Idiot's Guide to Funtography.
game boy camera - b album - animation - shutterbug - space fever - nintendo game boy - stamps - paint - printer
Hi there! This thing is quite large, but serves as a one stop knowledge for most anything GBCam.
FAQ
Q: What does the Run Option do?
A: Actually, it doesn't do much of anything. It just asks you who are you running from. Other that that, it's just put there to make the SHOOT menu look like an RPG. Although I've never seen SHOOT as a choice in any RPG before, except EarthBound.
Q: Who are YOU running from?
A: Democracy, dignity, thoughtlessness, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Oh, and the man with a mask and a hook.
Q: How does the Camera's eye move?
A: Well, you must move it manually. Get a soft grip on the eye and turn it (180 degrees and to the left only!) so that you can see what is in front of you.
Q: What should I do if the camera breaks?
A: For info on replacing any game or system call Nintendo at 1-800-255-3700. Nintendo sells some vital parts online at Nintendo Store.
Q: Will Game Boy Camera work with Game Boy Color?
A: Yes, but not in the way you are thinking. It won't take your pictures in full color. A game must be Game Boy Color enhanced to use the Game Boy Color's 56 color palette. No, there is probably not a secret in the game to get color pictures. It's not that simple putting color in just any game, it takes memory and programming time.
Q: What kind of Game Boy do I need to play? Will it not work with Game Boy?
A: It will work on any version of Game Boy.
Q: Is there a player's guide out for it?
A: Yes, that would be the Game Boy Camera Funtography Guide. It's in stores now. It is not like the other Nintendo PG's, it's smaller and made of harder paper.
Q: Do I have to pay to refill my printer paper?
A: Yeah, it's MSRP 10$ for 3 rolls.
Q: Does the camera function without the printer?
A: Yes, it works fine.
Q: What are game faces?
A: You can put them in the 4 games included on GB Camera.
Q: I need a manual!
A: That is a command, not a question. Anyways, if you need a manual and you are in the U.S. go to Nintendo Store. If you're not, you need to find someone that will deliver worldwide.
Q: Can I delete all my pictures at once?
A: Yes. On the main screen press select, choose EDIT, then ALBUM and at the Album screen press Up, Select, and Start at the same time. It'll say DELETE ALL PHOTOS? A-YES B-NO.
Q: Where can I go on the net for Game Boy Camera info?
A: Well, there is here, and then there is Funtography.Com.
Q: Can I print the comment that I put on my pictures?
A: Sure can. To print your picture with its comment, press Start so the thought bubble appears on the Print/Cancel Screen, then press A.

Q: How do I get my GB Camera Pictures on a computer?

1. print them on GB Printer and scan them 2. use a "Snappy!" device with your Super Game Boy on SNES 3. Find out how to get a GB Printer Emulator and link your Game Boy to your PC. (If this sounds totally foreign, then don't try it.)

BASICS
Hot Spot

With Hot-Spot, you can put invisible buttons that cause magical things to happen. Like hyperlinks on a web site, you can click on these invisible buttons, and they will take you to another photo, plus play a sound or do a fade in effect. By underlaying your pictures with hot-spots, you can network your pictures, and make them more like a presentation.

When you select Hot Spot on the Special Menu (press select on the main menu), you will be asked to pick a picture from your A Album. (B Album pics will require that you make a copy.) You can put up to 5 spots on every picture. That means a total of 90 spots in your album are possible. Choose one of the hot spot balls, then go up to your picture and lay it in the appropriate spot.

You will be asked to pick your effects after you lay the spot down. Hold down A and press up or down to choose which Sound Effect, which Fade-in Effect, and which picture you want to go to. You don't have to choose a varible for every field; this means that you might make a button that makes the phone ring. Or the dog bark. Or the screen scramble. It's unlimited.

So, have you finished your hot-spot creation? You can go to view, then choose show, and you will have an option to choose your "Hot Spot Browser". Remember, you won't see the spots, you will just have to click around and remember where you put them.

DJ Mode

Not only is Game Boy Camera good for doing pictures, you can make music also. When you first activate the Play Screen, shoot the spaceship emblazoned with the letter "D" to dock into DJ Mode, where you'll be able to compose a three-track, 16-beat song. For inspiration, you can give a listen to the camera's four sample songs.

Your first decision is, do you want to use a Sample song, a Saved song, or make a new one. You can only save one, and saving over it will automatically erase the other one. The four sample songs are permanent in the Camera's memory but you can remix them then save them if you want. Then you pick a face. 1 is a mustached guy, 2 is an asian girl, and ? is your custom face. You are shown at the DJ Board with your song playing. Here are your options.

Tempo - change the speed, you can go from 15 bpm to 240
Sound 1/Sound 2/Noise/ - you can switch them on and off from the song
SE - sound effects, 9 different ones to use, #9 is London Bridge
Scratch - hold left or right at the board to reverse and speed up your song.

