Fotillo - User manual

0. Introduction: one engine, many features

Fotillo is one of the leading software packages for photo booths and postcard kiosks. This manual describes all of the program's features - so that you can make full use of your hardware and quickly solve any configuration problems.

What hardware does Fotillo work with?

The program runs on Windows 11, does not require a modern computer and puts little load on system resources. It works with:

1. Installation and start-up ↑ top

Fotillo is developing rapidly and is updated regularly. Always download the latest version - only there will you find all the features described here.

1a. Downloading the program - the configurator new

You download and configure the program in one place: the online configurator at builder.fotillo.com. Step by step you assemble a package tailored exactly to your needs, and then download the finished file. You no longer choose a "fixed" version of the program - you decide yourself which features it contains.

Step by step in the configurator

1. Site language and documents - you start at the top of the page: choose the language in which the configurator itself should run, and accept the required documents (terms and conditions, privacy policy). Only then do you move on to assembling the package.
2. Device - you choose the device type (see the table below).
3. Features - you tick the features you need (camera, printing, payments, sharing, printing from a phone…). They determine the contents of the package and the price of the activation code.
4. Theme - you choose the look of the device: a ready-made set of screen backgrounds and collage templates (photo layouts on the print) matched to the occasion - for example a wedding, Halloween, Christmas or a corporate event - or a neutral/classic theme. The number of available themes depends on the device type, and you can preview each one before choosing. The theme also sets the interface colour scheme (see also chapter 9).
5. Program languages - you choose the default language (the one the program starts in) and any additional languages to be included in the package. This setting applies to the program, not to the configurator website (step 1). 13 languages are available; in the program the user switches between them instantly using the flag icons (see chapter 1d).
6. Download - you enter your e‑mail address and receive a download link valid for 24 hours. From there you download the ZIP package with exactly the features, theme and languages you selected.

Device types in the configurator

In the first step you choose the device type. Your choice sets a typical set of features and suggests matching themes - you can fine-tune everything afterwards (add or remove any feature).

From DEMO to the full version - the activation code (token)

The downloaded package starts in DEMO mode (see 1c). To unlock it, you buy an activation code on a dedicated product page. The code corresponds exactly to the set of features chosen in the configurator - technically this is a token, i.e. the sum of the selected features. You know the price already at the feature selection stage - it is shown in the configurator and does not change later. The configurator takes you straight to the right product in the shop. If your particular combination of features is not yet available there as a ready-made product, you fill in a short enquiry form - we will review your needs and publish a product for your token in the shop so that you can buy an activation code (at the same price you already know).

1c. DEMO version (free)

The demonstration version lets you test all features at no cost. The only limitation: you cannot print full-size photos - they will be covered with the word "DEMO". You can, however, check how the program runs on your hardware, what the operation and configuration look like, and the whole process in a photo booth or postcard kiosk.

To start DEMO mode, select the "DEMO" button on the right of the welcome screen. To move to the full version, enter your activation code (bought on the dedicated product page and matched to your selected features - see 1a) and click "NEXT".

1d. Language versions

Fotillo supports devices in any language.

• You choose the language (or several languages) already in the configurator while assembling the package - you receive the program with the right translations straight away. You switch between the languages included in the package using the flag icons in the top right corner of the program (the change is instant).
• You can also add another language later by extracting a language pack into the Langs folder in the program directory - the program will recognise it and show the flag after a restart.
• You can also prepare your own translation (files in Langs) or order one at contact@fotillo.com.

2. Configuration: F2 / F3 / F4 / F5 menus ↑ top

The program has four menus hidden behind function keys. You open them from the main screen, the same one on which the guest picks a template:

• F2 printer: device status, print counters, prints left from the activation code and the lock after a given number of photos.
• F3 labels: the texts the program adds to the print - title, date, names, hashtag.
• F4 program settings: from language and colours, through photos, filters and payments, to the connection with Fotillo Cloud. This is the largest menu and most of this chapter is about it.
• F5 print profile: your own image setting for printing. The screen works only with the Advanced filters / AI backgrounds feature; we describe it in 2e.

Not every program has every setting. You only see the ones that belong to the features bought in your package - the rest is neither on the screen nor in the configuration files.

2a. Printer menu F2

Shows the printer status and print statistics, and lets you lock the printer after a specified number of photos.

