Installation Guide

Step 1: Extract the Project

Download and extract the SnapCam project zip file to a folder on your computer. Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the project root directory (the folder that contains manage.py).

cd snapcam

Step 2: Create a Virtual Environment

Create a Python virtual environment to keep your project dependencies isolated.

python -m venv venv

Activate the virtual environment:

macOS / Linux:

source venv/bin/activate

Windows:

venv\Scripts\activate

You should see (venv) appear at the beginning of your terminal prompt after activation.

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Install all required Python packages using the requirements file.

pip install -r requirements.txt

This installs Django 5.2+, Pillow 10+, and any other packages the project depends on.

Step 4: Apply Database Migrations

Set up the SQLite3 database and create the Photo model table.

python manage.py migrate

This creates a db.sqlite3 file in your project root with the required database schema.

Step 5: Start the Development Server

Launch the Django development server.

python manage.py runserver

The server will start at http://127.0.0.1:8000/.

Step 6: Open the Application

Open your web browser and go to:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Your browser will ask for camera permission. Click Allow to enable the camera feed. The face-api.js detection models will load automatically from CDN on the first visit.

Step 7: Using SnapCam

Once the app loads and the camera feed appears:

1. Select a filter from the filter bar at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select a sticker from the sticker panel if you want AR effects.
3. Press the Capture button or hit the Space key to take a photo.
4. Use the Timer button to set a 3-second, 5-second, or 10-second countdown.
5. Click the camera toggle button to switch between front and rear cameras.
6. Click Gallery in the navigation bar to view, search, and manage saved photos.