Smart Film (PDLC Switchable Film), Explained Simply
Smart film — PDLC switchable film — is a thin layer applied to the glass you already have — clear when it's powered on, frosted and private when it's off, in under a second.
What is smart film?
Smart film — PDLC switchable film, also called smart window film, switchable window film, or switchable glass tint — is the fastest way to get switchable privacy glass: a thin layer applied to the glass you already have. Powered on, your window is clear. Powered off, it's frosted — private in under a second. No demolition, no window replacement, and in most homes, installed in a day.
If smart glass is something you build in, smart film is something you add on. Here's the plain-language version.
How does smart film work?
The film holds microscopic liquid crystals between two transparent conductive layers. A small transformer feeds it low-voltage power:
- Power on — the crystals align, and the film turns clear. Your glass looks like glass.
- Power off — the crystals scatter light, and the film turns frosted white. Nobody sees in or out, but daylight still comes through.
Privacy is the default: any time the power is off, the film is frosted. You control it from a wall switch, remote, app, or voice assistant. The deeper technical detail — voltage, UV block, busbars, fabrication — is on our how smart glass works page.
Why retrofit smart film instead of replacing the glass?
Most privacy problems involve glass that's otherwise perfectly good: a bathroom window facing the neighbors, a glass-walled office, a street-level storefront. Replacing that glass with switchable panels works, but it's a construction project. Smart film solves the same problem on the existing glass:
- Installed in place — a typical home project finishes in one day.
- No structural work — frames, seals, and glazing stay untouched.
- Removable — the film comes off professionally without damaging the glass, which makes it realistic for renters and commercial tenants.
- Bonus benefits in both states — it blocks 99%+ of UV, so furniture fades slower, and frosted it softens glare (heat reduction is modest; see the energy guide).
Our guide to smart film for windows covers what makes a good retrofit candidate — and what doesn't.
Where does smart film work best?
- Bathroom windows — privacy on demand, no soggy blinds.
- Bedrooms and street-facing windows — frost at night, clear all day.
- Home offices — a private video-call backdrop at the flip of a switch.
- Conference rooms and partitions — open-plan offices that can still hold a private meeting (see smart glass for offices).
- Storefronts and medical offices — after-hours screening, patient privacy, even rear-projection displays on the frosted film.
See real installations across LA on our projects page.
Smart film for windows — and why people call it smart glass film
Most of what we install is smart film for windows: the same PDLC layer, applied to a window that is already sitting in its frame. The sash, the seals, the glazing bead and the view all stay exactly as they are — the only thing that changes is that the pane now has an off switch. It's also why the same product gets searched for as smart glass film. It is a film, it goes on glass, and once it's on there the window behaves like smart glass. Same product, different name.
Windows are where the retrofit argument is strongest, because the alternative is tearing out a perfectly good unit. Recent film retrofits on glass that stayed exactly where it was:
- Two corridor windows in Tarzana — clear for street-side daylight, frosted the moment anyone walking through needs privacy.
- 50 sq ft on a Pasadena townhouse bathroom window — above a dual-sink vanity, wired to a wall switch.
- Two front picture windows in Los Angeles — bright and open by day, private in seconds after dark.
- 102 sq ft on a Newport Beach bathroom window — all nine lites of a steel window wall over the tub, frosted together from a remote.
- A Laguna Beach bathroom picture window — 22 sq ft over a freestanding tub, canyon view when clear, full privacy on a remote.
- A Rowland Heights front door — 31 sq ft on the tall entry lite, applied behind the wrought-iron grille without touching it.
Single panes, double-glazed units and tempered glass all take film. What decides a window is surface texture and access to power, not the window's age. Doors take it the same way, including smart film on a sliding glass door. If the window is being replaced rather than kept, smart glass for windows puts the switchable layer inside a new unit instead.
