Gemini AI Photo Booth: A Custom API Photo Experience for a Google Event

How we built a custom Gemini AI photo booth for a Google event — real-time generative portraits powered by the Gemini API and Google Cloud, a bespoke branded UI, and live AI prints in guests' hands in under 30 seconds.

When you're tasked with creating an activation for a Google event, you aren't just providing entertainment — you're representing the frontier of event technology (no pressure). The brief for this project was clear: move beyond the "filter" and build a truly generative, interactive experience that showed off the power of the Gemini API and Google Cloud in a way that felt like magic to attendees.

Here's how we pulled it off.

The Goal: Transform Guest Portraits Into Interactive Art

The objective was a "wow" moment that would land with a tech-savvy audience — and static overlays were never going to get there. Instead, we used generative AI to analyze and reimagine guest portraits in real time. The Gemini API let the booth understand the context of each photo and apply sophisticated, high-fidelity transformations unique to every individual who stepped in front of the lens.

No two guests started with the same photo, so no two guests walked away with the same art. That's the difference between a filter and a one-of-a-kind AI photo booth experience — and this one was ready to show off live for attendees.

The Technical Foundation: Gemini API and Google Cloud

A custom AI photo booth takes more than a clever prompt; it takes a robust architecture behind the curtain. We used Google Cloud to handle the heavy lifting of backend processing, so the system stayed fast and responsive even during peak event hours. Integrating the Gemini API put Google's most capable AI models behind the image-to-image transformations, which bought us:

• Contextual understanding. The AI intelligently stylized each subject while maintaining their likeness (still unmistakably you).
• Low latency. Complex generative tasks processed in seconds, keeping the energy of the activation high.
• Reliability. A stable environment that handled hundreds of unique guest journeys without a hitch.

Bespoke UI/UX: Why Custom Software Matters for Brand Activations

For this activation, "off the shelf" was not an option. We developed a bespoke user interface from the ground up so the experience felt as sleek as the technology powering it.

The custom UX was frictionless by design, guiding guests through capture and AI style selection with ease — all while keeping Google and Gemini branding at the forefront of the experience. Because we control the entire software stack (that's the advantage of in-house bespoke software design), we aligned the aesthetic perfectly with Google's brand guidelines. The booth read as a native part of the event ecosystem, not a third-party add-on.

The "Wow" Factor: From Digital Art to Physical Keepsake

The true magic happened at the output stage. While the AI transformation was rendering in the cloud, guests were already engaged with the next step:

• Live AI prints. Seconds after the Gemini API finished its transformation, a high-quality physical print was in the guest's hand.
• Instant digital delivery. Guests could scan a QR code or text the AI-generated masterpiece to themselves for immediate social sharing.

Watching a generative AI creation travel from screen to physical print in under 30 seconds delivered the ultimate "wow" — and kept a line at the booth all night.

The Styles: Nine Ways to Reimagine a Portrait

Want a sense of what this custom Gemini AI photo booth actually created? Straight from the booth, guests turned themselves into Little Big World miniatures, Microsoft Paint doodles, 3D cartoons, keychain figurines, action movie heroes, cartoon splash art, clay characters, double exposures, and holograms.

The only limit? Your imagination!

Why an AI Photo Booth Is the Future of Corporate Activations

This activation proved a simple point: combine the right hardware with the power of the Gemini API and you create more than a photo — you create a conversation. Every print became a keepsake. Every scan became a share. Every transformation became a proof point that the brand behind it sits at the cutting edge.

For brands looking to demonstrate a real commitment to innovation, a custom-built AI experience is a tangible, fun, and highly shareable way to put the latest technology directly into your audience's hands. At Flashbulb Memories, we specialize in bridging the gap between physical events and the latest digital trends — it's the kind of white-glove project we live for (and our client reviews back that up).