3D Photography: What It Is and How to Take 3D Photos

A 3D photo is two photos: this pair of the Jungfrau, Switzerland, was taken one after the other from two points a little apart. Laid out for parallel viewing. Photo: VasuVR, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What 3D photography is, and what it is not

Your eyes are about 6.5 cm apart, so each sees the world from a slightly different angle, and the brain turns the difference into depth [5]. A 3D photo copies that: a left-eye photo and a right-eye photo, called a stereo pair. Photographers made millions of stereo views between 1850 and 1930, printed side by side and looked at through a stereoscope [6].

Three other things are also called "3D photo":

• 3D product photography and 3D models. Many photos from all around a product, shown as a view you can turn [12], or made into a measurable 3D model by photogrammetry [5].
• The tilt effect on a phone. One photo that shifts as you tilt the phone; no second view. See what apps mean by "3D photo".
• A 3D photo made from one photo. Software estimates depth and builds the second view; it is computed, not captured. See converting a photo.

Three ways to take a 3D photo

How to take a 3D photo with one camera (two shots)

It costs nothing extra and suits landscapes, buildings and still life.

1. Pick a scene with layers. Something near, something in the middle, something far. A flat wall far away gives a flat 3D photo [2].

2. Fix the camera settings. Use the same exposure and focus for both shots; manual mode helps [2]. A small aperture keeps every layer sharp [2][4].

3. Take the left photo. Make it a habit to take the left one first, so you never mix them up later [1][2].

4. Move the camera to the right. About 1/30 of the distance to the subject: 10 cm at 3 m, 50 cm at 15 m [1]. Keep it level and do not twist it [1]. Without a tripod, shift your weight from the left foot to the right, elbows tucked in: stereo photographers call it the cha-cha [1][4]. On a tripod, a slide rail moves the camera without turning it [1].

   

5. Take the right photo straight away, before anything in the scene moves [1].

6. Put the two together and align them. See put the two photos together.

Diagram: Owl3D, from the 1/30 rule in The Stereoscopy Blog [1].

For close-ups the move is tiny, and a macro slide rail helps [1]. Moving about 1/10 instead gives "hyper" depth: a toy-like look that can feel seasick on a big screen [2].

With a phone

An iPhone with Spatial mode in the Camera app takes both views at once; see taking a spatial photo. On any other phone, an app such as i3DSteroid (iPhone), 3DSteroid Pro (Android) [1][3] or CrossCam guides the two shots and aligns them; see 3D photo apps. The 1/30 rule above applies.

With a twin-lens 3D camera

A stereo camera fires two lenses together, so moving subjects work [3]. The lenses sit a fixed distance apart, so you choose the distance instead: about 30 times the lens spacing. The Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 has lenses 7.5 cm apart, so the subject should be about 2.25 m away [2]. A mirror attachment called a beam splitter lets an ordinary camera take both views at once too, though the mirrors can distort or add reflections [1][3].

Old film stereo cameras and the Fujifilm W1 and W3 are still sold second-hand [3]. For what is on sale new, prices, and which file each camera saves, see 3D cameras.

When a 3D photo looks wrong

What stereo photographers report

We have not tested these. On two shots with one camera, a Photo Stack Exchange answer (November 2016): "Animals, including people, would be impossible." [10] Two members of the mflenses forum, March 2024, on hand-held pairs: "any rotation or up and down movement will hurt your eyes when looking at the shot", and on cross-eyed viewing: "it took me weeks to master it." [11]

Put the two photos together, and where to view them

The free StereoPhoto Maker, for Windows with a Mac version, aligns pairs automatically, sets the stereo window, saves side-by-side and red-cyan, and can open Apple spatial photos [7][1][4]. Our Stereo Photo Maker does the everyday jobs in a browser on a computer or phone: open two photos or an MPO file from a 3D camera, align them automatically, and save side-by-side, red-cyan or a wiggle GIF. Nothing is uploaded; saved pictures carry a small "made with owl3d.com" mark [8].

Smaller pairs are easier to free-view [9]; practise on this pair.

On a glasses-free 3D screen, the depth shows with no glasses and no eye tricks. Owl3D, the publisher of this guide, makes one: the Owl3D Shift, a 14-inch display used beside a computer running the Owl3D app. Start Stereo 3D Playback in the app, show a side-by-side 3D photo on the Shift in any photo viewer, and it appears in 3D, to one viewer at a time. It does not open MPO files or Apple spatial photos directly: save them as side-by-side first, for example with the tools above.

From Owl3DOwl3D ShiftA 14-inch Live 3D monitor: anything on its screen turns into glasses-free 3D.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take a 3D photo with my phone?

Yes. Take two photos a little apart with any phone, or use an app or an iPhone's Spatial mode; see with a phone.

How far apart should the two photos be?

About 1/30 of the distance to the subject: 10 cm at 3 m [1]. With a twin-lens camera, stand about 30 times the lens spacing away [2].

Do I need glasses to see a 3D photo?

No. With practice you can see a side-by-side pair by crossing or relaxing your eyes [9]. Glasses, headsets and 3D screens make it easier.

Is 3D photography the same as 3D product photography?

No. 3D product photography shows a product from all around, as a view you can turn [12] or as a 3D model made by photogrammetry [5]. 3D photography is two photos, one per eye.

Can I turn one ordinary photo into a 3D photo?

Yes, with software that estimates the depth. The result is a computed second view, not a second photo; see converting a photo.