With a pair of red-blue 3D glasses, a digital camera, and some photo editing software, you too can make your very own three-dimensional photographs (anaglyphs)! Popularized by spectacular shots from the NASA Mars rovers in 2004, these images portray depth with surprising accuracy.
Your subject needs to be able to sit still because you will be taking two "as-identical-as-possible" photos: one for the left-eye view and one for the right. A tripod might be nice, but it certainly isn't necessary. Take the first photo, then move the camera about 2 inches (the distance between your eyes) to the right and try to retake the photo to be as identical to the last one as possible.
Copy the two images to your computer. Open in whatever photo editing program you prefer.
Convert the first (left) image to gray scale (yes, you are discarding color information).
Convert the second (right) image to gray scale, then reconvert it back to RGB. It should still appear gray.
Still working on your second image, change your program to a mode that controls color channels. Select just the Red channel (usually designated by an eye icon next to the selected channel.)
Back on the first image, select all (
+ 
), then copy ( + 
) the image. Return to the second image and make sure the color channels are still displayed with only the Red channel selected. Now paste the first image that you copied. Now select the RGB channel. This replaces the Red channel of the second image with the first image. You should now see a gray scale image with red and blue halos.
Move the red layer around with the mouse or arrow keys so that the two line up, minimizing the halos.
Examine the photo while wearing your red-blue glasses (red over the left eye). You can change the natural focal point of the photo by readjusting the red layer's alignment. Eliminate the halos around an object in your photo to make it the focal point.
If it is just not working for you, try looking through the glasses backwards (red over the right eye). When you have something you like, crop off the red and blue edges of the photo and save it. A well done 3-D photo should look mostly gray with small shadows of red and blue.
Steps
Find a subject to photograph. Your subject should be able to sit still, and it should contain some depth. Your buddy in front of a bare white wall will look as boring in 3-D as he or she does normally. Consider close-ups of detailed things. You will probably want to set your camera to macro mode - the symbol is typically a flower.Your subject needs to be able to sit still because you will be taking two "as-identical-as-possible" photos: one for the left-eye view and one for the right. A tripod might be nice, but it certainly isn't necessary. Take the first photo, then move the camera about 2 inches (the distance between your eyes) to the right and try to retake the photo to be as identical to the last one as possible.
Copy the two images to your computer. Open in whatever photo editing program you prefer.
Convert the first (left) image to gray scale (yes, you are discarding color information).
Convert the second (right) image to gray scale, then reconvert it back to RGB. It should still appear gray.
Still working on your second image, change your program to a mode that controls color channels. Select just the Red channel (usually designated by an eye icon next to the selected channel.)
Back on the first image, select all (
Move the red layer around with the mouse or arrow keys so that the two line up, minimizing the halos.
Examine the photo while wearing your red-blue glasses (red over the left eye). You can change the natural focal point of the photo by readjusting the red layer's alignment. Eliminate the halos around an object in your photo to make it the focal point.
If it is just not working for you, try looking through the glasses backwards (red over the right eye). When you have something you like, crop off the red and blue edges of the photo and save it. A well done 3-D photo should look mostly gray with small shadows of red and blue.
Tips
- A common mistake is to move more than 2 inches in step 2.
- You should ideally move the camera 2cm for every 1m to the subject for the best effect.
- There is also software that will do all this automatically for you including online services like Start 3D or downloadable windows software such as Stereo Photo Maker. In both cases just upload/load your two photos and the software will do the rest for you. They will also keep elements of the colour.
- Fuji launched the world's first consumer 3D digital camera the FinePix REAL 3D W1 in October 2009 that allows you to capture two shots simultaneously and so make amazing action shots.
Warnings
- While increasing the distance between the two camera shots can cause a more dramatic effect, never exceed 8 inches, as this may give the viewer a severe headache.
Things You'll Need
- A digital camera
- A computer with photo editing software, such as The GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, Photobie, or Paint.net
- A tripod (optional)
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