2b. Labels menu F3

Lets you add texts printed on the photo - for example Title, Date, Names, Hashtag. Where does this list come from? Labels are part of the template (collage), not of the program: each template declares for itself which labels it supports and where it places them on the print, and F3 shows the labels collected from all templates installed in the Collages directory. That is why the list of fields can differ between devices. The text you enter is printed on every photo (in templates that support that particular label) until you change or delete it. The DEFAULTS button clears the entered texts along with the remembered list of labels; when you are finished, choose SAVE.

2c. Configuration menu F4 - the full list of settings

This is the program's main settings menu: from general parameters (language, colours, prices), through e‑mail notifications, to external devices (printer, payments). Each row has a question mark "?" on the right - click it and the program will show a short hint. Below we describe all F4 sections and parameters in the order in which they appear in the program.

Program

Printer

Photos and filters new

This new group brings together in one place everything that happens to the photo after it has been taken: filters, AI backgrounds and saving files to disk (previously these parameters were scattered across the Printer and Photos sections).

Photos

Final screens

Advertising

SMTP

The mail server used to send photos by e‑mail. By default messages go out from our mailbox; enter your own details so that messages are sent under your own brand.

Reporting

The daily report includes, among other things, the total payments accepted, the number of prints, the state of the roll and information about problems with the devices (camera, coin acceptor, banknote reader, terminal, printer).

Photo upload new

HOT FOLDER new

Sharing and Payments

These are the two most extensive F4 sections - we describe them separately, with diagrams: Photo sharing → chapter 6 and Payments → chapter 5 (there you will find the full list of parameters, including coin/banknote channels and terminal configuration).

2d. HOT FOLDER on the device new

You switch the mode on in the F4 menu, in the HOT FOLDER section. How the photographer connects to the device and sends photos is described in chapter 7.

The device screen

The device shows tiles with the templates it has, but they cannot be pressed - they are only a preview of what the photographer can choose from. Below the tiles there is a status bar showing:

• what the program is doing - waiting for photos / building the print / printing,
• a progress bar for the current batch of photos,
• the photographer's account the device is connected to,
• the paper left on the roll - if the printer reports it,
• purchased prints - how many are left from the activation code,
• the printer status.

When the device has no source of photos - HOT FOLDER off and photos from a folder off - the template selection screen is not shown at all. In its place there is a Temporarily out of service message: the guest has nothing to tap, and the operator sees that the settings are in the F4 menu.

Prints and the print counter

• If the operator has set Fixed number of prints in F4 to more than zero, the photographer cannot change it - every batch is printed in that quantity.
• If Fixed number of prints = 0, the photographer chooses on the phone between 1 and the value of Maximum number of prints.
• With a template with strips the photographer sees even values (2, 4, 6…), because one print is two strips.

Where the files end up

Exactly as with photos from the camera:

• the originals of the photographer's photos go to the folder for originals (F4 → Saving original photos / Folder for originals),
• the printed template goes to the folder with printed photos (F4 → Photo storage).

The HotFolder working folder is cleared after printing, and Fotillo Cloud does not store the photographer's photos - it is only a buffer the device downloads them from.

What this mode does not have

• The guest cannot send photos with a QR code - in this mode the upload channel belongs to the photographer.
• Payments are switched off.

2e. F5 print profile menu new

A print profile is your own saved image setting that the device prints with - matched to the printer, the paper and the light in the venue. You open the screen with F5 on the start screen; it is available only with the Advanced filters / AI backgrounds feature.

What you set

• A base filter - one of the program's filters (or none).
• Five sliders: brightness, contrast, saturation, colour temperature and vignette.

You see the result immediately - the live preview is recalculated on a photo after every change. The program shows the last photo from the folder for originals; you can also load your own reference photo from a file.

Saving, export, import

• SAVE - saves the profile on the device.
• EXPORT - writes the profile to a file you can carry to another device.
• IMPORT - loads a profile from a file; handy when several devices have to print the same way.
• DEFAULT SETTINGS - restores the factory values.

How to put the profile to work

You select the saved profile in F4 → Photos and filters → Default filter as the entry "Custom print profile (F5)" - the last one on the list of filters. From then on every print is made with that profile, including the automatic printing in HOT FOLDER mode.

