How Holograms are Made

While in New York, Norm stops by Holographic Studios, one the last remaining independent holography galleries and photography studios still operating. Its founder, Jason Sapan, has spent almost 40 years practicing the art of holographic imagery. We figure he's the best person to explain to us what exactly is a hologram, and how they're painstakingly made.

Music provided by JinglePunks
Shot and edited by Norman Chan

[ravinp]

This guy is so full of analogies. I guess 40 years of trying to explain holograms to people have led him to this point.

[trancehi]

I went to a hologram exhibition in London (UK) on a school trip. The best hologram I saw was of a microscope sat on a table, however, when you stood in the correct position some feet away from the whole hologram, you could look down through the microscope to see a hologram of a printed circuit board. It blew my mind. Saw another good one in Amsterdam (NL) of a man changing into a werewolf through about 6 different changes as you walked past it.

[ryanlaing]

I really enjoyed not understanding most of this.

[RMoribayashi]

One of the coolest things about a hologram is that if you cut it up the entire image is on every piece, just limited to the view from that part of the hologram. So If you had the upper right hand corner you would have a three dimensional view from that corner.

[wattdk]

Back in mid 90's we did holography in high school. It was a kit with pretty basic ruby laser, a lens, polaroid size transparent film, simple glass frame to mount the film for the exposure and basic liquids for black & white positive development. Made som awesome holograms. Surprisingly easy and straightforward.

[hopolo]

he actually explained the physical phenomena the most thoroughly and competently of anyone ive seen on youtube thus far.

[DampeSN]

He's not really answering the questions, he's answering other related questions that Norm didn't ask.

[TheSneezingMonkey]

I would've been nice to see a hologram, from the original 'photo'...all the way through the process until it becomes a hologram. But in any case...great video! Very interesting!

[PEKUMBU]

Holograms are the shape of lightwaves as it passes through film. Mindblowing! 

[agent_ethan]

Usually, I understand English... but today, it's not that day.

[jonathanportuhondo]

I was at his museum this weekend, it was a great time i advise anyone that’s visiting New York to make sure you guys stop by at the Holographic Museum

[Latrocinium]

I met this guy, and went to the shop. It's amazing and he's a fountain of knowledge, some good stories too. :)

[lewisb]

The best tested video I've seen so far. Mr. Sapan would seem to be an excellent instructor, and Norm asks exactly the sort of questions necessary to keep the interview rolling. Well done.

[SyntheticFuture]

This is pretty damn complex. I'd love to see a demonstration of how his equipment works, would be interesting. Always wonder how they stumbled upon something like this.

[greasetrap]

Well conducted interview & Mr. Sapan explained things very well. He obviously has a passion, hope he keeps his art going. Beautiful and interesting stuff, visually and conceptually.

[Observer]

Having made holograms (literally in my basement), I can tell you that what you have here is a reasonable overview of the process (but, as I pointed out in a late rcomment,   understandable only if you already know what holograms are), but here's more detail.  The really detailed "WHY" a hologram does what it does is not simple to understand, much less explain in words.
...
...  How the simplest "Transmission Hologram" is made ...
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The laser beam is split into two beams with something like a partly silvered morror.  Each beam is spread out, using a simple lens, to form a wider cone-shaped beam more like flashlight's beam instead of just a dot. One beam shines on the whole film and is called a "reference beam". This is like one of the water 'ripples'.   The other "Object beam" shines (by using mirrors to direct it) on the object being "photographed".  The laser light reflected off the object goes in all directions, as usual, but the light reflected from the object which travels toward the film combines with the reference beam to form the interference pattern on the film.  Where the two waves arrive always peak-to-peak (and trough-to-trough) they add to form more light and expose the film the most.  Where the two waves meet trough-to-peek (and peak-to-trough) they subtract, or partly cancel, and the film is exposed less.
...
  However, it must be understood that this is a very, very complex three dimensional interference pattern within the film's emulsion.  Because the film has thickness, there are interference 'patterns' created within the depth of the emulsion as well as across the surface dimensions. It is very difficult to describe in terms of the two simple ripples forming an interference pattern of just rings. If you have seen any kind of interference rings or patterns, you should realize that even though the light waves are going through their full cycles of extremely high frequency, these interference patterns are stationary.  They are called standing waves.   Because these patterns don't move as the light waves vary through their cycles, they expose the film in a stationary pattern.   If you understand how standing waves are produced on a radio transmission line, this is the same principle, only in three dimensions instead of just one.
...
Side Note: If you understand the mixing of frequencies in a radio receiver you have a little understanding how interference between two waves can preserve the information in one wave.
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  After the film is developed and bleached to make it look clear, it can be viewed. To view the image the laser beam is spread again and shined on the film from the same direction as the original Reference Beam.   This film is now just like a "window" though which you see the object in the same position it was when the film was exposed.  The hologram produces light that leaves the hologram in the very same way it left the original object (and passed "thought" the window formed by the film).   As your eye moves around the window's area, you see light in the same way that it actually left the object and traveled in that direction to the film.  Since, at any one time, an eye only looks through a small part of this film window, this means that every location on the hologram film has a *complete image* of the object as viewed from that single location.    THEREFORE, your two eyes, located at different locations and looking toward the film window, receive light in the same way they would form the actual object and you see it in 3-D.
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 You may think of the hologram film as having billions of really small, strangely shaped prisms that refract the laser's light. They refract the light from the viewing laser into a form that duplicates the way light left the original object.  Also, because they are prisms and prisms spread the colors in slightly different directions, you must use the correct wavelength of light to reconstruct the image correctly; though in my experience a close color looks pretty much the same. This may not help, but if you viewed a hologram of the simple interference rings from two split beams aimed at the film, you would see a single spot of light representing the "object beam".
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P.S. Yes, it is possible to make a hologram image that "floats" in front of the film.  This is done as a hologram of a hologram to get the image on the other side of the film. However, the film must always be behind the floating image.   Light through the film must meet your eye.  It is a "virtual window" behind the image.   A complete ring of film is required for you to walk around such a floating image along with light from a single laser coming from all around the outside and shining inward toward the center.
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P.P.S.  Another amazing aspect of these "Transmission Holograms" is that if you shine a laser dot onto the hologram in the reverse direction from the original reference beam, you get a *complete image* of the object projected on a screen located where the object had been.  This is *with NO lens*..  The image will be seen from the perspective of the point on the film where you would have looked at the original object when you exposed the film.   As you move the laser dot around the film, the projected image changes perspective (rotates) to match that location on the film.   I saw this demonstrated in a hologram talk and duplicated it myself.  Very COOL!
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P.P.P.S. There are white light Holograms (which has all wavelengths/colors) and they use a nifty trick to do that, which I won't go into here.
ScienceAdvisorSteve

[BlazeHedgehog]

This guy goes and goes and goes but I don't think he actually explains anything about this process in human english. All I understand is that holograms are made with film and lasers and something about wavelengths? The intercuts to this dude's studio where he's apparently just waving lasers around gives it kind of a surreal quality.

[HOBOLOCO]

I couldn't quite grasp what a hologram was. Thanks for this video. My understanding is much clearer.

[Adahop]

How cool! I really wish this process was still more popular. I'm actually looking into ordering something from them.

[-MrFozzy-]

What an incredible description of how they are made!