New product: Flip Book Photobooth

[Chris Breeze]

Flip Book Photobooth is Windows based software for creating flip book using a Canon EOS DSLR with live view and a fast dyesub printer capable of 6"x2" cut strip printing (e.g. a Mitsubishi CP-D70DW). After printing all that is required to produce a 3"x2" flip book is a single cut and a staple to hold the book together.

Please visit the Flip Book Photobooth page (http://www.breezesys.com/Flipbook/index.htm) for more details and to download a free 15 day trial version.

[photo_ells]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for this, just what I think I been after!

Just downloaded the trial to have a play with as I already offer flip books but in a studio environment and have had many requests of the flip book in a booth enclosure as it takes less space but up until now haven't been able to do it as the software I use needs someone to operate it and send to printer etc.

Is there any plans to add touch screen controls to this as I can't see any where in the setting that lets you do this as there is in the photo booth ones. My booths all use touch screens so I wouldn't want to start to add buttons to them again to have them to trigger the F keys to shoot, playback and print.

Also are you thinking of adding green screen to this at anytime, as my current flip book offers this as do most of the flip book software out there. It's something that we offer currently with flip books and I think for the pure white background in a booth enclosure it may be best to green screen them and swap out the green for white as it's hard to get a nice clean looking pure white in a booth without back lighting or over exposing slightly.

I also print on laser and use the MY cutter for flips, I have had a play in the settings to make the frames fit on A4 10-up with 85mm x 55mm cards and the test page comes out as i want it which is great but how does the software paginate the pictures in this instance, haven't got a compatible camera at the moment to check so just want to make sure it would work with the cutter when it comes to collating them.

Thanks

Elliott

[Chris Breeze]

The commands shown below the live view window ("Get Ready", "Playback", "Print" etc.) are touch sensitive. I prefer to use a wireless presenter to control the booth and have an operator to organize people and control the booth.

I'm planning to add green screen in the next release (which will be a free update for anyone who purchases a copy now).

The layout options are very flexible and accommodate printing multiple pages on A4 paper. The flip book pages are arranged on the sheet so that when the sheets are stacked together and then cut into columns and rows they come out in the right order for binding the flip book. You may need to experiment with different settings depending on the order in which your cutter cuts the pages.
I prefer the image quality of a dyesub printer over a laser printer and the fact that a roll of 400 prints will print exactly 400 prints. Toner for laser printers can be expensive and when the cartridges run out will depend on what is being printed. Toner cartridges can also be messy to replace and it doesn't help having to do this during a busy event which may have poor lighting.

[photo_ells]

Thanks Chris, I have now got a compatible camera (a 600D) so I have been able to test it briefly and I like what I am seeing so far!

Sorry I have a few questions…

I have the lens set to AF as per the recommendations but it doesn't auto focus the camera for the sequence as implied in the help files, the cursors work to change the focus when in full screen though. Should the camera auto focus by itself or do I need to set the focus myself using the cursors?

In regards to custom screens are the words in green (main menu, playback print etc) on the default screen images or are they generated by the program and overlaid on to the screen images (I hope that makes sense), as if these areas are touch sensitive I would like to make custom screens with "buttons" in their positions but if the green text is overlaid onto of the screen this wouldn't work.

Would it be possible using AHK to show an animated countdown clock (like before old films) during the countdown.jpg screen. I'm pretty sure I could modify a photo booth AHK to get it to show during the correct screen, but do you know if AHK be used to display video or animated gifs that start when screen is active?

I would still have an operator present to run the booth but as I like ease of touch screens to start the sequence, playback and print etc (I think I would have the remote for the other functions for bringing up the thumbs for doing reprints and extra copies etc)

Do you have a estimated time scale for implementing the GS, as I will probably purchase now but wait until GS before using in the booth.