3. Where the photo on the print comes from ↑ top

The photo that ends up on the print or is shared can come from three sources - depending on the features in your package:

1. Camera - the classic photo booth: the photo is taken on the spot with a USB camera, a built-in camera or a Canon EOS DSLR.
2. Photos from the photographer / HotFolder - the program prints/shares photos supplied by the photographer (from a folder).
3. Print from phone (QR) new - the guest scans a QR code and sends a photo from their own phone to be printed by the device. Ideal for personalised postcards without a camera.

Photo mirror - animations instead of the live preview new

In a photo mirror the guest does not look at a camera preview - they see themselves in the mirror. A preview on the screen is redundant there, and even gets in the way. That is why Fotillo can play animations with sound instead: an invitation to pose, a countdown, and finally a short animation at the moment of the photo that masks the shutter and the time it takes for the frame to arrive from the camera.

The principle is simple: the file name decides the role, the presence of the file switches it on, and the number of files sets the duration. There is nothing to click - just put the files in the Images folder next to the program.

File names

The program looks for files in this order: AnimN → Anim → Anim1. If the template has four shots and you only uploaded Anim1 and Anim2, shots three and four fall back - they will not be left without an animation. When there is no Anim* file at all, the program returns to the classic preview with a countdown.

Countdown from images (instead of video)

An animation can be assembled from single images. The number after the dash is the number of seconds before the photo at which the frame appears on screen:

• Anim1-5.png - appears 5 seconds before the photo;
• Anim1-3.png, Anim1-2.png, Anim1-1.png - the following seconds;
• Anim1-0.png - the last frame, the photo is taken right after it.

The numbers need not be consecutive: a set of 10, 5, 3, 2, 1, 0 works too - frame “10” stays for 5 seconds, “5” stays for 2 seconds, then one second each. Want a longer countdown? Add Anim1-10.png and change nothing else.

Sound

When the animation is a video with sound, nothing else is needed. For an animation made of images, add separate audio files: Anim1.wav plays throughout the stage before the photo, and Anim1-3.wav is a short signal at a specific frame (for example a beep on 3‑2‑1). You set the volume in F4 - the value 0 mutes the animations when the venue has its own sound system.

Portrait and landscape screens

A photo mirror usually stands vertically, but the same animations are useful on a landscape screen. Add the suffix -v for portrait or -h for landscape: Anim1-v.mp4, Anim1-h.mp4 (the same works for frames: Anim1-5-v.png). A file without a suffix is used when there is no version for the detected orientation.

The recommended resolution is Full HD - 1080×1920 in portrait, 1920×1080 in landscape. It is not required: the program scales the animation to fill the screen, cropping the excess.

4. Printing, filters and finish ↑ top

Image filters

After the photo has been taken, the customer can choose from 6 standard filters: original (colour), greyscale, sepia, inversion, edge detection (Sobel) and edge inversion. Selecting a filter immediately shows the effect in the preview.

Switch off Image filters if you want to speed up service and print straight away in one set style - the program will then use the filter from the Default filter parameter. In versions without a photo on the print, the filter panel does not appear anyway.

AI backgrounds - replacing the photo background new

Fotillo can remove the photo background and replace it on the fly - without a green screen. Artificial intelligence (the BiRefNet model) detects the people in the photo and separates them from their surroundings, and everything is computed locally on the photo booth's computer - no photo is sent to the internet. Once the Background replacement (AI) parameter is enabled, tiles appear on the selection screen:

• Original - the photo unchanged;
• Your own backgrounds - one tile for each image file placed in the Background directory in the program folder (e.g. a beach, a city skyline, wedding decorations);
• Background blur - the people stay sharp while the surroundings are gently blurred (a portrait effect);
• Black-and-white background - the people in colour against black-and-white surroundings.

The "Blur" and "Black-and-white" tiles work even when the Background directory is empty. The AI background at start-up parameter (F4 → Photos and filters) lets you preselect a particular tile - for example a whole wedding with one fixed background.

Finish: glossy / matte paper

With two-way printers (Citizen CY/CY‑02, DNP DS‑RX1 / RX1 HS) the customer can choose the finish after accepting the photo: glossy or matte.

