Stereoscopic formats - to cross or not to cross

[In reply to a LETTER ‘REQUEST FOR BETTER LOOK FOR 3D IMAGES’- see HERE]

Thanks for writing, Mr Kamel3d.

You’d like to see stereo’s put up in a crossed-eye compatible form ? Right ! I’ll let you into a secret … OK ?

My Friend Maki in Japan covers all my stereos (and others) in formats which suit various 3-D free-viewers.

She puts a crossed-eye view up, and also a reduced size pair, to help those who find it all a strain …

Here’s the link: http://brian-mayniacs.com/stereo/MrMay_stereo.htm

I think many people who, like us, enjoy 3-D in our loves, will enjoy Maki’s page.

In answer to your question, in fairness, yes I COULD put all my stereos up in loads of different formats …. including these three, plus anaglyph, which lots of people like, and flicker, which is good for people who have no binocular vision. But I am always on the limits of what time I have available … so what I do is put them up in the same format as Stereo Cards have been thriving on since 1851, and leave people to convert as they wish.

Meanwhile, here’s a new one which I will put up in parallel and crossed-eye formats. This is courtesy of professional photographer David Levene. During a session for the Guardian a couple of months ago I asked him to try the old ‘rocking from one foot to the other’ method for taking sequential stereos. He got it right first time. All I had to do was keep still ! Here’s what he got.

First the ‘traditional stereo card’ format – for viewing with the axes of the eyes parallel, convergent on infinity – which means basically not converging at all – relaxed, as if we were staring out of the window at clouds. This is the method I prefer, because it gives a more ‘realistic’ effect, and doesn’t strain anything.

Brian May - parallel view — Brian May by David Levene 27/9/12 – Parallel

Now the crossed-eye version, which you view with eyes converging on a point between you and the computer screen – try your finger about 6 inches from your face – converge your eyes on it and move it towards and away from you until you become aware that the two pictures on the screen have ‘coalesced’ into one. Then let your eyes focus the pictures, keeping your eyes crossed. It sounds hard if you’ve never done it before, but it soon becomes very easy.