P365 Day 2

This is my desk, it’s a mess, it’s where I spend a great deal of my day. I like it, but it needs a tidy ;)

P365 Day 3

My first serious attempt at 3D photography via the iPhone. I have a 3D photo app for the iPhone, but I find that the results aren’t as good as I can do myself with Stereo Photo Maker.

Learn how to see 3D photos like this.

While I was at Kinglake for the photoshoot a couple of weeks ago, I deliberately had in mind that I wanted to take some 3D photography. I wanted to be able to present the photos of the destruction of the bushfires in a way that would have more impact, more reality, and put the viewer more into the scene and really feel like you were there. Stereophotography is a great way to do this.

What follows is a selection of 3D stereo images taken around Kinglake using the “cha-cha” method. If you are unfamiliar with the technique to see 3D images of this kind, then please read this tutorial first, before returning here. If you would like to learn how to take 3D photos yourself, then you can learn how with this tutorial.

We were visiting Mum’s today for mother’s day, and when I saw the large, ornate mirror and frame that hangs in the entrance, I had an idea. Why not use a real, 3D frame for 3D photos instead of a simple black border? So I used the Loreo lens to take a 3D photo of the mirror (the cha-cha method would have worked fine), and with a bit of Photoshop magic, inserted the photo of Rebekah in cosplay within it.

I deliberately positioned Rebekah in 3D space to appear within the frame, but reaching through it. The frame itself doesn’t look as 3D as I’d like, but that’s limited by the stereo base of the Loreo lens. Next time I visit mum I’ll shoot the frame again, but this time with the cha-cha method so I can widen the stereo base for a more exaggerated 3D effect.

Does this photo give you any new ideas for your submission to the 3D For Everyone project? :)

(parallel version to come soon)

Occasionally I get email or comments or Flickr messages that I think might be best answered via a blog post. Other people may be interested in the question and my best efforts at an answer. I received this question through Flickr the other day, and asked Pepe’s permission to answer it here. As part of 3D month, here’s a query about moving subjects in 3D photography:

The Question

I have just read your discussions on ‘How to see’ and ‘How to take ’3D photos. My sincere congratulations. I am going to recommend then in my site at Flickr.

Only one thing I don’t quite understand: you said, apparently wihout exceptions, that nothing can move between shots in ‘Disadvantages’ in ‘How to take 3D photos’, but evidently, in your examples you have many shots even of people practicing sports. Perhaps this is a contradiction or I didn’t understand you well. I suppose a pair of cameras with synchronized shots are used. I would like and appreciate very much to have your comments about this type of 3D shots with moving people or objects.

Please, take a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/joserodmon/sets/72157603505323290/. Your comments will be very valuable to me.

Thank very much for your time and effort. Sorry for my poor English.

Best regards, Pepe

The Answer

Thank you for your question Pepe! First of all, your English is excellent.

Your confusion is entirely my fault. It is certainly true that subjects which move while taking 3D photos are problematic, but only if you are using a single camera to take two separate shots. The most accessible way to take 3D photos is using the cha-cha method, as I described in How to Take 3D Photos.

There are a number of other ways to take 3D photos that eliminate this problem by capturing both the left and right eye views at the same time. These include:

• A 3D lens or attachment, such as the Loreo 3D Lens in a Cap.
• A specialist 3D camera which has two lenses built in and records an image through both of them at the same time.
• A twin-camera system, which mounts two cameras side-by-side, and takes 3D photos by triggering the two cameras simultaneously.

For the 3D photos to which you refer, for example the one at the top of this post, I used my Loreo 3D Lens in a Cap. This used a mirror and dual-lens arrangement to capture left and right views simultaneously on a single exposure, thus allowing me to freeze movement.

I’m sorry I didn’t make it clearer that I take 3D photos using both methods. I will go back to the posts in question and make a note of the fact. I have updated all of my 3D images in Flickr so that they are tagged either “cha-cha” or “loreo” to specify what method I used to capture the image.

