"JUST  FOOLING  AROUND"  APPLICATIONS:

• DRAWING 3-D "DOODLES".
You need a basic drawing program and about 1 hour to figure out the technique.  This basically entails moving picture elements horizontally to create depth illusion.  You can learn this easily when you are ready to read the "How-To" section.
 
• SINGLE-CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHY
Any still camera will work - film or digital.  When traveling, you can use the same camera for "flat" or "3-D" photos.  There are two catches, however.  You can only get 3-D of non-moving objects or people who'll stand still for a few seconds.  Also, while you move the camera from the left to the right eye, you need to observe the vertical and horizontal alignment very carefully.  Don't point the camera in two different directions.  Expect to have some "3-D rejects" no matter how careful you are - you'll just have a few extra "flat" prints to give around.  The good 3-D pairs can be kept in your album, framed on a wall, scanned for Internet, etc.

• USING A DEDICATED "3-D CAMERA"
Virtually all 3-D photo cameras use regular film, and create frames that are smaller than normal, for different applications.  Therefore you need to go to any photo lab that does manual enlargements (a mom-and-pop photo lab instead of large franchises).  Whatever the camera format is intended for - ask the lab to make REGULAR prints out of each frame.  If you have a scanner to pre-screen the negatives you'll save money - because 3-D cameras create 2 or 4 frames per picture.  Now - where do you buy the cameras?  The only ones widely available are the disposable cameras - good only for playing around.  The most practical solution is to buy second-hand a "Nimslo(tm)" camera, manufactured in the 80s - EXCELLENT for any Internet application.  We don't know a steady source, just go to Alta Vista and search for the keywords "Stereoscopic" and "Nimslo" - you may find a source right away, they sell for about $100-$150.  Or get one of the beautiful old-fashioned 3-D cameras, from photo stores that sell collectibles (normally they are priced within the low hundreds, but sometimes a lot more).  A great source for these cameras is eBay - the auction website - just go to the category "Cameras" and search for "Stereoscopic" and/or "3D".  It's funny to use a 1940s or 50s camera for Internet publishing - but hey - those are the best!  Once you get your REGULAR prints, scan them or display them side-by-side as explained in "Creating and Displaying 3-D".  A dedicated 3-D camera will get rid of any alignment problem as long as you hold it level.  Try to stick to mid-range subjects, since the distance between the two lenses is fixed.
 
• GRAPHICS WITH DEPTH
We'll suggest here two easy ways - but both require some basic computer knowledge.
First - you can use almost any graphic program marked "3-D", from 3-D font makers to basic home & garden design software.  Although the "3-D" term on such software means something else (the capability of rendering perspective from different angles), you can use them to create a "left eye" and a "right eye" view by changing the horizontal position just a little bit.

Second - you can use almost any computer game that allows free viewing of recorded scenes.  Again - just snap one view, move your "camera" horizontally a bit, snap the other view.  To learn how to "snap" such pictures refer to your operating system and to your software manuals.  Use a drawing or publishing program to paste the two pictures side by side.
 

•  ARTISTIC / PROMOTIONAL 3-D PHOTOGRAPHY   (TWO PROFESSIONAL CAMERAS)

You need two identical SLR (reflex) film cameras with matching prime lenses, placed on a bar next to each other, and with a common shutter release.  We'll try to find a reliable supplier for support bars and dual releases, however until then you may have to design your own little rig, complete with a bubble level.

If you only want pictures for computer display and/or Internet publishing, then you don't necessarily need high end SLR cameras.  Digital side-by-side cameras will work fine, and if they have LCD screens and sit on a tripod, you can use our viewer to see the 3-D effect as you shoot.  If two digital cameras are too expensive, you can get very cheap cameras that use "110" film. In either case, you'll need to built a simple support that holds the two cameras in place - preferably with a thread for a support screw.  Or check this web site again - soon we'll include a list of suppliers for 3-D equipment, services, and special interest groups.

