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Why does a wiggle GIF look 3D?
The effect relies on parallax. Cambridge in Colour explains that when you move your viewpoint, objects in the foreground shift more than objects in the background, and the greater the separation between the two viewpoints, the greater the 3D effect.
Make magazine describes the method as aligning two images so the subject overlaps, then alternating between them quickly. Your brain picks up the parallax motion and reads it as depth. Make is clear that this is a visual trick: it is not truly a 3D image.
How do you take the two photos?
Cambridge in Colour sets out the steps:
- Compose the scene with objects near, in the middle and in the background. Avoid moving subjects, since anything that moves between the two shots will spoil the effect.
- Choose the distance that should appear still. Objects at this distance will stay put in the animation, while nearer and further things shift around them.
- Take the first photo.
- Move the camera about 4 to 12 inches to the left, then turn it slightly to the right until the objects you chose in step 2 sit in the same place in the frame as before. Cambridge in Colour calls this the trickiest step and says it will likely take practice.
Make describes a simpler approach: slide the camera sideways from one eye position to the other without changing its angle, then line up the frames afterwards.
How far should you move the camera?
There is no single right answer. Cambridge in Colour says you will want to experiment, and gives these rules of thumb:
- A longer focal length needs less movement.
- A more distant subject needs more movement.
- A larger viewing size needs less movement.
It adds that often the easiest way is to move the camera back and forth until you like the movement you see on screen, and that you do not have to get it spot on. Too little movement can remove the 3D effect, while too much can make the animation look like two separate flat pictures. It suggests taking more than two photos so you can compare different amounts later.
How do you line up and time a 3D wiggle?
If you build the animation yourself, Cambridge in Colour suggests stacking the two images as layers, setting the top one to 50% opacity and nudging it until your chosen objects line up, then switching back to full opacity. Objects at the chosen distance will look sharp, and things in front of or behind them will look doubled.
For timing, it says animated stereo images usually look best with a delay of 0.1 seconds between frames. Save it as an animated GIF and it will play in almost any image viewer, email or web browser.
What subjects work best?
Make suggests that fairly simple objects work best. Cambridge in Colour’s advice to include near, middle and far objects, and to avoid anything that moves, points the same way.
Cambridge in Colour also describes other ways to view a stereo pair, including side by side pairs for cross eyed viewing and red and blue images for 3D glasses. It calls these more sophisticated, but notes they lack the universal viewing of a wobble image, which needs no glasses or special technique.
Questions people ask
What is a wigglegram?
Another name for a wiggle GIF: two or more photos from slightly different viewpoints, played in a quick loop to suggest depth.
How far apart should the two photos be?
Cambridge in Colour suggests about 4 to 12 inches as a start, then adjusting by eye. Closer subjects need less movement.
What frame delay should I use?
Cambridge in Colour says about 0.1 seconds between frames usually looks best.
Is it real 3D?
No. Make describes it as a visual trick based on parallax motion, but it gives a strong sense of depth.
Where 3D Wiggle GIF helps, and where it does not
3D Wiggle GIF is our Android app for making wiggle photos with one phone. It shows a faded copy of your last photo to line up against and holds focus and exposure between shots. Then you tap your subject, which is the distance that should appear still, and the app lines every frame up on it. A see-through or difference view and a nudge pad let you fine tune. You can save a looping GIF or video, a red and cyan 3D image or a cross-eye pair. Two photo wiggles are free with a small watermark; a one-time Pro unlock adds 3 and 4 photo wiggles, a sweep mode that lets you choose the depth after shooting, photo import, colour looks and borders, and clean 1080 exports. It works offline and keeps your wiggles on your phone.
What it is good for: handling the fiddly alignment step for you, choosing the still point with one tap, and trying a wiggle without a computer.
What it will not do: it cannot fix a subject that moved between your two shots, and it still relies on you moving the phone a sensible distance. Like any wiggle, the result is a depth illusion rather than true 3D.
Questions or bugs: Email us.
Sources
- Animated 3D stereo photographyCambridge in Colour cambridgeincolour.com
- DIY wiggle stereoscopyMake makezine.com