A photo booth that can move around in 360 degrees offers the ability to capture amazing footage in a panoramic way. However, unlike a camera that pans from left to right – or vice versa – obtaining a wide-angle image either as a still or a video, a 360 video booth operates in a completely different manner. With a boom arm that holds the camera at a fixed height, these types of photo booths revolve around the subject. This means that users will be at the very centre of the videos they create and viewed from all angles in a miniature cinematic masterpiece. When you view any 360 videos created from a photo booth that has this sort of technology, you immediately identify more readily with the subject, seeing the world spin around them.
As such, they make for very compelling moving video footage. What’s more, they’re also fun to operate, meaning that they can make quite an impression at both corporate and private events. Think of what enjoyment your party guests could get out of using a 360 photo booth for superior video creation compared to a traditional photo booth set-up. Equally, placing people and products at the centre of the action would mean creating very powerful, shareable videos that would work well for brand building or at product launch events. Either way, here’s what you should be bearing in mind if you want to create truly stunning 360-degree videos with a superior photo booth.
Use Sturdy Mechanisms
Perhaps the most important part of any 360-degree photo booth set-up will be the boom arm that holds the camera. If this is of an inferior quality, then it can shake the camera as it swings around leading to annoying jitters on the resulting footage. Systems like Orcavue are worth it because they have a track record of producing smooth videos that look good for the entire sweep of the camera’s journey without slowing down or speeding up at different stages. Make sure the 360 arm is sturdy enough to put up with repeated use before you commit to a particular system.
Run iOS Software
These days, there are plenty of different software systems capable of running a 360 photo booth. Many take perfectly good videos but not all offer the reliability you might be looking for. Ideally, you will collect your videos on an iPad rather than a digital camera because the screen of a tablet can provide a handy user interface while the camera will be of a suitably high quality, too. What’s more, you don’t want to be in the middle of using your 360 photo booth when an immediate patch or operating system update needs to be downloaded immediately, something that won’t be an issue with iOS photo booth software.
Ensure There Are Video FX Included
Most digital photo booth systems offer some visual effects but commonly these amount to just a few filters and not much else. When you have a superior 360 video to add effects to, you will want options that are designed for such a system. Check out whether the system allows you to add layouts, freeze framing, slow-motion options and overlays. According to Snappic, a 360 photo booth software developer, most users get as much fun adding the finishing touches to their videos as they do in creating them in the first place nowadays. Therefore, this part of a 360 photo booth set-up shouldn’t be either overlooked or underestimated.
Keep the Booth Well Lit
Good lighting is essential for any good photo booth installation. It is even more important when it comes to 360 photo booths because you will not want any dark patches to appear in the resulting videos or to have quality issues due to bad lighting. In other words, it is a good idea to hire more lighting than you might do for a traditional photo booth. A ring of LED lighting around the centre of the 360-degree circle is a good option if you want to ensure your subjects look great in their shots from all angles.
Provide User-Friendly Instructions
Not every user is a natural when it comes to getting good video imagery from a 360 photo booth. Some people may have never encountered one before. For this reason, it is a good idea to have a tablet which will not only capture the footage but provide clear instructions on what to do. Remember that the boom arm of the system needs to synchronise with the video capture so users will need a practical user interface that helps them set the system in motion while giving them sufficient time to find that perfect pose.