RUFUS Race Photos helps you associate event photos with participants using bib-number detection, facial matching and manual assignment. Once you review and publish the photos, they appear in the participant's details view in the RUFUS Event App.
Availability: beta, with access approved for your organization. Facial matching also requires that capability to be enabled and separate participant consent.
Before you start
- Have a published event with the participant records and bib numbers needed for matching.
- Open the event's Race Photos section in RUFUS Cloud. Request beta access if your organization does not yet have it.
- Prepare JPEG, PNG or WebP files. The current limits are 1 KB to 30 MB per file and 10,000 photos per event.
- For facial matching, capture a suitable check-in portrait and record the participant's separate, optional face-matching consent.
1. Configure photo settings
Choose whether to suggest participants from bib numbers, consented portraits or both. Review the photo retention period and watermark settings. You can use the event logo, with a RUFUS fallback, and adjust its position, size and opacity.
You can keep the public gallery closed while you upload and review photos. Save your settings.
2. Upload a batch
Choose files or a folder, or drag photos into the upload area. Give the batch a useful name and, if relevant, add the shooting location.
Select the race whose participants should be considered for matching, or choose all races. This selection affects both bib and facial suggestions.
Wait for upload and image processing to finish. If an upload is interrupted, retry the remaining files. Reselecting the same folder skips files already uploaded.
3. Review the suggested participants
Open a photo to inspect it and its suggestions. Bib matching reads visible numbers and compares them with participant records. Facial matching uses eligible, consented check-in portraits.
Check each suggested participant before accepting it. Reject incorrect suggestions. If no useful match appears, search by name or bib and assign the participant manually. A photo can be associated with more than one participant.
Recognition is a matching aid; suggestions need your review before they become confirmed assignments.
4. Publish the photos and open the gallery
A photo must finish processing and have at least one accepted participant assignment before it can be published.
Publish the photos you have reviewed and enable the public photo gallery in settings. Both are needed for participant galleries to show the images.
In the RUFUS Event App, open the event, find the participant and open the Photos tab in their details. Check that the intended images appear and that a watermarked download works.
Published participant galleries are public. Participants can download watermarked photos for free.
5. Maintain the gallery
Use Hide to remove a photo from public view without deleting it. Deleting a photo hides it immediately and permanently removes its image files.
Watermark changes apply to new uploads. To update existing photos, select them and regenerate their images, then review and publish them again. Retention changes also apply to new uploads; existing photos keep their original expiry dates.
Common questions
Why isn't facial matching suggesting a participant?
Check that facial matching is enabled, the participant has a valid separate consent and their portrait is ready for matching. Use a clear portrait with exactly one face. Also check the selected race: a participant in another race is excluded from that matching scope. The face-matching status panel helps identify missing consent, portraits awaiting processing or portraits that need to be retaken.
Why can't I publish a photo?
It may still be processing or may have no accepted participant assignment. Review its status and accept a valid match or assign a participant manually.
Why doesn't a published photo appear in a participant's details?
Check that the public gallery is open, the photo is still available and unexpired, and the assignment to that participant is accepted.
Does declining facial matching prevent someone from getting race photos?
No. Bib matching and manual assignment remain available. Operational portrait consent and facial-matching consent are separate choices.
What happens when facial-matching consent is withdrawn or expires?
Future facial matching stops. Previously confirmed photo assignments remain until removed or the photos expire. Face references expire with the portrait or within 30 days of consent, whichever comes first. Race photos follow their own retention setting, up to 365 days after upload. Handle requests to remove published images separately.