With love and gratitude, this book is dedicated to Bill Mance and to my late father-in-law, Theodore W. Mance, as well as to my mother-in-law, Mary Louise Mance.

Theodore W. ManceOctober 23, 1929 ~ April 23, 2009

This book contains several examples of anaglyphic photography which I created on my home computer using a series of two photographs for each subject. I tookthese using an ordinary Cyber-shot Sony digital camera without any special 3D lensattachments. I employed the “cha-cha” method of creating these sets of photos in orderto demonstrate that anyone can make anaglyph photographs without having to buyexpensive equipment.

So, what is this "cha-cha" technique you may ask? Is it some form of martial arts? Is it a far-Eastern "mind-over-matter" type of meditation. Nope. Just ask yourgrandparents or watch "Dances with the Stars" on TV and you'll get the idea. This hand-held camera photographic technique, "cha-cha", is named after the old Cuban dancerhythm form, "cha-cha-cha", but without the extra "cha" of course -- move left (snap aphoto), then move right (snap a photo). Examine the three photos above and on the nextpage. If you alternately close each eye, while wearing your 3D anaglyph (red/cyan)glasses, you'll notice the left/right photos from each set are combined in the middle photo[the enlarged one].

For the purpose of this discussion, just think of the subject of your 3D photo as the letter "B". Take the first photo slightly to the left of "B" where the letter "A" might appearin your mind. Next, move from "B" (or middle position) slightly to the right (or "C"position) and take your second photo. There you have it: two photographs of the samesubject, but each slightly off center from the middle position. "Cha-Cha!!!" Can't you justfeel your feet dancing to the beat while you are doing this? A good formula is: Left/right shift of 1/60th of the distance -- i.e., move one inch left (take shot), then one inch right(take shot) when subject is at sixty inches (or five feet away) from the camera. Also,remember to adjust that ratio for closer or longer shots.

If you think about it, you do this all of the time with your own eyes. In that case,your brain combines two separate images seen by your two eyes and creates theperception of a three dimensional image with depth from everything you see around youwhich has length, width and height. It is actually just a matter of overlappingperspectives fusing into a unified image by way of our binocular vision.

A simple demonstration of that would be to just hold a pencil at arm's length infront of you, then look at it alternately with either your left or right eye closed. You willnotice the pencil appears either to the right or the left of any object behind it --depending upon which eye is closed. 3D photographic techniques can recreate this effectusing normally two dimensional images -- like photographs and even movies. The trick isto use two shots of the same image slightly offset to the left and slightly offset to theright of one another, then combine them into one image. In a way, by using this methodyou are giving your normally one-eyed, two dimensional image capturing camera an extrapoint-of-view or perspective. The next step is when your stereo-processing program, likea brain, merges these two images together so they can be viewed in 3D -- with the use ofanaglyphic glasses or some other stereo-viewing device, of course.

Naturally, all of this then brings up the inevitable questions concerning what kind ofstereo image processing program to use. There are many stereo image processingprograms, both commercial and freeware, in computer stores and on the internet, whichcan be purchased or downloaded for free. I personally enjoy an enormously versatilefreeware program called StereoPhoto Maker [tm] created by Masuji Suto -- which (at thetime of this writing) can still be downloaded free of charge on Muttyan's Home Page athttp://stereo.jpn.org/eng/index.html.

I might also add that the above freeware program allows you to create true colorstereographic cards (the kind you place into Argus/Loreo and/or Holmes viewers), as wellas a host of other 3D effects and methods. I can't recommend this fantastic freewareprogram enough. I've used it, off and on, for years whenever the 3D photo-bug bites me.Besides, anything that can help stir up the creative juices of artists, of any age, anywherein the world, has got to be a good thing. Right? And hey, what the heck, the price is righttoo. You can't beat free.

So, that's all there is for me to add -- for now. Just remember, half the fun of learningsomething new is finding some of the answers yourself and discovering your own uniquecapabilities without always being spoon-fed information. Who knows, you might even

create some really remarkable photographic techniques of your very own along the wayon that journey towards discovery.

