Learn How to Create a Custom 3D Mousepad

Lenticular Design Guidelines

So you've decided to have us produce your lenticular? now what?

While every image is different there are some general guidelines that will help you make your image as clear and impactful as possible.

The Basics
You should provide us digital files in any standard format (Photoshop, Illustrator, JPEG, TIFF, Quark, etc) at a resolution of 300 dpi with a 1/8" bleed. These can be e-mailed, sent on disc or FTP'd (call for password). www.ibackup.com user name: mousepad

3D vs. Motion
Lenticular can display either depth or motion. It can display a little of both but if it is going to be 3D, the motion will be very limited. To produce an illusion of depth, we will run the lenses vertically. To produce motion, we will run them in the horizontal direction.  So it is important to decide which is right for your image.

Motion
The most common question we get is "how many frames can I use". The answer is "it depends on your image". Okay, that's not very satisfying so let's dive a little deeper.  The actual answer is that you should use the fewest number of frames you can use and still get your point across. The reason is that each frame takes up space from the viewing space "pie".  More slices, less room for each slice. With less viewing space, frames start to bleed into each other. 

So a 2-frame "flip" image will look nice and crisp. A five-frame image will look a little blurry and each frame will show a little of the one before and the one after it in the sequence.

This is sometimes desirable like in the case of trying to show a baseball swing.  You wouldn't want it to "click" through the steps as much as "swoosh" through the whole motion. 

If your image is more of a "slide show" where each frame is completely different from the one before and after it, you will not be able to show more than three frames. If it is a subtle animation like a morph, you will be able to use more frames effectively.

Bottom line is that most animations can be done quite effectively with 5 frames or less. We can give you up to 30 frames but it likely will not give you the effect you desire.

Some Notes on Motion Images
Here's a way to decrease ghosting
Make sure that you do not have high contrast in the part of your image that is changing.  In other words, don't have a black ball moving across a white background.  Imagine the ball on the left in frame #1 and at the right on frame #4.  as the frames progress, you want it to disappear from it's original position.  But the black ball will not disappear into the white background so you are left with an image that shows the ball in all positions at once.

To avoid this problem, simply use less contrasting colors at any part of the image that animates.

3D/Depth
To produce a depth image, simply provide with a Photoshop file where all of the important design elements are on separate layers. We will work our magic to make each frame appear to be in front of or behind.