How to make a 3D image from any image

Often, a stereoscopic effect is created by using unusual gimmicks photographer, but today we will achieve it by editing a ready-made photo. In the first part of the article talked about how to make a simple 3D picture deal with that even a novice. The second part to more professional users, it will tell you how to make the picture more vivid.

Part one. For starters, a simple 3D effect

It has a special method of making 3D image - anaglyph, which normally is to remove the object from different angles and then combine the images. But today, we will achieve the same effect using the color channels of the photo. Open a suitable photo, get down.

You can use any image, but you definitely need to go to RGB Color mode. If you are in Grayscale mode, Indexed Color, or CMYK, you need to go to the RGB (Photoshop: Image> Mode> RGB Color).

Note: This method is suitable for the image editors that allow you to tinker with the color channels, for example, Photoshop or GIMP. Photoshop Elements and Paint. NET does not allow the use of this method of photo editing.

To begin, make a few copies of the photo (left screenshot). The easiest way to do this - click on the right mouse button «Background Layer» and press the «Duplicate Layer». Make 2 copies, select the top and go to the channel panel. To see it by clicking Window> Channels. The channel pane, select the Red channel, as shown in the right screenshot.

Press Ctrl + A (in Photoshop, and GIMP), to select the entire canvas completely. Photos should get in shades of gray, if your photo looks like the picture, then you are moving in the right direction.

Press V, to select Move Tool (in press GIMP M), and move the layer of the red channel to the left as shown.

Moving the channel layer, ensure that the black background, as shown on the left. You can set the background color by clicking on the switch in the toolbar.

In GIMP similar tools in Toolbox, just like in Photoshop.

In Photoshop CS5 key combination Ctrl + 2 will take you back to RGB mode. In other versions, just go back to the Layers panel and select a new active layer. I can stop there, since you've already got a decent 3D image, but you can still work a little and add depth to it.

Part two. Add depth to your photos

At this stage, you should have multiple copies of your original photo, go back to the top layer, in which we create a 3D effect.

Create a mask, as shown in the screenshot to the right, selecting the layer and clicking on the button at the top of the Layers Panel. In GIMP, right click on the layer and select «Add Layer Mask» and «White for Full Opacity».

Use a soft brush to mask some areas of the top layer. The goal - to return part of the background to the original view.

Here are photos of before and after. In the layer with the 3D effect of the background layer without 3D effect.

In the picture you can see, it looks like a mask.

Now we go to the very bottom layer and edit it. Let us choose for this layer the red channel.

And now commit similar acts. Distinguish the entire canvas (Ctrl + A), but using a slightly different effect to the background.

Shortcut Ctrl + T select the function «Free Transform». And freely change the red channel layer. You can distort, magnify, rotate, in general, you need to make sure that the foreground and background differ from each other.

In GIMP, this tool is called the «Scale Tool», keyboard shortcuts: Shift + T.

That's all! Photo ready. Wear 3D glasses and enjoy the results! And if you do not, then look Video on Youtube how to make your own 3D glasses.