Rhialto - Stereoscopy

Here we are, 3D accessible to everyone!

In my humble opinion I think it is important to begin as soon as possible the collection of 3D pictures. Before they get too old, grab a few pics of your baby/children, any family member before they pass away, some will like a few pictures of their pets, well it's up to you...

I just bought the first digital stereoscopic camera available to the mass market, the famous Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1. We are talking of stereoscopy here, the art of seeing depth in a photo by looking at 2 pictures taken simultaneously. There are different ways to look at stereoscopic material and they become more and more accessible everyday.

In about 3 years from now, looking at 3D stuff will be common so it is right now that we must start collecting 3D souvenirs! 2011 looks to be a great year for 3D. Many HDTV manufacturers offer 3D ready sets (watch for HDMI 1.4+). Also, all PS3 consoles (more than 28 millions worldwide) received an update and they can now read the new Blu-ray 3D format. Just do a Google News search about 3D and you'll see there is a lot to read about.

From the prototype to the mass market version

Here are some pictures from my collection I want to share :
Clic here to see/hide instructions on how to look at my stereoscopic pictures

INSTRUCTIONS :
There are many different ways to look at stereoscopic pictures and the applet below let you choose your favourite viewing method.


	If you are lucky enough to own a 120Hz LCD screen with a 3DVision kit, or polarized glasses, you probably have what's best to view full size 3D images. Either are the easiest to use, the most frequently used (cinema) and gives the best results. Note that only shutter glasses give full resolution, polarized = half. + full size image, best 3D effect and no strain on the eyes - subject to image ghosting (or crosstalk)


	Those of you used to stereoscopic stuff probably own such light cardboard made glasses for parallel-eyed viewing. I gave many to family members. This is the least expensive method that require close to no effort from the eyes and gives excellent results. The Lite 3D viewer (top) is mostly useful for looking at pairs printed on 4x6 and 5x7. The Pixi 3D viewer is better suited to look at stereo pics on a computer screen or printed in a large format. - I made the applet use this mode by default. You can change it with the drop-down menu - + excellent 3D effect and very clean picture - 2 side-by-side pictures being required, we are looking at a smaller stereo picture


	The cross-eyed viewing method require some experience but once you get used to it, it's easy to catch later on and it gives the next best result without the need for any piece of additional equipment. Not everybody can do it though. At a distance of about 0.75 meter from the screen, start to slowly cross you eyes until both images overlap (you'll likely see 3 side-by-side pics). At this stage you must concentrate on the middle picture and relax until you can do the focus on that new image. When you get it, it's ecstasy! You get a very nice 3D view where you can easily look around in the picture! See my video tutorial to learn the cross-eyed method. + excellent 3D effect and very clean picture - 2 side-by-side pictures being required, we are looking at a smaller stereo picture. Don't forget to give your eyes a break!


	Without a doubt the best known of all methods but the least recommended! For all of you who have a pair of anaglyphs (red/cyan) glasses lying around. You will see the 3D effect but far from being the best. + full size image - lost of natural colors and 3D effect is not really interesting


Plain 2D viewing	If none of the above methods works for you then you can sill looks at all the pictures in 2D.