I have tried it with the settings for the A4 and the pagination looks like it should work (just got to remember to put the piles in a direct order from current software after first pass through cutter). I may switch to dye-sub but I think the RX-1 is too slow so I am waiting to see when DNP release the firmware and the cost of upgrading the DS-40 to do the 2x6 as I think this would work best for me. I agree with you that dye subs you always know your costs and when you need to swap media out (just have a rather big flight cased very fast OKI laser plus a card slitter that was nightmare to get the right one shipped in from the states that I don't want to make redundant yet)

Thanks again

Elliott

[rikiboy]

Hi Chris,

Are you going to release a Nikon version for Flipbook?

Thanks.

[Chris Breeze]

Thanks Chris, I have now got a compatible camera (a 600D) so I have been able to test it briefly and I like what I am seeing so far!

Sorry I have a few questions…

I have the lens set to AF as per the recommendations but it doesn't auto focus the camera for the sequence as implied in the help files, the cursors work to change the focus when in full screen though. Should the camera auto focus by itself or do I need to set the focus myself using the cursors?
You need to focus using cursor keys. The images are captured directly from the live view and the camera doesn't take photos and therefore doesn't use AF. The lens needs to be set to Af to allow you to adjust the settings using the cursor keys


In regards to custom screens are the words in green (main menu, playback print etc) on the default screen images or are they generated by the program and overlaid on to the screen images (I hope that makes sense), as if these areas are touch sensitive I would like to make custom screens with "buttons" in their positions but if the green text is overlaid onto of the screen this wouldn't work.
The text isn't added if you supply your own screen images


Would it be possible using AHK to show an animated countdown clock (like before old films) during the countdown.jpg screen. I'm pretty sure I could modify a photo booth AHK to get it to show during the correct screen, but do you know if AHK be used to display video or animated gifs that start when screen is active?
I don't see any reason why you can't use an AutoHotKey script to display countdown images. I don't know whether it supports the use of animated GIFs or whether you have to supply a series of images for it to display. You could disable the countdown in Flip Book Photobooth and have the script start the capture sequence when it's finished displaying the countdown.


I would still have an operator present to run the booth but as I like ease of touch screens to start the sequence, playback and print etc (I think I would have the remote for the other functions for bringing up the thumbs for doing reprints and extra copies etc)

Do you have a estimated time scale for implementing the GS, as I will probably purchase now but wait until GS before using in the booth.
I'm hoping to have this ready some time in August.


I have tried it with the settings for the A4 and the pagination looks like it should work (just got to remember to put the piles in a direct order from current software after first pass through cutter). I may switch to dye-sub but I think the RX-1 is too slow so I am waiting to see when DNP release the firmware and the cost of upgrading the DS-40 to do the 2x6 as I think this would work best for me. I agree with you that dye subs you always know your costs and when you need to swap media out (just have a rather big flight cased very fast OKI laser plus a card slitter that was nightmare to get the right one shipped in from the states that I don't want to make redundant yet)

Yes, the DNP DS-RX1 is a bit slow for flip books. DNP have been saying they are working on a 6x2 update for the DS40 for a while now. I have a DS40 and it's a great printer but is looking a bit dated without 6x2 printing. Currently the Mitsubishi CP-D70DW (or the twin deck CP-D707DW) look like the best options for dyesub printing of flip books.

[Chris Breeze]

Hi Chris,

Are you going to release a Nikon version for Flipbook?

Thanks.

I don't have any plans for a Nikon version at the moment. The live view display from Nikon cameras is only 640x426 pixels in size whereas the live view images from current Canon cameras are 1056x704 pixels. The Nikon live images are a little on the small side.

[photo_ells]

As ever thanks Chris, I look forward to seeing the GS.

Nice idea with the AHK, i didn't think of that, I'll have to have a little play and see what I can come up with.

In regards to the DS40, I have just seen this, so looks like it is near (at last)...

http://imagingspectrum.com/blog/2012/07/dnp-ds40-2x6-photobooth-test-drive/

Best make an order too before my trial runs out :D

Thanks again

Elliott

[djericpr]

Chris,

Any plans for this flip book software to:
1. be able to work at the same time with DSLR Remote Pro, specifically to be able to select between a photo booth session or a flip book session (similar to a photo booth and video booth switch)
2. be able to increase the video capture period or the fps to allow for larger flip books. Other software allows for 7s recording and a 60 page flip book to be printed.

