diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 5a5fc60..3d728c3 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 CC ?= gcc
 PKGCONFIG = $(shell which pkg-config)
-CFLAGS = $(shell $(PKGCONFIG) --cflags gtk+-3.0 gstreamer-1.0 gstreamer-video-1.0 gstreamer-app-1.0 libgphoto2 libcurl) -Wl,--export-dynamic -rdynamic -g
-LIBS = $(shell $(PKGCONFIG) --libs gtk+-3.0 gstreamer-1.0 gstreamer-video-1.0 gstreamer-app-1.0 libgphoto2 gmodule-export-2.0 libcurl)
+CFLAGS = $(shell $(PKGCONFIG) --cflags gtk+-3.0 gstreamer-1.0 gstreamer-video-1.0 gstreamer-app-1.0 libgphoto2 libcurl x11) -Wl,--export-dynamic -rdynamic -g
+LIBS = $(shell $(PKGCONFIG) --libs gtk+-3.0 gstreamer-1.0 gstreamer-video-1.0 gstreamer-app-1.0 libgphoto2 gmodule-export-2.0 libcurl x11)
 GLIB_COMPILE_RESOURCES = $(shell $(PKGCONFIG) --variable=glib_compile_resources gio-2.0)
 
-SRC = photobooth.c photoboothwin.c focus.c
+SRC = photobooth.c photoboothwin.c focus.c photoboothled.c
 BUILT_SRC = resources.c
 
 OBJS = $(BUILT_SRC:.c=.o) $(SRC:.c=.o)
diff --git a/default.ini b/default.ini
index ae2fa8b..038ffa6 100644
--- a/default.ini
+++ b/default.ini
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [general]
-countdown = 5
+countdown = 6
 countdown_audio_file = beep.m4a
 template = photobooth.ui
 stylesheet = photobooth.css
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ overlay_image = overlay_print_rainbows.png
 save_path_template = /home/fraxinas/Desktop/photobooth_%04d.jpg
 
 #screensaver_timeout -1 = disable
-screensaver_timeout = 7
+screensaver_timeout = 30
 #screensaver_file can be image, video, audio (or freezes preview if omitted)
 screensaver_file = /home/fraxinas/Desktop/Troye Sivan - Youth (1080p AAC).mkv
 
diff --git a/photobooth.c b/photobooth.c
index 631a305..0f92103 100644
--- a/photobooth.c
+++ b/photobooth.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include <curl/curl.h>
 #include "photobooth.h"
 #include "photoboothwin.h"
+#include "photoboothled.h"
 
 #define G_SETTINGS_ENABLE_BACKEND
 #include <gio/gsettingsbackend.h>
@@ -82,6 +83,8 @@ struct _PhotoBoothPrivate
 	gint               facebook_put_timeout;
 	GThread           *upload_thread;
 	GMutex             upload_mutex;
+
+	PhotoBoothLed     *led;
 };
 
 #define MOVIEPIPE "moviepipe.mjpg"
@@ -243,6 +246,8 @@ static void photo_booth_init (PhotoBooth *pb)
 	priv->facebook_put_uri = NULL;
 	priv->upload_thread = NULL;
 
+	priv->led = photo_booth_led_new ();
+
 	G_stylesheet_filename = NULL;
 	G_template_filename = NULL;
 
@@ -304,6 +309,7 @@ static void photo_booth_finalize (GObject *object)
 	}
 	if (priv->upload_thread)
 		g_thread_join (priv->upload_thread);
+	g_object_unref (priv->led);
 }
 
 static void photo_booth_dispose (GObject *object)
@@ -679,8 +685,10 @@ static void photo_booth_capture_thread_func (PhotoBooth *pb)
 			if (pb->cam_info)
 			{
 				gtk_label_set_text (priv->win->status, _("Taking photo..."));
+				photo_booth_led_flash (priv->led);
 				ret = photo_booth_take_photo (pb->cam_info);
-				if (ret)
+				photo_booth_led_black (priv->led);
+				if (ret && pb->cam_info->size)
 				{
 					g_main_context_invoke (NULL, (GSourceFunc) photo_booth_snapshot_taken, pb);
 					if (priv->cam_reeinit_after_snapshot)
@@ -1310,6 +1318,7 @@ static void photo_booth_snapshot_start (PhotoBooth *pb)
 		g_object_set (priv->audio_playbin, "uri", priv->countdown_audio_uri, NULL);
 		gst_element_set_state (priv->audio_pipeline, GST_STATE_PLAYING);
 	}
+	photo_booth_led_countdown (priv->led, priv->countdown);
 }
 
