Thread: Create your own 3D digital images

Why do things look 3D to begin with? The effect of 3D relies on the fact that our eyes are separated by a few inches, so they see everything from two slighi:ly different angles:

The result is a phenomenon known as parallax-the relative position of close objects varies more to your eyes than the relative position of more distant objects.

With a single lens, there's no way to capture the effect of parallax in one photo. But what if you had two cameras, or took the same phDto twice, moving the camera between shots? It's not too hard to make your own photos look 3D using some clever composition and a free animation program. So let's start learning how to go about it.

BuiLd a 3D Rig
The best way to achieve realistic 3D effects is to use a pair of point-and-shoot digital cameras. Just mount them on a solid surface so the lenses are between 3 and 6 inches apart. Ideally, both cameras should be the same model, or at least very similar. If you can't arrange that, make sure the lenses are at the same height off the board (you might need to prop one camera up a bit) and, when you turn both cameras on, adjust the zoom settings so they are approximately the same. If you have only one camera, don't worry. We'll get to that in just a little bit.

Shoot Your 3D StiLLs
Now it's time for some 3D action. Press both shutter releases at approximately the same moment. It doesn't have to be exact, though the more static your scene, the better your results will be if you can't get both photos to happen simultaneously.
If you don't have two cameras, that's okay. You can simulate the effect with just one.



Take your first photo, taking careful note of the way you've framed the scene. Then carefully move just a few inches to the left or right, keeping the lens oriented on the same subject as the first photo. Take the second shot.

When you're done, copy the photos to your PC and, if necessary, resize them so they're both have the same dimension in pixels. I suggest that you shrink both images down to about 800 pixels across. In Adobe Photo shop Elements, you'd do that by choosing Image, Resize, Image Size from the menu. Make sure Resample Image is checked, and then enter a width of 800 pixels.

Animate
Now it's time to reap the fruits of your labor. You'll need a program to create animated GIFs from a series of individual photos. For this, I used a shareware program called Easy GIF Animator, which has a 30-day free trial.

Choose Create New Animation from the list of Easy Wizards on the main screen, and then add the two stereoscopic photos to the project. Choose the option to play the video infinitely, and set the length of the display to 20 (which is 0.2 seconds). You can always adjust that number later. Finish the wizard, and then you'll be treated to a render of your animation, which quickly cycles back and forth between the two images. Not all subjects are ideal candidates for this kind of animation, but some are quite fun.

That's very helpful! Thank you - I've wondered how to do this, but just haven't taken the time to research it.