Start screens · Attract loops

Photo booth welcome screen: sizes, design and the idle loop.

This guide shows photo booth owners how to make a photo booth welcome screen that guests notice. It covers the difference between the front start screen in LumaBooth and a rear-screen attract loop, the pixel sizes to design at for portrait and landscape screens, design tips for a room full of people, and how BoothLoop plays your welcome screen on the rear screen whenever the booth is idle.

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Welcome to

Maren & Theo

12 . 06 . 26

Photos this way

1080 × 1920 welcome screen, portrait

01 / Two screens

What is the difference between a photo booth start screen and a rear-screen welcome loop?

They face different people.

Front start screen

For the guest at the booth

In LumaBooth for Windows (formerly dslrBooth), the start screen is what a guest taps to begin a session. Owners replace the default with their own image or video, and Lumasoft has a guide to custom start screens for its iPad app (LumaBooth for Apple) if you also run iPad booths. This is the dslrBooth start screen people search for.

Rear attract screen

For the room

On the vertical rear screen, the welcome screen is an attract loop. It plays when the booth is quiet, to pull people over from across the venue, and steps aside the moment photos start. BoothLoop runs this on the photo booth rear screen.

Design both

A booth with two screens needs two welcome files: a landscape or portrait start screen sized for the front display, and a portrait attract file for the back. They can share a design, but they are different sizes.

02 / Attract screen

How does BoothLoop's attract screen work on the rear screen?

BoothLoop shows your welcome screen only when nothing is happening, and hands the rear screen back to the live slideshow as soon as something does.

01

Live slideshow

New photos arrive. No new photo for the idle time (1 to 60 min, 5 by default).
Winter Social

Step up

02

Attract screen

Your image or video plays, with an optional countdown.
03

Back to live

A touch or a new photo dismisses it.

You upload one image or one video: JPG, PNG or WebP for a still, MP4 or WebM for motion, up to 100 MB. If you open BoothLoop at the venue and the newest photo in the event is older than the idle time, it starts on the attract screen, so the rear screen greets the first guests instead of showing an empty belt. The attract screen runs from the booth PC like the rest of BoothLoop, which is why it keeps playing with no internet at the venue.

03 / Sizes

What size should a photo booth welcome screen be?

The pixel size of the screen it plays on. A welcome screen made at the wrong shape gets stretched, cropped or boxed in black bars, and text near the edges is the first thing lost.

For a portrait rear screen with a 1080p panel, design at 1080 × 1920. For the LumaBooth welcome screen size on a landscape 1080p front screen, use 1920 × 1080. These are common panel resolutions, not a guarantee for your hardware, so confirm yours under Settings > System > Display on the booth PC.

ICON-style booths use a 19-inch-class portrait rear panel. Everybooth does not publish that panel's resolution, so check it on the booth before you design.

Welcome screen sizes by screen

Portrait rear, 1080p: 1080 × 1920 px (9:16). The usual size for a vertical rear screen
Portrait rear, 4K: 2160 × 3840 px (9:16)
Landscape front, 1080p: 1920 × 1080 px (16:9). A common booth touch screen size
Landscape front, 4K: 3840 × 2160 px (16:9)
ICON-style rear: Resolution not published by Everybooth. Check Windows Display settings, then design at that size
BoothLoop file types: JPG, PNG, WebP, MP4, WebM, up to 100 MB

04 / Design

How do you design a welcome screen guests notice from across the room?

Design it for someone 3 metres away who is holding a drink and talking. A welcome loop on a photo booth rear screen gets a glance, not a read.

One message. The event name and a short call to action, such as "Photos this way". Skip paragraphs.
Big type. On a 1080 × 1920 canvas, keep the headline at least 120 pixels tall so it reads from 3 metres.
The host's colours. Use the wedding palette or the client's brand colours, with strong contrast between text and background.
Names and dates. The couple's names or the client's event title make the screen look made for this event.
Short loops. A video that loops every 10 to 20 seconds feels alive without a visible jump. Plan for no sound in a loud room.
Small files. BoothLoop accepts up to 100 MB, but a short 1080 × 1920 MP4 sits well under that and is quicker to swap.

Still or video? A still image is quicker to make and always crisp. A video loop draws more eyes. For weddings, see how the rear screen looks in the wedding slideshow software guide.

Lumen Gala

Photos this way

Reads at 3 m

Too much text

05 / Templates

Where can you get photo booth welcome screen templates?

You do not need design software to make a photo booth welcome screen. Canva lets you start a design at a custom size such as 1080 × 1920 and export it as an image or an MP4 video. Template shops, including many sellers on Etsy, sell welcome and start screen templates made for LumaBooth and dslrBooth that you edit with the event's names.

