Print that plays video.
Scan the code, point the phone at your poster, and your video plays right on top of it, anchored to the paper, with sound. It runs in the phone’s browser, so there’s no app for anyone to install.
What is an AR QR code?
An AR QR code is a QR code that opens an augmented-reality view instead of an ordinary web page. With BuildYourQR, scanning the code opens a viewer in the phone’s browser that turns on the camera and looks for one specific printed image: your poster, your packaging, your flyer. When it finds that image, it plays your video on top of it, lined up with the paper, and keeps it there as the phone moves. Take the phone away and the video pauses. It works with image tracking, a technique that recognises the printed picture itself, so the QR code only has to get people to the viewer. The artwork does the rest. It’s a way to put motion and sound on paper without printing anything special, and each scan is counted in the same analytics as your other codes.
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| The printed image | The exact artwork you print, with plenty of detail and contrast |
| The video | An MP4 upload (up to 100 MB) or an https link |
| Viewer’s phone | A recent iPhone or Android phone with a camera and modern browser |
| App to install | None. It runs in the browser |
| Plan | Pro, $19 a month |
Making one
How do you make an AR QR code?
The tracking target is built in your browser in a few seconds. No 3D software, no developer.
- 1~1 min
Upload the printed image
The exact artwork you’re printing. It becomes the target the camera looks for.
- 2~1 min
Add the video
Upload an MP4 (up to 100 MB) or paste an https link to a hosted video. Set the printed width so it lines up.
- 3~1 min
Print the image with its QR code
Download the code, put it next to the artwork, and scan a proof to check the fit.
Ideas
What can you use AR codes for?
AR ads count their scans in the same analytics as your other codes, so you can see which print gets picked up.
Product launches
The box shows the product in use when a customer points their phone at it on the shelf.
Gig and event posters
The line-up poster plays the headliner’s clip.
Property brochures
The photo of the house becomes a walk-through video.
Menus and table cards
The dish photo shows it being made.
Print ads and magazines
A static page that moves when you look at it.
Invitations
A wedding or launch invite with a personal video message.
Good to know
What are the limits?
- It needs light. The camera has to see the artwork clearly. Dim bars and back-lit windows make tracking harder.
- The image matters. Detailed, high-contrast artwork tracks well. A plain logo on white doesn’t.
- The video is fixed. You can’t swap it on an existing AR ad yet. Make a new one instead.
- It’s a Pro feature. $19 a month, which also includes everything in Dynamic. Compare plans.
Questions
About AR QR codes.
No. The QR code opens our AR viewer in the phone’s normal web browser: Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android. The browser asks for permission to use the camera, the person points it at your print, and the video appears on top of the image. Nothing is installed.
Recent iPhones and Android phones with a modern browser and a camera. It needs a secure (https) connection, which every BuildYourQR link has. Very old phones, or browsers that block camera access, will show a short message instead of the AR view.
Something with plenty of detail and contrast: photos, illustrations, textured artwork. Large areas of flat colour, very repetitive patterns and tiny images track poorly. Matte paper works better than glossy, because glare hides detail from the camera. Tell us the printed width when you create the ad so the video sits at the right size.
Not yet. An AR ad’s image and video are fixed when you create it. If you need a different video, create a new AR ad. That also means a new QR code, so plan AR campaigns with the final video ready. Dynamic links and contact cards can be edited at any time.
Yes. Phones only allow sound after the person taps the screen, so the viewer shows a start button before the camera opens. After that the video plays with audio whenever the print is in view, and pauses when it isn’t.