Integral hologram is a type of transmission or reflection hologram. This type of a hologram is made from a series of photographs of an object. These are usually transparencies. The image can be anything , from a live person to an outdoor scene or an X-ray picture or a computer graphic. Integral holograms are available in various shapes. They can be displayed curved, flat or as a cylinder viewed at an angle of 360 degree. Displaying the integral hologram on a curved or cylindrical surface makes the hologram viewable to a larger audience than normal. Integral holograms are widely used in various applications. Application of integral holograms in the fields of advertising and art is obvious.

Process of Making Integral Hologram

There are two-stage process of making hologram. Firstly, the image or the object is filmed/scanned with a motion picture camera. The camera records many discrete views. Each view is seen on an LCD screen which is illuminated or lighted with laser light. This is then used as the object beam. The object beam records a hologram on a narrow vertical strip of holographic plate or a holoplate. In the same manner, the next view is recorded on an adjacent strip. In this way, all the views are recorded. When looking at the finished hologram, a stereoscopic image is observed because the left and right eyes see images from different narrow holograms. In other words, the two stage process involves the following:

• Images are shot with a motion picture film.
• The images are transferred with a laser to hologram film.

From where integral holograms are created?

Integral Holograms are created from various types of objects like as follows:

• Moving machine parts
• Living people in motion
• Chemical or biological models stationary or in motion
• Stop motion animation
• Computer generated image
• Video
• Special effects like morphs, dissolves, zooms, etc

Advantages of Integral Holograms

Integral holograms are widely used in various applications like as follows:

• For product packaging
• For labeling
• For making brouchers
• Used as a visual aid in scientific research and technical presentations