Event Host Guide

What each part of PhotoStream.Live does, and the options available to you.

Looking for the page to share with guests? That's your guest instructions page — it shows guests how to send photos to your specific event. This page is for you, the host.

How it works

The posting window

We extend your live stream start and end times by a margin either side, as a courtesy. That extended period is the posting window: the time during which your live stream can receive posts.

  • Opens 2 hours before your start time.
  • Closes 24 hours after your end time.

Posts sent outside the window are not accepted.

How guests post

Guests do not need an app or an account. There are two channels, set when you create your event.

QR guest upload

Guests scan your event QR code with their phone camera, or open the upload page link directly. Both lead to the same upload page, where they choose photos or videos from their phone and send them. Available for events anywhere.

MMS US and Canada only

Guests text photos and videos to a phone number assigned to your event after payment. It appears on your event page, printable cards and guest instructions once it is ready.

Both channels feed the same stream, the same gallery and the same download.

Before your event

Memory photos

Memory photos are photos and videos you upload yourself, rather than ones guests send in. You add them from Manage Live Posts on your event page.

They appear on the stream alongside guest posts, so the stream has something to show before any guest has posted. You can upload them before the event or while it is running, and archive them like any other post.

Printable QR cards

Printable cards show your event QR code and posting details. Download them from your event page in three sizes:

  • Letter and A4 — full page, for walls and signage.
  • 4 × 6 — card size, for tables.

The cards include your MMS number if your event has one. If it is still being assigned, generate the cards again once the number appears on your event page.

You do not have to print anything. The QR upload page has its own link, which you can share digitally instead — in a group chat, an invitation, or an email. It opens the same upload page as the QR code.

What locks 24 hours before

Twenty-four hours before your start time, the Setup page closes. This keeps the event details, posting routes and moderation configuration stable as the event approaches.

Locked 24 hrs before

  • Date, time and timezone
  • Posting channels (QR code and MMS)
  • Moderation setting

Editable at any time

  • Layout, columns and image sizing
  • Rotation on/off, order and speed
  • Captions and post details
  • QR access mode, guest name and limits
  • On-screen instructions and QR display
  • Branding and gallery visibility
  • Memory photos

To change something in the locked list after that point, reply to any of our emails.

Changing package. A Standard event can be upgraded to Complete from your Setup page or the event card on your events dashboard, up until setup locks. You pay the difference between the two package prices, and moderation, branding, the longer retention period and the longer maximum stream length switch on straight away. After setup locks, reply to any of our emails.

Settings and customization

These are all on the Settings page for your event, and can be changed at any time, including while your event is running.

QR access and limits

Access mode

Controls what a guest has to do before they can upload. Three options:

  • Open — no check. Anyone who opens the upload page can post.
  • Password — the guest enters a password that you set and share.
  • Email — the guest enters an email address and clicks a link sent to it.

Require guest name

On or off. When on, the guest enters a name before uploading. The name is shown with their posts if captions are on.

Show captions on stream

On or off. Controls whether guest names and captions appear under posts on the stream.

Upload limits

Two optional caps. Both are blank by default, which means no limit.

  • Max uploads per session — how many a guest can send in one sitting.
  • Max uploads per event/day — how many can be sent to the event per day.

Terms

Guests always accept the terms before their first upload. This is not optional and there is no setting for it.

Stream display and branding

These control how the stream looks on screen. What you set here is how the stream loads; anyone viewing it can also adjust the display from the gear icon on the stream page itself.

Layout

  • Columns — how many photos across the grid.
  • Image sizing — retain aspect ratio, or stretch to fill.
  • Background — the PhotoStream pattern, or black.

Rotation

  • On or off — whether the stream cycles through older posts.
  • Order — last to first, or random.
  • Interval — how long each photo shows before rotating.

QR code on the stream

  • Display mode — overlay, footer rotation, footer pinned, or hidden.
  • Overlay position — which corner or edge it sits in.
  • QR size — small, medium or large.

Other display options

  • Instructions — show or hide the guest instruction banner at the bottom.
  • Post footers — show or hide the source icon under each post.
  • Days display limit — limit the stream to posts from the last N days.

Branding Complete package

  • Stream title — shown at the top of the stream and in the browser tab.
  • Instruction message — replaces the default text in the instruction banner.
  • Accent colour — the colour of the stream footer.
  • Logo — your logo in the stream footer. PNG, JPEG, GIF or WebP, up to 2MB.

Every display setting explained → — with defaults for each one.

On the day

Putting it on a big screen

The live stream is a web page, built for a projector, TV or large monitor. Open the link on the device connected to the screen and put the browser in full screen.

The stream updates on its own as posts arrive, so it can be left running for the whole event.

Projector and TV setup instructions → — HDMI, Apple TV, Chromecast, phones and laptops.

Moderation

Moderation controls whether posts go on the stream automatically or wait for your approval. It is chosen when you create your event live stream, or set in Setup, and locked 24 hours before your event starts.

Off

Every post goes on the stream as it arrives.

AI moderation

Every post is checked automatically. Posts that pass go on the stream. Posts that do not pass are held in Moderate Posts and do not appear until you decide on them.

Manual moderation

Every post is held in Moderate Posts. Nothing appears on the stream until you approve it.

Working the queue

For each held post you have two options:

  • Approve — the post goes on the stream.
  • Archive — the post stays off the stream and out of the gallery.

You can act on posts one at a time, or select several and approve or archive them together. Neither option deletes anything — see Archiving and managing posts.

Archiving and managing posts

How you manage posts

Archiving hides a post. It does not delete it.

With moderation
Awaiting moderation
Needs your decision
Choose one action
Approve
Live posts
Visible on your stream
Archive
Archived posts
Hidden, not deleted
On every event
Live posts
Manage them in Manage Live Posts
Archive Unarchive
Archived posts
Restore them from Archived Posts

A post archived before approval returns to moderation when you unarchive it.

Manage Live Posts lists your approved, non-archived posts, newest first. It is available on every event, with or without moderation.

Archiving

Archiving a post removes it from the stream and the gallery. You can archive one post, or select several and archive them together.

Archiving does not delete. Archived posts move to Archived Posts, stay there as long as your event media is kept, and are still included in your download.

Unarchiving

From Archived Posts, select posts and unarchive them. Posts that were live return to the stream and gallery. A post archived before approval returns to moderation.

Uploading your own posts

You can upload photos and videos yourself from Manage Live Posts at any time, including during the event. They appear on the stream like any other post.

After your event

Collecting and sharing your photos

The stream stops displaying at your event end time. Posting stays open for another 24 hours, so guests can still send photos after the event has finished.

Download

Open Download from your event's card, choose whether to include archived posts or posts awaiting moderation, then generate the zip. We build it in the background and email you when it is ready. If new posts arrive afterwards, the download page will offer to regenerate it.

Stats and export

Stats shows posting activity over time, which channels guests used, media types and contributor activity. The full posting history can be exported as a CSV.

Gallery

The gallery is a mobile-friendly page where guests can browse and download the event's photos themselves, without an account. It is hidden until you turn on gallery visibility in Settings.

How long we keep your photos

How long your media stays available depends on your package:

PackageMedia available for
Standard30 days
Complete1 year

The period starts when posting closes, 24 hours after your event end time. Post-event emails show the exact date for your event.

What is removed

Generated download zips, every post in Manage Live Posts and Archived Posts, the gallery, and the media behind your stats. The posting history CSV export is not media and is not affected.

We email you a week before the date, and again the day before. A zip you have already downloaded is yours and is not affected.