Ten Tips To Achieve a Great Lenticular Image

Every project that comes our way is a little different and has its own unique challenges. It will always be best to talk to us about what you would like your image to do and even better, show us a sketch of rough draft. That said, there are certain steps you can take to make your lenticular the best it can be.
So without further ado, here is the list!

1) 3D lenticular or Motion lenticular?

Your first choice will be to decide wheather you would like a 3D piece or an animating piece. Although it is possible to achieve a little of each, most images are one or the other. This is because the lenses must run vertically in a 3D image and horizontally in an animating image.

2) When choosing the amount of frames to use, less is usually better.

The more frames that appear in your image, the less clearly the frames will be separated from each other. A seven frame image will have more ghosting between frames than a two frame image. Sometimes ghosting can work to your advantage; an animation of water flowing should not “click” though the frames. It will look more natural if it smears. But more often, bleed hurts. Try to use the least amount of frames you can and still tell the story.

3) Keep any “changing” images low contrast.

This one is important! Avoid having any part of the image change from black to white.
If you have a black cat walking across a white background, the black ink from the first
frame will not dissapear into the white background and you will see the cat at all
postions all the time. Avoid having the parts of the image that are animating contrast in
color and when possible keep the foreground lighter than the background.

4) Up/Down works better than Left/Right

It’s a fact! In lenticular animation, images that animate when tilted up/down work better
than animations that are left/right. In this case “works better” means that you will see
each frame separated more clearly from every other frame. Especially in a lenticular
postcard.

5) Keep part of the image stable

Lenticular animations work better if parts of the image are not animating at all. The
stability highlights the movement and give your eye a frame of reference. When every
part of the image is animating, the effect can be a bit disorienting.

6) Keep text size above 10 point

Avoid fine lines and small text. Fine lines will break up under the lens creating a
pixelated look that will render your text unreadable.

7) When creating a 3D lenticular, make sure there is texture in each element.

Depth only exists relative to another element. To understand that some element is in
front of another element, both elements need to show themselves. The best way to do
this is to make sure that all elements (especially backgrounds) have texture. A solid
color with no pattern to it does not create good depth information.

8) When creating a 3D lenticular, complete each element on a separate layer.

Imagine an image featuring a dog in front of a wall. If we pull that dog forward, you
will see around his edges and see the cutout of a dog left in the wall. This is why it is
important to complete each layer; failing to do so leaves a gap when the elements are
sepatated onto different planes.

9) Be a copycat

Take a look at our samples. See what others have done to create a cool image and copy
the idea! We’re not saying to copy the artwork but don’t feel bad about borrowing
concepts like separating your image into four windows or using animating text.
Lenticular is still in its pioneering stage and it can only evolve by borrowing the best
ideas and making them even better.

10) Keep your eyes on the prize

K eep in mind that what matters is how your customer is going to react when they see the
entire image. It’s easy to get bogged down in the details of wheather the font is perfect
or wheather the 4-frame animation is working better than the 5-frame animation. In the
end, your customer is going to see your message animating or standing out in 3D and
say “Wow, cool!”. That’s the point of producing a lenticular; to create excitement and
convey a message.

lenticular overview