Why use AR when you could just play a video?
Use AR when the physical artwork, its surroundings or the viewer’s movement is part of the idea. Use a direct video when the film alone does the job. The extra camera step needs to give the audience something in return.
What does the audience gain?
| Your goal | A useful starting format |
|---|---|
| Explain a process or show a complete film | A direct video link: it gets the viewer to the content with fewer steps. |
| Reveal the process in relation to the finished painting | AR: the viewer can connect the moving layer with the original piece. |
| Show depth or an effect extending beyond a print | AR: the viewpoint and the physical frame give the effect its meaning. |
| Send someone straight to booking or checkout | A normal QR link to the destination. Do not make the camera an obstacle. |
| Invite visitors to record a moment with a poster or installation | Test AR if the real setting or participant makes each recording distinctive. |
By Interart ·
The physical piece should remain worth looking at
A printed illustration has texture, scale and a place in the world. An AR layer can reveal something the still image cannot show while keeping those qualities in view. Covering the whole image with an unrelated movie loses much of that advantage.
Try an animation that begins from a detail in the artwork, a process layer aligned with the final composition, or depth that becomes visible as the viewer changes position. Compare the result with the same footage played full-screen. If the full-screen version is just as effective, it may be the better choice.
Give someone a reason to make their own recording
A shared recording becomes more personal when it includes the visitor, the place or a choice of viewpoint. At an event, a printed artwork could reveal an element people can frame themselves beside. In a gallery, a reveal could connect two views of the same painting. The invitation is a creative prompt, not merely “scan this code.”
For example, a poster campaign might ask visitors to frame a short reveal beside the venue sign. Keep the phone position comfortable and make the effect readable in a short clip. Use a small original design to test the idea before committing to a large installation. This is a campaign concept, not a claim of achieved reach.
A brief for the first test
- The object: one poster or print that works on its own.
- The reveal: one visual change that relates clearly to that object.
- The invitation: a line describing what the visitor will see, next to the QR code.
- The capture: a short composition that includes the real piece and, if relevant, the setting or participant.
- The outcome: choose the action you want to learn about: completed viewing, voluntary shares, event interest or creator signups.
Measure the steps separately
A scan is not a share, and a share is not a new customer. Test whether people notice the invitation, open the experience, understand the reveal and choose to record it. Use a campaign link on a destination you control when measuring referrals, and respect consent choices. Interart's scan allowance is a capacity limit, not a unique-audience or virality metric.
Interart supplies the visual AR composition. A custom game, scored interaction or ticket checkout is a different requirement. Keep the booking link available on the physical material and test the exact recording method on the phones you expect visitors to use.
See actual Interart demonstrations, then use the event campaign guide to plan the print, viewing conditions and scan budget.
Open a template, make it yours.
Interart’s AR templates are finished, working designs — open one in the browser editor, swap in your own artwork, and it’s yours. Each one teaches a technique with a built-in guided tour.
No account needed — sign up later and your work comes with you.
Test the idea on one print.
A small working reveal is more useful than a promise of virality.