Camera Tab (Global Settings)

Updated 2 weeks ago · 6 min readIntermediate

The Camera tab in FMX Global Settings controls camera selection, live preview, capture settings, chroma key, and test captures. FMX supports standard USB webcams plus Canon, Sony, Nikon, and GoPro cameras, with different controls depending on the selected device.

Device Selection

Camera Device -- Choose your camera from the dropdown list. FMX lists recognized webcams, Canon cameras, Sony cameras, Nikon cameras, and GoPro cameras connected to the system.
Refresh -- Click the Refresh button to re-scan for connected cameras. Use this after plugging in a new device or if your camera is not listed.
Mirror Live View -- Flip the preview horizontally. This is available across camera types.
Rotation -- Rotate the preview/capture pipeline by 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees, where applicable.

Webcam Controls

When a webcam is selected, the following controls are available. Not all webcams support every parameter -- unsupported controls will be grayed out.

Resolution / FPS -- Select the capture resolution and frame rate. Higher resolutions produce better stills but may reduce preview frame rate.
Exposure -- Controls how long the sensor is exposed to light per frame. Lower values produce darker but sharper images; higher values brighten the image but can introduce motion blur.
Gain / ISO -- Amplifies the sensor signal. Increase to brighten images in low light, but higher values introduce noise.
Brightness -- Adjusts the overall image brightness at the software level.
Contrast -- Controls the difference between light and dark areas.
Saturation -- Adjusts color intensity. Lower values move toward grayscale; higher values produce more vivid colors.
Sharpness -- Enhances edge definition in the image.
White Balance -- Controls color temperature to ensure whites appear neutral under different lighting conditions.
Focus -- Sets the focal distance. Use manual focus for consistent results in a fixed booth setup.
Anti-Flicker -- Reduces banding artifacts caused by artificial lighting operating at specific frequencies (50Hz or 60Hz, depending on your region).

Webcam Capture Behavior

When using a webcam, the live preview stays on continuously during photo and video capture. There is no interruption to the preview feed.

Canon Camera Settings

When a Canon camera is connected by USB, FMX provides remote camera controls.

Canon settings include:

Override Camera Settings -- When enabled, FMX applies saved camera values from Global Settings.
AE Mode / Auto Focus status -- Read-only values reported by the camera.
Photo Settings -- ISO, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, photo quality, and other supported Canon properties.
WB Shift Blue-Amber / Green-Magenta -- Fine-tunes Canon color on supported bodies from -9 to +9 on each axis; 0 is neutral. The sliders remain hidden when the connected body does not report this capability.
Live View Settings -- Live-view-specific Canon properties, including EVF white balance where supported.
Video Frame Rate -- The target frame rate used when recording video with Canon, Sony, or Nikon cameras. This shared DSLR/mirrorless setting is currently shown in the Canon panel.
Base Audio Delay (ms) -- Helps keep recorded audio in sync with DSLR/mirrorless video.

Canon Capture Behavior

Canon cameras behave differently from webcams during capture:

The live view feed stops briefly when a photo is taken (the mirror flips up for the exposure).
After capture is complete, the live view resumes automatically.
This brief interruption is normal and expected behavior for DSLR capture.

Recommended Canon Baseline Settings

For consistent results in a photo booth environment, configure your Canon camera with the following baseline:

Setting	Recommended Value
Mode	Manual (M)
Shutter Speed	1/125 to 1/200 second
Aperture	f/5.6 to f/8
ISO	200 to 800
Focus	Manual (MF)
Image Stabilization	OFF

Tip: Set focus manually and leave it fixed. In a photo booth, the subject distance is consistent, and manual focus prevents the camera from hunting for focus between shots, which can cause delays or missed captures.

Canon Connection Tips

USB tethered only -- Connect your Canon directly to the computer via USB cable. Do not use USB hubs, as they can cause communication drops.
WiFi / Bluetooth / NFC -- Disable all wireless connectivity on the camera. These can interfere with the USB tethering connection.
Auto Power Off -- Disable the camera's auto power-off feature in the camera menu. If the camera powers down during an event, FMX will lose the connection and require a manual restart.

Tip: Before each event, test the full capture cycle -- live view, capture, and preview -- to confirm stable communication between FMX and your Canon camera. A quick test avoids surprises during live operation.

FMX also supports deliberate capture from a compatible Canon camera's physical shutter. The shutter itself creates the photo, so do not add a Take Photo step to that capture path; use a Raw Photo Preview to receive and display the image. See How to Use the Canon Camera Shutter in FMX for Windows.

Sony Camera Settings

When a Sony camera is connected in PC Remote mode, FMX displays the Sony camera panel.

Override Camera Settings -- When enabled, FMX applies saved Sony photo settings.
Exposure Mode / Focus Mode -- Read-only values reported by the camera.
Photo Settings -- Supported Sony settings such as ISO, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and image quality.
Take Photo -- Available from the Camera tab for direct still capture.
Record Video -- Available in workflows when Sony live preview is available.

Sony Live View, Take Photo, and Record Video require the camera to be in the correct USB remote-control mode.

Nikon Camera Settings

Nikon support depends on the selected camera and its USB connection mode. FMX may also show detection-only Nikon entries when Windows can see the camera, but FMX cannot use it for booth capture.

Rotation -- Available for Nikon capture presentation.
Connection status -- Shows whether the selected Nikon camera is ready for FMX capture or only visible to Windows.
Take Photo -- Available for compatible Nikon cameras that support JPEG still capture.
Record Video -- Available in workflows when Nikon live preview is available.

For Nikon Take Photo, set image quality to JPEG or JPEG+RAW. If live preview is not available for the selected Nikon camera, Record Video will not be available for that camera.

FMX does not start Nikon's in-camera movie mode. The Record Video workflow records the live preview shown in FMX when that preview is available.

GoPro Camera Settings

FMX supports GoPro HERO9 Black and newer over USB-C. Before connecting, insert an SD card and set the camera's USB Connection to GoPro Connect.

GoPro Status -- Shows connection, model, firmware, battery, and SD Card information. Use Refresh Status after changing the camera or card.
Rotation -- Corrects the GoPro preview and captured-media orientation.
Delete files from SD card after download -- Removes a GoPro file only after FMX verifies that it was downloaded.
Live View UDP Port -- Controls the local preview stream port. Keep the default unless instructed by Foto Master Support.

Set GoPro photo quality, video resolution, frame rate, digital lens, and stabilization directly on the camera. Record Video starts native GoPro recording and downloads the completed file, including audio from the GoPro microphones.

For webcams, Canon, Sony, and compatible Nikon cameras, Record Video records from the camera preview shown in FMX. GoPro uses the camera's native video recording instead.

Chroma Key and Test Mode

The Camera tab includes an expandable Chroma Key (Green/Blue Screen) section with Green, Blue, and Custom modes plus tuning controls for hue, saturation, brightness, luma protection, foreground opacity, despill, edge feather, and key color.

The bottom of the Camera tab also includes Test Mode, which uses the latest files from the event's Test folder for Take Photo. Use it while setting up or checking an event, and turn it off before running a live booth.

See also: Devices Tab

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