Howdy Darkroom Booth Users,
In any design layout, it is important to think about how the design will be viewed. Some of you may remember watching widescreen movies on old tube TVs and having the black bars on the top and bottom or surfing the web on your phone before web designers started designing for mobile phones. As Photographers and Photobooth operators, we need to keep this in mind as well.
Need an example? Why would you upload your 2×6 print strip to Facebook? When it displays the preview, Facebook crops and cuts off part of the image and more importantly the footer that has your company info. For this specific reason, Darkroom gives you the option to upload and share using a different template. I like to use 4×5 or 5×5, this format is perfect for Facebook and works well on a computer or phone. You lay it out as two rows, two columns or make it fun and upload an animated GIF.
Another suggestion, if you are sending an image via Photo to Phone, why not use 1920×1080 oriented vertically in your template design to match the end user’s phone’s screen? Someone may love the image so much that they save it as their home screen image. The important thing to remember, these options can all be used as a compliment to the print whether it be 2×6, 4×6, 8×10, or even wrapping paper. Yep, you heard right, we have customers that use Darkroom to print custom wrapping paper during the holidays. Stay tuned for a future Post #ThinkOutsideTheStrip
So we have covered layout for printing and sharing along with the platforms and devices images may be view on. We must not forget the screen template. If you purchase animated videos to add via device control, be sure to check the resolution to ensure they match your display resolution. If you buy a template make sure it is the correct orientation. If you are modifying a sample template check the resolution and see if it matches the current resolution.
Although these may seem small and unimportant details and you may not ever get a compliment but people are more likely to notice and comment when it could be done better.
Here are a few free templates to help you get started! Download
