Bring your images to life

How it works

1. You upload an image target. This is the printed picture people will point their phone at.
2. You add the media that appears when it is scanned: a video, an image, an audio file or a YouTube video.
3. You set up the overlay in the editor, where you choose the area of the image to track, where the media sits and any buttons.
4. You publish, and anyone with the uncovAR app can scan your image to see it.

Getting access

1. Go to the creator portal and sign up with your email, or sign in with Google. You'll choose a username, which is how you appear in uncovAR. It can't be changed later.
2. If you signed up with email, open the verification link we send you.
3. You will land on your dashboard, which lists everything you have made.

Step 1: Start an upload

From your dashboard, click Upload. The form has a few parts.

Image target

• Choose the image people will scan, such as a poster, flyer, book cover, photo or artwork. Use the same artwork you print.
• JPG or PNG, up to 10 MB.
• Detailed, high-contrast images scan best. Plain backgrounds, large areas of one color and repeating patterns are harder for the app to recognize.

Media content

• Choose what appears when the image is scanned: a video, image or audio file up to 100 MB. You can paste a YouTube link instead.
• With a YouTube link, the app opens the video in YouTube as soon as the image is scanned. Nothing appears on the print, so the media position and buttons you set in the editor aren’t shown. The rectangle still sets the tracking region, so place it as usual. Your position and buttons stay saved in case you switch to a video, image or audio file later.
• For video, export with the standard BT.709 color profile. It is the default in most editing apps and phone cameras and keeps colors from shifting in the app.
• If your video should have a see-through background, a Video transparency section appears once you pick the file. You can set it up here or later in the editor. See Transparent video.

Title

Give the experience a title so you can find it on your dashboard, then click Continue to Editor. Nothing is saved yet. Your files are only stored when you save in the editor.

Step 2: The overlay editor

The editor shows your image target with a rectangle on top of it. That rectangle does two jobs.

• It sets the tracking region. This is the part of the image the app looks for when someone scans it.
• It sets where your media appears. The video or image plays inside the rectangle.

Drag the rectangle to move it and drag its handles to resize it. Matching the rectangle to the shape of your image usually gives the best result. Videos play muted on a loop inside it, so you can see exactly how they will sit on the print.

Tracking quality

The editor rates the area inside the rectangle from one to five stars as you move it, with tips for improving it. More stars means the image will be found faster and held more steadily. If the rating is low, try including more of the detailed parts of the image.

Printed size

Under How wide is the printed target?, pick the closest size: business card, flyer, poster or large print and mural. You can also choose Custom and enter the width in centimeters. Knowing the real size helps the overlay stay locked to the print when someone views it from an angle. If you are not sure, leave it on the default.

Buttons

You can add up to three buttons that sit on the AR experience and open a web page, such as a shop, a booking page or a social profile. Click Add Button, give it a label and a full web address starting with https://, then set its position and size. Buttons don’t appear on YouTube experiences, because the app goes straight to YouTube.

Replacing files

You can swap the image target or the media at any time, even after publishing. On a live experience the new file goes live as soon as you click Save & Enable AR Tracking. Replacing only the media keeps every printed copy working. Replacing the image target means copies of the old image that are already printed or shared will stop working, so only do it if you are reprinting.

Transparent video

Normally your video plays as a rectangle on top of the print. With transparency only part of the video shows and the printed image stays visible around it, so a character can step out of a poster or a screen in the artwork can come alive. There are two ways to do it, both in the Video transparency section. Use one or the other, not both.

Method	What you provide	Best for
Mask image (easiest)	A normal video and a black and white image	A fixed shape, such as a TV screen, a window, a frame or a speech bubble
Packed matte	One specially exported video	A shape that changes during the clip, such as a walking character or hand-drawn animation

Start with a mask image unless the cutout needs to move or change shape.

Option 1: a mask image

A mask is a black and white picture the same size as your image target. White is where the video shows. Black is where the print shows. The video looks like it is playing through a window cut into the print. Your video stays a normal MP4 with no special export.