Confirming and retaking photos

In templates with several photos it is hard for every shot to come out perfectly. That is why, after each shot, the customer can click "Retake" and repeat only the last photo (for example one with closed eyes) - without repeating the whole series. The feature is enabled by the Confirmation of each photo parameter (F4 → Photos).

5. Payments ↑ top

Your photo booth can pay for itself - accepting coins, banknotes and card payments. Below: the supported devices and their configuration.

Payment settings (F4)

Payment devices (F4)

Structure of channels and modes

The channel values of the coin acceptor and the banknote reader are written as:

{channel no.}:{value}:{name} - successive entries separated by a semicolon.

The card terminal supports two modes: {payment}:{credited}:

• 3:3: - the customer pays 3 EUR, the program credits 3 EUR.
• 11:12: - the customer pays 11 EUR, the program credits 12 EUR (a promotion for higher amounts).

Do you need different channels or modes? Write to contact@fotillo.com. Almost any currency is supported.

6. Photo sharing - two QR directions ↑ top

Fotillo supports QR codes in two opposite directions. These are two separate features - the diagram below shows the difference.

new All photo sending and sharing features (e‑mail, QR, printing from a phone, e‑mail reports) are disabled by default in a fresh package - you deliberately enable them in F4 once the accounts have been configured.

Photo sharing (device → phone)

Settings in F4 → Sharing:

With these options enabled, after the photo the customer will see the "Download photo" and "Send e‑mail" buttons.

Print from phone (phone → device) new

The reverse feature: the guest scans the QR code shown by the device, selects a photo on their phone and sends it for printing in the photo booth or postcard kiosk. It works excellently in postcard machines, where the customer personalises a ready-made design with their own photo - with no need for a camera in the device.

Album Fotillo - a shared album from the party new

Album Fotillo is a cloud service for party organisers (for example the bride and groom): they set up an "Album" account at cloud.fotillo.com and receive a party code in the format AL‑XXXX‑XXXX. You, as the photo booth operator, enter this code in the Fotillo Cloud window (opened with a button in the F4 menu) - and from that moment, after every session, the following are sent to the album automatically in the background: the printed photo and all the shots from the camera (1-5 photos, at their original resolution).

The Fotillo Cloud window is split in two: the left column is the existing pairing of the photo booth with an operator account (an 8‑character code from the panel), and the right one is the Album party code. If you enter a code in the wrong field, the program will recognise the mistake and point you to the correct column.

new The customer can also enter the party code themselves. On a photo booth paired with an operator account, after buying a promotional package the customer sees the "Party album" screen with a field for the AL‑XXXX‑XXXX code and a QR code for setting up an album from their phone. Once the code has been entered, the photos from the session go to the album automatically and the question about an e‑mail address is skipped (the guests will receive everything in the album anyway). The CONTINUE WITHOUT CODE button follows the old path (asking for an e‑mail address). On a photo booth not paired with the Cloud, the screen does not appear - the customer is asked for an e‑mail address straight away.

• Time window - uploading to the album works for 12 hours from entering the code (the album owner can extend this from their own panel). So enter the code just before the party.
• The party code is valid for 7 days from being generated and can connect a maximum of 3 photo booths (each has its own subdirectory in the album).
• Independent of QR sharing - the album receives separate copies of the photos. Ordinary sharing (a link/QR for the guest) works as before, and deleting a shared photo removes nothing from the album.
• The DISCONNECT ALBUM button ends uploading from this photo booth; the album and the collected photos remain with the account holder.

7. Fotillo Cloud - the operator panel ↑ top

The Cloud is the other half of Fotillo. The photo booth takes photos and prints them, and the Cloud handles everything that happens after the print: the page where a guest downloads their photo, the shared party album and printing from a phone. You set up your account once, at cloud.fotillo.com, and it serves all your devices.

The photo's journey - why the QR code works right away

The address where the guest will find their photo is created on the booth, not on the server. That is why the QR code appears instantly and is correct even when there is no internet at that moment - the file will reach the Cloud later, on its own.

Your booths - pairing

The panel opens with the Your booths list. Each row is one device: the name, the pairing date and Last seen - that is, when the booth last contacted the Cloud. This column is the simplest test of whether the device has a connection.

Above the list you will find the pairing code. You type it into the program on the booth: key F4 → the Cloud button → the left column of the window. From that moment the device belongs to your account. Pairing is also an internet test - if it goes through, the connection works.

