  • A graphics card that supports DirectX 11 or later
  • Windows 7, 8.1 or 10  (ideally Windows 10)
  • ​A good quality webcam.  Take a look at our webcam page.   (Alternatively, use a compatible DSLR camera).

Try to avoid using RightBooth on lower spec equipment.

Note:  We do NOT recommend using RightBooth on the Microsoft Surface 3 tablet, which is powered by the Intel Atom processor and relies on an integrated graphics card.

How many minutes of video can I record on my computer?

This depends on the amount of free hard disk space, and your chosen recording time, frame rate, video size and compression settings within RightBooth.  The easiest way to calculate this is to use the RightBooth Video Tester utility (which is included in the package) to record a sixty second video. This will show you the amount of hard disk space used for one minute.  You can then divide the free hard disk space by the size of the generated video file in order to obtain the approximate total number of minutes of video you can store.

RightBooth allows you to also make use of another storage device for saving files should you need it.

What format are the video and photo files?

You can choose to record video in either AVI or WMV format. There is also the option to have RightBooth automatically convert the recorded video files into MP4 and / or  MOV format.
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Photo files can be saved in PNG, JPEG, GIF or BMP formats.

Can I alter some of the instructions and text shown during the event?

Yes.

You can replace some or all of the event text with your own wording.  You can also add your own text items to event screens.
You also have the option to add your own Terms and Conditions screen for your users to read and accept if required.

My users don't speak English.
​
Can I show instructions in another language?

Yes.

RightBooth provides a number of event languages that you can choose for the event instructions  (the text your users see during the event).

You can also manually replace some (or all) of the event instructions with your own wording.
​Your replacement wording can be in any language you require, including 'right to left' languages such as Arabic or Urdu.  So if RightBooth doesn't provide your language translation there is nothing to stop you from translating the instructions yourself.  And we can always provide your language translation for you free of charge.  Simply contact us and let us know which language you require.
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Because RightBooth is designed to be easily translated and used in any language, we now have clients in many countries, including
France, Spain, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Columbia. Argentina, Uruguay, India, UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong and the UAE.
​
Take a look at some of them here

Can I make the video window bigger?

Yes.

Using the Screen Editor you have full control over the look of the RightBooth event screens, including the size and position of the video window.  Full instructions are provided in the RightBooth User Manual and Help files.

Can I use my own backgrounds and images?

Yes.

Using the Screen Editor you have full control over the look of the RightBooth event screens and you can add your own images, videos, audio and text required.  Full instructions are provided in the RightBooth User Manual and Help files.

Will you add a feature into the software for me?

Often Yes.

We are always open to suggestions.  In fact many of the RightBooth software updates  (see our Blog) have occurred in response to user feedback and requests.
If you would like to suggest a feature enhancement, simply contact us with details and we will be in touch.

How do I create a DVD containing all my videos and photos?

There are a number of options available to you and the RightBooth User Manual will provide useful links to a number of free, top quality movie editing applications.

Will RightBooth work on my Apple MAC ?

RightBooth will not run on an Apple MAC PC running an Apple MAC operating system.
​
You may find that RightBooth works on an Apple MAC running a Windows OS via the Parallels Desktop software, but we do not provide support for this configuration.

When I install RightBooth why do I also have to install other Microsoft software?

In order to run correctly, RightBooth requires the Microsoft .Net Framework 4.6 to be installed on your computer.
Note that this framework is already installed on Windows 10.

This package is freely available from Microsoft for distribution and installation on Windows computers.

During the RightBooth installation, the installer will automatically check to see if the Framework is installed on your computer and if not, it will prompt to install it for you.

Alternatively if you would prefer to install this package yourself prior to installing RightBooth,
​​please visit the Microsoft Download Center at the following link...
If you have any questions or problems with installing our software, please contact us with a description of your problem and details of your computer equipment and we'll do our best to help.

Each time I download the installer it is corrupt.  What can I do?
​
​Each time I download the latest version, I get an earlier one.  What can I do?

This has been known to happen when you have previously downloaded the installer and your browser is recovering this earlier version (corrupt or otherwise) from the browser cache on your computer, rather than it being downloaded again from our site.

To correct this issue, try downloading the installer using another browser or using another computer, or try clearing your browsing data.  For example, in Google Chrome you can clear your browsing data as follows:
  • From the Google Chrome Customise and Control menu, click  (More) Tools... then Extensions...   (see below)
  • Then on the next screen, select History... and click on the Clear browsing data button.​
  • On the Clear browsing data panel, select Download history and Cached images and files
  • Choose the Obliterate time period.  In the screen shot below we've selected to clear data from the past week
  • Click the Clear browsing data button
​After clearing your browsing data, try downloading the RightBooth installer again.
If you continue to experience problems, please contact support@rightbooth.com

My virus checker is complaining about RightBooth. What can I do?

Please read this article

RightBooth has a problem saving my settings and is not remembering them.
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Why?

RightBooth is designed to load and save its settings in the user's RightBooth7 application data folder.
For example: C:\Users\Nigel\AppData\Local\RightBooth7

If RightBooth experiences problems saving its settings you will see an error message when the app starts, stating 'Problem writing settings...' together with the name of the problematic folder.

To overcome this problem you can instruct RightBooth to use a different folder on your computer for saving its settings, one that has full access rights for all users.  To do this:
  • Log onto the computer with an Administrator account.
  • Create a new folder on your system where you would like RightBooth to save its settings and give this folder Full control permissions for Authenticated Users.  This can be done within Security Properties, by right clicking on the new folder name in Windows Explorer and then choosing Properties from the popup menu.
  • Create a new text file named datapath.txt and save this file in the folder C:\ProgramData\RightBooth7
  • Edit the datapath.txt file and add a single line containing the path of your newly created folder name.  For example:  c:\RightBoothSettings.

