Get Started with FeedBunk AI

For farms in our beta program — everything you need to go from camera to report: download the desktop app, set your camera up, mount it in the barn, and upload your photos. Not onboarded yet? Join the beta.

1 Download the desktop app

The FeedBunk AI Compressor app shrinks your trail-camera photos on your own computer, then uploads them for analysis. It handles SD cards with tens of thousands of images without breaking a sweat.

Signed for Mac and Windows, and tells you when a new version is ready. On Windows, a one-time warning may appear when you first open the installer — here’s how to get past it.

On Windows? Expect one warning the first time

Windows may show a blue “Windows protected your PC” screen when you open the installer. That’s normal for new software, even signed software, and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong. Click More info, then click Run anyway. You only need to do this once.

The blue Windows protected your PC screen with the More info link highlighted
Step 1: click More info.
The same screen after clicking More info, showing the FeedBunk AI Compressor installer details and the Run anyway button highlighted
Step 2: click Run anyway.

2 Camera settings

Any trail camera with a time-lapse mode works. Dial in these settings before you head to the barn.

Mode
Time lapse — not motion detection.
Interval
10 seconds. The format is often hh:mm:ss, so enter 00:00:10. Leave any “first shot time” or schedule window blank or off — the camera should shoot around the clock.
Photo resolution
The camera’s lowest setting at or above 4MP — typically the 4MP or 8MP option.
Timestamp overlay
ON — required. This is the date and time printed on each photo.
Date & time
24-hour time format. Set the date and time accurately before starting.
SD card
256GB, Class 10 / U3. Good for roughly two weeks or more at a 10-second interval at low resolution. Format the card in the camera once before first use — and never again mid-run.
Power
External power strongly recommended. Most trail cameras have a 12V DC jack, and solar panels work too. At a 10-second interval the camera never sleeps, and AA batteries may not last the full run.

3 Set up the camera in the barn

Three steps: settings, placement, start. Ten minutes with a ladder and a strap.

Step 1 Dial in the settings

Use the camera settings above — time-lapse mode, 10-second interval, low resolution, timestamp overlay on.

Step 2 Mount the camera

  • Near the beginning of the barn or pen.
  • At least 5 feet high — 6 feet or higher is ideal. Strap it to any vertical pole, post, bar, or fan.
  • Aim it down the alley so the opposite feed bunk fills as much of the frame as possible — the close edge of the opposite bunk should stay in frame all the way to the far end of the alley. There’s no exact angle: check the camera’s preview and adjust until you have it.
  • Out of reach of cows.
Actual trail-camera view down a freestall barn alley with the close edge of the opposite feed bunk visible to the far end and the timestamp overlay along the bottom
A well-placed camera: the opposite bunk’s close edge is visible all the way down the alley, timestamp overlay at the bottom.

Step 3 Start it and walk away

Power on (or toggle ON), press Start, and confirm the first shots fire. Close the case and leave it for 1–2 weeks. After 1–2 weeks, pull the SD card and follow the upload steps below.

4 Upload with the desktop app

Back at a computer, six steps take you from SD card to finished report.

  1. Install & open

    Open the file you downloaded. On Mac, drag Feedbunk AI Compressor into Applications. On Windows, run the installer — if a blue “Windows protected your PC” screen appears, click More info, then Run anyway (see the screenshots). The first time the app opens, accept the license agreement.

  2. Choose your photos or video

    Put the SD card in your computer. Drag the folder with your camera’s photos onto the app, or click Choose folder… and pick it. Recorded a timelapse video instead? Drag the video in, or click Choose video file… and pick it.

    Desktop app main screen with the Photos or video to compress drop area and the Choose folder and Choose video file buttons

  3. Check & compress

    The app shows what it found and suggests an output folder on your computer. Check the numbers, then click Start compression. It shrinks the photos to a small fraction of their original size, keeping the timestamps. It’s safe to close mid-job.

    Desktop app after choosing an SD card folder, showing Timelapse photos 12,340 photos, the suggested output folder, and the scan summary
    Desktop app compressing photos at 33 percent with live throughput and time-remaining stats

  4. Sign in & add the batch details

    When compression finishes, click Sign in in the upload panel and use your FeedBunk AI account — or click Create an account, which opens your browser to register. Enter your farm and barn name. If you’re uploading video, or your photos were taken more than 15 seconds apart, tick the box to confirm your camera’s capture interval.

    Desktop app upload panel, signed in, with farm, barn, and site names filled in and the footage dates prefilled

  5. Confirm & upload

    Click Continue to payment and confirm the batch — nothing uploads until you approve it. While it uploads, the app asks you to mark the four corners of your feed bunk on one photo, or you can skip that for now. Uploads are resumable, so a dropped connection never means starting over.

    Desktop app uploading the compressed batch at 30 percent with a resumable progress bar

  6. Get your report

    When the upload finishes, click Open project on feedbunkai.com. Your report appears on the project page once processing is done.

    Desktop app showing upload complete at 100 percent with an Open project on feedbunkai.com button
Do I need to update the app?

Only when it asks. Each time you open the app, it checks for a new version. If there is one, click Install & relaunch and the app updates and reopens.

What happens if compression or upload is interrupted?

Nothing is lost. You can close the app any time. To carry on, open it and choose the same output folder: compression skips what is already done, and an unfinished upload offers Resume upload.

Need help?

Browse the Help Center for step-by-step guides on the camera, the app, and reading your report — or email [email protected] and we’ll get back to you.