Smart film colors
The frosted (powered-off) state isn't only white. We stock five finishes, so the privacy look matches your glass and your design — from a soft milky white to a deep, near-opaque double black.
Not sure which finish suits your space? Samples are at the showroom, by appointment, so you can see each one against your own glass and light.
Switchable film, also called switchable PDLC film
Switchable film is smart film: a thin, self-adhesive switchable PDLC film that bonds to the glass you already have and turns it from clear to an even frosted white at the flip of a switch. Ours is cut to each pane in Canoga Park, wired to a concealed low-voltage transformer, and installed by our own crew.
Looking for an electric, switchable tint? Same product
If you've been searching for an electric tint or switchable tint — glass tint that turns on and off — this is that product. Unlike static tint, which is one fixed shade forever, the switchable layer is live: clear when you want the view, private the moment you don't. Five finishes, fabricated in Canoga Park, installed across the Los Angeles metro. Replacing blinds rather than tint? Smart film blinds covers zebra-line and logo cuts.
What is PDLC smart film?
PDLC smart film is a thin, self-adhesive switchable layer that turns existing glass clear or frosted at the flip of a switch. With power on, the glass is clear; with power off, it frosts for privacy while still letting daylight through. PDLC film is applied to the glass you already have, and most home projects finish in a day.
PDLC stands for polymer dispersed liquid crystal: tiny droplets of liquid crystal held in a polymer layer, sealed between two clear conductive sheets. With power on, the droplets line up and light passes straight through, so the glass looks clear. With power off, they scatter the light, so the glass turns an even frosted white that still lets daylight in. Searches for PDLC smart film, PDLC film, smart PDLC film, and PDLC switchable smart film all describe this same layer.
It comes in two forms:
- PDLC smart film is the layer with an adhesive back, applied to glass you already have. That is what we cut and install from Canoga Park: the T91 adhesive film in the spec table below.
- PDLC glass (PDLC smart glass) is the identical layer factory-sealed between two panes, a finished unit any glazier fits.
Both run on the same low-voltage transformer. For the mechanism, see how does smart glass work; the longer read is what PDLC smart film is, and how PDLC smart film is made covers manufacturing.
Switchable privacy glass or smart film: which do you need?
"Switchable privacy glass" usually means one of two things: the switching built into new glass, or added to the glass you have. The honest rule of thumb:
- Your glass is staying → smart film. Lower cost, faster install, removable.
- You're building or replacing glazing anyway → smart glass panels, where the switchable layer is sealed inside the glass. Better for showers, exteriors, and new construction.
The full comparison (durability, moisture, install scope) is in smart film vs smart glass, and both are priced side by side on our smart glass cost page.
Cut, tested & installed by one team
We custom-cut every film panel at our Canoga Park facility with the electrical connections factory-applied and tested. Our own team installs throughout the Los Angeles metro — the full process is on the smart film installation page — and for projects further out we supply prepared film to licensed contractors and trade installers per project. Our Canoga Park showroom is open by appointment if you'd like to see live smart film samples switch from clear to frosted in person before you buy.
Check the areas we cover for install availability outside the LA metro.
PDLC smart film specifications
Our switchable smart film is T91 PDLC film (adhesive type) — the self-adhesive version applied directly to your existing glass. These are the laboratory-measured specs:
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Visible light transmittance | 92% clear |
| Haze | 2.5% clear |
| UV blocking | 99% |
| Viewing angle | > 140° |
| Switching speed | clear → frosted ≤ 200 ms · frosted → clear ≤ 10 ms |
| Operating voltage | 48–65 V AC (50/60 Hz) |
| Power draw | ≤ 5 W/m² |
| Total film thickness | 478 µm |
| Operating temperature | −20 °C to 65 °C |
| Service life | > 80,000 hours |
See if your glass qualifies
Send us a photo of the glass you want to switch. Request your estimate or call (866) 728-9888 -- we'll tell you whether film is the right fit and what it would actually cost, usually within one to two business days.