Capture Basics
Capture is what operators do all day. These exercises drill the four-area model, the three item-creation paths, sequence options decision logic, and the spin/stills/folder/frame mental hierarchy. Exercise 6 (production workflow design) is the test of whether you can think like a studio manager about throughput.
Exercise 1 — Capture interface areas
Fill in what each of the four main areas of the Capture interface contains:
| # | Area | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Item information | |
| 1.2 | Folders, frames & images | |
| 1.3 | Hardware configuration | |
| 1.4 | Sequence control |
Tip: re-read Section 1 of textbook.
Exercise 2 — Item creation path
For each scenario, decide which item creation path to use: Manual, CSV import, or Auto-create via barcode scanner.
| # | Scenario | Path |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Single hero product for a marketing campaign, no barcode | |
| 2.2 | 500 SKUs of inventory coming from warehouse, each with an existing barcode | |
| 2.3 | Apparel collection (40 items) where dimensions, names, colors are already in customer’s Excel | |
| 2.4 | One-off custom item that arrived without prior data | |
| 2.5 | Continuous production line where items are scanned as they enter the bay |
Tip: Section 3 of textbook.
Exercise 3 — Folder type decision
For each customer request, decide which folder type(s) to create: Spin, Stills, Video, or combination.
| # | Customer request | Folder(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | E-shop wants 36-frame 360 viewer for handbag product detail page | |
| 3.2 | Hero image for product card on category page | |
| 3.3 | Multi-row 3D model of antique watch for AR app | |
| 3.4 | Looping social media video of jewelry rotating | |
| 3.5 | All three: e-shop wants spin + hero image + social video for same SKU |
Tip: one item can have multiple folders.
Exercise 4 — Sequence options match
For each studio scenario, decide which sequence option settings to enable / disable:
| # | Scenario | Normal vs Fast-shot | Pause on frame | Edit auto | Elevate auto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 500 SKUs of light handbags, shutter cable, production volume | ||||
| 4.2 | Heavy unbalanced object, careful capture, manual review | ||||
| 4.3 | Product animation (one frame at a time with visible motion) | ||||
| 4.4 | Standard daily Operator workflow, items have dimensions in CSV |
Exercise 5 — Robot movement vocabulary
For each movement, write what the operator is doing and what hardware supports it:
| # | Movement | Operator intent | Hardware that supports it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Turn | ||
| 5.2 | Swing | ||
| 5.3 | Lift |
Plus: 5.4 Why is Calibration mandatory before first configuring movement?
Answer:
Exercise 6 — Production workflow design
Scenario: A new customer wants to set up a daily production workflow for 200 SKUs / day of handbag photography. Each SKU needs: 36-frame 360° spin (e-shop product detail), 1 hero still image (product card), Freemask background removal (transparent background). They’ve sent you an Excel with all SKUs including dimensions. They have PhotoRobot Cube V6 + PhotoRobot shutter cable + Canon DSLR + 4 FOMEI strobes via LAN Transceiver.
Design the workflow. Answer the design questions below.
6.1. Item creation — which path? Justify.
Answer:
6.2. Workspace setup — what gets configured? (Refer back to B05 if needed.)
Answer:
6.3. Folder structure per item — what folders, how many frames per folder?
Answer:
6.4. Sequence options — which to enable / disable, and why?
Answer:
6.5. Freemask configuration — what light setup makes Freemask work in this scenario?
Answer:
6.6. Preset strategy — what should the operator save as preset, and how do they assign it to all 200 items?
Answer:
6.7. Time budget — given Fast-shot enabled, 36 frames, 1 still per item, estimate time-per-item end-to-end (rotation + capture + edit auto + storage). 30-60 seconds? Show your reasoning.
Answer:
Exercise 7 — Pre-flight checklist
Before your first hands-on session in B07 Wizard mode or B11 Editing images:
If you can’t tick all nine, re-read the relevant section of textbook.md before moving on.
Solutions
Don’t look here until you’ve finished the exercises.
Exercise 1 — Capture interface areas
- 1.1 — Current item, capture status toggle (Captured / Edited / Recapture / Fix Editing), comments, Next / Previous navigation, item status filter, barcode button if item has barcode
- 1.2 — Spin / Stills / Video folders inside the item, frame thumbnails (Original + Edited images), test shots, folder menu (add/delete/copy/move/import/3D model), per-frame menu (label, change angle, pause, mark for retouch)
- 1.3 — Robot movements (Turn / Swing / Lift) with position / speed / calibration; camera Live View + exclude; lights position / power / intensity
- 1.4 — Play / Emergency Stop / Take Snapshot; sequence options panel (workspace, Normal vs Fast-shot, Pause on frame, Edit auto, Elevate auto, Optimise arm)
Exercise 2 — Item creation path
- 2.1 — Manual. Single item, no prior data.
