Photobooth Project
Photobooth Project is free, open-source software for turning a connected camera and screen into an event photo booth.
What Photobooth Project is
Photobooth Project is free, open-source software for turning a connected camera and screen into an event photo booth. It supports photos, collages, and video, with countdowns, live preview, filters, printing, and a gallery. It runs on your own hardware and stays local after setup without cloud services or accounts. Supported systems include Raspberry Pi 3, 4, and 5 with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or Trixie, PCs with Debian or Ubuntu, and Windows PCs. Camera options include camera modules, gphoto2 DSLRs, digiCamControl, and webcams, though some DSLR and compact cameras are unsupported. Guests can use QR codes for a photo or video viewer or a file download, if they can access the target over a network. It can also send photos by email and upload processed images and thumbnails to FTP. Setup requires Node.js 20.15.0 or newer, npm 10.7 or newer, PHP 8.4 or newer, and Apache or Nginx, plus configuration. It is not a hosted upload site, permanent online gallery, or full image editor.
Good
- Works locally without cloud services or accounts
- Supports photos, collages, and video
- Offers printing, filters, and a gallery
- Can send photos by email
- Supports Raspberry Pi, Linux PCs, and Windows PCs
Watch out
- Requires Node.js, npm, PHP, and a web server
- Needs a supported system and configuration
- Some DSLR and compact cameras are unsupported
- USB transfer features are Linux-only
Who it suits
It suits event organizers who want a locally run booth with capture, collage, printing, and gallery features. It is for users comfortable configuring supported hardware and software.
Verdict
Photobooth Project brings a broad set of booth functions to self-hosted hardware, including offline capture and printing. Check camera compatibility and setup requirements before choosing it, and avoid exposing it to untrusted networks or the internet without heavy modifications.
The facts
Each one read from Photobooth Project's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI background removal
- Magic Greenscreen uses the rembg library to remove photo backgrounds and requires Python 3.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Camera support
- Listed setups include Raspberry Pi cameras, gphoto2 DSLR cameras, and webcams on Raspberry Pi OS and Debian/Ubuntu; Windows supports digiCamControl and webcams.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Users can change sounds and themes, and override styles with custom SCSS.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Photobooth can send photos by email, and the FAQ lists tested Gmail, GMX, and web.de SMTP configurations.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Email integration
- The FAQ documents sending photos by email and lists tested SMTP settings for Gmail, GMX, and web.de.checked 8 Oct 2026
- FTP integration
- The FAQ describes uploading processed photos and thumbnails to an FTP server, with options for QR links and an online gallery.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Hosting
- The software runs on your own hardware and stays local after setup without requiring cloud services or accounts.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Intended use
- The project says it is not a hosted website for guests to upload from home, a permanent online gallery, or a full image editor.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Local operation
- The self-hosted software stays local after setup and does not require cloud services or accounts.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Media sharing
- Photobooth can use QR codes to open a touch-friendly photo or video viewer or link directly to a file download; guests need network access to the QR target.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Not a hosted service
- The project says it is not a hosted website for guests to upload from home, a permanent online gallery, or a full image editor.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Photo features
- Features include countdowns, live preview, photo and collage workflows, filters, printing, and a gallery.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- The listed prerequisites are Node.js v20.15.0 or later, npm 10.7.0 or later, PHP 8.4 or later, and Apache or Nginx.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- The project says Photobooth is not hardened against targeted attacks and advises against using it on an untrusted network or exposing it to the internet without heavy modifications.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Setup limits
- The project requires a supported operating system and basic configuration and says it is not a one-click kiosk appliance.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Setup requirements
- The prerequisites page requires Node.js 20.15.0 or newer, npm 10.7 or newer, PHP 8.4 or newer, and Apache or Nginx.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to its FAQ and tutorials, and asks bug reporters to check existing issues before opening a GitHub issue.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Supported systems
- The compatibility table lists Raspberry Pi 3, 4, and 5 with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or Trixie, generic PCs with Debian or Ubuntu, and generic PCs with Windows.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Triggers
- Photo capture can be triggered with browser hotkeys, direct USB HID, Socket.io, or simple HTTP triggers, with examples including ESP, Pico, myStrom, and Shelly.checked 9 Oct 2026
- USB integration
- USB Sync and Move2USB can copy media to a USB stick, but the documentation says these features are Linux-only and require rsync and mount permissions.checked 8 Oct 2026
- USB transfer
- On Linux, USB Sync can copy new media periodically and Move2USB can copy or move media on demand; Windows is not supported for these features.checked 9 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Photobooth turns a connected camera and screen into an offline-friendly photo booth for events.checked 9 Oct 2026
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