Foto Master

AI Hot Folder Overview

Updated 5 days ago · 5 min readBeginner

AI HotFolder is Foto Master's cloud-connected hot folder application for sending event photos to a Foto Master Cloud gallery automatically. Built with Flutter for Windows desktop, AI HotFolder watches a selected folder for new images and either uploads them directly to the selected event gallery or sends them through one of Foto Master's Cloud AI features before the final result is added to the gallery.

Instead of opening a browser, selecting files manually, or uploading one photo at a time, operators can point AI HotFolder at a folder and let the app handle the flow in the background.

How AI HotFolder Works

AI HotFolder operates on a folder-driven, cloud-first workflow:
  1. An operator signs in with a Foto Master Cloud account that has an active AI HotFolder license
  2. The operator selects an event from the events available to that account
  3. The operator selects a watch folder on the Windows computer
  4. AI HotFolder monitors the folder for new image files and scans existing files when monitoring starts
  5. Each photo is added to the local queue after the app confirms the file has finished copying
  6. AI HotFolder uploads the photo directly to the gallery, or sends it to the selected Cloud AI feature
  7. Foto Master Cloud adds the result to the event gallery so guests can view, share, and download it
This design makes AI HotFolder useful for workflows where photos are produced by another capture system, camera tethering software, sync folder, network share, or manual file drop. The capture tool only needs to place images in the watched folder; AI HotFolder handles the connection to Foto Master Cloud.

Key Features

Automatic Folder Monitoring

  • Live watch folder -- AI HotFolder watches one selected folder for new photos
  • Backfill scan on start -- Existing photos in the folder are scanned when monitoring begins
  • File stability check -- The app waits until a file has stopped changing before processing it
  • Duplicate protection -- Photos already completed for the selected event are not uploaded again
  • Supported upload formats -- JPG, JPEG, PNG, and WebP are accepted for processing

Direct Gallery Upload

AI HotFolder can run with no AI effect selected. In this mode, every accepted photo is uploaded to the selected event gallery as-is.

This is useful when you want a simple automated bridge between a local folder and a Foto Master Cloud gallery, without changing the original image.

Cloud AI Processing

AI HotFolder supports the built-in Foto Master Cloud AI feature set:
  • Background Removal
  • Cartoon
  • Draw Me
  • Face Cutout
  • Face Swap
  • Face Switch
  • Headshot
  • Line 2 Life
  • Oldify
  • Style Pop
  • Sharpener
  • Modify
  • Combine
  • Image to Video
Each AI feature uses its own configuration panel where available. For example, Cartoon includes style choices, Headshot includes model and scene options, Style Pop can use automatic or custom prompts, and Image to Video can use different video generation models.

Event-Based Queue

AI HotFolder keeps a separate queue history for each event:
  • Waiting -- The photo is queued and ready to process
  • Processing -- The photo is currently uploading or being sent to Cloud AI
  • Done -- The photo finished successfully
  • Failed -- The photo could not be processed and needs attention

Queue history is saved locally, so the app can remember which photos were already completed for an event. This helps prevent accidental re-uploads when the app is restarted or when the operator starts monitoring a folder that already contains images.

Real-Time Dashboard and Queue View

The app interface is organized into four main tabs:
  • Dashboard -- Select the event, sync the event list, open the gallery, and choose the watch folder
  • Queue -- Monitor waiting, processing, completed, and failed photos
  • AI Config -- Choose whether photos upload as-is or use a Cloud AI feature
  • Settings -- View account/license information, enable logging, and log out
The Queue tab shows thumbnails, file names, status indicators, selected AI feature, progress, and error messages when something fails.

Retry and Recovery

  • Persistent queue -- Queue state is saved to disk per event
  • Retry failed items -- Failed items can be retried after fixing the issue
  • Session-safe event handling -- Photos are pinned to the selected event when processing starts, helping prevent results from being sent to the wrong gallery
  • Logging for support -- Activity logs are stored locally for troubleshooting

Account and License

AI HotFolder is available to Foto Master customers whose Cloud account includes AI HotFolder access. Users sign in with their regular Foto Master account email and password; the app checks the account automatically and opens only when the license is active.
  • Sign in with your Foto Master Cloud account
  • The app remembers your sign-in between sessions
  • License information is shown in the Settings tab
  • If access is missing or expired, the app will show a sign-in/license message
AI HotFolder works with Foto Master Cloud events, so the account should already have at least one event created before photos can be sent to a gallery.

Platform Support

AI HotFolder is designed for Windows event computers.
- Windows 10 or Windows 11
- A stable internet connection
- A Foto Master Cloud account with AI HotFolder access
- At least one Cloud event ready to receive photos

Local Files and Logs

On Windows, AI HotFolder stores its local app data under:
- `C:\AIHotFolder\settings.json` -- Saved settings such as selected event, watch folder, AI configuration, and logging preference
- `C:\AIHotFolder\Log.log` -- Application log file when logging is enabled
- `C:\AIHotFolder\<Event Name>\queue.json` -- Per-event queue history

Operators normally do not need to edit these files. Support may ask for the log file or queue file when troubleshooting.

Getting Started

  1. Install AI HotFolder on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer
  2.  Launch the app and sign in with your Foto Master Cloud account
  3. Select the event that should receive the photos
  4. Choose the folder AI HotFolder should watch
  5. Open the AI Config tab and select either None for direct upload or one of the available Cloud AI features
  6. Click Start to begin monitoring
  7. Drop photos into the watch folder and monitor progress from the Queue tab

💡 Tip: AI HotFolder does not delete, move, or modify the original files in the watch folder. It reads the source photo, sends it to Foto Master Cloud, and leaves the original file in place.

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