Sound 1 - Program in the first note for Sound I by using the Control Pad to highlight the first box in the row of 16. While holding the A button, move the Control Pad sideways to place the cursor on the piano key that you want to hear during the beat. Release the A Button once your cursor is on the key of choice, then repeat the process, plugging in the remaining notes. If you want to program an interval of silence, select the leftmost key which is a rest. This will make the box that represents its beat remain white, while any beat with a note assigned to it will appear black. Once you've programmed all of the notes for Sound I, move the cursor to highlight the Duty, envelope, Modulation and Loop controls, then hold the A Button to adjust thier settings.

Sound 2 - Hit Select to switch. Sound 2 is the second music track that will play during your compositon. Program the notes and tweak the controls like what you did with Sound 1. WAVE NOTE: If you want to customize your waveform, you must choose the third wave box. When you choose it it is 4 squares going opposite directions. Hold A and press right and left to choose part of the wave. Press up or down to change it.

Noise - Press Select again to get the Noise Track. There are two kinds of noises or "notes" in this mode. The default is Noise 1 (drum), but change it to Noise 2 (techno) by pressing up or down when choosing the note. If you are using headphones, hold A and press left or right to change which speaker the noise comes out of.

Games
Ball

History: Ball was one of the first Game and Watch games released, a series of handheld games by Gumpei Yokoi. The only difference between the new Ball and the old is... well... you can't put your face in the old one.

To Play: You are juggling 3 balls. If you hit the ball with your hand, it will bounce up. If it falls, game over. Left or B to move Left, Right or A to move Right. Sometimes Left and A can feel more natural. If you want to get B Album pictures, you'll have to get 500-1000 points. The first three game faces are shown while you play, and the fourth face will be shown (inversed) when you lose.

Space Fever II

History: Space Fever was an arcade game by Nintendo that played like Space Invaders. It may be tough to find this one in the arcade, judging that it is almost 20 years old. But you can play it on Arcade Emulators for your computer.

To play: A is to shoot, B is the suicide button. At the start of the game, you see three ships. Shoot them to start a game, "?" is Run! (you have to earn it first, see secrets page), D.J. Mode is "D", and Ball is "B". If you don't shoot any of the ships, you start playing Space Fever II. The ship's point value is: Biggest - 30 Average - 10 Small - 5. In addition, shooting a beam gets one point, and shooting 2 ships at once will give you double points.

The small ones come first, they do not shoot, they just move. The average ones are next in line, they act like the small ones except they shoot. Then the biggest ones come, they do not shoot, but each one hides behind two average ships that do. There are 3 rounds. After you beat Round 3, you go back to Round 1. Easy enough? It will get faster each time. To beat each one of the bosses in each round, the best thing is to stay in the center and shoot as fast as you can. You will shoot all of his beams and some will get through to the boss. This isn't always reliable though! Use your best judgement.

SECRETS

The B Album

The B Album is an album of pictures that are already in the camera itself. You get B01-B16 automatically, but once you start using your camera, you will complete tasks that unlock the hidden B Album pictures. Some are funny, some are weird, some are useful. Here are the tasks.
b17: Shoot 60 Pics
b18: Delete 60 Pics
b19: Transfer 15 Pics
b20: Receive 5 Pics from Males
b21: Receive 5 Pics from Females
b22: Print 30 Pics
b23: Score 3,000 Points in Space Fever II
b24: Score 5,000 Points in Space Fever II
b25: Score 7,000 Points in Space Fever II
b26: Score 500 Points in Ball
b27: Score 700 Points in Ball
b28: Score 1,000 Points in Ball
b29: Finish Run! Run! Run! in 17 Seconds
b30: Finish Run! Run! Run! in 16 Seconds

Run! Run! Run!

To get Run! Run! Run! you must play Space Fever II and get a high score of 2,000 points. Some people find Space Fever II hard to play, but if you stay in the middle of your screen and stay still, pressing A as fast as you can, you should be able to play to at least 2,000. Keep practicing.
To play Run! Run! Run! Press A and B as fast as you can. Press Up to jump over hurdles. The mole will be your toughest opponent. If you raise the flag after beating the game in First Place, fireworks will go off.

Wild Frames

The wild frames are extra large frames that you can use to spruce up your Game Boy Camera pictures when you print them out. These frames can only be found when you choose to print a picture. To select from the wild frames, press select on the print screen. You will be asked to choose exposure or frames, choose frames, then you may pick normal, or wild. OK, so they may not be actual "secrets", but they are a feature that some may not find as fast.

Other Tricks

Flip Stamp
To flip a stamp, hold A for about two seconds then release.
Test Print
If you have the Printer, hold feed while turning it on for a test print. It is Mario saying "hello".
Unlock Credits
To unlock the credits get 22 seconds in Run! Run! Run!
Print out DJ Music
To print out sheet music for your DJ stuff, go to the Sound I screen, push and hold Start then press A.
Speed Control
Holding Up and Down at the Title Screen will make Mario dance faster or slower. This trick also works for Slide Show and the Mouth in "View".
FILE CABINET
Wild Frames Chart
Download all the B Album pictures in a .zip file
Stamp Chart
Game Boy Camera Credits

Well, that's it! Do you feel stupid? That's the spirit!