 
Give yourself a few weeks to learn the basics of 3-D art.  If you live in a large city, you may consider joining a photo association or a "Stereo Club".  Also, try to locate a photo lab that will allow you to select particular film frames to be printed - so you can save money by selecting only your best shots.

Regarding Internet publishing - 3-D pictures can be handled like any other image, especially if you scan them together or paste them in a single image file.  If you post two separate image files side-by-side, some browsers may "decide" to place them above each other instead.  Be sure to have two alternative sizes when possible - think about people who still have small VGA screens, or slower modems.  Finally, if you are not already familiar with Internet publishing, you're better off hiring a specialist; just make sure that he/she will listen to the suggestions above.

If you consider publishing "Alternate Field 3-D" (which works with Liquid Crystal glasses), please contact the suppliers mentioned on the "Advanced Viewers" page.  Ask for their support regarding technical issues.  While using their LCD viewers is very easy, for publishing work you need to use languages above the "garden variety" HTML.
 

• TRAINING,  EDUCATION  &  SCIENCE

There are disciplines, such as architecture or medicine, where 3-D imaging can help a lot in understanding particular subjects.  You can use simple printouts.  Computer based or video based displays for business use should be customized for each particular application.  These are a bit expensive (for example, a museum or school display may have the price tag of a luxury car - plus some dedicated media production).  However, the cost can be cheaper than the alternatives (such as showing an unusual surgical procedure to a group of medical students, for example).  Some 3-D applications don’t even have correspondent in real life - for example one can use stereo images to detect subtle changes in different subjects, from aerial reconnaissance to CAT-scan imaging.  3-D is also used in interplanetary research, either for imaging or for extracting topographic data.

For video and computer based displays, the most practical solution entails displaying the left / right images sequentially, at high speed.  The user wears glasses with liquid crystal (LCD) shutters.  The left/right shutters are synchronized, of course, with the images alternating on the screen.   For best results you need a video board and a monitor capable of a refresh rate of 100 fields per second or more (quite common today).  Attention: most laptop and "flat panel" displays cannot match this speed - you need a classic CRT monitor.  Wireless LCD viewers will likely be found on many personal desktops in the future.  Right now, the best system in terms of price and compatibility is offered by VR-Joy of Cerritos, California.  
 

•  ENTERTAINMENT

3-D motion pictures are among the top popular attractions at major theme parks - which proves that stereoscopic imaging can generate good profit.  Film and videotape productions in 3-D entail technologies that are now well established.  The costs don't necessarily have to be higher compared to "flat" productions in similar budget categories.  However, 3-D projects should be attempted only by professionals with successful track records in regular film / video productions.  Above-average skills in pre-production and marketing are desirable.  (The reason for this is: too many unprofessional producers and untalented directors embraced 3-D as a money-making gimmick, and the poor quality products ruined the market for everybody).  Fiction projects must be suitable for photography entailing wide depth of field (shorter focal lengths and more camera movement vs. telephoto lenses and a lot of fast cuts).  We can provide consultation and support services for any 3-D production; again, please contact us ahead of time with a description of your intended project.

Very interesting developments in 3-Dimensional entertainment productions will be soon possible due to high-speed Internet connections.  Right now, television programs on the Internet are of very low quality - but the main reason for this is the low bandwidth available to most users.  When the bandwidth obstacle is eliminated, a lot of technical and marketing-related barriers will disappear as well.  The Internet is not bound by the FCC rule that requires any TV program to be compatible with standard TV receivers.  Also, since Internet publishing requires modest investments (as compared, for example, with the release of a major movie in theaters), the on-line viewership is less vulnerable to the marketing blunders that haunted 3-D in the past.  Finally, since the Internet will soon become the ideal medium for releasing special interest TV programs, the popularity of 3-D video imaging is expected to reach unprecedented proportions.

Right now, our little viewer opens a practical way to show still 3-D images on the Internet.  Except for advertising projects relying on impulse reaction, the use of 3-D should be matched to subjects where depth perception is important.  The range of topics suitable for 3-D is huge - from "Adult" to "Zoology".  (But be aware that combining these two topics from the extremes of the alphabet may be a bit illegal).
 

 
 

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