How to take couple photos when you're long distance — three ways compared
Video-call screenshot, separate selfies, or an online photo booth — three ways for long-distance couples to get one photo taken together, compared by result, setup and cost.
One thing long-distance couples run out of is photos of the two of you. Selfies pile up on both sides, but the last photo with both of you in it is from the last visit. There are more ways to take a photo together online than most people try, and they produce very different results. Here they are, honestly compared.
Option 1 — Screenshot the video call
The fastest. FaceTime or any video call, then a screenshot. The result is a split screen: each room stays visible, and the photo shows you are in two places. Fine as a record; it does not feel like a photo taken together.
Option 2 — Take selfies separately and collage them
Each of you takes a selfie and a collage app puts them in a photo-strip frame. Agree on a pose beforehand and it looks decent. The limit is that it is not the same moment: smiles do not line up, and lighting, angle and scale differ, so it reads as two photos pasted together.
Option 3 — An online photo booth
Both of you stand at your cameras at the same time. AI removes each background live and places you side by side on one studio backdrop. Shots fire on a shared countdown, and because you see each other on screen you can line up shoulders or make a half heart each. How it works is covered in What is an online photo booth?
| Video-call screenshot | Separate selfies | Online photo booth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same moment | Yes | No | Yes (countdown) |
| Background | Each room | Each room, or cut out | Removed — one studio backdrop |
| Matching poses | Hard | Agreed in advance | Live, watching each other |
| What you get | A screenshot | A collage | A photo strip plus a behind-the-scenes clip |
| Setup | None | Install an app | One link, no app |
Which one to pick
- Just want a record, right now — screenshot the call. Fastest.
- Already have photos and want a nice frame — a collage app.
- Want one photo taken together — an online photo booth. The one condition: both of you at a camera at the same time.
Tips for the booth
- Both in good light. If one side is dark, that person looks pasted in.
- Match camera height. A laptop from below and a phone at eye level give mismatched face sizes.
- Call poses out loud. Voice is on in the booth — “hearts on three” is enough.
- Six shots, pick four. Blinked? Leave that one out. Retakes are free.
Common questions
- What about time zones?
- You only need to be at your cameras at the same time. The shoot itself takes about a minute.
- One on a phone, one on a laptop?
- Works. Any browser with a camera. Matching camera height helps.
- Does it cost anything?
- Shooting, previewing and downloading are free. Credits are used only when two people confirm a strip together, and sign-up credits cover the first one. Pricing.
Next call, send one link. No install, no sign-up.