Lenticular hologram is a specialized printing technology offering various effects like morphing, 3D, Zoom, Flip. Lenticular hologram is today seen in various products like posters, hand tags, cards etc. The difference between a normal hologram and a lenticular hologram is that holograms look great when lit correctly but lenticulars look incredible in almost any kind of light. Lenticular holograms can show depth, HD video, motion, film or combinations of these and hence very popular.

Lenticular Process

Lenticular process is a normal process of taking 12 or more different images interlaced in different layers into an extremely confusing image. This confusing image is then printed onto the paper. At the end, the lenticular material, made up of tiny ridges or lens, is laminated in "register" to the paper. The lenses (hence the name "lenticular" printing) block 11 of the 12 images from view. The raw images are processed through a computer algorithm, which matches the lens surface of the lenticular material. When the two work together, the image is formed and as you turn the lens reveal a different frame, creating the illusion of motion. The printing is on the reverse side of the Lenticular material, because this is where the focus point is, and allows the images with illusion of movement to be replayed back to the human eye as the angle of viewing changes.

Features of Lenticular Holograms

• Requires light to see image changes.
• Viewers must move to see image changes.
• Photos had to be take at angle to show image changes.
• Creating illusion of movement.

Different Effects of Lenticular Holograms

• Flip Effect: This allows separate images to be viewed independently when viewed at different angles.
  
  
• Zoom Effect: This effect allows an image appearing to move closer or farther away.
  
  
• Full Motion Video Effect/Combination Effect: It uses multiple frames of an action showing movement from its first to last.
  
  
• Morph Effect: This effect gradually changes one image to another image using sophisticated image algorithms.
  
  
• 3D Effect: Creation of depth or dimension on a normally flat surface.

Lenticular Design Guide

For the best lenticular effects, certain guidelines have to be followed which we are presenting in the table below.

Lenticular Effects	Do's	Dont's
Flip Effect	DO use two frames. More frames can be used, but fewer frames is preferred to give a clearer and an effective message.	DON'T use white as a background color. Try also to avoid using dark colors as a background as this will obscure the animation. DON'T have type overlapping. DON'T use a very small type
Zoom Effect	The two major factors to consider are color choice and image placement. Use bright, strong imagery to produce the best Zoom Effect results. Use a separate layer on your design if you have more than one lenticular effect in your design. Typically used for icons, logos or type.	DON'T use white or light background color.
Full Motion Video Effect/Combination Effect	DO run lines horizontally to avoid fuzzy images. Consider the viewer's distance from the lenticular image as the focal length is important for viewing the image. DO start with video films or computer generated art to get the next frame movement for animations. DO use at least BETA-S or BETA-SP for videos taken from a professional photographer.	DON'T try to make the animation complex as it will not produce an effective lenticular animation. Not all sequences are good options for animation. DON'T consider movement that goes from one side of the card to the other. Full animation is not appropriate for lenticular material. Limited motion is okay for POP. DON'T use really small type as the lenticular screen will reduce readability.
Morph Effect	Advisable to use a minimum of three frames for a Morph Effect. It starts with one image and slowly transforms into another image. DO include elements similar in shape and color in your design. For example, a red square morphing to a red circle will be an effective Morph Effect.	DON'T use small type as the lenticular screen will reduce readability.
3D Effect	Two major factors to consider are color choice and image placement. Use bright, light imagery to produce the best results. Use logos and typography close to the aim-point where they will appear the sharpest and most readable. Use soft, less detailed images on the background and foreground layers for the best effect.	DON'T use backgrounds with solid horizontal stripes as this cannot create a depth reference for the viewer.

Lenticular Products

Lenticular holography is used in various products like as follows:

• Posters
• Hand tags
• Garment tags
• Point of purchase (POP) items
• Post card
• Mouse pads
• Coasters

Major Companies Using Lenticular Products

• Company: Marlborough House Advertising
  Product: Point of Purchase (POP) items.
  Lenticular Effect: Combination Effect
  
  
• Company: Investment NZ
  Product: Mousepads, coasters
  Lenticular Effect: Zoom Effect
  
  
• Company: Bendon Ltd.
  Product: Poster, Postcard, Garment Tag
  Lenticular effect: Full Motion Video Effect
  
  
• Company: Central Station
  Product: Lenticular Vending Machine
  Lenticular Effect: 3D Effect
  
  
• Company : Spago Restaurant
  Product:: Lenticular Centre Piece
  Lenticular Effect: Flip Effect

Certain Examples of Lenticular Products

Holographic Lenticular Poster

• The holographic lenticular poster, released with the film “The Santa Clause”, is printed on paper with some part or all of its artwork changeable. To see the image changes, the poster needs to be physically move or the viewer has to move from side to side.
  
  
  
  
  
• The lenticular holography poster, released with the film “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” used a transparent paper requiring direct light behind the poster for the viewer to see the image change.