Video QR codes
A video QR code, or a print that plays?
Both start with a scan. A plain QR code for a video opens a clip on the phone's screen, and the paper's part is over. A live print opens the camera instead, and the video appears on the printed picture itself. They suit different jobs, and often the plain QR code is the right one.
Get Early AccessCompare them yourself: the trial is free for two weeks and needs no card.
After the scan
Where each one sends the viewer.
A plain video QR code
- The camera reads the code.
- A link opens: a video site, a hosting page or a file.
- The clip plays on the screen like any other video, and the printed page can go back in the drawer.
A live print
- The camera reads the code on the back sticker.
- A page opens in the browser and turns the camera on.
- The phone is pointed at the photo, and the clip plays on the paper, staying on it as the phone moves.
Side by side
The differences that matter.
| Question | Plain video QR code | Live print (Ember22) |
|---|---|---|
| Where the video plays | On the phone's screen | On the printed picture, seen through the camera |
| What the print has to be | Anything with room for a code | A picture with enough detail to recognize |
| App for the viewer | None | None; it runs in the browser |
| Length of video | Whatever the host allows | 30 seconds on the free trial; 3 minutes on Business |
| Changing the video later | Only if the code points at a link you control | Yes, at no cost, with the same printed code |
| Is the print needed while watching? | No | Yes; away from it, the video pauses in a corner |
| Buttons next to the video | Depends on the page it opens | Website, Call or Email, beside the clip |
| Counting views | Depends on the service | Scan and unique-viewer counts per design |
| Cost | Free generators are easy to find | One credit per design, any number of copies |
Which do you need?
Pick by what the paper is for.
A plain video QR code fits when
- The video is long: a tour, a tutorial, a full speech.
- The paper is mostly words, like a flyer, a menu, a sign or a manual.
- People will watch later, somewhere other than where the print is.
- You only need a link, and a free generator does that.
A live print fits when
- The picture is the point: a photo, a card, a magnet, an art print.
- The clip belongs to that picture, like the moment the photo was taken.
- The print will be kept and seen again, on a fridge or a wall.
- You want the surprise of a still photo starting to move.
You get both
A live print still carries a QR code.
Most people have never seen a photo play, so nobody thinks to point a phone at one. The QR code is how they find out. Ember22 makes it as a sticker for the back by default, which keeps the front all picture, or it can go in one corner of the front.
The code also works as a safety net. On a phone that can't follow the print, it plays the clip full screen, which is exactly what a plain video QR code would have done.
The code itself is permanent. It points at ember22.com and never changes after you publish, so swapping the video or the buttons later doesn't mean reprinting. With a plain QR code made from a video's own address, a deleted or moved video leaves a code that leads nowhere.
Video QR code questions
Can I use Ember22 just to make a QR code for a video?
You could, but it isn't what it's for. If all you need is a code that opens a clip, a free QR generator and a link to your video will do it.
Can a live print play a YouTube video?
It plays a video file you upload, not a YouTube link: up to 30 seconds on the free trial, 3 minutes on Business. To send people to a longer version, add a Website button next to the clip that opens it.
Will people know to point the phone at the photo?
The page tells them. Once the camera is on, it asks them to point it at the photo, and if they're too far away, to move closer.
Does the QR code stop working?
Not on a paid live print. It plays for as long as you keep your Ember22 account, whether or not the subscription continues. Prints made on the free trial pause when the 14 days end unless you move to a paid plan.
Can the code go on the front of the print?
Yes, in a corner. It is drawn into the print file outside the area where the video plays, and the camera ignores it when matching the picture.
How the camera finds the picture, and what it needs to, is in how AR photos work.
Try a print that plays.
Print one at home during the free trial and see which you'd rather hand out.
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