You can disconnect a booth with the button in its row, for example when you sell the device. The number of booths connected at the same time is limited; once you reach the limit, the panel shows a message.

The look of the sharing page

What the guest sees after scanning the QR code is set in the panel under the Page appearance button. You have these options:

new Page customization is a paid feature. While it is inactive, the guest sees the default Fotillo look, but you can prepare the settings right now - they start working once you activate it. You activate them with a code: in the panel you will find your Operator ID, which you paste in the shop when you buy, and the activation code you receive goes back into the panel. The code works on that one account only. Buy a customization code in the shop →

Events - a different look for every party

An event is a time window on a specific booth that has its own page appearance. Photos taken inside that window get the event's customization; all the rest get your standing setting.

The booth needs no settings for this at all. The photo carries the information about which booth it came from and when it was taken - the Cloud works out the rest by itself. That is why you can create an event even after the party, and the photos will still get the right look.

When you create an event you give four things: the Name (visible to guests under the photo), the Booth, the Start and the End. Then you fill in the look - an empty field inherits your default setting, so you only fill in what should be different.

Events are part of the paid customization - without it the button shows an invitation to activate with a code.

Photos and space on your account

The Photos button opens the list of everything that has reached the Cloud from your booths. In the Account section you see the email address, the account type (company or private person) and Storage used. Active customization raises the available space to 10 GB.

new When usage gets close to the limit, you get a warning email - before you run out of room for the next party. You do not have to watch it yourself.

The party album - what your client gets

The album is created by the client (for example the newlyweds) on their own Cloud account - an account separate from your operator account. All you do on the booth is enter their party code (see chapter 6). Still, it is worth knowing what the client gets, because you are usually the one who tells them about this feature:

After the grace period the album stops being available, so it pays to warn the client to download the photos in time or extend the account. The detailed rules are in the Album account terms on the Cloud website.

Photos from the photographer: HOT FOLDER mode new

In HOT FOLDER mode the photographer sends photos from their own phone and the device prints them by itself - without anyone touching the screen.

This is the mode for a photographer working at an event: they shoot with their own camera, pick on their phone the photos that should be printed and tap PRINT. Everything else happens without the guest and without an operator at the device. The mode belongs to the Photos from the photographer / HotFolder feature.

How it works - step by step

1. The photographer creates an account in Fotillo Cloud - free of charge, the same kind of account as the operator's (with a data processing agreement), at cloud.fotillo.com.
2. In their panel the photographer generates a code in the format HF‑XXXX‑XXXX and passes it to the operator.
3. The operator pairs the device with Fotillo Cloud - the Fotillo Cloud window from the F4 menu, left-hand side of the screen (operator account). Without this the photographer's code cannot be entered.
4. The operator enters the photographer's code on the right-hand side of the same window. From that moment the device and the photographer's phone are connected.
5. On the phone the photographer picks a template from the list of templates loaded on the device, uploads exactly as many photos as the template has fields (the page keeps count), chooses the number of prints and taps PRINT.
6. The device downloads the photos, builds the template and prints. The main screen does not change - nobody has to click anything.

8. Templates (collages) ↑ top

Templates (collages) determine the design, layout and appearance of the photos. Original Fotillo templates (more than 20 000) are available exclusively at fotillo.com/templates - you can filter them by the number of photos, colours, theme and tags. Some are free, most cost 6-8 EUR.

Template editor - make your own design in the browser

new You do not have to stick to the ready-made designs. editor.fotillo.com is our template editor that runs in the browser - you design the print layout in it: where the camera photos go, what the background will be, what text and decorations there are. You export the finished design as a ZIP package and copy it into the Collages folder exactly the same way as a template from the shop.

The editor does not process real photos - you draw photo slots in it, and the actual shots are put there by the Fotillo program during the party. What you see in those slots while designing is only a rough preview.

How to install a new template

Extract the purchased template into the Collages directory in the program folder. The program will show it to customers as a selectable option. Deleting the template folder = removing it from the list. Simple file management.

What a template consists of

You can edit each Frame* image - add your own logo or text, or change the graphics completely. Collage.xml sets, among other things, the background colours, the dimensions of the photo frames and how the remaining elements are interpreted. Do you need changes to a template? Order a bespoke edit.

