New AI Photo Booth With 20 Backdrops Can Auto-Adjust Lighting, Enhance Features, & Provide Poses To Copy
Those who love snapping photos aren’t short of options these days. There are themed studios with a multitude of backdrops, self-taking photography studios, and of course, old-school B&W photo booths. Combining the best points of all three is a cool new invention to check out: Singapore’s first AI-enabled photo booth.
Created by the same people behind iWan Selfie Studio, this AI photo booth in Singapore has 20 digital backdrop templates and uses smart technology to automatically adjust lighting and enhance your natural features. It even provides posing suggestions! We gave this clever innovation a try and here’s a review of what the experience was like.
Read on for our review on the new AI photo booth at iWan Selfie Studio!
Photo from iWan Selfie Studio
No matter how many photo booth outlets or selfie studios you’ve visited, we’re quite sure that the AI-enabled photo booth at iWan Selfie Studio is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I went in expecting a small space with a neoprint-like experience sans stickers, but it’s so much more than that, with DSLR quality to boot.
You’ll first be selecting your desired background from a list of 20. These include cutesy ones like J-Pop School Gal, the elegant Snowy Lotus and Chinese Goddess which are great for kimono and hanfu shots, as well as Pristine Moon, a dreamy pastel background with bubbles and bokeh.
Photo from iWan Selfie Studio
Other than fun themed shots, you can also opt to take IC and passport photos as well as corporate portraits against plain white or coloured backgrounds!
Not to worry if the backdrop you’ve chosen doesn’t match the clothes you have on, because you’ll be given free reign of their 200-over costumes! Complete the look with their accessories, and get your hair and makeup touched up by the skilled staff at no extra cost. I picked out a regal lace gown to go with the dreamy Pristing Moon theme, and although it was initially too large for my petite frame, the staff used clips to secure it such that it looked like a perfect fit.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Taking over the spot of the previous Break Up Museum in the studio, this AI photo booth flanked by softbox lighting occupies an entire room in the extensive unit, and there’s a curtain for full privacy. Posing will be done in front of a blank screen, with you being able to view your actions on a large monitor in real time.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Now here’s where it gets interesting. For one, you won’t have to grapple with a remote shutter and attempt to hide the wires from showing up in the photos - simply pose with a “peace” sign to trigger the motion-activated countdown! Easy peasy.
Furthermore, instead of just displaying what’s being captured, the screen will also show posing suggestions for you to copy, so awkward people don’t have to wrack their brains to come up with their own!
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Once the photo is snapped, the finished product with the backdrop added will be flashed on the screen. At the same time, there will be other edits such as brightening and enhancement of features automatically added, so everything will instantly look picture perfect.
With everyone being of different heights and attempting different sorts of poses, there’s definitely no one-size-fits-all angle for snapping photos. This is why the height and zoom function of the AI photo booth can be adjusted with just a touch of a remote button!
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
If you’re confident about handling the session on your own, you’re free to go ahead, but if you need help, the friendly staff will be around to assist with the adjustments and guide you along. They were extremely encouraging when I was there, and went the extra mile to ensure that the photos captured nothing but my best - even going to the extent of smoothing my hair and fluffing out my gown for me.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
After going trigger-happy, head out to the garden-themed lounge area to shortlist your favourite snapshots to receive as soft copies, as well as select your top choice(s) to be printed out in 4R size. The raw images without the background will also be emailed to you as soft copies, so you can keep them as is or edit them on your own for personal usage.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
The overall experience was super quick and hassle-free, and I loved how the lighting and colour composition of my photos were 100% on point thanks to the smart retouching technology. My skin turned out flawless as well, with my makeup made just a tad more prominent - nothing too over-the-top such that my features were completely unrecognisable!
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Admittedly, I was initially a little weirded out about how sharp my chin had become post-edit, as I’m not someone who typically alters my face shape when manually editing my own photos. Like Japanese purikura which also create a slimming effect with significantly enlarged eyes, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re a fan of face-editing apps like SNOW or Mei Tu Xiu Xiu, you’re sure to love these AI beauty edits!
This AI photo booth is also a great idea for a budget-friendly pre-wedding photoshoot. Especially if you love Korean-style couple portraits - which often include Photoshop work that’ll make you look like an oppa and unni - but are unable to fork out the exorbitant 4-digit prices.
Prices of AI-enabled self-photography at iWan Studio
Photo from iWan Selfie Studio
General entry to iWan Selfie Studio costs $35.90/hour per person on Mondays to Fridays, and $39.90/hour per person on weekends and Public Holidays. This will allow you to use any number of their various photo zones (such as the above), outfits, and makeup, on top of a 15-minute AI-enabled self-photography experience. Admission is free for children under 6, and children aged 6 to 12 get to join in at 50% off.
Prices are as follows for those who are visiting solely for the 15-minute AI photo booth experience and not the themed setups:
ID & Passport Photo: $19.90
- 4 printed hard copies
Corporate Portrait: $45.90, or $49.90 with outfits and accessories
- 2 refined digital copies
- 1 4R printed hard copy
Fun Selfie: $45.90 for 1 pax, $69.90 for 2 pax
- 2 refined digital copies
- 1 4R printed hard copy
Personality Selfie: $69.90 for 1 pax, $99.90 for 2 pax, $159.90 for 3 to 5 pax
- 4 refined digital copies
- 2 4R printed hard copies
- Usage of clothes and accessories
Yearly membership plans at iWan Selfie Studio
Photo from iWan Selfie Studio
Foresee yourself visiting iWan multiple times in a year? Then it might be more value-for-money to sign up for their yearly membership plan, which will allow for unlimited access to all their themed photo zones, as well as a 30-minute AI selfie shoot with every visit (varying number of AI-edited photos depending on your chosen membership plan). Other perks include free blind box figurines and beauty vouchers which you can use for facials, manicures, and massages.
Photo from iWan Selfie Studio
Here’s the breakdown: Supposing you were to get the $298 plan, visiting for an accumulated time of slightly over 7 hours based on the weekend hourly rate of $39.90/hour would already match your initial cost! If you’re serious about photography and dressing up, each session would probably take you ~3 hours, so in other words, just 2-3 sessions in a year would more or less cover it!
The $198 plan is already fully redeemed, but if you’ve purchased it prior, you’ll be able to enjoy the AI photo booth as well!
Mother’s Day promo: FREE AI photo booth experience in May 2022
Photo from iWan ft. @shiela_matias & @simsamsum
For the entire month of May 2022, mothers get to enjoy this AI photo booth experience for FREE (worth $219.90). This includes complimentary usage of costumes with basic makeup and hairstyling, and 2 refined digital photos. Limited to 10 sessions per day. Advance booking is required.
iWan Selfie Studio
Address: 12 Aljunied Rd, #05-01 KH Plaza @ Aljunied, Singapore 389801
Opening hours: 11am - 10pm daily (prior bookings are strongly encouraged)
Telephone: 9855 3162
Website
More photography-related content:
- Boudoir photoshoot review: How it helped me gain new love for my body
- New neoprint machines spotted at Bugis: Only $10 with free soft copies
- Life4cut: Korean photo booth with free hanbok rental, only $10 for 2 sheets
- FREEFLOW: Singapore's first LED-based photo studio for edgy portraits
Share this with your squad and make a date to take some cute photos together!
Text by: GirlStyle SG