 static gboolean photo_booth_snapshot_prepare (PhotoBooth *pb)
diff --git a/photoboothled.c b/photoboothled.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24ca052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/photoboothled.c
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+/*
+* led.c
+* Copyright 2016 Andreas Frisch <fraxinas@opendreambox.org>
+*
+* This program is licensed under the Creative Commons
+* Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
+* License. To view a copy of this license, visit
+* http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to
+* Creative Commons,559 Nathan Abbott Way,Stanford,California 94305,USA.
+*
+* This program is NOT free software. It is open source, you are allowed
+* to modify it (if you keep the license), but it may not be commercially
+* distributed other than under the conditions noted above.
+*/
+
+#include <string.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <termios.h>
+#include "photobooth.h"
+#include "photoboothled.h"
+
+G_DEFINE_TYPE (PhotoBoothLed, photo_booth_led, G_TYPE_OBJECT);
+
+GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_STATIC (photo_booth_led_debug);
+#define GST_CAT_DEFAULT photo_booth_led_debug
+
+static void photo_booth_led_finalize (GObject *object); 
+
+static void photo_booth_led_class_init (PhotoBoothLedClass *klass)
+{
+	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS (klass);
+
+	GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_INIT (photo_booth_led_debug, "photoboothled", GST_DEBUG_BOLD | GST_DEBUG_FG_WHITE | GST_DEBUG_BG_BLUE, "PhotoBoothLed");
+
+	gobject_class->finalize      = photo_booth_led_finalize;
+}
+
+static void photo_booth_led_init (PhotoBoothLed *led)
+{
+	led->fd = -1;
+	for (int i=0; i < 10; i++)
+	{
+		gchar *devicename = g_strdup_printf ("%s%d", LED_DEVICENAME, i);
+		GST_INFO_OBJECT (led, "trying to open device %s... ", devicename);
+		gboolean exists = g_file_test ((const char*) devicename, G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS);
+		if (exists)
+		{
+			led->fd = open(devicename, O_RDWR | O_NOCTTY);
+			if (led->fd == -1)
+				GST_WARNING_OBJECT (led, "couldn't open %s: %s (%i)", devicename, strerror(errno), errno);
+			else
+			{
+				GST_INFO_OBJECT (led, "successfully opened %s", devicename);
+				g_free (devicename);
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+		g_free (devicename);
+	}
+	
+	if (led->fd > 0)
+	{
+		struct termios tty;
+		if (tcgetattr (led->fd, &tty) == 0) {
+			cfsetospeed(&tty, B115200);
+			cfsetispeed(&tty, B115200);
+			tty.c_cflag &= ~PARENB;
+			tty.c_cflag &= ~CSTOPB;
+			tty.c_cflag &= ~CSIZE;
+			tty.c_cflag |= CS8;
+			tty.c_cflag &= ~CRTSCTS; 
+			tty.c_cflag |= CLOCAL | CREAD;
+			tty.c_iflag |= IGNPAR | IGNCR;
+			tty.c_iflag &= ~(IXON | IXOFF | IXANY);
+			tty.c_lflag |= ICANON;
+			tty.c_oflag &= ~OPOST;
+			tcsetattr(led->fd, TCSANOW, &tty);
+			char tempbuf[32];
+			int n = read (led->fd, tempbuf, sizeof(tempbuf)-1);
+			GST_WARNING_OBJECT(led, "read %i bytes: '%s'", n, tempbuf);
+			if (g_ascii_strncasecmp ("Photobooth-LED ready", tempbuf, 20) == 0)
+			{
+				GST_WARNING_OBJECT (led, "initialized!");
+				photo_booth_led_black (led);
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				GST_WARNING_OBJECT (led, "wrong device!");
+				close (led->fd);
+				led->fd = -1;
+			}
+		} else {
+			GST_WARNING_OBJECT(led, "tcgetatt() error %s (%i)", strerror(errno), errno);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+static void photo_booth_led_finalize (GObject *object)
+{
