Lenticular Printing Allows Photographer to Make Real-Life GIFs

The process of creating GIFs using images from 3D stereo cameras, which are then printed lenticularly by a photographer is a skill that has been perfected.

Jared Hoffman has been printing lenticular prints since 2006, accepting orders from 3D photographers like Nimslo and Nishika.

“They’re old cameras that shoot with multiple lenses to create a stereoscopic, 3D effect,” Hoffman tells PetaPixel.

“These stereoscopic cameras work by lining up multiple lenses horizontally which trigger all at once, producing multiple views of the same scene from different angles.”

Printing a 3-D image

Once a photo is taken using a stereoscopic cam, it is compressed like frames from animation into a single interlaced picture which is printed onto glossy paper at high quality.

“You then affix a sheet of ridged plastic called the ‘lenticular lens sheet’ overtop that printed image, and voila; you’ve got a 3D or animated print,” explains Hoffman.

New York City-based Hoffman says that the technique is not “overly complex” but it takes some practice.

“The devil is in the details,” he says. “What is the right lens sheet to use? How do you extract frames from an animation? How do you interlace images correctly?

“Alignment is a big step, too; you have to align the clear, ridged plastic lens sheet overtop the printed image in such a way that the ridges match with the printed image underneath.”

A printer’s quality is crucial, especially for photographers who want to print many frames.

“In some cases, you’re trying to cram 24 or more frames into a small physical space. This tests the capabilities of inkjet printers; higher quality Epson printers will be able to handle this type of work, but lesser-quality printers may have a hard time,” Hoffman says.

“Still, it is possible to print a lenticular image with nothing more than an inkjet printer, a set of affordable lenticular lens sheets, and a small, hand-crank laminator.”

What happened to lenticular printing?

Hoffman says that some camera makers believed that the future of lenticular photography was in the 1980s.

“For a short time, the Nimslo was the best-selling consumer camera in the U.S.,” he says.

“But it was a disaster trying to develop lenticulars at scale. Manufacturing the lenticular plastic contract was done by 3M. Production problems delayed delivery. Later, Nimslo would end up in court with 3M, claiming their failure to produce the plastic led to the downfall of their whole business.”

Hoffman said that Hoffman helps photographers create prints with their 3D cameras.

“I first got into lenticular printing around 2017, when I had the idea for a startup that would turn people’s short Instagram videos, at the time called Boomerangs, into personalized lenticular prints,” he says.

The business didn’t work out, but Hoffman learned lenticular printing and now runs a business doing it.

“The factories for developing lenticular film broke down in the 1980s, it has been hard to get the images made as intended,” he says.

“The commercial lenticular industry is focused on big marketing campaigns with high volumes, not one-off photographs. Through my humble Instagram account, I’ve made prints for hundreds of photographers wanting small batch, art-quality lenticular prints,” he says.

“I charge reasonable rates and it’s a niche market. Prints are very popular with people who are interested. I know that for people to see their own 3D photographs printed in person, it’s amazing. This illusion of depth goes back over 100 years but it still has a magic to it.”

Hoffman has created an online course that teaches lenticular printing. You can find it here.

You can find more of his work on YouTube, Instagram, and website.