As I've mentioned earlier, at the beginning of this exposition, the following pages arejust a few of my own examples. I might point out that slight "ghosting", also known ascross-talk, (that is, faint double images surrounding extreme pop-ups, as well asperipheral objects, in anaglyph photography) is still frequently a problem that manyanaglyph photographers have to deal with (especially with the ten to onecompression/resolution reduction ratio often encountered in creating an e-book) -- but, aswith any form of art, there are sometimes unavoidable aesthetic compromises whichhave to be made. This is especially true when teaching by example. In art, as in life, weregularly learn more by following the detours of our own frequent mishaps and mistakes.Creativity is never a straight line and, more often than not, neither is the path toknowledge of any sort.

In parting, I wish to convey one very important piece of advice to all current andprospective artists -- never fall in love with anything you produce. Always focus anunwavering critical eye on whatever you do. It is the only way to evolve your talent as anartist. Personally, if I did not believe I still have much room to grow in that regard I'dcertainly be limiting myself towards further improvement. Just remember, every teacherwho is worthy of that honorable title is also a student for life as well.

Now, get out your camera and let's make some art!"Bud" E. Lewis Evans

M.A. (Studio Art)

PS - Don't forget to put on your Red/Cyan Anaglyph Viewing Glasses. Some are undera dollar on the internet; also available at most comic book and toy stores. Personally, Iprefer the paper frames with red/cyan gel film lens - red and blue hard lens are often toodark and cause too much ghosting for my taste. Also, please remember that theseimages were reduced from high resolution photographs (at over 285 megabytes in sizecollectively to approximately less than 10 megabytes in total) so that they might fit intothe condensed e-book format -- consequently some minor ghosting is inevitable. Inaddition, you might consider changing your background in your e-reader to black withwhite text while viewing this e-book as it will substantially enhance your 3D viewingexperience.

The photo above shows an example of the type of anaglyph red/cyan gel film 3D glassesthat I prefer. The thinner film allows more light in. From my experience, I found them toalso decrease the amount of "ghosting" or cross-talk.

To make a "pop up" anaglyph, position your camera slightly above the subject of yourphotograph, but not directly overhead. Think of the hands of a clock set at 2 o'clock --that should be your position in relationship to the object you are photographing. This issimilar to three-point perspective in mechanical drawing. It is also called a "bird's eyeview" when photographing buildings and tall objects from above -- usually in an aerialshot. Make sure the subject appears to telescope dramatically down to a narrowingvanishing point. If you can mentally draw an invisible "V" boundary around your subjectthen you are doing it right. These make the best "pop up" 3D photos.

You can also use "PhotoShop (tm)" or one of many other PC graphics art programs tocreate backgrounds for selected portions of your pictures for interesting effects as well.You are only as limited as your imagination as an artist.

For a "pop up" effect, position the camera slightly above the subject. The same holdstrue with portrait shots.

This "3D-ish" image was created without a 3D camera (utilizing just a single photo ofme from my high school yearbook). Two copies of the same photo are just layered on topof one another and slightly out of register using StereoPhoto Maker [tm] created byMasuji Suto. Of course, this is not a true "in the round" stereographic 3D image like theimages preceding this, but, nevertheless, it is a fun and creative thing you can do withexisting photos. (Note: a neutral background works best when layering existing photos)

This Halloween photo above was taken with a Fuji Finepix Real 3D double aperturecamera -- as were the following Halloween 2012 photos.

In contrast, the photo above of my computer mouse was taken with a single apertureSony Cyber-Shot digital camera. You can use your existing digital camera without havingto invest in a more expensive model and still get great results if, with a little practice, youdo it correctly. It's really not that difficult at all.

The pair of glasses, in photo above, were taken with a single aperture camera in twoshots and then recombined for a stereoscopic effect.

Beautiful 3D anaglyph photographs can be taken with any ordinary single aperturedigital camera. There is slight cross-talk or "ghosting" (double images) visible on theforeground subject in this example as it attempts to create a receding depth-of-field(observe the flower in the background) as well a "pop-up" from the foreground image(note the left hand).

This is a close up of the same Clematis flower from the previous shot. The left side ofthis image advances towards the viewer while the right side recedes in space creating asense of depth to the picture. Never photograph something straight on or flat against abackground. Utilizing acute or sharp angles are best for "pop ups" as well as for "depth-of-field" photos. This is a very important point when creating a 3D photographic image.

Photo taken with a single aperture digital camera.