Seasonal templates - a date in the folder name

new A folder inside Collages can be named after a date or a date range. Its templates are then shown only during that period and hidden from guests on all other days. Nothing needs to be switched over or restarted - the set is checked every time a guest opens the template selection screen, which in coin-operated booths happens right after pressing START.

The folder name must be the date and nothing else - no occasion name, no extra words. Always write the day and month with two digits, separated by dots.

A period that crosses New Year is best set up as two folders holding the same set of templates: 27.12-31.12 and 01.01-03.01. Written this way it works every year and you never have to update the year - the most convenient option for permanently installed booths. Use full years (27.12.2026-03.01.2027) only when the theme should appear once.

9. Appearance: themes and interface colours new ↑ top

The look of the program can be adapted to your own brand or to the occasion on two levels:

• Graphic theme - a coherent set of backgrounds, collages and interface graphics (e.g. wedding, festive, corporate). You choose the theme when downloading the package in the configurator.
• Interface colours - four configurable program colours (accent, headings, text, control elements). You set them in the F4 menu → Program section, entering values in #RRGGBB format.

10. Reliability and wireless mode ↑ top

Automatic error recovery

The program constantly checks communication with the peripheral devices and reacts to problems by itself:

• Frozen communication (e.g. a USB port) → the program restarts the computer to restore normal operation.
• A jam or no paper (two-way printers) → the program locks and displays a request to call an attendant.
• A blocked coin acceptor / banknote reader → the program locks so that it does not take payment from further customers.

new Only devices enabled in the configuration are monitored: disabling Payments in F4 also disables monitoring of the coin acceptor, the banknote reader and the card terminal; the Canon camera is only checked when it is selected as the image source. A disabled feature will never trigger a restart.

new The restart no longer happens "out of the blue": the program first displays a warning screen with a 30-second countdown, the name of the device that has stopped responding and an ABORT RESTART button. If the time runs out the computer restarts (as before); touching the button aborts the restart and resets the error counter - if the device still does not respond, the screen will appear again after a few minutes. The screen is only shown on the screensaver (never during a customer session).

Wireless operation (Bluetooth)

Fotillo can be operated without physical access to the computer. Any audio device connected via Bluetooth can serve as a remote control: the left/right buttons move through the options (filters, templates, buttons), and the main button (e.g. Play/Pause) confirms. The basic functions are available: choosing a template, accepting or retaking a photo, choosing a filter, the number of prints and printing.

Blocking edge gestures (touch screens)

new On a touch screen a guest can swipe from the edge of the display and pull out Windows elements: the taskbar (from the bottom), the notification centre (from the right), task view (from the left) and the title bar (from the top). Fotillo runs full screen, but it cannot stop these gestures itself - Windows handles them. The package contains an EdgeGestures folder with two scripts that turn these gestures off and back on.

Turning the block on:

1. Open the EdgeGestures folder in the program folder (next to Fotillo.exe).
2. Double-click Block-edge-gestures.cmd and confirm the Windows consent dialog - the change applies to the whole computer, so it needs administrator rights. Once is enough.
3. The script refreshes the desktop itself. Check every edge with your finger - nothing should slide out. If something still reacts, restart the computer.

You can lift the block at any time: run Unblock-edge-gestures.cmd from the same folder. The setting returns to the Windows default.

11. Legal aspects / GDPR ↑ top

By using Fotillo you accept the Terms and Conditions and the licence agreement - please read them before installation.

Some features (sending a photo by e‑mail, generating a link to a photo) process customers' images on Fotillo servers. Under the GDPR (EU Regulation 2016/679), as the data controller you should:

• have a lawful basis for processing customers' images and obtain their consent,
• provide a clear privacy notice for people using the device (who the data controller is, for what purpose and on what basis you process images, and how to contact you),
• consider the private cloud service - the data is then processed within your own infrastructure and Fotillo as the manufacturer does not process your customers' data.

+ Glossary of features ↑ top

A quick reminder of what each feature does and where to find it. The set of features depends on your package (see the Introduction).

+ FAQ - frequently asked questions ↑ top

+ Contact ↑ top

Do you have a question that is not in the FAQ? Write to us - the message will go to contact@fotillo.com, and if you tick the option below we will send you a copy at your own address.