3D Nieces – P365 Mar10
- At March 24, 2008
- By Neil Creek
- In 3D
1
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How to take 3D photos
- At March 21, 2008
- By Neil Creek
- In 3D, Top Posts, Tutorial
105

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
Processing

StereoPhoto Maker screenshot
- Download and install StereoPhoto Maker.
- Download and install AutoPano and link it to StereoPhoto Maker as a plugin.
- 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:
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StereoPhoto Maker easy adjustment
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

3D bracelet and space ship – P365 Feb24
- At March 03, 2008
- By Neil Creek
- In 3D, Jewelery
1
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How to see 3D photos
- At February 28, 2008
- By Neil Creek
- In 3D, Feature, Top Posts, Tutorial
101
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Table of Contents
- Stereo Pairs
- How to do it
- Try it!
- Linking to this guide
- Resources
- Some more examples to enjoy
WARNING: It's important to state right up front, that there is a small potential risk to your health with this 3D viewing technique. The risk is very small, but I must cover myself. If you have any known problems with your eye muscles, I recommend that you do not attempt this technique. If you experience any light-headedness, headaches or other symptoms, STOP IMMEDIATELY and rest your eyes. Everyone will likely experience some slight eye fatigue when learning this technique, so it is very important to rest your eyes regularly, and only look at 3D images for short periods of time. Even once you have perfected the technique, do not over-exert your eyes. You have been warned. If you attempt to learn this technique, you agree not to hold me responsible for any ill fortune that befalls you as a result.
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
- 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
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.
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.
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:
<a href="http://neilcreek.com/blog/2008/02/28/how-to-see-3d-photos/" target="top">Learn how to see 3D photos like this.</a>
Resources

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