+	PhotoBoothLed *led = PHOTO_BOOTH_LED (object);
+	if (led->fd > 0)
+	{
+		photo_booth_led_black (led);
+		close (led->fd);
+	}
+}
+
+void photo_booth_led_black (PhotoBoothLed *led)
+{
+	if (led->fd > 0)
+	{
+		char cmd = LED_BLACK;
+		GST_INFO_OBJECT(led, "turning off leds");
+		write (led->fd, &cmd, 1);
+	}
+}
+
+void photo_booth_led_countdown (PhotoBoothLed *led, gint seconds)
+{
+	if (led->fd > 0)
+	{
+		char cmd = LED_COUNTDOWN;
+		GST_INFO_OBJECT(led, "countdown %i seconds", seconds);
+		write (led->fd, &cmd, 1);
+	}
+}
+
+void photo_booth_led_flash (PhotoBoothLed *led)
+{
+	if (led->fd > 0)
+	{
+		char cmd = LED_FLASH;
+		GST_INFO_OBJECT(led, "flashing leds");
+		write (led->fd, &cmd, 1);
+	}
+}
+
+PhotoBoothLed * photo_booth_led_new ()
+{
+	return g_object_new (PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_TYPE, NULL);
+}
diff --git a/photoboothled.h b/photoboothled.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93df161
--- /dev/null
+++ b/photoboothled.h
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+/*
+ * GStreamer led.h
+ * Copyright 2016 Andreas Frisch <fraxinas@opendreambox.org>
+ *
+ * This program is licensed under the Creative Commons
+ * Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
+ * License. To view a copy of this license, visit
+ * http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to
+ * Creative Commons,559 Nathan Abbott Way,Stanford,California 94305,USA.
+ *
+ * This program is NOT free software. It is open source, you are allowed
+ * to modify it (if you keep the license), but it may not be commercially
+ * distributed other than under the conditions noted above.
+ */
+
+#ifndef __PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_H__
+#define __PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_H__
+
+#include <glib.h>
+
+#define LED_BLACK       'b'
+#define LED_COUNTDOWN   'c'
+#define LED_FLASH       'f'
+#define LED_DEVICENAME  "/dev/ttyACM"
+
+G_BEGIN_DECLS
+
+#define PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_TYPE                (photo_booth_led_get_type ())
+#define PHOTO_BOOTH_LED(obj)                (G_TYPE_CHECK_INSTANCE_CAST ((obj),PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_TYPE,PhotoBoothLed))
+#define PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_CLASS(klass)        (G_TYPE_CHECK_CLASS_CAST ((klass), PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_TYPE,PhotoBoothLedClass))
+#define IS_PHOTO_BOOTH_LED(obj)             (G_TYPE_CHECK_INSTANCE_TYPE ((obj),PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_TYPE))
+#define IS_PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_CLASS(klass)     (G_TYPE_CHECK_CLASS_TYPE ((klass), PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_TYPE))
+
+typedef struct _PhotoBoothLed              PhotoBoothLed;
+typedef struct _PhotoBoothLedClass         PhotoBoothLedClass;
+
+struct _PhotoBoothLed
+{
+	GObject parent;
+	int fd;
+};
+
+struct _PhotoBoothLedClass
+{
+	GtkApplicationClass parent_class;
+};
+
+GType           photo_booth_led_get_type        (void);
+PhotoBoothLed  *photo_booth_led_new             (void);
+void            photo_booth_led_black           (PhotoBoothLed *led);
+void            photo_booth_led_countdown       (PhotoBoothLed *led, gint seconds);
+void            photo_booth_led_flash           (PhotoBoothLed *led);
+
+G_END_DECLS
+
+#endif /* __PHOTO_BOOTH_LED_H__ */
diff --git a/sketchup/photobooth.skp b/sketchup/photobooth.skp
index 7522c1c..764dc11 100644
Binary files a/sketchup/photobooth.skp and b/sketchup/photobooth.skp differ