Lenticular Design Guidelines

So you’ve decided to have us produce your lenticular! Now what?

We encourage you to discuss your art and your goals with us. We can help make sure you are moving in the right direction. In the meantime, here are some general guidelines that will help you make your image as clear and impactful as possible.

The Basics

Resolution: 300dpi

Bleed: Please be sure to include a 1/8” bleed (except for 3D images which require 1/8” bleed on top and bottom and 1” bleed on left and right)

Color: Files should be supplied as CMYK. If they are supplied as RGB there will be a shift in color as they are converted.

File Transfer: You can upload your artwork to our FTP site. For access information, please contact your account representative.

Some General Tips

Avoid very thin lines as they tend to break up and look pixilated underneath the lenticular lens. Text should be at least 12 point San Serif font.
Whenever possible, avoid solid color backgrounds (especially white) and instead use textured backgrounds with color.
Avoid strong contrast between elements of the image that will change. In other words, avoid having elements change from black to white as this will cause ghosting between the images (learn more about that here).
Animations can either happen as the viewing angle changes left to right or up/down. The fact is that up/down images simply work better, so unless you are using your lenticular as a display piece that people will be walking past, we recommend up/down animations. This does not affect the artwork supplied.

We classify all lenticular images into two types of effects: 3D and Animation.

Animation

These can be anything from a flip (an animation that simply changes between Image 1 and Image 2), a Zoom (an image that gets progressively larger in each frame), or a motion image that animates through a large series of frames. No need to distinguish between these; they are all animations.

Tips For Animated Images

If possible, keep at least the background constant in each image. The more that is the same in each frame, the more the elements that change will stand out.
Less is more! When choosing the number of frames to appear in the image, keep in mind that the more frames you use, the less clearly you will see each one. This fact can help with something fluid like a baseball swing but can hurt if the frames are meant to be completely distinct. Just remember, more frames usually means more ghosting.

3D

These images do not change. They appear to show depth between the elements of the image and look the same from all viewing angles.

Tips for 3D images

The image must be supplied as a layered Photoshop file with each element of the image on its own completed layer.
The more elements that appear in the image, the more “depth information” there will be for the viewer. Depth is only relative between objects, so make sure there are enough elements to compare.
Add texture to the background layer as this will also create depth information.

10 Tips To A Great Lenticular

There are certain steps you can take to make your lenticular the best it can be. Use these tips we’ve learned along the way to get started.

Design Tips

We’re here to help make sure your lenticular print looks great. Here you will find some essential design tips to keep in mind as you design your piece.