Before you buy, check the template's pixel size against your screen. Many are made for landscape front screens and will not fill a portrait rear screen without redesign. We have no affiliation with any template seller.

If you sell welcome screens as part of a package, our guide on starting a photo booth business covers the rest of the kit a booth needs.

06 / Per event

How do you build a welcome screen for each event?

Make a base design once in your own brand, then swap the names, date and colours for each booking. These six steps cover a portrait rear-screen welcome screen in BoothLoop. The same sizing steps apply to a LumaBooth start screen on the front.

New to BoothLoop? The BoothLoop overview explains what it does on the rear screen, and the about page covers who makes it.

01

Check the screen resolution

On the booth PC, open Settings > System > Display, select the rear screen and note the resolution marked Recommended. A 1080p panel turned to portrait reads 1080 × 1920.
02

Make the canvas at that size

Start a design at the exact pixel size of the screen: 1080 × 1920 for a 1080p portrait rear screen, 1920 × 1080 for a 1080p landscape front screen.
03

Add the event details

Put the event name or couple's names, the date, the host's logo and one short call to action, such as "Photos this way", in large type with high contrast.
04

Export a still or a short loop

Export a JPG, PNG or WebP for a still, or an MP4 or WebM for a video loop. BoothLoop accepts attract files up to 100 MB.
05

Upload it to BoothLoop

In BoothLoop's attract screen settings, upload the file, set the idle time from 1 to 60 minutes (5 by default) and turn on the optional countdown if you want it.
06

Test it before guests arrive

Leave the booth idle for the set time and check the welcome screen appears, then tap the screen or take a photo and check the slideshow returns.

FAQ

Welcome screen questions from booth owners

What size should a photo booth welcome screen be?

Make it the exact pixel size of the screen it plays on. For a 1080p screen turned to portrait, as on most vertical rear screens, that is 1080 × 1920. For a 1080p landscape front screen it is 1920 × 1080. Check the screen's native resolution in Windows Display settings before you design.

What is the LumaBooth welcome screen size?

Match the front screen LumaBooth runs on. On a 1080p landscape touch screen that is 1920 × 1080, and on a portrait front screen it is 1080 × 1920. Lumasoft's guide to custom start screens is written for its iPad app, but explains how to find the exact dimensions for your device.

What is the difference between a start screen and an attract screen?

A start screen is on the front of the booth. In LumaBooth it is what a guest taps to begin a session. An attract screen is on the rear screen, facing the room, and plays when the booth has been idle so people across the venue notice the booth. BoothLoop runs the rear-screen attract screen.

Can I use a video as a photo booth welcome screen?

Yes. BoothLoop's attract screen takes one image or one video: JPG, PNG or WebP for a still, MP4 or WebM for video, up to 100 MB. A short loop that reads clearly with no sound works best in a loud room.

How long before the welcome screen appears on the rear screen?

You choose. BoothLoop shows the attract screen after 1 to 60 minutes with no new photos, 5 minutes by default. If you reopen BoothLoop and the newest photo in the event is older than that idle time, it starts on the attract screen.

What makes the welcome screen go away?

A touch on the rear screen or a new photo from the booth. Either one dismisses BoothLoop's attract screen and brings the live slideshow back, so the welcome loop never hides a new photo.

What size welcome screen fits an ICON-style rear screen?

Everybooth lists the ICON 2's rear display as a 19-inch vertical touch screen but does not publish its resolution on its product page. Check the resolution in Windows Display settings on your booth. If it reads 1080 × 1920, design at that size. The rear screen guide covers ICON-style setups.

Does the welcome screen need internet?

No. BoothLoop plays the attract file from the booth PC, the same way it plays photos, so it works with no Wi-Fi at the venue. More on that in running a slideshow without internet.

Where can I get photo booth welcome screen templates?

Canva has templates you can resize to 1080 × 1920 or 1920 × 1080, and many template shops, including sellers on Etsy, sell photo booth welcome screen templates built for LumaBooth and dslrBooth. Check the template's pixel size matches your screen before you buy.

Can I make a different welcome screen for each event?

Yes. Build a new file for each event with that event's names, date and colours, and upload it to BoothLoop before the event starts. BoothLoop shows one attract image or video at a time, so swap the file when you change events.

Beta access

Put your welcome loop on the back of the booth.

Join the beta to run BoothLoop's attract screen and live slideshow on your Windows booth PC. It is free during the beta, then $29.99/year for beta users. The pricing page has the details.

After you sign up you land on the beta confirmation page. Read the beta terms of service and how we handle your details first if you like.