Videobooth
Complete videobooth guide: settings, playback and export
The Videos page and its settings (webcam, mic, duration, countdown, resolution), the Retake or Keep choice, and handing the messages over to your client.
Mode being rolled out. The settings described here ship with the latest versions of BoothX. Depending on your version, some options (webcam, mic, resolution, 2-minute duration) may not appear yet.
This article complements The videobooth: a video guestbook and Recording a video message with all the settings and the full workflow, from setup to handing over the videos.
The Videos page
The Videos page in the sidebar is the organizer's space. For the selected event, it shows:
- the recorded messages as thumbnails, with their duration and date;
- a built-in player to watch a message again;
- the Guestbook (play everything back to back), Export and Open folder buttons;
- the mode's Settings tab.
Videobooth settings
| Setting | Values | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Webcam | The connected webcams (otherwise the system default) | Pick the right webcam explicitly if the computer has two (built-in + USB). |
| Mic | The available mics, or disabled | A USB mic pointed at the guest beats the computer's built-in one. |
| Maximum duration | 15 s to 2 min, 30 s by default | 30 s: a real message without building a line. |
| Countdown | None, 3, 5 or 10 s | 3 s is enough: guests already see themselves in the preview. |
| Resolution | Automatic, 480p, 720p, 1080p | 720p is a good balance between quality and file size. |
| Quality | Several compression levels | High quality makes files heavier with no visible gain on a small screen. |
| Mirror | On / off | On: guests see themselves as in a mirror. |
| Brand text | Optional free text | “A word for Léa and Hugo?”: it's shown on screen, not burned into the video. |
The Test button opens a webcam preview and shows whether the mic is active. Do this at every setup.
Settings apply immediately, with no restart; a change never interrupts a recording in progress.
The full guest flow
- Welcome: the guest taps the screen.
- Preview: they see themselves, mirrored.
- Countdown, then recording with a visible timer and a Finish button.
- Playback: their message is played back.
- Retake or Keep: if they're not happy, they record again; the discarded message is deleted.
- Thank you: a thank-you screen, with the event gallery's QR code, then back to the welcome screen.
Preparing a great video guestbook
One hour before
- Plug in the webcam and mic, open Videos › Settings, and select them explicitly.
- Click Test: sharp image, mic active.
- Record a test message in the same conditions as the party (music playing) and listen to it on headphones.
- Delete the test message.
During the party
- Check the framing from time to time: someone may have moved the webcam.
- Keep an eye on disk space if the party is long and the resolution high.
- If the line gets long, reduce the maximum duration: the setting applies from the next message.
Watching and handing over the messages
Guestbook mode
The Guestbook button plays all the event's messages back to back in full screen. Ideal for a screening at the end of the party or a viewing with the newlyweds the next day. See Video gallery and guestbook playback.
Export
Export copies the files to a folder of your choice: USB drive, external disk, shared folder. The copy runs in the background; you can keep using BoothX. Files are named with the recording date and time.
Format
Messages are recorded as MP4 when the system supports it (H.264 video, AAC audio), playable on computers, phones and TVs. The format actually used is shown in the settings.
Rough disk space estimate
The space used depends on the resolution, the quality and the actual length of the messages. Record a test message at the maximum duration and check its size in the event folder: multiply by the number of messages you expect, then keep a healthy margin.
Free and offline
The videobooth doesn't use any online service: recording, playback, guestbook and export are free and work without internet. Uploading videos to the online gallery, once available, will be part of the pay-as-you-go services. See Free forever or pay-as-you-go.
Common issues
- “No webcam”: plug in the webcam; the guest screen offers Retry and the mode resumes on its own when the webcam appears. See Troubleshooting webcams.
- Silent videos on Mac: allow mic access for BoothX in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone.
- The webcam is “busy”: the same webcam can't be used by the photobooth preview and the videobooth at the same time. Close the preview on the Cameras page.
- The brand text doesn't appear in the files: that's expected, it's only shown on screen.
Frequently asked questions
Can I limit the number of messages? No, but the maximum duration limits the length of each one.
Can guests retake forever? They can retake from the playback screen. If this slows the line down, a host can encourage them to keep their message.
Can I offer the videobooth alongside the photobooth? Yes, in a multi-mode event. See Multi-mode event.