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Draw Me Offline: Overview

Updated Today · 4 min readBeginner

The Draw Me Offline step queues the media already captured in the current session for AI Draw Me processing, instead of sending it and waiting for the cloud to respond while the guest stands there. The guest is done in seconds; the drawings are generated afterwards, when the booth has a connection and nobody is waiting in line.

Because it works on what the session has already captured, it must come after a capture step. On an empty session there is nothing to queue.

It is an iPad-only step, and it exists for one specific problem: venues with no reliable internet.

What Is the Draw Me Offline Step?

From the workflow's point of view, Draw Me Offline:

  • Records the chosen drawing type on the session and adds the session's media to its Draw Me upload queue
  • Queues the job locally rather than sending it and waiting for a result
  • Lets the workflow continue immediately, with no AI Processed trigger to wait on
  • Uploads and processes the queued jobs later, once the device has a working connection
  • Has one setting: the drawing type

From the guest's point of view:

  • They are photographed and the session ends normally
  • They do not see their drawing at the booth
  • They receive it through the cloud gallery, email, or SMS once processing completes

The Type Setting

Type chooses what gets generated for each queued photo:

  • Portrait produces a realistic line-drawing portrait
  • Caricature exaggerates features for a comic, artist-at-the-event look
  • Both queues both versions of the same photo

Choose Both only when the client wants both outputs, since it doubles the AI credits consumed per guest.

When Should You Use Draw Me Offline?

Use it when the venue's connectivity cannot support live AI processing, or when throughput matters more than instant gratification.

Typical reasons:

  • Outdoor events, marquees, basements, and venues where Wi-Fi is unreliable or absent
  • High-volume events where a 30 to 60 second AI wait per guest would create an unmanageable queue
  • Draw Me Bot events where the drawings will be plotted after the fact anyway
  • Roaming setups where the iPad moves between areas and connectivity comes and goes

Use the regular AI Draw Me cloud step instead when:

  • The venue has solid internet and guests should see their drawing at the booth
  • The workflow needs the result on screen, in a Preview, in a layout, or on a print
  • Guests expect to leave with a physical output from that session

How Draw Me Offline Fits in the Workflow

A typical offline flow:

  1. Live View (Start)
  2. Countdown animation
  3. Take Photo
  4. Live View (Stop)
  5. Draw Me Offline
  6. Email or SMS, to collect the guest's contact details
  7. A thank-you animation explaining that the drawing will arrive shortly
  8. End Session

Two things to notice about this shape:

  • There is no AI Processed trigger, because nothing is being waited on
  • You must collect a way to reach the guest. An offline drawing that nobody can deliver is a wasted credit, so pair the step with an Email, SMS, or QR Code step in the same session

Set expectations on screen. A short animation reading "your drawing is on its way" prevents guests from standing at the booth waiting for something that is not coming.

Processing the queue

Queued jobs upload automatically once the iPad has a connection. Leave the app running and the device online at the end of the event until the queue drains. Check the Cloud tab and the offline gallery to confirm everything has been sent before you pack down.

Why Draw Me Offline Is Useful

For event operators:

  • The booth works at full speed in venues where a live AI step would fail or crawl
  • Guest throughput is limited by capture time, not by cloud round-trips
  • No half-finished sessions when the connection drops mid-event

For guests:

  • No standing around waiting for a progress bar
  • The drawing still arrives, delivered to their phone or inbox

Common Mistakes

Using it on Windows. Draw Me Offline is iPad only, and the step is hidden from the Steps Library on Windows builds.

No contact-collection step in the workflow. The drawings generate with no way to deliver them. Always pair with Email, SMS, or a cloud gallery QR code.

Packing down before the queue drains. Jobs that never uploaded never process. Keep the device online and the app open until the queue is clear.

Expecting the drawing at the booth. If the client wants an on-site print, use the live AI Draw Me step and make sure the venue's connectivity can support it.

Setting Type to Both by default. It doubles credit consumption for every guest. Only use it when the client has asked for both outputs.

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