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Setting up the Viewing Room (TV slideshow)

Point a TV or large screen at the Viewing Room URL and get a full-screen branded slideshow of guest uploads during the reception: Pro feature.

Updated Apr 22, 2026For hosts

The Viewing Room turns any TV or large display at the venue into a live slideshow of guest uploads. It updates as new photos arrive. Pro feature.

What it looks like

Full-screen slideshow rotating through every photo in the gallery. Each photo displays for a duration you set (3-20 seconds). In the corner:

  • Your studio logo (top-left if uploaded)
  • Custom headline (top-right, e.g., "Emily & Marcus · April 22, 2026")
  • Progress bar underneath showing time until next slide
  • All tinted with your brand color

Optional: password gate before the slideshow loads.

How to set it up

  1. Go to your event's page
  2. Click Settings → Viewing room
  3. Configure:
    • Slide duration: 3s (fast), 5s (default), 8s (relaxed), 12s (cinematic), 20s (long pour)
    • Custom headline: optional. Default is couple name. Custom examples: "Welcome to the Harvest Inn", "#SarahAndJames", "Evan's 40th"
    • Logo: upload PNG/SVG if not already set
    • Brand color: hex code for the accent
    • Password: optional gate
  4. Click Open Viewing Room to get the slideshow URL

The URL is captureclub.app/viewing-room/{eventId}. If you set a password, append ?password=YOUR_PASSWORD and it auto-unlocks for that session.

Pointing a TV at it

Option A: Built-in browser on the TV

Most smart TVs have a browser (look in the app store). Type the URL. Play.

Pros: zero extra equipment. Cons: some TVs have terrible browsers. Samsung Tizen is fine, LG WebOS is OK, Roku doesn't really have one.

Option B: Chromecast / Apple TV / Fire TV

Cast your laptop's browser tab to the TV. Open the URL in Chrome/Safari, cast the tab. Browser stays on your laptop.

Pros: works on any TV with HDMI + a streaming stick. Cons: laptop has to stay on, connected, and awake.

Option C: Dedicated laptop or mini-PC

Plug a Mac mini, Chromebook, or any cheap laptop into the TV via HDMI. Open the URL in the browser. Make it fullscreen (F11 or Cmd-Ctrl-F on Chrome/Safari). Leave it.

Pros: rock solid, bulletproof for long receptions. Cons: have to bring a laptop.

Option D: Phone via HDMI adapter

iPhones with a Lightning-to-HDMI adapter or USB-C-to-HDMI can go straight to a TV. Open the URL in Safari, fullscreen.

Pros: no laptop needed. Cons: phone battery drains fast. Plug it in.

Keyboard shortcuts (for when it's running)

If you have a keyboard connected to the laptop running it:

  • Space: pause / resume
  • Left / Right arrow: skip back / forward
  • F: toggle fullscreen
  • Esc / Q / X: exit back to the gallery

These are for the host to control if needed. Guests watching the TV don't interact.

Best use cases

Cocktail hour (the classic): TV in the cocktail area playing guest uploads as they come in. Guests see photos of themselves and their friends on the big screen. Prompts them to scan the QR and upload more.

Reception entry wall: one big TV as guests enter the reception. First photos come in during ceremony, so by the time reception starts there's already a rolling slideshow welcoming everyone.

During dinner: keep slideshow running on a side TV during dinner. Quiet ambient content.

After dinner party phase: switch it to your favorites playlist (if you're controlling it). Acts as a "best of" for late-night dancing photo ops.

Next-day breakfast/brunch: if the venue has the space, leave it running during the next morning's guest brunch. Couples and families love seeing everyone's perspective.

What photos show up

Every approved upload in the gallery. If Review Mode is on, pending uploads don't show, they need your approval first. Uploads that were deleted, archived, or marked NSFW don't show.

Order: depends on your event's delivery mode.

  • Live mode (the default during the event), newest first, cycling chronologically backward through the full gallery
  • Album mode: uses the curated sort order you set via drag-reorder. Helps for "best of the night" slideshows where you want to control the order

To put your favorites at the top in Album mode:

  1. Flip to Album delivery mode
  2. Click Reorder in the toolbar
  3. Drag your top 20 photos to the top of the grid
  4. Click Done
  5. Viewing Room now shows them first

Password gating

Set a password in Pro Settings → Viewing Room. Now:

  • Anyone who opens the Viewing Room URL sees a password prompt
  • Correct password → slideshow loads
  • URL param ?password=YOUR_PASSWORD pre-fills for auto-unlock on the venue TV

Not high security. The password is checked client-side, someone determined could bypass. It's there to prevent casual drive-by access and random bot crawling. For real privacy, keep the URL itself obscure.

Testing before the event

Day before or morning of:

  1. Open the Viewing Room URL on a TV or big monitor
  2. Verify full-screen, correct brand color, logo placement
  3. Upload 3 test photos (or use existing test data) to confirm the slideshow advances
  4. Check the laptop/phone/TV stays awake, some laptops sleep after 10 min of inactivity (disable this in system settings)
  5. Check the power plug, a 4-hour reception will kill a laptop battery

Common Viewing Room issues

Slideshow stuck on one photo: check the URL. If the event has no uploads yet, it shows a waiting screen. As soon as the first upload lands, it starts rotating.

TV goes to sleep: disable screensavers + display sleep on the host device. System Preferences → Energy Saver on Mac. Similar setting on Windows/Linux.

Slow transitions: if photos take 2+ seconds to load, the Wi-Fi at the venue is slow. Try ethernet on the host device, or pre-load the gallery before the event starts so images are cached.

Can't fullscreen: some TV browsers don't support F11. Use the browser's menu → Fullscreen. On Apple TV via AirPlay, make sure the source browser is in fullscreen.

When to use Viewing Room vs not

Good use cases:

  • Cocktail hour
  • Reception entry / welcome
  • Post-ceremony (during guest travel to reception)
  • Dinner background
  • Corporate events with a big display wall

Not great for:

  • The ceremony itself, don't distract guests from the vows with a slideshow
  • Photo booth alternative, the Viewing Room shows what's been uploaded; it's not a prompt to take new photos. Pair it with the QR signage for the "share your photos" prompt.
  • Private spaces (weddings where you don't want any display), just skip it

Pricing reminder

Viewing Room is Pro-only. On Starter or Free, you don't have access to this feature. Upgrade at /pricing or /billing.

Founding members get Viewing Room for life at $0/month after the one-time $249.

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