How to get lenticular effects

The lenticular image is a combination of two main elements: a special plastic sheet and an image processed in a particular way.

The plastic sheet incorporates a series of parallel lenses on one side which allow portions of the interlaced image to be seen, depending on the viewer’s angle of vision, which is in turn printed and adhered to the other side of the sheet.

The interlaced image is simply a combination of various images in bands according to alternate patterns duly aligned with the lenses.

The figure below illustrates this concept: the three images are interlaced in bands and aligned with the lenses; the lenticular plastic simply filters them so that the observer can only see one image at a time, depending on his angle of vision. The result is that the image gives the impression of “moving” when the observer moves in front of it, going successively from one image to another. With each change in the angle of vision, a new image comes into focus, and extends to fill the width of the lens. The end result, whether flip, animation or 3D, amongst others, depends on the content of the interlaced images.

		Angle of vision
				Image 1
				Image 2
	Lenticular sheet
Interlaced print
				Image 3