Photographing for Stereoscopic 3D Lenticular Printing

Step 5: Concluding Remarks

The only concern that remains with the sequence is the total number of images. The number of images needed to produce a lenticular image is the product of several factors. I mentioned earlier that 36 images is a number popular for high quality 3D lenticular prints. This is based on the popularity of piezo (Epson) printers in the lenticular industry that have a print head resolution different from that of thermal (HP) printers. The resolution of the printer and the resolution of the lenticular lens have a relationship that determines the best number of images for a sequence. The formula is DPI/LPI where the DPI is the actual print head resolution (not the stepper motor resolution) and the LPI is the fixed value of the lens. If you are printing this yourself determine the print head resolution of your printer and decide what lens you want to use. If the number of images in your sequence is not an exact number consider duplicating the end images if you are short a few, removing the end images if you have too many or using software like After Effects to “retime” the entire sequence to your final image count.

If you are having these printed elsewhere your service provider should be able to take your image sequence, whatever the total number, and adjust it for their workflow.

This tutorial was written by StereoGhost for the good of all interested in 3D lenticular. We also proudly promote our lenticular production and printing services and invite you to visit us on the web: www.stereoghost3d.com