What’s the Best Option? A Still Picture Booth Rental or an Out of this World GIF Booth

Having a hard time deciding whether you want a GIF Booth or Still Picture Booth Rental? Or maybe you just need a better understanding of the two. Well we’re here to help explain the difference between the two and provide you with a bit of direction so you can make the best decision possible. In this quick article we’ll show you examples of what each looks like and help you decide what is the best option for you and your event. So here we go…

What is a GIF?

GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. If you want to be super technical about it, it’s actually pronounced JIF like the peanut butter brand. However, most people pronounce it the other way. So if you don’t want to get into a long geeky debate with someone and look like a know it all, just call it how it appears and most people will know what you’re talking about. Now, lets talk about what it actually is. A GIF is a series of images combined together into one file format. The file can be set to loop and continuously play through all the frames one by one. Its kind of a like a stop motion film. Most GIFs you see have about 3 frames in them but you can go for more if you’re feeling adventurous. Just know the more frames you have the heavier the file may be. Or the more compressed your GIF may appear.

Here is an example of what a sample GIF looks like. The couple will actually take a series of images (this one actually includes more than 3 images) at the event and the photo booth software has the ability to generate a GIF or still image. The images are usually combined in the order that you take them. However, if you decide to add the social sharing kiosk to your order you can also create your own animated GIFs from any image in the gallery from that event. It’s super fun!

Here is an example of what the final image looks like after it goes through our special image editing filters which will be applied to all your images once received in the online gallery. We want to ensure that you’re not just getting standard looking images. Make sure when browsing for a photo booth company you compare side by side the image quality. Many of the older photo booth units have really old cameras and poor lighting modifiers which make the images themselves appear really bad looking. Also, take a look at the final file size. You want to ensure the JPG images you’re getting are indeed high resolution. If they are not in high resolution then you might be getting pixelated images when you try to print them out on your own. Trust me your guests are looking really good and usually want to make print copies of images for gifts after the event. So make sure the file quality is looking sharp and big enough to be printed out.

In case you’re wondering this is our Premium Greenery Wall Backdrop that can be added to your order right from our site. You can also order just the backdrop should you decide to have another photo booth company supply the booth or if you just need a nice looking green hedge wall setup at your event. These backdrops are about 8×8 which is a really great size for a group of people to stand in front of. This green wall in particular looks amazing and is actually our most popular choice of the premium collection!

Here is another example of what a GIF looks like that is set at a slightly faster pace.

And here is what one of the images from this series would look like as a JPG.

In case you’re wondering about this backdrop these are actually handmade paper flowers. They take FOREVER to make but they look amazing! You can find a tutorial on this from our 56+ Stunning Yet Simple DIY Photo Booth Backdrop Ideas or save yourself the hassle and rent Premium Handmade Floral Backdrop from our backdrop rental selections.

What is better quality a GIF or a JPG?

In short, a JPG will have better looking image quality. The reason for this is the compression a GIF goes through. What ever software is used to compress the images and create the GIF it will take out some detail in the image quality. The question is… How much detail will it take out? Make sure to inspect the GIF and JPG quality of images before just choosing a photo booth company that offers the best deal. Remember you get what you pay for.

Are all GIF Booths created equal?

Certainly not! I’ve seen some GIFs look terrible and others that you didn’t even notice the quality difference in it vs. the JPG images that were produced. Some GIF Booths will really compress their images because they want the images to be transferred very quickly or their software just isn’t good. It’s important to spend some time comparing the quality of the GIFs and JPG files these photo booth companies are creating. Not all GIF Booths and Still Picture Booths are producing with the same quality just because the shell of a booth looks good it doesn’t mean whats inside is. Each Photo Booth is very different and uses different technology on the inside.

Should you get a Still Picture Booth Rental or Rent a GIF Booth? 

The choice is going to be completely up to you. Some photo booth rental companies will offer two completely separate units. One that only does GIFs and another one that only does still JPG images. While other photo booths (like ours) will offer both options at the same event and allow your guest to choose whether they want a GIF session or just to take a series of still images. Lets face it GIFs can be a little confusing to some people so sometimes its good to provide both options unless you’re dealing with a young crowd. We have several options to ensure this goes well for your event. So whether you’re considering a still picture booth or an animated gif booth we can help walk you through the process over the phone to decide what will actually be the best setup possible for your event.  Contact us to get started!