The Sparkbooth 3.4.14 update provides a workaround for the distorted video issue on Macs with Adobe AIR 3.2 and 3.3. It is still recommended to use Adobe AIR 3.1 on Macs for better video.
Sparkbooth Photo Booth Software News
The Sparkbooth 3.4.13 update is a maintenance update to fix the following issues:
- Fixed tumblr uploader on Macs
- Removed F key shortcut for toggling fullscreen mode. Please use F7 instead.
- Fix Facebook uploader prompted sign in on start up. Facebook recently removed offline permissions which caused this issue.
- Remove apps from Facebook uploader. Facebook no longer allows photo uploads to an app, please use an app page instead.
Sparkbooth 3.4.11 is a maintenance update to fix a few minor bugs:
- Fix hidden mouse cursor in Guest Chooser Uploader. If guest presses either Facebook, Twitter, or Email, the mouse cursor remains hidden on the next screen.
- Default Camera setting is no longer turned on by default for Macs. Please update to Adobe AIR 3.1 to enable multi-webcam selection. Do not update to Adobe AIR 3.2, because of video distortion issue.
- Added "Always hide buttons/toolbar" warning
Looking for the perfect prop to add excitement to your photo booth experience? Check out this selection of party props. Your guests will be sure to enjoy them!
Maintenance update to fix some minor issues:
- Notification is displayed on start up with instructions to display settings dialog if you have the buttons toolbar hidden
- Fix exiting of fullscreen when Sparkbooth is locked and pressing ESC in a prompt
- Fix canceling when dialog is displayed
Minor update to check and provide workarounds for some Adobe AIR related issues:
- On Windows, a notification will be displayed if your computer has the Bluetooth/Adobe AIR bug
- On Mac, a notification will be displayed if you have Adobe AIR 3.2 or later installed. This will result in the stretched webcam video.
Maintenance update to fix a couple issues:
- Fix Flickr uploader
- Prevent resizing of fullscreen window
Sparkbooth commercial settings
The commercial version of Sparkbooth is almost ready for testing. This version of Sparkbooth will have additional features that are useful for commercial user. To start, you will be able to enter a custom Facebook app id, so the name and url on "via" share links can be customized for the Facebook and Guest Facebook uploaders. The default album name will also be changed to your custom name. Later updates will include customization of Twitter upload links, and other useful features.
If you are interesting in testing and providing feedback for this new version of Sparkbooth, please click the Sign Up. This beta is only open to existing Sparkbooth customers, so please sign up using your license key email. Sign up for this beta has closed.
Correction: Originally it was reported to be April 17th, the correct date is April 19th.
You will be unable to purchase Sparkbooth on April 19th, 2012 from 9:00pm to 11:00pm PST, since PayPal will be down for maintenance during that time. This will not affect activations or trial of Sparkbooth.
Logitech webcams
Not all webcams are built the same, so it is important to use the right webcam when setting up your photo booth with Sparkbooth. Here some quick tips and resources to help you with decisions and setup:
- Do not use the built-in webcam in most Windows laptops. A lot of these cameras are really cheap, and the maximum resolution of the video is typically 640px by 480px which will give you very pixelated photos. Skip the built-in webcam and get a high-quality USB webcam.
- The Logitech 9000 and Logitech C910 are the most popular webcams for Sparkbooth. Only install the drivers for these cameras, and do not install the accompanying software - they tend to interfere with the performance of the webcam.
- Some Sparkbooth users prefer the older Logitech 9000 over the newer the Logitech C910, because of its reliability. I have not experienced any failures of the C910, but it has been reported at the Sparkbooth support site. If this happens to you, it is a good idea to have a backup webcam ready as a replacement to swap out the failed webcam.
- For Mac laptop users, the built-in webcam or iSight is much better than the built-in ones for Windows laptops. But a USB webcam can still improve the video. There is an issue using a USB webcam on Macs with a built-in webcam, Adobe AIR only sees the built-in camera. Try these workarounds - be warned, it doesn't work for all Macs.
- Also for Mac users, do not install Adobe AIR 3.2 - it does not scale the video correctly so everything looks squished. Rollback to Adobe AIR 2.7.1 to fix this.
- If your guests are moving around a lot when photos are being taken and resulting blurry photos, try turning on the countdown in-between shots - it will let them know to get ready before the next shot.
- Finally, lighting is very important when using a webcam. Check out these lighting tips which will help improve the video and photo quality.