Regards,
Eric

[photo_ells]

Hi Eric

I was wondering the same when i first tried it out as my current flips are 50 pages from 8 secs video.

Go to the output settings on the pref/setup bit and change the clip duration at the bottom to the number of seconds you want to capture and change the page layout section in the middle section to get the right number of images to output. When using my laser with 10up on A4 and the MY cutter my settings are for 5 pages, with 5 rows and 2 columns, which gives me the 50 frames. I have also adjusted the margins and spacings etc to give the correct layout positions for the cutter.

If you are using the 4 pics per 4x6 on a dye sub as per Chris's method you would be 2 rows and 2 columns and set the number of pages to 15 for a 60 page book. With a 7 sec clip that would give you a capture rate of 8.6fps.

Hope that helps

Ells

[anastassis]

Chris,

will it be possible for the software to create an electronic flip book. Meaning to automatically take all the photos taken and create a video file, so it can be uploaded to Facebook or sent to an email. any ideas?.

[Chris Breeze]

The software doesn't support it at the moment but it is a possible future enhancement. The other option is to use other software (e.g. Windows Movie Maker) to create a movie file from the individual frames.

[anastassis]

Looking forward to the enhancement.. thanks

[jbdeleon]

Chris, when do you plan to release the product with green screen support? When this becomes available I will surely purchase the product.

Regards,

Jed


The commands shown below the live view window ("Get Ready", "Playback", "Print" etc.) are touch sensitive. I prefer to use a wireless presenter to control the booth and have an operator to organize people and control the booth.

I'm planning to add green screen in the next release (which will be a free update for anyone who purchases a copy now).

The layout options are very flexible and accommodate printing multiple pages on A4 paper. The flip book pages are arranged on the sheet so that when the sheets are stacked together and then cut into columns and rows they come out in the right order for binding the flip book. You may need to experiment with different settings depending on the order in which your cutter cuts the pages.
I prefer the image quality of a dyesub printer over a laser printer and the fact that a roll of 400 prints will print exactly 400 prints. Toner for laser printers can be expensive and when the cartridges run out will depend on what is being printed. Toner cartridges can also be messy to replace and it doesn't help having to do this during a busy event which may have poor lighting.

[mfphoto]

Chris,

I am seriously looking at adding this to my line of photo booths. But there is just alot of questions.

First, can I make the suggestion that "Flip Book" has its own listing on your forum, so that when individuals are posting about the Flip Book, it doesn't get lost with the Photo Booth stuff. It may also draw in new people who are interested in the Flip Book Software.

Can the program be set up to print 2 copies, to 2 different printers?

I currently have the DNP DS-RX1 printer, so I would only get about 30 books per hour, based on your information. If I eventually up-grade, do you know what printer, the Mitsubishi CP-D70DW (single deck - I have seen this one state 5.7 secs and 8.4 secs for a 4x6) or the DNP DS40 with the new 2x6 cut, is going to print the fastest and about how many books can be printed in 1 hour.

Have you tested this with a laser printer, and will it print as many books, but with 60 pages in the same amount of time? Reason for asking is that the companies that I am finding are offering 60 page books @ about 40 per hour.

Would love feed back for anyone else on the forum who currently offers Flip Book.

[Chris Breeze]

Chris,

I am seriously looking at adding this to my line of photo booths. But there is just alot of questions.

First, can I make the suggestion that "Flip Book" has its own listing on your forum, so that when individuals are posting about the Flip Book, it doesn't get lost with the Photo Booth stuff. It may also draw in new people who are interested in the Flip Book Software.

Can the program be set up to print 2 copies, to 2 different printers?
Yes, provided they are the same model of printer and use the same print settings


I currently have the DNP DS-RX1 printer, so I would only get about 30 books per hour, based on your information. If I eventually up-grade, do you know what printer, the Mitsubishi CP-D70DW (single deck - I have seen this one state 5.7 secs and 8.4 secs for a 4x6) or the DNP DS40 with the new 2x6 cut, is going to print the fastest and about how many books can be printed in 1 hour.
I haven't tested the DS40 with 6x2 printing yet. There doesn't appear to be any information on DNP's website about how to upgrade old DS40 printers to support 6x2 printing. The Mitsubishi CP-D70DW is very fast and I'd be surprised if the DS40 will be faster.


