Without a hint of doubt, 2024 is the year of AI and machine learning. And just like several other sectors, AI has made a significant impact in the event entertainment sector as well. The introduction of AI powered photo booths has brought significant changes to the events industry. The introduction of AI has brought several upgrade for the traditional photo booth.
AI photo booths offer several benefits over traditional photo booths, for event planners as well as attendees. Understanding these differences is paramount, as it not only influences the choice of photo booths but also shapes the overall experience at events. In this blog, we will discuss what AI and traditional photo booths are and how AI photo booths differ from traditional photo booths.
A] What Are Traditional Photo Booths?
Traditional photo booths are simple automated photography machines that can capture passport-size or full-size photos depending on the machine. The first fully working photo booth was first seen at the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. The modern image of a photo booth we have was first popularised in 1925 when they were placed in Broadway, New York.
The user has to insert money, typically coins, into the photo booths, and select the number of photos they want. After that they have to wait for the machine to click their photo and once clicked, they can find their photos in the form of a strip. In certain traditional photo booths, there is a person sitting outside the booth who handles the cash and selects the photo settings for you.
B] What Are AI Photo Booths?
AI photo booths incorporate the generative capabilities of artificial intelligence with traditional photo booths. AI can transform your portraits and selfies into creative marvels. It completely changes how an event attendee interacts with a photo booth. It offers a number of themes, backgrounds, and filters to mix and match and customise your photos.
It is more than just a photo-capturing device, it is an experience in itself. It offers a more interactive, engaging, and personalised event experience than traditional photo booth. At its core, traditional photo booths are just glorified printers in comparison to AI photo booths.
C] Difference Between Traditional And AI Photo Booth
1. Scalability
Traditional photo booths are bulky and take up too much space, which may not be efficient for smaller venues. They also require manual set-up, such as refilling their film rolls, meaning they cannot cater to a large number of visitors. In short, they are not very scalable for most modern events and gatherings.
AI photo booths are comparatively lighter and more scalable. They take up less space as compared to traditional photo booths, so they can be easily integrated with various events and venues. They are also very customisable making them the preferred choice for events and audiences of diverse sizes and tastes.
2. Image Quality
The difference in image quality is one of the most obvious differences that you can notice between traditional and AI photo booths. Traditional photo booths use standard cameras and have a couple of lighting options. This makes the final photos very generic and satisfactory, but this may not bring out everyone’s flattering side, leaving some attendees wanting something better.
AI photo booths are more modern and use high-resolution cameras, making your photos instantly better. The AI also actively improves your images with colour corrections, custom lighting, and artistic filters. They produce extremely detailed and crisp images, which can be further customised by the AI algorithm to suit everyone’s taste.
3. Personalisation
Traditional photo booths aren’t very dynamic and can’t provide much personalisation. If you have ever used a traditional photo booth, they have a fixed number of generic props and backgrounds and that’s the end of it. In stark contrast, AI photo booths can leverage their generative capabilities to offer excellent customisation and personalisation.
With the help of machine learning, AI algorithms can analyse user behaviour and suggest various customisation options. This only helps to improve the audience experience. AI photo booths can create custom avatars and backgrounds, according to user input. Event organisers can even create tailored themes and props that match the event’s themes.
4. Interactive Elements
When using a traditional photo booth you can find some buttons for choosing the number of photos or the size of the photo. There is not much to interact with, you simply need to press the buttons and wait for your snap.
Meanwhile, AI photo booths have an interactive touch screen that provides you with several interactive elements. You can customise your avatar, add props, and change backgrounds. They also provide AR features, which further improve audience interactions. The interactive nature of AI photo booths adds an entertaining and engaging layer, making the event more memorable.
5. Digital Connection
In an era where sharing every experience on social media platforms is the norm, the physical photos that traditional photo booths give out, may not sit well with everyone. Although Polaroid photos can be nostalgic to many people, they should not be your preferred style if you are trying to maximise your social media footprint.
AI photo booths share the user’s photos directly to their emails in digital format. As these images are personalised, they provide an incentive to the users to share them on their social media platforms. You can customise the AI photo booth to add your brand logo to every photo, thus exposing your brand to a wider audience.
6. Data Collection
AI photo booths are more than just photo-capturing machines, they can collect a wide array of data for analysis. The data can be processed by the AI algorithm itself or even be stored to be analysed by the event organisers after the event. This data is extremely crucial for event organisers to further improve the audience experience in the next event.
AI photo booths can collect data such as contact information, preferred filters, and audience behaviour. Traditional photo booths do not have any such features; hence, the organisers can miss out on a lot of potentially valuable information.
D] How To Integrate AI Photobooth With Your Next Event?
Integrating AI photo booths into events is just as easy as integrating a traditional photo booth. You need to find an open space, where a majority of your audience can engage with the photo booth. The photo booth would also require a secure electrical and wi-fi connection to function as intended.
You can find AI photo booths on rent for events. 360 Bright Media is one the top companies in Mumbai, India to provide this service. We not only provide the tech required for you to incorporate AI photo booths but also help you plan and strategise your events.
Conclusion
AI has changed the way we see and use photo booths. AI has altered photo booths from simple strip image-capturing machines to a hub of event entertainment and engagement. AI photo booths can offer analytical prowess and generative capabilities that traditional photo booths never could.
That being said, traditional photo booths can still be of use for several events. If you are looking to capture nostalgia, traditional photo booths are the way to go. But if you are looking to maximise your event engagement and entertainment, AI photo booths are undeniably the superior equipment. Contact us today to rent an AI photo booth for your next event.