Out Aspect turns paintings into 3D prints

Not even Renoir would be complaining if he could see New Zealand printer Out Aspect's 3D image of his work.

The company has so far developed a reputation in the international niche market by applying technology to create 3D imagery, including commissions to showcase the artwork of Renoir, Van Gogh and Salvador Dali.

One of Outer Aspect's recent successful productions was a 3D image of Renoir's Boat Scene painting, which has been entered for this year's NZ Pride In Print Awards.

"The Renoir posters were produced for the Philadelphia Museum of Art Retail Store who framed them as limited edition artwork for sale to members and the general public visiting the museum," said Outer Aspect marketing executive Sharmila Patel.

"But we have done similar jobs with other major works of art. We have done posters, postcards, fridge magnets, Cinderella stamps and cups for museum retail stores of Benjamin Franklin, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Frida Karlo and Salvador Dali to name a few."

The Renoir story is typical of how Outer Aspect brings the work to NZ from offshore, according to Sharmila.

"We were commissioned to reproduce this piece of art in 3D. We were supplied a colour-corrected digital image from the museum which was taken from the original artwork. A week was spent in-house on the image to create depth applying a 3D effect through digital image mapping and image generation techniques.

Picture perfect: Pride In Print judge Carolyn Vize (right) studies the 3D Renoir scene entry from Outer Aspect

"The finished image was printed directly to the reverse side of the lens using our imaging process, and a laminate was applied over the top of the printed product to protect and provide further opacity. The end result was the painting reproduced in high-definition 3D."

Feedback from the client was excellent. "Given the client has been working with us for many years, they have been able to plot our continued development, innovation and reinvestment into our process. They felt very strongly this image was yet another milestone in innovation we have achieved, and where very excited with the results," she said.

Outer Aspect has now developed a wide range of international clients to which the technology is applied. These range from museums, FMCG markets, out-of-home media, security products such as postal stamps through to individual photographers and artists.

"We are getting more innovative with our technology," said Sharmila. "We can now transfer direct high-definition video footage onto print using up to four seconds of video. A butterfly image we did, which was also entered into Pride In Print, uses actual HD footage of the butterfly flapping its wings. We did this for our own marketing material to show FMCG agencies around the world how our innovative technology can be applied."