3D Photos using Photoshop
A bit of some Photoshop fun and lots of trial and error attempts tonight to produce a 3D image using the generic red and blue lens glasses. The idea started with a tutorial by Al Ward posted this
week on Photoshop User. Unfortunately I couldn't get his instructions to work that great but I also didn't want to give up.
With a little help from google and a better understanding on how this trick works, I came up with this method from various sources. The difference was that Al tutorial was a hack to try and use an existing photo and what I finally did was take new photos with 3D in mind.
This turned out to be very difficult to explain so I hope the following makes at least some sense.
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For the purpose of this post, you will need to get a pair of red and blue lens 3D glasses for testing. I'm using the set that came with the Rustboy Book. |
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I needed to take two photos to accomplish the final affect so for the sake of simplicity, I just photographed my own desk. I setup a few props for extra effects such as the book hanging over the vcr, the chair and the remote.
It took a few tries to get it right but the key was to offset the two photos slightly (less then an inch) but focus and center the image on one specific item. I used the magazines just below the TV. If this was a scenery photo with distance, the offset would have been several feet instead of just a few centimeters. |
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It ended up being very simple to make this work as long as each step was followed in order. My glasses had the red lens covering the left eye so the key was to start with the photo offset to the left. The opposite would be true if the blue lens was on the left and you would be starting with the right photo. Reason: Simply to start with the photo taken for the red side.
Open that left image and select only the red channel from the channels pallet and copy that over to the red channel of second image. (The image offset to the right)
You should now have a photo like this one that has the red channel showing the image offset to the left and the green and blue channel showing the image offset to the right. |
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As it is right now, the effect is too strong and we need to move the red channel into place. Use the move tool (it will be easier if you increase the canvas size first and then crop back down later) and adjust the red until the objects you focused on are merged.
In my case, I held down shift with the arrow keys and moved the red channel down until the two photos lined up with the magazines and front part of the TV.
Take a look at the final photo to judge for yourself. Take notice on the book, chair and remote hanging off the desk. |
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As an unrelated side note, I created this image just as a test to see how the channels work with the glasses. I used two completely different photos taken in San Francisco. One image is sitting in the red channel, the other in the blue and green.
The photo is not in 3D but I included it just as an extra because I thought it was kind of cool. Look through the red lens to see one photo and then look through the blue lens to see the other. Both instances eliminate the necessary colors to view the photo clearly. To relate this to the photo above, one eye is looking at the image offset to the left, the other to the right but both eyes are looking at the magazines/TV in the same location. |
Next step and challenge, figure out the amazing concept of Magic Eye photos.
