An AI photo booth takes the portrait from the booth and renders a second version of it in a look built for the event: an illustrated style, a film era, a sports card, or a brand world with the product in the scene. Guests keep both. The original and the AI version print side by side and both land on the phone. Below are real before-and-afters from a grand opening in Los Angeles, and a plain explanation of how the AI photo booth works.
How an AI photo booth works
- The look is built before the event. You tell us the event, the brand and the world you want guests in. We write and tune the look on real portraits and send samples for approval, so guests see it working from the first photo.
- The booth takes a real portrait. Studio lighting, a real camera, the same open-air booth session as any event.
- The AI version renders while they watch. The screen shows the transformation, built from the photo they just took, so it is unmistakably them.
- Both versions print and share. The original and the AI version print on the spot and go to the guest's phone, with the full gallery after the event.
It runs as an upgrade on the open-air photo booth and on custom trading cards, and guests choose whether to opt in to the AI version.
What guests take home
The print is the point. The original and the AI version print side by side as a 4x6, a photo strip or a polaroid-style print, with the event design on the frame. The same pair reaches the phone by text, with the brand in every frame, so the AI version gets posted with the event name on it. For a polaroid-style print, each version gets its own card, which is what the grand opening below used.
Real before-and-afters from a Los Angeles grand opening
The pairs on this page are from the Unit-01 Tattoo grand opening after-party in Los Angeles. Guests took a normal photo at the open-air booth, and those who opted in had the same photo redrawn as anime characters against a night skyline, with the shop's logo on the frame. Each guest got both prints on a pink polaroid-style card, and both went to their phone.
A few things worth noticing in the pairs: the pose, the outfits and the expressions carry over, which is what makes people laugh when the render appears on screen. The frame design is the same on both prints, so the pair reads as a set. And the look was set once for the night, so every render belonged to the same world.
The looks we build
- Anime. Guests redrawn as anime characters, the look chosen at the grand opening above.
- Watercolor. A soft painted portrait for weddings, showers and garden parties.
- Caricature. A playful illustrated portrait in the event's colors and theme.
- Star athlete. Guests as the star on the field or court, ready for a custom trading card. See AI trading cards.
- Brand world. Guests placed inside your campaign scene, with your product in the shot, built from reference images.
- Your idea. Describe the look and we build and test it with you.
Looks are written in aesthetic terms (a style, an era, a mood) rather than copied from a specific character or franchise, and every look is tested on real portraits before the event.
Where it fits
- Brand activations: your product in every photo, the campaign around every guest, opt-in capture on every share. See brand activation photo booths.
- Grand openings and pop-ups: a look built around the space, so the opening-day photo carries the brand.
- Corporate events: conference themes, launches and company parties where the photo is the talking point. See corporate photo booths.
- Gaming, esports and fan nights: players in the game's world, fans as the star of the team. See gaming and sports photo booths.
- Birthdays and celebrations: a theme the guests step into, from a film era to a storybook.
What to know before you book one
- Samples come first. We share test renders on real portraits for approval before the event. Individual renders vary; the samples set the style and treatment your team signs off on.
- One look or a short menu. One look keeps the gallery consistent. A short menu guests choose from on screen works for themed parties.
- Guests opt in. Everyone gets the real photo. The AI version is the guest's choice at the screen.
- Brand references. For product placement, send product shots and campaign art; for a game or a title, the publisher's approval on the reference art.
Comparing formats? Our guide to the types of photo booths places the AI booth alongside every other option.
AI photo booth questions
What is an AI photo booth?
A photo booth that takes a real portrait and renders a second version of it in a look built for the event, such as an illustrated style, an era, a sports card or a brand world. Guests keep both versions, printed and on their phone.
Do guests get the real photo too?
Yes. The original and the AI version print side by side and both go to the guest's phone. The AI version is the guest's choice at the screen.
Can we see the AI look before the event?
Yes. We build and test the look on real portraits and send samples for approval before the event. The samples set the style your team signs off on.
Can the AI photo booth put our product in the photo?
Yes. Reference images place your product, packaging or campaign world into the render, so the share that leaves the event carries the brand.
Does the AI booth work with trading cards?
Yes. The star athlete look renders the guest as a player, and the card prints and is cased on site. The AI render is a Signature Card option.
Want an AI look at your event?
Send the event, the date and the world you want guests in, and we'll build a sample and send pricing.
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