More Information

So what can you do if you want to capture 3D images of potentially moving subjects using the cha-cha method? Here are some suggestions:

• If shooting people, explain to them that remaining motionless is critical. Motionless includes breathing, where they are looking, shifting their weight, ANY movement.
• Be quick! Plan your shot and rehearse it in your head before you shoot, so you can get both shots withing a very short period. You increase your chances of capturing slow or infrequently moving subjects.
• Take the same pair of shots several times. You might be lucky and find a pair where movement is minimised
• If shooting plants outdoors, shoot on still days and wait for a lull in the wind. Small breezes will change lots of the smallest leaves, so calm weather will help a lot.
• Accept that some things are impossible. Any kind of moving water is impossible, windblown vegetation, people whom you are unable to instruct etc will likely be forever impossible with the cha-cha technique.

I probably overstated the problem of shooting cha-cha 3D photos of moving subjects, and a little practice and experimentation may open up new possibilities, but there will always be a limit.

Send in Your Own Question

If you have any questions about my photography, any of the posts or photography in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, either via the blog comments, email, or via the contact form that I’ve just decided needs to go on my Profile page (look for it soon!). If I think your question would make a suitable topic for a blog post, I’ll write one up and share the answer with blog readers.

Hope to hear from you soon!

I have a lot of batteries, and I spent most of the afternoon charging them.

Learn how to see 3D photos like this.

Most of them are used in the two flashes I have, I keep 4 sets of 4 in the camera bag (two for use, two for backup). The rest of the batteries go in devices around the house, including TV remotes, Wii controllers and such.

After the experiment a couple of days ago with the fisheye photo of the dryer, it occurred to me that it might make a good 3D photo. I’ve never tried a fisheye 3D photo, so I thought I’d try it out. I’m not sure it works well though. I thought the reflections might look cool in 3D, but instead I think they just confuse the whole thing. What do you think?

Learn how to see 3D photos like this.

I definately want to try a fisheye 3D photo on a more suitable subject, however.

My sister’s family visited today, so I thought I’d practice my 3D portraiture. A great challenge to say the least. The images are a bit noisy as they needed to be shot on a high ISO setting to get enough light through the 3D lens.

Learn how to see 3D photos like this.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a tutorial on how to see cross-eye 3D stereo photos on your computer screen. Today I’m going to tell you how to take your own 3D photos.

The process is really very simple, and the basics can be explained in less than a minute, but to become good at taking and presenting 3D photos take a bit more time, and it’s something that really develops with practice. I hope you’ll take what you learn here and get out and get lots of practice taking 3D photos.

The typical and easiest single-camera 3D photography technique is commonly called the “cha-cha” technique, for reasons which will soon become obvious. Here’s the technique in a nutshell:

Taking the Photos

• Always take photos in portrait orientation
• Set the camera to full manual and choose the correct exposure and focus
• Put your feet square on to the subject of your 3d photo
• Put your weight onto your right foot, without lifting your left
• Take the first photo
• Put your weight onto your left foot without raising your right
• Unless your subject is very close, you don’t need to turn your camera to keep it in the centre
• Take the second photo

And you’re done! As simple as that. Simply by shifting your weight from one foot to the other, you move your viewpoint by several centimetres, sufficient to get a 3D effect. The “cha-cha” name refers to the side to side sway you do when taking the photo.

Processing

StereoPhoto Maker screenshot

Now you’ve got two photos, but you need to make one. I use a fantastic piece of free software called StereoPhoto Maker. It’s not the prettiest software, but it does a fantastic job. It can be used in conjunction with a plugin called AutoPano, that can analise the two images and automatically correct for many of the problems that can come from shooting two separate images. This includes tilting and twisting, moving forward or back between shots, and the “keystone distortion” that occurs when you turn the camera to centre the subject for close 3D photos.

• Download and install StereoPhoto Maker.
• Download and install AutoPano and link it to StereoPhoto Maker as a plugin.