1. In any image editor, open a copy of your target artwork or a blank canvas of the same size.
2. Fill it with black.
3. Paint white over the exact area where the video should appear, lined up with your artwork.
4. Export it as a PNG or JPG at the same size as the target.
5. In the portal, under Or a separate mask image, choose the file.
6. Under Black areas of the mask show, choose what fills the black areas (see below).
7. In the editor, move and resize the rectangle so it frames the area you painted. The preview shows the real result as you go.

The Black areas of the mask show setting has two choices:

• The real target through the overlay: the black areas are see-through, so the actual print shows behind them. This only looks right when someone scans the physical print.
• A copy of the target image: the black areas are filled with your artwork, so it also looks right in full screen, where there is no print behind it. If you are not sure, choose this one.

Keep the mask pure black and pure white. Gray makes the video partly see-through. A slightly soft edge blends gently, while very thin white lines can shimmer once the video is compressed.

Option 2: a packed matte

Standard MP4 files can't store transparency, so a packed-matte video carries it inside every frame instead. Each frame holds two copies of your video: the color version and a black and white version called the matte, where white is visible and black is see-through. The app combines them as it plays.

• Top and bottom (recommended): color on the top half, matte on the bottom half.
• Side by side: color on the left, matte on the right.

Pick the matching layout in the Video transparency menu. If it doesn't match your file, the app shows your video twice, side by side with a black and white copy, and the editor warns you that the video's shape doesn't fit the layout.

Making a packed-matte file takes video software that can export transparency, such as After Effects. If you'd like help preparing your video, contact us from the portal and we will walk you through it.

Either method can be added or changed later, even after publishing, without uploading the video again.

Step 3: AR reach

Under Where can this be scanned?, choose who can trigger your experience.

For a specific location:

1. Set the place by searching an address, clicking the map to drop a pin, typing coordinates or clicking Use my current location.
2. Set the scan radius, anywhere from 0.1 to 30 miles. The shaded circle on the map shows where the image will work. A small radius suits a gallery or storefront and a larger one suits a neighborhood or city.
3. Check the pin before publishing. Current location is handy when you are standing on the spot, but a laptop works out its position from Wi-Fi and can be off by miles. The editor tells you how accurate it was, and you can click the map to correct it.

People who don't allow location access in the app won't see location-based experiences.

Step 4: Save or publish

• Save as Draft saves your work without making it live. The image can't be scanned yet, and you can come back to it any time.
• Save & Enable AR Tracking publishes it. Your experience is live straight away, with no waiting.

Either way, the editor confirms the save and takes you back to your dashboard. To keep working on something, open it again from there. Cancel leaves the editor without saving and asks you to confirm first.

Managing your content

Each experience on your dashboard shows a status and its tracking quality stars.

• Ready: live and scannable.
• Draft: saved but not scannable yet.
• Needs Setup: started but not set up in the editor yet.
• Banned: removed for breaking our content rules.

Click any experience to open it in the editor. Saving a live experience again updates it right away. To remove one, click Delete. This also removes its files and can't be undone.

Your account

Click your username in the top right corner to open the account menu.

• Profile: see your username and add your first and last name.
• Advanced settings: change your sign-in email (we send a confirmation link to the new address and nothing changes until you open it), change your password, clear your scan history or delete your account. Deleting your account also removes everything you uploaded and can't be undone.

Email and password changes aren't shown if you sign in with Google. We email you when your password changes, so you'll know if it wasn't you.

Tips for best results

• Use a detailed image target. Photos, illustrations and logos with fine detail work well. Check the star rating before you publish.
• Print the same image you uploaded. Heavy cropping, fading or printing at a very different size makes scanning less reliable.
• Think about the finish and the lighting. Glossy prints, laminates and glass reflect light, and glare can hide parts of the image from the camera. A matte finish where it will be scanned in bright or direct light helps.
• Match the overlay to the image. A portrait image works best with a portrait overlay.
• Test before you share. Publish, scan your print with the uncovAR app and check everything looks right before you send it out.