I took the photo above of a Clematis with a "Fuji-Film Finepix 3D [tm]" dual aperturestereoscopic digital camera. For the sake of comparison and contrast, please note that allof my anaglyph photographs (unless listed otherwise) on the following pages were takenwith a single aperture "Sony Cyber-Shot [tm]" digital camera using the "cha-cha" method.My purpose for contrasting the two devices is simply to demonstrate that anyone with asingle aperture regular digital camera can achieve similar 3D effects comparable to usinga dual aperture camera specifically designed for 3D photos. (Note: The "floating frame"was added to provide additional depth. This option is available in the freeware programcalled "StereoPhoto Maker [tm]" created by Masuji Suto)

This photo was taken with a single aperture conventional digital camera.

A garden or a city park is a great place to find inspirational subject matter. With thenotable exception of the color red, most other colors pick up quite well in anaglyph

photography -- especially blues, greens, yellows and even some purples.

Simple frames help draw attention and focus to your subject and 3D images.

The flower buds (being the closest image in the foreground) capture the 3D "pop up"

effect quite well.

Observe the flower petal on the far right bottom in the above photo. If youalternately close one eye and then the other while wearing your 3D glasses you willnotice the petal disappearing in red left lens. Be careful not to crop your subject matterwhen framing the two photos to be combined. This can cause "ghosting" in that portion ofyour 3D photograph.

Even floral photographs can be impressive black and white anaglyphs when itemphasizes texture and form over dependency on color for dramatic effect.

The color green does tend to be the hue least affected and altered by filtering inred/cyan anaglyph photography. Grass and leafy vegetation appear the most naturalbecause of this chromatic bias. Even though there is slight "ghosting" in the photo above(which is nowhere apparent in the print version, but only due to the massive compressionnecessary for e-book conversion) one can still see that where monochromic (single color)compositions of non-flowering plants are used (although blue, purple and yellow flowersdo often photograph well), the results can be most satisfactory.

[You can view several more examples of this on the following pages]

This photo of Bobby, our Corgi, was taken using a double aperture camera (twophotos taken simultaneously) for a stereoscopic image. Compare this to my other singleaperture camera photos using the "cha cha" method.

Sometimes framing can strengthen your 3D photo.

There is one distinct advantage regarding double aperture 3D photography. Since pets(as well as children) tend to fidget a lot, a dual aperture camera requires less patience incapturing a good shot. Although, other examples below show that it can be done.

Another double aperture camera photo -- that is, two photos were takensimultaneously for this stereoscopic image. In contrast, the photos of the Corgi followingthis one were taken using only a single aperture digital camera.

Example: Use of single aperture digital camera (two photos taken separately beforecombining each offset photo together) employing the "cha cha" method for stereoscopicanaglyph photography. Note the depth of field in the picture above.

Close-up shot using a single aperture conventional digital camera. The following petpictures also were taken using a single aperture camera.

Fish-eye effect applied in post production.

Putti, the family cat. Single aperture photographic study using the "cha cha" offsettechnique to produce this 3D photo, as well as the following feline anaglyphs.

Taking two rapid off-set shots are possible outdoors, or in good lighting indoors, whenusing a single aperture camera. Just be aware though that if you are using a flash it takestime to recharge and indoor/outdoor shooting can become problematic -- this holdsespecially true when photographing people, pets, sporting events, or any other movingobject using a conventional camera to create paired stereoscopic images while thesubject is in motion. In that particular case, a double aperture camera would have theedge as both off-set images are captured simultaneously with no time lag in betweenwhen objects are in motion and, likewise, because only a single flash (when needed) isfired for the two pictures. Still-life studies do not present a problem in that regard andwork very well with a single aperture camera -- even when using a flash indoors oroutdoors.

[...see the following examples]

The photographs above are examples where a dual aperture lens camera would benecessary in order to capture the 3D stop-motion effect of running water.

In contrast, still-life compositions do not require dual aperture cameras when thesubject is not in motion. Interesting anaglyphs created from the combination of twoslightly offset shots taken with a single aperture camera can be very easily done.

Remember, different "layers" in your photo help to produce a better 3D effect in depth.Find a scene with a distinct foreground, middle-ground and background in order to exploitthis characteristic feature in 3D photography.

Outside photos highlighting middle-ground and distant objects tend to create more ofa "windowed" depth-of-field effect in 3D anaglyph photography.

When photographing 3D outside, finding lengthy objects (sidewalks, streets, fences,hedge rows, etc.) that telescope away from you tend to accentuate a greater depth-of-field.