Step by step

• Drag both photos onto the StereoPhoto Maker shortcut icon
• Zoom out a bit with your mouse’s scroll wheel if you need to to make it easier to fuse the pair into 3D with the cross-eye technique
• If the 3D effect seems reversed, click the swap button to swap the images correctly for a crossed eye view
• Click on the auto align button to use autopano to correct for any distortions
• Click on the Easy Adjustment button to fix the 3D images position relative to the 3D window (see below for more information)
• I find adding a border helps, so if you like, in the menu go to View – Border Options
• Check “Show Border” and adjust the border settings to your liking
• Save the image by clicking in the menu File – Save Stereo Image
• Enjoy your new 3d photo!

The 3D “Window”

The edge of the image is more than just the boundaries of the 3D photograph. In a 3D photo, it is also a “hole” into which you look and through which 3D subjects can appear. A good way to think of the edge of the image is as a literal window in your computer screen. This is one of the reasons why I find a border around both parts of the 3D image helps me, it more clearly defines the edge of the 3D window.

Just like a real window, you expect to look through it, and rarely do you expect things seen beyond it to come back through it at you. One nasty optical illusion that can happen with 3D photos is when part of the 3D subject “touches” the window, or worse, appears to overlap it. Have a look at the two examples below:

The subject is placed too far forward in the 3D window, and appears to overlap the window’s edge, creating an uncomfortable optical illusion. This is most obvious on the left of this stereo photo.

Here the photo has been corrected, pushing the 3D subject back in 3D space beyond the window frame.

StereoPhoto Maker easy adjustment

This problem is easily corrected in SteroPhoto Maker with the “Easy Adjustment” button. Clicking on this will show both images overlapped and tinted red and blue (if you have an pair of red/blue 3d glasses, you can do this process in 3D!). Using the slider above the image, you can adjust the separation of the two images, thus moving them backward and forward in 3D space.

It can be tricky to get the hang of how changing this slider will affect the final image, but as a tip, look at the bottom edge. Move the slider so that the red and blue images exactly overlap where they touch the bottom edge, that means that part of the image will appear at the same distance as the frame. This tip will only work, obviously, if part of the subject touches the bottom of the photo. With some practice you’ll get the hang of it.

A rule of thumb is that it’s ok for part of the image to protrude through the frame, as long as no part is “touching” it.

How to View

Now that you’ve got a whole bunch of awesome 3D photos, it’s time to share them around. Hopefully you’ve already read my tutorial on how to view cross-eye 3D photos on your computer screen, but if not, you can read it here.

If you’d like to share your new 3D masterpieces, and I encourage you to do so, there’s a Stereophotography Flickr group, and one on Yahoo too. I’d love you to put links to your 3D photos in the comments to this post, so I can see how you’ve done! I’m relatively new to 3D photography, so I’m sure there’s much you can teach me too!

This is a quick and easy method for 3D photography and has a number of advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

• You don’t need expensive specialist 3D equipment
• Each eye’s image is captured on a full frame, so the resulting 3D image can be very high resolution
• There is no blurring or ghosting at the edge of the frame, which can be seen in many “beam splitter” attachments where the two views join
• You can take a 3D photo with any lens in your SLR kit, including macro, for extremely close 3D photos
• Many 3D attachments have very limited control over focus and aperture, with the cha-cha technique you have complete control over the settings
• You can do this with any camera, if you forget to take your 3D attachment or camera, you can still take 3D photos this way

Disadvantages

• The most obvious and critical shortcoming is that this method only works with still object that don’t move between shots
• Any movement between the two shots will cause a distracting 3D error, so people, animals and even trees in a light breeze will be difficult or impossible to shoot
• You need to take two photos for every 3D image, which takes twice as long, and uses twice as much space
• It is easy to introduce errors such as twisting or tilting the camera between shots which can cause distracting artifacts
• You need to shoot with manual settings so that there’s no accidental variation in exposure or focus

I had a play around with some 3D photography for the first time in quite a while. This time I also experimented with macro 3D photography. It takes all the challenge of 3D photography, adds it to the even harder challenge of macro photography, for a super difficult challenge! But I think the results are pretty darn cool :)

The first photo is a regular 3D photo of one of Naomi’s beautiful wirework glass bead bracelets. I thought this would make an interesting 3D subject due to the detailed structure of all the beads, plus the interesting reflections and refractions from the glass. The second photo is a macro close up of the same bracelet.

