A tethered DSLR gives you image quality a tablet camera can't. You connect it to the iPad by USB, tell Pictor which captures should use it, and set two separate groups of settings: one for the live view guests see, one for the photo that is actually taken.

📍 **Where this happens:** DSLR settings live in the **booth app on iPad**, not the web dashboard. Open your event, then **Devices**.

## Connect the camera

**What it does:** puts the camera in the Devices list, alongside the tablet's own cameras.

1. Connect the camera to the iPad by USB and switch it on.

2. In the booth app, open your event and go to **Devices**.

3. Switch the camera **on** and wait for it to initialise.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCS2t3RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--de343ebf85e5fff9eeffe450821f45bcd7a7278a/image.png)

*A connected camera shows **Connected** and its battery level. The front and rear cameras sit above it in the same list.*

The camera's own name appears on the card, so you can tell two bodies apart. The settings below it adapt to what that camera supports: a setting your camera doesn't expose is greyed out or shows **N/A**.

💡 **Tip:** Watch the battery figure. A DSLR running live view all day drains faster than you expect, and this reading is the only warning you get without walking to the booth.

## Choose which captures use it

**What it does:** **Capture mapping** assigns a camera to each capture, one at a time.

A layout with three photos has three captures, and each one can come from a different camera. Open **Capture mapping** at the top of Devices and pick a camera for each row.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCQnN4RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--4639ce67f356a2b81866ef9678fa57d425cbcd37/image.png)

*Each capture has its own camera. Here captures 1 and 2 use the tablet and capture 3 uses the DSLR.*

Captures left on **Default** use the tablet's front camera with its mirrored preview. GIF and video captures are mapped the same way, each in its own group.

ℹ️ **Note:** This replaces setting a capture source inside the template. The mapping lives on the event, so the same template can run on a DSLR at one event and on the tablet at the next.

## Preview settings and capture settings

**What it does:** two separate groups of settings, one for the live view and one for the photo.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCSDh4RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ac5649b2a9bc092777ee29c0dbd82435b848ff50/image.png)

*Preview settings drive the live view. Capture settings are applied at the moment the photo is taken.*

They are separate on purpose. Live view often needs a brighter, noisier image so guests can see themselves, while the photo itself is exposed for the flash. The live view pane tells you which set you are looking at: **Showing preview settings** or **Showing capture settings**.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCTUF4RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--83a542523a70842fff8809a1ee9f11ec45c02d53/image.png)

***Copy from Preview** brings the preview values across, so you can adjust from there instead of starting over.*

⚠️ **Careful:** Because the two are separate, **the preview is not proof**. A live view that looks right tells you nothing about the photo. Always take a test shot (see *Take a test shot before guests arrive* below).

## Exposure

**What it does:** Exposure Mode, ISO, Aperture, Shutter and Exposure Compensation, set separately for preview and capture.

### Start in Manual

Set **Exposure Mode** to **M**. On an automatic mode the camera re-reads the scene for every guest, so a dark jacket and a white dress come out differently. Manual keeps every photo the same, which is what you want from a booth.

Several settings only become editable in Manual. If ISO, aperture or shutter is greyed out, that is usually why.

### A starting point

**ISO 400–800**, **f/4**, **1/125s**, then adjust at the venue. Lighting is the variable that matters; these numbers are only somewhere to begin.

Each field offers only the values your camera supports, so the lists differ between camera bodies.

## Image quality and white balance

**What it does:** these live under **Advanced Settings**, which is collapsed by default.

Press **Show** next to **Advanced Settings** for image quality, white balance and colour temperature.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCQ2t5RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--3ab7a7b930cc28523356d2d89e23423eb5f9156d/image.png?cw_image_width=572px)

*****White balance options come from the camera. Choosing **Color Temperature** enables the Color Temp field below it.*

If your lighting is fixed (a studio flash, a constant LED), pick the matching preset rather than leaving it on Auto. Auto can shift between shots, which shows up as a colour change across a strip of photos taken seconds apart.

## Autofocus

**What it does:** decides when the camera refocuses, and how far it hunts.

### When it focuses

* **Auto focus during countdown:** focuses while the guest is waiting, so the capture itself isn't delayed.

* **Auto focus on capture:** focuses at the moment of the shot. More accurate, but adds a pause.

* **Auto focus on start:** one focus pass when the live view opens, before the first capture.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCR295RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ef0922f0c2c1926ceb24f58adaf3cdf64ea031bd/image.png)

***Test Auto Focus** runs a focus pass on demand, so you can check it without starting a session.*

### How far it hunts

Under Advanced Settings, **Size of one focus step** is **Small** or **Big**, with a **Pause between focus steps** and a **Focus time**.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCTFV5RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1ff5913cddf9dc9fd12af26fd6f082856035c8f1/image.png)

*Small steps focus more precisely; big steps get there faster.*

With the camera on a stand and guests standing in roughly the same place, **Small** is usually right: the distance barely changes, so there is little to hunt through, and a precise pass is quick anyway.

