General Artwork Design Guidelines:

The information listed below is helpful for all lenticular projects.

 

Lenticular Effects

Lenticular lens only show your eyes a small portion of the underlying print at a time. Very small elements, such as thin lines and small text, may disappear from the visible image as the finished lenticular image flips/shifts.

Lenticular Tips

• Avoid thin lines (especially going the same direction as the lenticular lines).

• Avoid type smaller than 14 points.

• Avoid solid colors, especially black, and/or white backgrounds. Use a busy or textured background or a common background when practical.

• Make sure all art files are editable whenever possible, this is especially true for 3D and Zoom lenticulars where layered files are used to create the effect.

• Avoid flipping from one high-contrast element to another.

General Flip Lenticular:

Flip Lenticular is one of the most basic and rewarding lenticular effects produced. A Flip Lenticular is when you have two or more images interlaced together. When the lenticular lens is attached, you are able to see each image separately when viewing from various angles. Here are some helpful hints that will make your flip effects a huge success.

General 3D Lenticular:

A 3D Lenticular is a holographic effect produced when placing a lenticular lens over a 3D interlaced photo. Good 3D Lenticulars produce a visual canvas for the viewer to explore, bringing a new dimension to your promotional product. The following tips will help you produce realistic depth in your 3D artwork.

3D Tips

• All images submitted for 3D printing must be layered files with all elements editable: do not submit placed images. Submit artwork as a layered Photoshop® .psd file when possible. Layered Illustrator® or Freehand® files can be used but will be converted to a Photoshop® layered file before processing. Image resolution should be 300ppi or higher.

• Avoid solid colored backgrounds, especially black and white. Black or very dark backgrounds reduce the sense of depth. Backgrounds with an image or texture help your eyes register a difference in depth between other elements and the background.

• Create as much "visual" 3D and perspective in the original picture as possible. The more 3D the image possesses, the better the 3D lenticular effect. In general, foreground elements are larger and lighter when background items are smaller and darker. Good color contrast between elements also helps. Elements with their own perspective, shadows and highlights, can be exaggerated to add more depth.

• Overlap elements when possible. Image elements that overlap, even slightly, provide additional position reference points for the elements printed in front of or behind them, increasing the sense of depth.

• In 3D prints, there is one special layer called the "zero layer" or "key plane". The zero layer is shown in the same position to both eyes, causing the element not to shift or change positions when the printed piece is angled from left to right. The zero layer is always

the clearest layer in your lenticular print. Art elements, such as logos or text that needs to be clear and unaffected by the lenticular

shifting, should be positioned on the zero layer or close to it. In 3D space, items printing closer to the zero layer become clearer, when

elements printed farther from the zero layer lose clarity.

• Custom Die-cut shapes can be interesting but keep in mind that the foreground and background images will shift right to left as the

printed piece is moved. Custom shapes that try to capture a floating foreground or background element will not work as the printed

image will move in relation to the die cut edge, appearing cut off in certain views.

General Animation Lenticular:

An Animation Lenticular is similar to a Flip Lenticular by interlacing two or more images together. Tell your story with animation that entertains and communicates. The following guidelines will help you prepare art for successful animations.