Finally the third photo is a bit of fun with one of my Star Wars Micro Machine toys, shot with macro extension.

Photo © 2008 David Ziser

Photography has an inherent limitation in that cameras typically capture images that don’t have any true three dimensional depth. We have two eyes, but with the exception of specialised equipment, cameras only have one lens. There are ways to “cheat” however, and for almost as long as there have been cameras, there have been people trying to find ways to take and view 3D photos.

3D photography is experiencing a rush of interest and innovation, as more people experiment with better digital cameras, and a wave of new 3D movies, including the spectacular 3D epic by James Cameron, Avatar captivates audiences worldwide. 3D is the next big thing, and many want to create and see 3D photography, or stereophotography.

This article is not a history of stereophotography. The point is to teach you how to see 3D photos on the web. There are many different ways to see 3D, with just as many gadgets to help. The technique I will be showing you requires no special equipment. All you need to do is train your eyes to look at these images in what you might call an “unnatural” way.

Table of Contents
• Stereo Pairs
• How to do it
• Try it!
• Linking to this guide
• Resources
• Some more examples to enjoy

Note: This technique will be impossible for some people. If you have poor eye control, a dramatic disparity in eye function or anything along those lines, you may not be able to see the 3D effect no matter how much you practice.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, lets learn how to see in 3D!

Stereo Pairs

To see a 3D image, each eye needs to see a different view. There are ways to take photos like this, but I’ll talk about that another time. When the two slightly different images are processed, they are placed side-by-side so that the viewer can use a special “crossed-eye” technique to overlap them, and see both views together in 3D.

Below is an animation that simulates what it looks like when you view these images in 3D. The instructions follow.

How to do it

  Why crossed eyes?
When overlapping stereo pairs without special glasses, you can get the 3D effect by crossing your eyes or diverging your eyes. I prefer the crossed eye method. I find it easier to control, and it is possible to view larger 3D images than with the diverging technique.
• Sit square in front of your monitor, with the image directly in front of you, at about arm’s length
• Sitting further back makes it easier – you don’t need to cross your eyes as much – but makes the image look smaller
• Make sure you keep your head level horizontally, tilting your head will prevent you from merging the images
• While keeping the stereo pair of images in the centre of your vision, slowly cross your eyes
• The stereo pair will go out of focus and you will seem to see four images, as shown in the animation above
• If you find it hard to cross your eyes, it can help to hold a pen in front of you and look at the tip with the stereo pair in the background
• Gradually cross your eyes more and more – if using a pen to assist, start it close to the monitor and move it towards your nose
• Continue crossing your eyes more, untill the centre two of the four images overlap and you see three blurry images, as in the animation above
• Try and hold the centre image together – it is possible to “lock” it in place and see it as one image
• The “locked” centre image should appear in 3D!
• Now the tricky part, focus – while holding the 3D image in place, relax your eyes – drop the pen from your field of view if you are using it
• If you can keep the 3D image locked and relax your eyes, it should eventually pop into focus, as in the last frame of the animation above

What you are doing here is causing your eyes to look at a space between you and the monitor, but focusing the lenses on the monitor. Our eyes never naturally need to do this, so it can be tricky to do at first.

Try it!

Try and see the 3D effect yourself with the stereo pair below.

How did you go? If you were able to see the effect, congratulations! It really is very striking isn’t it? If you couldn’t manage to do it after trying for a while, leave it aside and try again tomorrow. It can be tricky to get the first time, but the majority of people can do it. If you find you are unable to see the 3D effect no matter how many times you try, then it may be that you are one of the few who for whatever reason will never be able to do it. I have no idea why, some people can’t curl their tongues! *shrug*

Linking to this guide

If you take 3D photos yourself (I teach you how in this article), then please feel free to link to this article to give your viewers a clear, straightforward guide to seeing your 3D images. Just copy and paste the following code into the image description on Flickr or whatever image sharing service you use:

Resources

• The 3D category on my blog
• The Flickr Stereophotography group
• Yahoo Stereophotography group

Some more examples to enjoy