Have you tested this with a laser printer, and will it print as many books, but with 60 pages in the same amount of time? Reason for asking is that the companies that I am finding are offering 60 page books @ about 40 per hour.
It depends on the speed of the printer. I've tested it with an HP CP2025 color laser which can print 3 A4 pages in around 45 secs to make a 30 page book or around 90 secs for a 60 page book (please see the help file for details). You then have to cut each sheet into 10 flip book pages. In theory this could print 40 books per hour but I think you would have to be very slick at cutting and binding and not make any mistakes or have paper jams or toner running out to maintain this speed.
The image quality from a color laser printer is not as good as a dyesub and the toner cartridges will run out at different times. Replacing toner cartridges could be fiddly and messy during a busy event. Flip Book Photobooth supports either workflow and so you can use whichever you prefer.

[mfphoto]

Just thought I would share - for the stapler, purchase 5/8" staples. Even though the book is under 1/2 thick, I found that the 1/2 staples don't go all the way thru, tried it on two different staplers.

[mfphoto]

Thanks Chris for your reply.

I did call Imaging Spectrum about the printers. DS40 printers all now have the 6x2 cut. Also, it appears that the DS40 may print as fast if not faster than the Mitsubishi CP-D70DW (single deck).

I believe it was Rick that I spoke to. He said that if you want to print more books per hour, you would be better off purchasing 2 units, vs the Mitsubishi CP-D707DW (double deck), because if the Mitsubishi has problems, you loose the whole printer. Where if you have two printers and one goes down, you are still in business.

I have also purchased a stack cutter (TRIO 50 Sheet Ream Stack Paper Cutter Trimmer #3948) for $279. It only weighs 15 lbs vs. some of the other ones that I found that weigh 50 lbs. I will let you know how it works when I get it.

Just thought I would share. I am looking forward to adding the Flip Book to my photo booth business. Those whom I have showed it to, think it is great.

[alexsiskahn]

a utility to process still images into animated gif's would be a great option for online sharing of flip books.

[mfphoto]

I used ProShow Producer to do these videos a Flip Book session that I did yesterday to get samples to share. I will incorporate these into a promo video that I will be working on to promote the Flip Book.

http://youtu.be/mkGmqksh0L0

http://youtu.be/8cWmrk-AzDA

[anastassis]

I used ProShow Producer to do these videos a Flip Book session that I did yesterday to get samples to share. I will incorporate these into a promo video that I will be working on to promote the Flip Book.

http://youtu.be/mkGmqksh0L0

http://youtu.be/8cWmrk-AzDA

Does ProShow Producer have hot folder action and automatically exports the images to a video file?

[Chris Breeze]

a utility to process still images into animated gif's would be a great option for online sharing of flip books.

I'm not sure that an animated GIF would be the best way to display the flip book. GIFs are limited to 256 colors (which isn't great for photos) and use lossless compression (which will give large files). I think it makes more sense to create a movie file using a separate app such as QuickTime Pro, Windows MovieMaker or Adobe Premiere Elements.

[mfphoto]

Does ProShow Producer have hot folder action and automatically exports the images to a video file?

I am not sure. I know that there are different output options. I think you can download a trial version.

[LorneChesal]

I am not sure. I know that there are different output options. I think you can download a trial version.


It does have a hot-folder-like option,. They call it a live slide and it's only available when you make either a live running show or an executable show. So you can't run it with a hot-folder and output to a video.


What you do is go to a slide's layer options and link the image in any layer to a folder. There are are extra options as well, such as newest image first, oldest image first, don't play after XXX seconds etc. It works well, but again, only as an running executable, or as a live running show. No output to video.

I guess you could run a screen capture app to make a video from the slideshow.

