How-to guide
How to create an augmented reality mural?
Paint the wall once. Through a phone, it comes to life with animation, sound and 3D.
What it is
A wall with a second layer
An AR mural is a painted wall with a digital layer that only appears through a phone. A butterfly flies off the brick, a dinosaur climbs out of the paint, fish swim through a painted sea.
The wall still works on its own. The AR turns it into an attraction that people stop for, film and come back to with friends.
It works on a new mural or one that has been there for years. All you need is a good photo of the wall.
You need no code. Upload the photo to Bridge, add what should play on top, publish, and anyone with a phone can see it.
Why it works
Why walls come to life
People stop and stay
A wall that comes to life turns a glance into a visit. Animation, sound and interaction give people a reason to stand still.
The wall tells its story
Add what paint cannot hold: the artist’s voice, the history of the place, a narration over the animation.
It travels online
People film the moment the wall comes to life and share it. The mural becomes a place people seek out and recommend.
A T-Rex that comes out of the wallThrough the phone, the painted skeleton steps out of the wall at the viewer.Nychos, artistWatch on Stories
Croatia’s first AR muralA painted sea in Zagreb that shows what overfishing does to it.Boris Bare for WWF AdriaWatch on Stories
Desigual: a store facade that comes to lifeFlowers open across the wall and dolphins swim past the shop windows.DesigualWatch on Stories
Window Wonderland: 20 storefronts, 11 muralsA free winter gallery in Toronto’s Junction. Every window and wall opens with the visitor’s own phone.Simon Bunyi, Amy Bricolage and more artists, The Junction, TorontoWatch on Stories
A guided street art tour with an AR layerMurals on the route come to life with context about each piece and its artist.Valencia Click with the artists of ValenciaWatch on Stories
A bakery mural that shows how the éclairs are madeCustomers waiting for coffee scan the wall and the mural comes to life over the counter.Levente Zoeld for TOP 02 Patisserie, ViennaWatch on Stories
Ideas to try
Walls worth a second look
A shop facade
Your storefront as the ad: products, flowers or animals come to life across the wall, as on the Desigual store.
A wall inside the shop
Customers waiting at the counter scan the mural and see how the product is made, as at TOP 02 in Vienna.
A selfie wall
Leave room for people in the picture, or make them part of it. AR always plays in front of the wall.
A street art route
Several walls, one map and one QR code. Window Wonderland in Toronto and the tour in Valencia work this way.
A school or campus mural
Students paint the wall and make the AR themselves, as in the tunnels under MIT.
A wall with a message
Let the wall make the case: the WWF mural in Zagreb shows what overfishing does to the painted sea.
What you need
Before you start
A short checklist. Everything else happens in Bridge.
- A photo of the wall A straight, sharp .jpg or .png of the finished mural, or its design file. Detail and contrast scan best. Optimise recognition.
- What plays on top Video (.mp4, .mov or .gif) up to 100 MB, up to three per artwork, plus images, sound and 3D models (glTF or GLB). File types.
- A plan that fits Basic is free with 50 views to try it out. A public wall needs monthly views: Pro has 1,000, Pro Plus 5,000. See the plans.
- A sign on site A sticker or QR code near the wall, so people know to scan. Our templates are free.
How to make it
Make yours in five steps
All in Bridge, the Artivive editor, in your browser. No code.
Plan the wall
Decide what should happen on top of the paint. AR always plays in front of the wall, so people cannot stand inside the animation.
Upload the trigger image
In Bridge, click Create Artwork and upload a photo or the design file of the mural. This is what the phone recognises.
Add your layers
Drop in a video, an animation, sound or a 3D model, or start from a template. Position, rotate and scale each layer.
Test it on the wall
Preview in the editor, then scan the real wall from where people will stand, at different times of day.
Publish and sign it
Publish, then put a small sign or QR code near the wall so passers-by know there is more to see.
New to Bridge? Your first AR artwork, step by step, or the free course.
Tips
Small things that make it work
Give the camera detail
High contrast and sharp edges scan best. Large areas of one colour and repeating patterns do not. Bridge rates every trigger image from 0 to 5 stars.
Keep it under 45 seconds
People hold their phone up to watch. A short loop keeps them looking at the wall, not at their arm.
Make it findable
Use our free templates for stickers and signs. With WebAR, one QR code opens the mural in the browser, no app needed.
Questions
Questions and answers
Can I add AR to a mural that already exists?
Yes. Take a straight, sharp photo of the wall, upload it as the trigger image and add your layers. People can scan it from the moment you publish.
How do people see the AR?
With the free Artivive app, or in the phone’s browser through WebAR: they scan a QR code and point the phone at the wall. On Basic and Pro, WebAR shows a small watermark. How WebAR works.
How do people know they can scan a mural?
Tell them on site: a small sticker, a sign or a QR code next to the wall. For a route with several walls, put the information at the start. Free templates.
How many layers can I use?
Up to three videos of 100 MB each, plus images and 3D models within your plan’s memory: 1 MB on Basic, 3 MB on Pro, 5 MB on Pro Plus. File types and limits.
Does it work in sunlight and at night?
The app needs to see the wall clearly. Strong glare, deep shadow or darkness make recognition harder, so test at the times people will visit.
Can I change the animation later?
Yes. Edit the artwork in Bridge and publish again. The wall stays as it is, and people see the new version on their next scan.
Does it really bring more attention?
We can’t promise numbers. What we see is that walls that come to life get filmed and shared: the clip of Nychos’ T-Rex mural drew over 300,000 views on Instagram.
