Stereo Tutorial - Using Adobe Photoshop
With Photoshop running load both left and right images, It may help to position the left image on the left and the right image ( yes you guessed it ) on the right of the screen.Make the left view active by clicking on its title bar.
fig1
c) In the channels window click in the 'Red' channel to make it active (2)- the image will appear grey as we are now only viewing the Red channel greyscale information.

a) From the menu options ensure the 'Layers' window is open by choosing
Window - Show Layers

fig2
b) In the Layers window click on the 'Channels' tab (1)

d) Select the contents of this (Red) channnel either Select/All from the menu or use the faster keyboard shortcut CTL+A

e) Now copy this selection to the clipboard by using CTL+C
Make the Right view image active by clicking on its title bar as before.
Paste the clipboard into this channel by using CTL+V
fig3
Without clicking anywhere else and while still in the channels window, click the 'eye' icon against 'rgb' ( 3 fig2 )
The'rgb' thumbnail will now show both left and right images merged. The important point now is to ensure the red channel is still selected. You should see something similar to fig 3.
fig4

Looking at the right view image you should now see the typical red/blue anaglyph.

Try viewing with the glasses, red lens over the left eye and you should begin to perceive depth in the scene.

If you find it impossible to merge the two images then maybe the camera was moved the wrong way - try turning the glasses around so the blue lens is over the left eye to see if this cures it.

If you see depth but just find it a strain to resolve the foreground objects then you probably moved the camera too far in Bryce. However all is not lost, as we still have the red channel active and selected, it is possible to slide this channel back and forth to get the best stereo effect.

fig5
Using the keyboard click the left and right Cursor keys and notice how the red channel can be repositioned.
Try viewing with the glasses, Red lens over left eye, whilst positioning the channel for best stereo effect.

Tip: I try and find a part of the scene that I want to be at the 'centre of depth', this will then lie on the virtual surface of the monitor screen. In the example I've used here it is the sphere.

By making the the red/cyan shadows converge at the sphere every object in front of the sphere will tend to protrude out of the screen whilst objects behind will recede into the distance. I have found this tends to give the best stereo depth to the scene and makes viewing more comfortable as there are no exaggerated offsets.

© R.Buttery Jun99
updated Jan2000

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