Now whenever any user logs onto the computer and runs RightBooth, the program will automatically check the datapath.txt file for the name of your previously specified folder, and it will use this folder for loading and saving settings for everyone.

When I play the event part of the Windows desktop is showing in a small bar at the bottom of the screen.  ​Why?

The Windows Taskbar is constantly showing when I play my event.  ​Why?

This is caused by the Windows Taskbar settings.  To change this:

Windows 8 and 10
  • Right click on a free area of the Windows Taskbar  (i.e. on a place that does not contain any icons)
  • On the popup menu, click 'Taskbar Settings'
  • In the Taskbar settings, make sure:
  • 'Lock the taskbar' is set to Off
  • 'Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode' is set to On

Other Versions of Windows
  • ​Right click on a free area of your Windows Taskbar (i.e. on a place that does not contain any icons).
  • From the popup menu, untick the option: Lock the Taskbar​
  • Again on the popup menu, select Taskbar properties and then tick the option: Auto-hide the taskbar
  • Also if available, untick the option: 'Keep the taskbar on top of other windows'

You can also let RightBooth handle the Taskbar auto hiding.  Go to RightBooth Security settings and tick the option: Auto hide taskbar

When I try to record video, the video window goes black.  What can I do?

This suggests that the video recording settings are not compatible with your system or the webcam driver is not loaded or is out of date.
- Go into the RightBooth Settings and look in the Log Tab.  Check to see if any errors are listed. These will help to indicate what might be causing the problem.
- Try using a different recording format and codec, accessed under the Video Input Tab. 
- Check the webcam manufacturers website for a newer webcam driver, and if available, download and install it.
- If you see a black video during video playback, try switching to a different video player in the RightBooth Video Settings.
- In the RightBooth Video Settings, make sure the 'Alpha channel' setting is not ticked.
- Try using the 'Video recording tester'.

Video recordings stutter and are out of sync.  What can I do?

Take a look at our Video Settings page and our Recommended computer equipment

Also, try the following suggestions:

  • Try to ensure that RightBooth is the only application running on your computer.
  • If you do not need to use the Internet, temporarily disconnect your computer from the Internet  e.g. turn off your WiFi or remove your network cable and reboot your computer before running RightBooth.
  • Temporarily stop any virus checker running whilst RightBooth is running.
  • Prevent any scheduled services from starting, e.g. file backups, disk clean ups.
  • Make sure you choose to save your video files directly to a fast disk drive, usually drive C:
  • Do not use a storage device connected to a USB port for directly recording video files.
  • Make sure your chosen disk drive has plenty of free space on it. Remove all unnecessary files from the drive.
  • If possible, record your videos directly onto a second, fast internal hard drive, one that does not contain the operating system.
  • Perform a full de-fragmentation of your chosen disk drive.
  • If possible, attach your webcam to a high speed USB 2 port ( or USB 3.0 port).  Check your USB ports
  • Rather than using the webcam's built-in microphone, try using a separate microphone attached to the MIC input of your sound card for recording the audio input, and use the webcam simply for recording the video input.
  • Reduce the recording frame rate down to 15 fps.
  • Lower the video recording frame size.   Some webcams offer very large recording sizes, but in practice it is very difficult to achieve perfect 30 fps video recording at these large sizes.  We recommend you start with a middle size value, for example 800x600 pixels.
  • If available, record video files at 12 or 16 bit resolution rather than 24 or 32 bit.
  • Record to the WMV video format rather than AVI.
  • In RightBooth Video settings, try setting the option: 'Faster screen updates'
  • If your webcam has Automatic Gain or Automatic White Balance features, turn them off in the webcam driver's settings.
  • If you are recording AVI files, try using a video codec by selecting data stream: Compressed, then choosing a video codec from the list. Try each one.  Try the MJPG compressor with the MJPG Data Type (if your webcam provides it). Also try Data Type: I420 if listed.
  • Install the latest version of your webcam driver and graphics card driver.
  • Install all available operating system updates.
  • Install the latest version of RightBooth (see below).

Where can I find my event recordings?

Take a look at this Blog article

Can you suggest settings that give good results for recording video?

Yes.  

Take a look at our Video Settings page.

How do i upload files to Facebook and Youtube?

It is possible to configure RightBooth to automatically copy its files to a cloud storage folder such as those freely provided by DropBox, Google Drive or Microsoft One Drive.  Then by using a free web automation service such as IFTTT (www.ifttt.com) you can have your Rightbooth files automatically copied from your cloud storage folder to sites such as Facebook and YouTube (among others).   For more information on how to set up this process please consult the RightBooth User Manual and Help file contained within the product download.

Can I install RightBooth on more than one computer, laptop or tablet?

If you have purchased an unlimited use license of RightBooth 7 then you can install your copy of RightBooth on all your computers.

Please see our Terms of Use page for full details on the RightBoth licensing and product use

Can I install RightBooth on hardware products I sell to my customers?

Yes, we can provide you with the RightBooth Distribution Product for this purpose.

Please see our Terms of Use page for more details

How do I obtain the latest version?

Periodically, when you run RightBooth, it will automatically check for newer versions of the software on our website and will inform you if a newer version is available for download.
Alternatively, use the Check for update button on the RightBooth About window.

Once downloaded, you can simply install the newer version over your existing version.