- 2.2 — CSV import + barcode field per item. Fastest for high volume with existing data.
- 2.3 — CSV import. Excel-to-CSV is straightforward; preserves dimensions and metadata.
- 2.4 — Manual. No prior data to import.
- 2.5 — Auto-create via barcode scanner. Item identification at point-of-capture, zero pre-creation work.
Exercise 3 — Folder type decision
- 3.1 — Spin folder (36 frames)
- 3.2 — Stills folder (1 hero image)
- 3.3 — Spin folder with multiple rows (different swing angles) — enables 3D model generation via photogrammetry
- 3.4 — Video folder
- 3.5 — All three: Spin + Stills + Video — each is a separate folder inside the same item
Exercise 4 — Sequence options
- 4.1 — Fast-shot, Pause off, Edit auto on, Elevate auto on (dimensions exist via CSV → automate)
- 4.2 — Normal (heavy unbalanced needs stop-and-shoot), Pause off, Edit auto off (manual review per request), Elevate as needed
- 4.3 — Normal mode with Pause on frame ON (animation needs frame-by-frame visible motion)
- 4.4 — Fast-shot, Pause off, Edit auto on, Elevate auto on — standard production setup
Exercise 5 — Robot movement vocabulary
- 5.1 — Turn: rotation of the turntable around its vertical axis. Hardware: most turntable PhotoRobots (Cube, Carousel, Centerless Table, Turning Platform).
- 5.2 — Swing: vertical angle of camera relative to turntable (0° = level, 90° = top-down). Hardware: Robotic Arm V8, Frame; some Carousel configurations.
- 5.3 — Lift: camera vertical elevation. Hardware: Robotic Arm V8 (32cm elevator range), Frame, some custom mounts.
5.4. Calibration sets the robot’s internal zero / reference position. Without calibration, angle inputs are relative to whatever current physical position is, leading to misaligned spins. Always run Calibration before first-time movement config.
Exercise 6 — Production workflow design
6.1. CSV import — customer’s Excel converts to CSV easily, dimensions included, 200 items batched in one operation.
6.2. Workspace: Cube V6 (Add robot), Fast-Shot Slot 2 (PhotoRobot cable), Canon DSLR via USB, set camera angle (Cube has no swing), 4 FOMEI strobes via FOMEI LAN Transceiver, position assignments (Product left/right for front, Background top/bottom for Freemask mask lighting).
6.3. Two folders per item: Spin (36 frames) + Stills (1 hero frame). Both Freemask-enabled.
6.4. Fast-shot ON (production volume), Pause off (continuous), Edit auto ON (auto-mask + crop applied), Elevate auto ON (uses CSV dimensions). Lighting + Freemask handled per frame via mask checkbox.
6.5. Freemask mask checkbox enabled. Lighting: front lights (Product left/right) on for main image, then automatically switched off + back lights (Background top/bottom) on for mask image. Workspace must have lights assigned positions correctly so CAPP knows which to switch.
6.6. Preset: save settings combining Spin (36 frames, Fast-shot, Freemask), Stills (1 frame, Freemask), light positions, camera config. Assign: during CSV import, include preset name per row → all 200 items get preset auto-applied. Or: select all items in Items menu → Assign preset → choose preset → confirm.
6.7. Time per item (Fast-shot, 36 frames Spin + 1 still + Edit auto + cloud upload):
- Spin: ~10-15 sec (Fast-shot, ~3-4 frames/sec)
- Still: ~3 sec (single shot)
- Edit auto: ~5-10 sec (background removal + crop running in parallel with next item setup)
- Cloud upload: parallel, doesn’t block next capture
- Estimated end-to-end: ~30-45 sec per item. For 200 items → ~2-3 hours of pure capture time + setup / break time.
This is the kind of math that determines pricing and customer expectations. Manage carefully.
Done?
When you’ve worked through all exercises and reviewed the solutions, ask your instructor (or self-administer) the module knowledge check: 5 questions drawn from a pool of 12.
Knowledge check is not graded for certification — it’s diagnostic. If you score low, re-read the relevant textbook section and try again. Then proceed to module B07 — Wizard mode, B08 — Camera configuration, or B11 — Editing images, depending on your priority.