Photo Stream — User Guide

Turn any event into a live, big-screen photo wall. Attendees snap a selfie on their phone, and within seconds it appears on the TV — mixed with your sponsor graphics, a branded welcome slide, and a scan-to-join QR code so anyone in the room can join in.

This guide walks you through everything an organiser needs: setup, running the event, moderating, and troubleshooting.

The three surfaces

Photo Stream has three places things happen. You'll use all of them at a typical event.

Getting started (5 minutes)

1. Open the admin panel for your event collection.
2. Work through the tabs along the left — each one is a small, focused decision. You can come back and tweak any of them later.
3. Click Save changes at the bottom.
4. Open the TV view on the screen running the event and bookmark it (or scan the QR code in the Access & sharing tab to send the link to whoever is at the venue).

That's it — you're live. The rest of this guide explains each tab and the day-of workflow in detail.

Admin tabs explained

Event

The basic identity of the stream.

• Event title — shown on the TV header and on the customer submit page. Keep it short and recognisable ("Acme Summer Party 2026").

Moderation

Decide whether photos appear instantly or get a human check first.

• Pre-approve photos — leave off for instant fun (recommended for trusted audiences). Switch on for events where every photo needs a quick eyeball before going on screen. Pending photos sit in the mobile moderation queue until approved.

Access & sharing

Generate the link and QR code your venue staff need.

• Stream access key — a short token added to the TV URL so only people with the link can open the stream. Regenerate it any time to lock out a previously shared link.
• Share link / QR — copy the link, or have venue staff scan the QR with the device that will run the TV.

Display

How the slideshow looks and feels.

• Layout mode
  • Single — one big photo at a time, with fade / slide / zoom / Ken-Burns transitions. Most cinematic.
  • Grid — four photos at once. Best for high-volume events where lots of people want to see themselves quickly.
  • Mix — alternates between the two. A good default.
• Seconds per slide — how long each slide stays up. 5–8 seconds works well for most rooms.
• Sponsor share of rotation — what percentage of slides should be sponsor graphics instead of attendee photos. 15–25% is typical.

Welcome slide

The first impression — what's on screen before any photos arrive, and periodically through the night.

• Welcome title — large headline ("Welcome to the Acme Summer Party").
• Logo — your event or brand mark, shown over the background.
• Background image — full-bleed hero image. Landscape, high resolution.

The welcome slide also reappears every few rotations so latecomers always see the branding.

Footer & QR

A persistent strip across the bottom of the TV stream that invites people to join in.

• Footer text — short call to action ("Scan to add your photo").
• Footer logo — small mark on the opposite side of the QR.
• Scan-to-submit QR — auto-generated. When scanned, it opens the customer page with the camera ready to fire. Anyone in the room can join, even without scanning a product.

Sponsors

Upload the graphics that get interleaved into the rotation.

• Use the asset picker to add sponsor images (PNG or JPG, landscape works best, auto-compressed to 1920px wide).
• Order matters — the rotation cycles through them in the order shown.

On the day

Setting up the room

1. Open the TV stream URL on the screen device. Switch the browser to full-screen (F11 / Cmd-Ctrl-F).
2. Check that the welcome slide appears and the QR in the footer scans cleanly from a few metres away.
3. Open the mobile admin on your phone and keep it handy.

Customer flow

When an attendee scans a product (or the TV's footer QR), they see a big Take a selfie button. They snap, hit Send to stream, and:

• Auto mode — the photo lands on the TV within ~8 seconds.
• Pending mode — it queues for your approval first.

Landscape photos fill the screen in Single mode; portraits get paired up in grids. The customer is told this on the capture screen so they can choose.

Moderating from your phone

The mobile admin shows two tabs:

• Pending — photos awaiting approval. Tap one to Approve (it goes live) or Delete (it's gone forever).
• Live — everything currently on the stream. Use this to remove anything inappropriate after the fact.

Big tap targets, designed to be used one-handed while you walk around the venue.

FAQ

Photos aren't appearing on the stream. Check the Moderation tab. If it's set to Pre-approve, photos need approval before going live. Otherwise the stream polls roughly every 8 seconds — give it a moment.

Someone uploaded something inappropriate. Open the mobile admin → Live tab → tap the photo → Delete. It vanishes from the rotation immediately.

The QR in the footer doesn't work. Make sure the Footer & QR tab has a working URL configured (it defaults to the public submit page for this collection). Test it with your own phone before doors open.

Can I change settings during the event? Yes — every setting in the admin tabs takes effect on the next stream poll (within ~10 seconds). You can re-order sponsors, swap the welcome image, or flip moderation modes live.

How big can sponsor / welcome images be? Anything reasonable — they're auto-compressed to 1920px on upload. Landscape PNG/JPG renders best on the TV.

Can people submit without scanning a product? Yes — that's exactly what the Footer & QR is for. The QR on the TV opens the camera directly, no product scan required.

Where do the photos go after the event? They're stored as records in your collection and remain accessible via the admin. You can export or delete them at any time.

Tips for a great-looking stream

• Test the TV before doors open. Different displays render colours differently — check that the welcome image and sponsor logos look right on the actual screen.
• Mix landscape and portrait sponsors. Landscape sponsor graphics shine in Single mode; portrait ones balance grids.
• Don't over-tune the rotation speed. 6 seconds per slide is the sweet spot — fast enough to feel alive, slow enough to actually see faces.
• Use the welcome slide as a "rest" beat. A 20% sponsor ratio plus the periodic welcome reappearance keeps the stream from feeling like an ad reel.
• Keep moderation off if you can. Instant gratification is the magic of Photo Stream — only switch to Pre-approve if you genuinely need it.