The DIY Photobooth with Lighting Control

This is a tutorial on how to build your own Photobooth. My friend had a wedding coming up and was in need of a Photobooth. Photobooth rentals go anywhere from $500 - $1500 so we decided to do our own & hence another DIY Photobooth project was born. This one however is a little different in that it includes a lighting and LED control feature leveraging the Arduino and some custom software.

Required Components:

Laptop
Printer (capable to handle 4 x 6 paper size)
Monitor
HD Webcam - $50
DIY Magic Mirror/Photobooth Kit & Software ($139) or Arduino with the DIY Magic Mirror/Photobooth Software ($49)
2 Clip Lamps - $40
1 Green LED - $1
1 Red LED - $1
Optional enclosure box for the LEDs - $5
X-10 RF Transceiver TM571 - $16
X-10 Firecracker CM17A - $5
X-10 Lamp Module LM465 - $10
PVC pipe and Fabric for the Photobooth Structure - $80
Optional Photobooth Sign from Kinkos
Optional Photobooth Start Button - $20

Step 1: Building the Photobooth Structure

My friend Diego took care of this portion of the project. The Photobooth frame was built with PVC pipes and joints and his wife did a fantastic job sewing together the fabric which slips into the PVC pipe.

Comments

[hkelley2]

This structure is AMAZING! I love it and the estimated cost. Did you use this more than once, or more specifically did you break it down and then put it up again. I was wondering how you got your PVC to stay connected with gluing it, if you did want to take it apart. Thank you!

[alinke]

Hey thanks, on the PVC, you just use the PVC joints, you can get them at any hardware store and then just connect everything together. We actually only used this one once. We could use again though, just would need to put it back together.

[Jimtimm]

Thanks for the great step by step and your insights into what worked for you.

Since you made use of other software, etc. if I get the Arduino kit and the DIY Magic Mirror software and the optional X10 component and base to lighting and USB button then does this mean all the features will be enabled using the existing software configuration and not require additional scripts or soldering, etc.?

Or did you write scripts / software to make it work? If so , is that assistance available?

Thanks again. I'm glad the project was a success for you. I have a June graduation for my daughter and this looks like a great highlight for the party.

Jim

[alinke]

Hey Jim, if you get a vanilla Arduino + the DIY Magic Mirror software, then you'll need to do a little soldering, the schematic in the manual http://diymagicmirror.com/manuals.html spells out the wiring.

If you go the DIY Magic Mirror / Photobooth kit route, there's no soldering involved. With either option, you won't need any extra software above and beyond the DIY Magic Mirror / Photobooth software http://diymagicmirror.com/install.html. If you go the kit route, there is a button also on the box that comes with the kit that will trigger the photobooth so you don't actually need the USB button. The USB button though is a bit slicker so it just depends on the installation type you have in mind. The USB button does a space bar keystroke.

Hope that helps, glad to help either way, just let me know if you need anything else

[Jimtimm]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Looks like i will be ordering the kit today along with the X-10 for the two lights:

(1) X-10 RF Transceiver TM571 - $16
(1) X-10 Firecracker CM17A - $5
(2) X-10 Lamp Module LM465 - $10

Three weeks to countdown so need to get started.

Jim

[alinke]

good luck, shoot me a note if you need any help

[shipphotog]

seedstudio are out of stock of your magic mirror :(
I'm based in UK, can I purchase direct from you? Can you programme the magicmirrorphotobooth to allow guests to enter their email to get the pictures sent to them and up to a facebook page and save the emails as a database? Can you add a bill/coin payment mech so that it becomes a pay-per-use photobooth? can the layout be changed to offer photo strips or add a logo? I'm loving your magic mirror, it looks fantastic. I'm a photographer with no electronics knowledge but it would appear that your arduino device can be installed by a novice like me. would I be able to integrate it into a kiosk with a 32" touchscreen in portrait orientation?
I also like the idea of having a proximity magic mirror in a nighclub toilet where patrons can interact and maybe view a slideshow of sponsored adverts and can curl their hands to create a tube to breathalise themselves.
nice one. cheers, carl.

[alinke]

Hi, sorry I don't carry any stock myself but check back with Seeed, they should have them back in stock any day now. On the Photobooth pictures, it doesn't do the Facebook posting (although it could be added fairly easily by someone with some know how of Adobe Flash Action Script 3.0) but rather right now saves the pics to the local hard drive. On the bill/coin idea, that could be done, what you've had to do is hook up a bill/coin mechanism and feed it to one of the Arduino input pins, then modify the software to start the photobooth once a payment is registered, it would take some electronics and coding knowledge though. The image will scale on a larger screen but some code mods would need to happen to touch enable it. Nice idea on the nightclub toilet, that would be a fun application. In summary, all the things you mentioned can be done as the source code is included with the purchase but you'd need some electronics know how and also would need to know how to code in Adobe Flash Action Script 3.0.

[shipphotog]

The BuyNow at the bottom of your FAQ page takes me to a paypal page saying there is a problem with your website and to let you know

[alinke]

oops, had an old link there, it's been fixed, thanks for the heads up

[shipphotog]

no worries. have you had chance to read my other post about software mods? cheers, carl.

[bmatt64]

hello just wondering how many of each piece of pvc did you use and what size was it.

[alinke]

Hi, sorry didn't track how many pieces of PVC but you can kind of tell from the picture, the size of the PVC pipe is 1/4"

[rclassy]

Hello!

This project looks amazing!
Youve inspired me to give this a go too!
Just a quick question, if you don't with to have the arduino controlled lamp, can you just buy the diy magic mirror/photobooth kit and not do any ciruitry/ soldering stuff?
Just install the software and use the photobooth kit as is?
I would like to try out the lamp element in the future, but for now am thinking Id like to just set up the photo booth.
Do you just buy the hardware, connect via usb, run software and are able to print the photos?
Is there an automatice feature in the software that allows you to just print the images as soon as they are taken?

Cheers!

[alinke]

Thx for the kind words. Yes you can do the project without the lighting control and yes you can setup the software to print automatically (just after the pics are taken). You'd plug in the hardware via usb and then run the software. To use the lighting control at a later date, you'd turn it on in the software config program. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[rclassy]

Hey thanks for the reply!
What an exciting project. I am going to order the photobooth kit this week!

Thanks again for your reply!
I am excited because I am mid project travelling the country taking creative/electronically manipulated photos of the country, and this will be an interesting new addition to the project!

Cheers!

Do you think theres anyway to replace the floating heads that come with the magic mirror side of things?

Thanks again!

[alinke]

Yes you can customize with your own videos, here's how to do that http://diymagicmirror.com/faq.html

[Dr.Bill]

O. M. G. I wish I had one of the antique photobooths that was around when we were screwin' around the train station back in the '60s'.

[splazem]

Wow, you are a nice friend!

[thegeeke]

About how much did it cost to make this?

[alinke]

Hi, I added the costs to the front page

[thegeeke]

Great! Thanks!