When photographing3D indoors, finding lengthy objects (table and bar tops, appliances, rectangular objects,sofas, doors ajar. etc,) that advance forward into the picture plane while simultaneouslytelescoping away from you also tend to create a greater depth-of-field.

Three point perspective (i.e. three sides, or planes, viewable at once) in yourcomposition from an overhead "bird's eye" point-of-view can often create an exceptionallydramatic "pop up" effect.

Selective focus on the closest objects in your composition brings about a more subtle3D effect.

Spherical and oblique objects (photographed from slightly above) make very good "popup" 3D photos as well.

When photographing your subject up-close, do not move (offset) your right and leftshots too far apart. Remember the rule about a Left/right shift of 1/60th of thedistance -- i.e., move one inch left (take shot), then one inch right (take shot) whensubject is at sixty inches (or five feet away) from the camera. In the case of a macro orclose shot, just do the math. For example, between shots just move your camera afraction of an inch when taking your two photographs of very close objects in the macrosetting.

The color red does not pick up very well in anaglyph photography. This is becauseyou are using two distinct colors (red and cyan) to differentiate two separate imageswhich, in turn, are recombined into one 3D image in your brain after you put on youranaglyph glasses. While natural blue and green colors pick up well, red does not and,where red occurs, it will often appear as green in your anaglyph composition.

Photographs with a great amount of red in the central area of the composition(example: the bowl of tomatoes depicted in the photo above) often look better if they areconverted into black and white images because of the red to green color shift necessaryin order to create the 3D effect of color anaglyph imagery.

Observe how the colors yellow, blue and green do survive the anaglyph photographicconversion process (when red/cyan glasses are used) -- whereas the color red does not.

As I stated earlier, decorative frames can often put more "punch" into your "pop up"compositions.

In order to create a "pop up" anaglyph photograph that really grabs your attention,there might sometimes be a slight trade-off between aesthetics and effects. Too muchred/cyan separation can cause "ghosts" to materialize -- that is, unsightly and head-acheinducing double images may appear on your composition. Take off your glasses now andlook at the slight color separation on the image above. Less color separation equals less"pop up" effects which, in turn, equals less "ghosting" or cross-talk as well. Now check outthe same photo on the next page.

Again, take off your anaglyph glasses and look at the more extreme red (right side)and cyan (left side) color separation on the flower in the foreground. There is a greater3D "pop up" effect, but also slightly more "ghosting" along the edges. This problem cansometimes be mitigated using the "ghost reduction" application in your anaglyph creatorprogram. The free anaglyph program to which I referred in my introduction to this bookhas that application. Using either the "half color" or the "Dubois" setting can also proveuseful in reducing these pesky phantoms.

[Special Note: At the risk of being redundant, I can't emphasis enough that "cross-talk" or "ghosting" is greatly amplified when compressing anaglyph photographs orreducing size and resolution -- such is the case regarding several examples in this e-bookwhere some of the photos were condensed as much as ninety percent, or more, as amatter of practical necessity in order to fit into the smaller e-book format. In my printversion of this book it was not as much as an issue and less apparent. Just remember,more compression and reduced resolution often equals more image corruption -- that isespecially true of anaglyphic photography. Therefore, I would strongly suggest keepingyour original anaglyph photographs saved in their original high resolution format if youcan.]

This is an example of an anaglyph photograph which has lost a lot of resolutionbecause of image reduction. Cross-talk is not as much of an issue here (it's not thatstrong a "pop up" image), but where there is any highly detailed or textured subjectmatter, reduction is anathema to the overall quality because of compression. Keep yourcompositions simple, with little texturing and a consistent surface area, if you plan onreducing your anaglyphs by much. Close-up shots could survive the conversion into asmaller format with less obvious image corruption (as seen in some of my earlierexamples), if you wish to share your reduced anaglyphs with friends via smart phones,compact e-readers, and other small screen viewing devices.

Floating frames are an interesting way to highlight anaglyph photos that have a lot ofdepth-of-field to them -- thus creating a kind of shadow-box effect which amplifies thatdepth-of-field illusion.

The central subject of the photograph above, the butter tub, recedes into spacewhereas the primary area of attention (the butter knife) advances towards the viewer.The experience is like looking through a window. If you move your head side to side(while viewing this example with your 3D glasses on), you can perceive the backgroundshifting as well.

