Scan-reveal
The print lights up first, then the experience builds on top of it. A two-second hello.
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps from
printed image to video.
ZMediaAR is a free public beta. Here's exactly what happens when you create an experience, what a Pro scene adds, and what to know before you print.
The three steps
STEP 01
Upload your marker image
Choose the printed image people will scan — a poster, flyer, learning card, product package, or business card. ZMediaAR compiles it into a tracking target right in your browser, so nothing is uploaded until you're ready.
- Preview the marker before you publish, so you can catch a bad crop or a blurry scan early.
- A tracking-quality hint flags images that are likely to track poorly, with tips to fix them.
- Common image formats work: JPG, PNG, and WEBP.
STEP 02
Add your video
Upload the video that should play on top of the marker once it's recognized. Choose how it fits the image — contain, cover, or stretch — and preview it live over your marker before you publish.
- Supported format: MP4 encoded with H.264 video (the format most phones and editors export by default).
- Maximum file size during the beta: 50 MB per video.
- Set the video to loop or play once, and choose whether it starts muted.
STEP 03
Publish and share the scan
Publish your experience to get a share link, a downloadable QR code (PNG and SVG), and a printable one-pager. Print the marker, place the QR code nearby, and anyone with a phone can open the experience — no app to install.
- The viewer works in modern mobile browsers: Safari on iOS, Chrome on Android.
- You can unpublish, edit, or delete the experience at any time from your dashboard.
PRO SCENE COMPOSER · BETA
A full scene
Same tracking and the same QR. In the Scene Composer, step 02 becomes a 3D scene instead of a single video, so there are four steps instead of three. See everything the Composer adds.
STEP 01
Upload the print
The same artwork you send to the printer. ZMediaAR compiles it into a tracking target in your browser.
- A tracking-quality hint flags images that are likely to track poorly.
- Nothing is uploaded until you're ready.
STEP 02
Add items
Drop in video, images, 3D models, text, and sound. Up to 20 items on one print.
- Video, green-screen video, images, 3D models, text, audio, lights, and shapes.
- Drag files into the scene, or add text and shapes from the toolbar.
Illustration: the Add items panel with seven item types and a list of scene items.
STEP 03
Arrange and set behaviour
Move, rotate, and scale each item on the print. Pick when it appears and how it moves.
- Each item has its own appear, enter, and idle behaviour.
- Add a tap action: open a link, or play and pause.
Illustration: the Behaviour panel with appear, enter, idle and tap options.
STEP 04
Publish and scan
Get a share link and a framed QR. Scan it, point at the print, and the scene reveals itself.
- Scan it on your own phone before you print a thousand.
- Pro is by request while the Composer is in beta. Request access.
Illustration: the Publish panel with a framed QR code and a share link.
GETTING A GOOD MARKER
What makes an image
easy to track.
Tracking quality depends almost entirely on the printed image itself. A few minutes choosing and printing it well pays off every time someone scans it.
High contrast
Strong differences between light and dark areas give the tracker sharp edges to lock onto. Avoid flat, low-contrast pastel images.
Rich in detail
Busy, textured images with lots of distinct features track far better than large areas of plain color or simple line art.
Non-repetitive
Avoid tiled patterns, grids, or repeating motifs — the tracker can confuse one tile for another. Unique, asymmetric compositions work best.
Printed matte
Glossy paper creates glare and reflections that confuse the camera. A matte or satin finish keeps the image readable in real-world lighting.
ON THE PHONE
What happens
on the phone.
Four taps from the QR to the print. Nothing to install on the way.
Illustration: a phone camera looking at a printed one-pager with a QR code, with an Open zmediaar.com banner on top.01
Scan the QR
Or tap the link. It opens in Safari or Chrome.
Illustration: a phone showing an Allow camera access dialog.02
Allow the camera
One tap. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Illustration: a phone looking for the print, with yellow corner brackets around it.03
Point at the print
Hold the phone steady; the artwork itself is the trigger, no special marker.
Illustration: a phone showing a video panel, a 3D gem and a caption on top of the print.04
It plays
The video sits on the paper. With Pro, the scene reveals itself layer by layer.
IN EVERY EXPERIENCE
Built in,
free or Pro.
Three details that every experience already has. Hover or tap a card to play it; keyboard focus works too. These are drawings of the behaviour, not footage from the viewer.
Pose stabilizer
Holds the video steady when the hand isn't.
ALL PLANS
Branded QR
Framed and titled, with the Z mark, exported as PNG or SVG so the code is ready for print.
SUPPORTED FILES
What you can
bring along.
The free plan takes a print and one video. Pro adds the rest.
| Type | Free BETA | Pro PRO · BETA |
|---|---|---|
| The print | JPG, PNG, or WebP | JPG, PNG, or WebP |
| Video | One MP4 (H.264), up to 50 MB | Up to 3 per scene. MP4, WebM, or MOV, up to 50 MB each. Optional green-screen keying. |
| Images | Not available | PNG, JPG, or WebP, up to 10 MB. Transparency is kept. |
| 3D models | Not available | GLB or glTF, up to 25 MB, with their animations. |
| Audio | Not available | MP3, M4A, OGG, or WAV, up to 15 MB. Up to 4 per scene. |
| Per print | 1 video, up to 5 published experiences | Up to 20 items and 150 MB of assets per scene |