### Shooting preferences

The **Shooting preferences** dialog holds the step sizes those options map to, plus a custom exposure value. Each field has its own **Apply**.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCTjB5RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6137dd05ff643646462f210652cf44f558b34bf9/image.png)

*Each value is applied on its own. There is no single save for the dialog.*

ℹ️ **Note:** These are fine-tuning for a camera that focuses badly with the defaults. If autofocus is behaving, leave them alone.

## Live view rotation and location hint

**What it does:** two small settings that save a lot of confusion on site.

**Live view rotation** (0°, 90°, 180° or 270°) turns the live view to match how the camera is mounted. If guests appear sideways or upside down on screen, this is the fix, not the camera.

**DSLR location hint** is a free-text note, such as *Main hall, left corner*. It does nothing to the photo; it tells whoever is setting up or troubleshooting which physical camera this is.

💡 **Tip:** Fill in the location hint when you run more than one booth. It is the difference between "the DSLR is down" and "the DSLR in the main hall is down".

## Take a test shot before guests arrive

**What it does:** **Test capture** takes a real photo and shows you the file.

Switch the right-hand pane from **Live view** to **Capture preview** and press **Test capture**. What comes back is the last captured file, with its filename: the actual output, not a preview of it.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCQkV6RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--be0c35a4e3a0e889a0e9b2dfc52e70b1720c854a/image.png?cw_image_width=276px)

*Capture preview shows the real file, so you can check sharpness, flash exposure and final quality.*

This is the most useful check in the whole setup. It is the only way to see what your capture settings actually produce, and it takes seconds.

✅ **Do this every time:** Take a test capture once after setting up, and again whenever you change the lighting. A dark live view with flash is normal; a dark *test capture* is not.

## Adjusting during an event

**What it does:** reaches the camera settings without stopping the session.

**Triple tap the right side of the screen** while the booth is running. A **Device settings** sheet slides up over the session. Nothing stops, and guests can carry on the moment you press **Close**.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCSVV6RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--c31fc6d16b5edbd9139b0abf468bf70f25ea90f9/image.png?cw_image_width=722px)

*The sheet shows the camera's name and battery, so you can check both without leaving the booth screen.*

Everything from the Devices tab is here: both settings groups, Advanced Settings, autofocus and **Test Auto Focus**.

### Fixing a bad photo mid-event

If photos are coming out wrong, it is **Capture Settings** you want, not Preview. Changing the live view won't change the photo.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCT3N6RWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--c7e3ecb25cce2bf8757f42ce038ab1e48dacf02e/image.png?cw_image_width=714px)

*Capture Settings, mid-event. **Copy from Preview** is here too.*

### The Lights tab

The same sheet pairs and controls a booth light, with a badge showing whether one is connected.

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCQ0UwRWdjPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b0a3ceb9e02f70d69ef4f831929517b2b1236c02/image.png?cw_image_width=800px)

***No booth light** in red means nothing is paired. Worth a glance if the lighting looks wrong.*

💡 **Tip:** Learn the triple tap before your first event. Hunting for it with a queue waiting is not the moment to find out it is three taps, not two.

## When something goes wrong

* **Camera stops responding:** toggle it off, wait two seconds, toggle it on.

* **No live view:** check the camera is on, the USB cable is firm, and the camera is not in video mode.

* **Settings greyed out:** switch Exposure Mode to **M**. Some settings are simply not supported by that camera body and show **N/A**.

* **Preview looks dark with flash:** normal. The flash fires on capture, not in live view. Take a test capture to see the real result.

* **Photos are sharp but the preview is not:** also normal. They use different settings.

* **Guests appear sideways on screen:** use **Live view rotation**, not the camera mount.

* **A capture came from the wrong camera:** check **Capture mapping**. Each capture is set separately, so one row can be left on the tablet by mistake.

* **Focus hunts between guests:** set the focus step size to **Small**, and turn on **Auto focus during countdown** so the hunt happens before the shot.

Carry spare USB cables and a power adapter. Cables are the most common failure at an event.

## See also

* **[Devices, cameras and system requirements](https://support.pictor.pro/hc/pictorpro-support/articles/1790154796-devices-cameras-and-system-requirements):** supported iPads and Android devices

* **[Printing](https://support.pictor.pro/hc/pictorpro-support/articles/1790154629-printing):** the Print Partner app

* **[Contacting support](https://support.pictor.pro/hc/pictorpro-support/articles/1790155107-contacting-support):** what to send us