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Lenticular printing is a highly specialised process that creates depth, motion, HD video, film or combinations of these on a thin flat surface without moving parts, special glasses or power.
The name “Lenticular” is derived from the special material used for printing. Clear optical plastic is extruded into sheets with a series of very thin parallel lenses or “Lenticules” on one surface. The individual “frames” that make up Flip, Zoom, Motion or Morph effects are interlaced using special computer algorithms. The resulting digital files are printed, at extremely high resolution, in precise register on the rear surface of the material.
The tiny lenses focus on each of the printed frames in sequence as the viewing angle changes. In this way the effects are replayed to the viewer as they move past a display or move an image their hand.
In the case of 3D displays the image sequence represents different viewpoints of the same subject. The lenticular material reveals a slightly different view to each eye, just as if it were a natural three dimensional scene! Near objects appear to float in front the printed surface, while distant objects appear to be behind it. The effect is exaggerated as you move your head from side to side, and can even be added to Flip, Zoom, Motion or Morph effects.
When we produce a lenticular print, we
follow this basic printing process for animating images by
the lenticular
lens material.
The images need to be sliced up for the
lenticule (single lenticular lens) to create a sense of motion
in the print. We use computer algorithms to automatically
slice and splice the images so that they will work with the
lenticule
(single lenticular lens).
This is how it works. When a beam of light
passes through a lens it bends in the same way as it does
in water or a prism.
Light bends as it passes through the lenticule (single lenticular
lens) and strikes one of the two images.
By changing the angle of the light, or
the viewer’s gaze, the light will bend and strike the
other image.
After the lenticular printing process is
complete, the viewer will see this illusion when they move
the lenticular print back and forth.
All our lenticular animation effects work
by this principle, which can use 2 to 12 frames
for various lenticular effects. |
