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3D Photo Imaging: At 6Sight, The Future of Imaging Conference in Monterey, Calif., technologists, marketers, futurists, artists, and educators gather to predict how recent and forthcoming imaging technologies will transform how images are used in businesses, homes, and communities.  At this year’s 6Sight conference in November, artist Bonny Lhotka will discuss some of her 3D and animation-lenticular photo prints that will be on display at Monterey’s Alvarado Gallery for two months this fall.

The illusion of depth and motion in her photo prints is created through lenticular imaging. In this process, a rigid plastic sheet with parallel rows of optical lenses is laminated to the surface of a print that has been created with interlacing software. The interlacing software slices up multiple images or image layers and positions the image slices for correct alignment and magnification through the lenses.   

Lenticular imaging has been used in retail and point-of-purchase advertising since the late 1990s, when the first software for producing lenticular prints on wide-format inkjet printers was introduced. That’s about the same time that Lhotka, a member of the Digital Atelier, began experimenting with lenticular imaging as an art medium. Since the Digital Atelier first presented lenticular art at the Seybold 2000 Conference in San Francisco, Lhotka has been commissioned to produce 3D photo prints for office buildings, a spa, and a hospital.  

Now that Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended includes 3D-imaging capabilities, Lhotka believes more photographers and artists will begin exploring lenticular imaging: “Artists throughout the ages have worked on the problem of representing three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional plane.” With the tools now available in Photoshop for creating lenticular images, Lhotka says that photography no longer has to be flat. An exhibitor at the PMA 09 Conference suggested that lenticular imaging may provide a way for professional photographers with higher resolution cameras to distinguish their businesses from the millions of hobbyists and enthusiasts who can now sell images online.

Lhotka said she learned how to use the 3D capabilities in Photoshop from Russell Brown, who offers a series of CS4 Tutorials on lenticular imaging. Brown’s courses cover Basic and Advanced 3D Lenticular Workflow, Flip Animation Creator, Using a Pitch Test to Calibrate the Print and the Lens, and Printing and Laminating. Brown’s site also includes a resource list with sources of lenticular lenses, desktop laminating equipment, and large-format lenticular-imaging services.

Brown notes that anyone interested in experimenting with lenticular imaging should buy a Super Easy T-Frame Stand from Vue Thru: “Just slide your 8 x 10 prints directly into this frame and you’re done!” He says it’s a great way to proof images before they are laminated. Or, you can use it as a final display for your lenticular images. Russell Brown will be one of the featured speakers at Photoshop World, Oct. 1-3 in Las Vegas, which will include several sessions on the 3D features in Photoshop CS4 Extended.

The Convergence of Photography and Videography: Organizers of the 2009 Photo Plus Expo in New York Oct. 22-24 have announced the addition of a Video Pavilion to the show floor. “For the past 25 years, Photo Plus Expo has evolved to stay ahead of the changes and growing business applications in the photographic and visual-communications industries,” says John McQuilken, PDN Photo Plus Expo Show Director. “The convergence of technologies in photography and video, along with new applications and business opportunities finds us evolving once again to include an exhibitor pavilion dedicated to video products.”

Expect to see an increase in seminars and courses that suggest how to integrate photography and videography to create new products and services for your customers.