# CRT Photobooth

A fullscreen photobooth for a Linux laptop mirrored to a 4:3 CRT. Guests press
the button (any mouse button) to take a 3-photo shoot with countdowns and
flashes. After 4 shoots, all 12 photos are printed on one contact sheet.
When idle for 5 minutes, a fish-tank screensaver protects the CRT from burn-in.

## Setup on a new laptop

1. **Install Python 3.11 or newer** (check with `python3 --version`).

2. **Install the dependencies:**

   ```bash
   pip install pygame-ce opencv-python pillow
   ```

   Note: it's `pygame-ce`, not `pygame` — the community edition has wheels
   for newer Python versions. If pip refuses because the system Python is
   "externally managed", either use `pip install --user ...` or create a
   virtual environment:

   ```bash
   python3 -m venv ~/photobooth-venv
   ~/photobooth-venv/bin/pip install pygame-ce opencv-python pillow
   # then run with: ~/photobooth-venv/bin/python photobooth.py
   ```

3. **Plug in the Macally webcam** and confirm Linux sees it:

   ```bash
   ls /dev/v4l/by-id/
   ```

   You should see something like `usb-SolidYear_Macally_USB2.0Camera-video-index0`.
   The default config finds it automatically by name.

4. **Set up the printer.** The booth prints via CUPS with the `lp` command.
   Check what's configured and set a default:

   ```bash
   lpstat -p          # list printers
   lpoptions -d NAME  # set the default printer
   lpstat -p -d       # verify: should show a default destination
   ```

   Print a test page from the printer settings GUI to make sure it works
   before an event.

5. **Copy this whole folder** to the laptop and run it:

   ```bash
   python3 photobooth.py
   ```

   Add `--windowed` to test in a window instead of fullscreen.
   **Press Esc or Q to quit.**

## Customizing

- **All settings** live in `config.toml` — camera choice, screen text,
  countdown lengths, screensaver timeout, printer options. Comments in the
  file explain each one.
- **Idle screen background:** replace `assets/background.png` (any size,
  it gets scaled to the screen — 4:3 looks best, e.g. 800×600).
- **Fish:** drop your fish drawings into the `fish/` folder as PNGs with
  transparent backgrounds. Draw them **facing right** — the program flips
  them automatically when they swim left. Bubbles come out of the front
  (mouth) end. Delete `placeholder_fish.png` once you have real fish.

## Switching cameras

In `config.toml`, `device = "auto-macally"` finds the Macally cam by name.
To use a different camera:

- `device = "auto-integrated"` — match another camera by (partial) name
  from `ls /dev/v4l/by-id/`, case-insensitive
- `device = "/dev/video2"` — an exact device path
- `device = "0"` — a plain index

## Where things go

- `photos/` — individual shots for the current print cycle. Deleted
  automatically after a successful print. (If the program is restarted
  mid-cycle, photos here are counted so no progress is lost.)
- `contact_sheets/` — every printed sheet, kept as a backup in case of
  printer trouble. Delete them manually now and then, or set
  `delete_contact_sheets = true` in the config to remove each one right
  after it prints.

## If printing fails

The booth doesn't lose anything: the contact sheet is saved in
`contact_sheets/`, an error shows on the idle screen, and you can print the
sheet by hand with:

```bash
lp -o media=letter -o fit-to-page contact_sheets/sheet_XXXX.jpg
```

Common causes: printer off or unplugged (`lpstat -p` says "disabled" —
re-enable with `cupsenable PRINTER_NAME`), or no default printer set.

## Troubleshooting the camera

Test the camera on its own (uses the device from `config.toml`):

```bash
python3 camera.py
```

It first prints a pre-flight dump of every camera the system sees
(`/dev/v4l/by-id/` names, device nodes, and what each node identifies as),
then reports which device was matched, resolved, and opened, plus the OpenCV
version. If the booth ever uses the wrong camera, run this and read the
output — it shows exactly where the selection went sideways.

**If it reports black frames** (or the live preview shows a warning): the
Macally cam's chipset sometimes wedges and streams pure black until it is
power-cycled. **Unplug the camera, plug it back in, and restart the
program.** Worth doing a quick test shoot at the start of an event.

## Heads-up

- The Brother HL-5470DW is a **monochrome laser** — contact sheets print
  in black & white.
- The live preview is mirrored (like a mirror) so posing feels natural, but
  saved photos are not mirrored. Set `mirror_preview = false` to change that.
- CRT overscan may crop the very edges of the screen; once the CRT is
  connected, adjust text positions/sizes in code or the CRT's own controls.