In contrast, flat frame shapes often help to emphasis various "pop up" anaglyphphotographic effects.

This example of a glass display case (above) shows the top half of the display caseleaning forward (the shot was taken from a top down angle) which created the 3D "popup" effect in this anaglyph. Just think of perspective drawing. If you place a solid box on atable top you can draw it as a simple square (if you view it directly head-on, flat andparallel to the forward facing plane) or you can draw it with two planes or even threeplanes (or sides) visible, as a cube, just by simply shifting your point-of-view(perspective) from side to side, up and down, or with both direction combined in order toexperience the cube effect (slightly off center to the side and above the forward facingplane).

A cube has six sides, but we can only see three sides at a time (depending upon theangle of our view), but no more than that -- hence our ability to perceive length, height

and width. Add to that the binocular placement of our eyes, the two slightly differentperspective angles provided by our overlapping vision, and we have depth perception aswell. So, it only stands to reason that the most successful "pop up" 3D anaglyphphotographs would be those which take advantage of that "cube effect" or three pointperspective.

Compare this double aperture camera shot to the photo in the next example. Twophotos taken simultaneously versus two photos taken separately, slightly set apart, willcreate a similar stereoscopic effect every time if done correctly.

In contrast, to the last example, this photo was taken using a single aperture camera(two photos taken separately) using the "cha cha" method for stereoscopic anaglyphphotography. Both examples (previous photo and this one) have a comparable "pop up"3D effect.

Anaglyph 3D photo taken with a dual aperture digital camera.

Anaglyph 3D photo taken with a single aperture digital camera.

In conclusion, to summarize what was previously explained in the introduction to thisbook. Click on and enlarge the following photos. They will instruct you again on how tomake a successful anaglyph photograph after you are finished taking your pictures usingthe "cha, cha" method which I also described to you earlier. For the purpose of thisdemonstration, I used a freeware program called StereoPhoto Maker [tm] created byMasuji Suto -- which (at the time of this writing) can still be downloaded free of charge onMuttyan's Home Page at http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/index.html.

If you later, down the road, get a stereoscopic camera, you can still use thesemethods in order to make impressive anaglyphs. Instead of loading left and right imagesseparately, you just load a single "MPO" file as a stereo image and the program will splitit into two separate offset images. Make sure you designate it as an anaglyph in thestereo format section when you open it.

Please review the next photos and text.

By the way, the two images above (at the far top) were taken with a single aperturedigital camera in order to make the following single anaglyph photo. No fancy dualaperture camera needed. Just use your existing digital camera and you can get greatresults using the "cha cha" method described in the introduction.

A quick recap: move to the left -- snap your photo, then move right and take yournext picture. Left/right shift of 1/60th of the distance between photos in relationship tohow far the subject is from your camera -- i.e., move one inch left (take shot), then oneinch right (take shot) when subject is at sixty inches (or five feet away) from the camera.Also, remember to adjust that ratio for closer or longer shots greater than or less thanfive feet.

Ta-da!!! And here is the finished anaglyph (see above). That is all there is to it. But,by all means, be creative and try different things. Framing, color manipulations,combining different images, adding text, taking a two dimensional photo (even art work)and layering it to make it pop out -- those are just a few of the things you can teachyourself to do while exploring all the wonderful possibilities that lay waiting to beexplored in the realm of your imagination.

[Itzy]

~ Bio in Brief ~"Bud" E. Lewis Evans is an artist and a freelance writer who resides in Kansas City,

Kansas. He holds a M.A. in Studio Art from the University of Missouri at Kansas City(1992), also a B.A. in both Studio Art and in English (with Honors) from Avila University(1986). He has participated in numerous regional group art shows and solo galleryexhibitions of his paintings and bronze sculpture over the years. Mr. Evans also taughtcreative writing and art classes in serigraphy during his career. At the time of producingthis book, 3D photography had become his latest creative obsession.

"Bud" E. Lewis Evans ~home page: http://bud2000.blogspot.comand at http://evansartwork.wix.com/gallery

Acknowledgements:Incidental background mouse-pad image art on cover and in several shots are from:

"The Penguins of Madagascar" TM & © 2009 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C.StereoPhoto Maker [tm] created by Masuji Suto -- may be found on Muttyan's Home

Page at http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/index.html