[rpvincent]

We did flip books with the new software at a wedding recently and were very happy with the results except for one recurring problem. At different times throughout the night, the printers would only end up printing part of the stack needed to make each book and then move on to printing the next book in the cue. We had 2 hiti 510 printers setup in pooling mode and a very fast Intel i5 laptop. One thought was that we were interupting the save print process by quickly moving onto taking the next group's video while the previous one was saving and printing but slowing down our process didn't seem to make this problem go away. All told, we probably did 80 sessions and had problems with the photos not printing about 10-20% of the time.

Our battlefield fix was to exit full screen, open the files in windows picture viewer and manually select the missing ones to print.

This event was a few weeks ago so perhaps this problem is old news but I still wanted to share. Great product though!

[mfphoto]

rpvincent,

First, thanks for sharing. I don't think it is old news as I believe this is a fairly new thread and software release.

I have some questions about your event that might help me gage what I am hoping to do.
How many hours did your event last?
Did you do the 28 pages + cover?
Did you only print one book per group?

I am really excited about offering this service and believe that with this program and the printers we are using, we are going to be offering a higher quality book than our competitor.

I look forward to seeing what other's are doing that are using this program.

[Chris Breeze]

We did flip books with the new software at a wedding recently and were very happy with the results except for one recurring problem. At different times throughout the night, the printers would only end up printing part of the stack needed to make each book and then move on to printing the next book in the cue. We had 2 hiti 510 printers setup in pooling mode and a very fast Intel i5 laptop. One thought was that we were interupting the save print process by quickly moving onto taking the next group's video while the previous one was saving and printing but slowing down our process didn't seem to make this problem go away. All told, we probably did 80 sessions and had problems with the photos not printing about 10-20% of the time.

Our battlefield fix was to exit full screen, open the files in windows picture viewer and manually select the missing ones to print.

This event was a few weeks ago so perhaps this problem is old news but I still wanted to share. Great product though!

The only thing I can think of is maybe there is a problem with the printer drivers and somehow they're getting confused if multiple print jobs are queued to multiple printers. Flip Book Photobooth doesn't return to the ready screen until it has finished submitting the print job and so capturing the next clip shouldn't affect the printing which is handled by the Windows print spooler. The flip book is sent to the printer as a single document containing a number of pages to make sure the print spooler doesn't split a book between printers. If you select the option to save a copy of the printed output does this have the correct number of pages? Do you get the same problem with reprints using the software or if you turn off spooling and just use one printer?

I've printed hundreds of flip books while developing the software and never had any problems with missing pages, but must admit I haven't tried it with multiple HiTi 510 printers. I have tested it with the Sony UP-DR200, the DNP DS40 and the Mitsubishi CP-D707DW.

[photo_ells]

I too used the flipbook software last night in real environment for a 5 hour party for a corporate client and it went down a storm. Haven't had a look at the number of sessions yet (I didn't get in until 2am), it was quite a small event only 100 people so it was quite quiet at first then it came in bursts of busy.

I was using it in a studio environment rather than a Photo Booth set up with a laser printer and my business card slitter (the same set up as I would used with my previous software with the exception of the software and using a DSLR instead of video camera).

There was no problem with the printing, in fact by the time the next session had finished and got to the printing screen in the studio the previous session had finished printing and was about to be cut so we didn't have any pooling probs.

I did have a couple of issues though, the first being that at one point it showed the camera disconnected screen and froze on that screen so I had to restart the computer, not sure whether the DJ and band playing near by with some very heavy bass had anything to do with that!

I also had the program stop working (showed a message saying that the program had stopped working), so in this case just clicking on the OK and relaunching the program worked.

Other than these two glitches it was a great success and easier to use than my previous software in both setting up for the event and for the person manning the capturing side of it. It's quick to show the replay and easy to reshoot if they aren't happy with the capture.

I am very pleased with the software and can't wait for the future enhancements!

[mfphoto]

Chris

I'm going to suggest again about having a separate thread for the flip book software. It would be nice if there was one place to go to just for the flip book. Just like with your other applications.

Posts for the flip book are going to get lost I all the other posts for the photo booth.

Would appreciate it if you would consider it.

[mfphoto]

Thanks Chris. This will make it easier to follow.