4 Simple Steps for 3D Stereoscopic Photography

 

Introduction: 3D Stereoscopic photography

Stereoscopic photography or what most people call 3D photography is simply capturing and displaying 2 slightly offset photos in order to create 3 dimensional images. The resulting 3D effect is as a result of a unique principle called stereopsis hence the name stereoscopic photography. 3D photos force each eye to be in a different location thus seeing slightly different images. The difference between the images is what makes us perceive depth. In case you are interested in learning how to take 3D photographs, below is a step to step guide.

1. Set up

To take 3D photographs, you need a tripod and a camera. The first step is setting up your tripod and camera on a level ground. You can choose to take a photo of anything. Your subject should however be on the center.

2. Take your shots

Once everything is set up correctly, take your shot. After the first shot, slid your tripod to the left or right for approximately 2.5 inches or 63 mm. If necessary, you can consider adjusting your camera's direction so that your subject remains at the center of the shot. After making necessary adjustments, take your second shot from your new position.



3. Consider using additional cameras

The above step works perfectly for still subjects. If you want to capture perfect 3D photos of moving subjects i.e. a pet, you need additional hardware like an extra camera. A 2 camera rig which mounts perfectly on your tripod can come in handy at this step. You should ensure cameras are mounted approximately 2.5 inches apart (from center to center). In case you don't have an extra camera, you can consider constructing a mirror splitter. The splitter will help you capture both views perfectly using a single camera.

4. Viewing with glasses

Once you have your photos, the next step is viewing them. It is important to note that you need a viewing system to be able to view 3D photos. In our case, we will focus on the most common viewing systems which are 3D glasses. These special types of glasses superimpose right and left views. As a result, the glasses filter the image forcing each eye to see the appropriate view only. It is important to note that there are many 3D viewing systems when talking about 3D glasses.

The most common include; color filtering, active shutter and polarized glasses. Color filtering glasses display 2 colors only, one for each view. Polarized 3D glasses use 2 sets of polarized light filters to project the picture through each pair of filters. These glasses are perfect for viewing over-colored filter systems. Active shutter glasses switch display between left and right views in every other frame. Depending on the type of 3D photo you have, you can choose suitable viewing glasses. Alternatively, you can choose to make your own glasses.

By: Swee Shiong Chong

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Make Photo DVD As Easy As 1.2.3

Photo DVD Maker can easily turns your memorial photos into vivid DVD/Blu-ray slideshow which you can watch on TV with DVD/Blu-ray player, as well as create HD video slideshow which are playalbe on iPad, iPhone, Android phones and tablets. Photo DVD Maker comes with abundant transition effects, themes and DVD menus, allows you to add background music or sound narration. It's perfect for sharing your memories with your family and friends.






Create HD slideshow from photos and video clips.

You can use JPEG, TIFF, BMP and PNG images to create video slideshow or DVD slideshow. Normal videos, camcorder vidoes as well as can also be added to the slideshow as standalone album.
A built-in file explorer helps you to easily browse and find your photos and videos on hard drive.

Express your feeling on slideshow with text & artclip.

Photo DVD Maker has built-in art clips ready to use. Or add your favorite images as art clip. Add text on photos as subtitle or caption and tell your stories or expression about the photos.
Macros text is also available and you can choose and customize font styles.

Add your favorite song as background music.

This application allows you to add MP3, WMA and WAVE formats as background music. You can also extract sound track from an audio CD or add sound narration from microphone input.
Audio trimming is available. And you can easily and perfectly match music duration with your slideshow.

Choose transition effects, album themes and DVD Menu.

More than 300 transition effects, 70 album themes and 90 DVD menus are ready-to-use. So you can perfectly create a photo slideshow for different sceneries and occasions as well as for diffferent people.
Customize your DVD menu and playback actions, add opening credits and closing credits just like movies.

Support diverse output formats.

Photo DVD Maker can burn the slideshow to DVD, AVCHD DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VCD 2.0 (Still image) or SVCD for both NTSC and PAL TV systems.
Photo DVD Maker can also export slideshow to 720P & 1080P HD videos, generate video slideshow in commom video formats such as FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP4, AVI to meet different requirements.

Enjoy photo slideshow movies on various devices.

In addition to VCD, DVD and Blu-ray players, you can also enjoy HD video slideshows on iPad, iPhone, Archos, Creative Zen, Samsung Galaxy, Motorola Xoom and more android phones and tablets.
Video options like vidoe bitrate, video size and frame rate etc. and audio options like audio bitrate are customizable.

Share your slideshow with friends and family.

Wish to share the slideshows with people?
Now you can upload the slideshow movies created by Photo DVD Maker to YouTube, MySpace, or your personal webpage.
Or you can also send a slideshow DVD to your parents or kids as gift.

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The Optical Vs Digital Zoom...Difference

Some cameras have two options for zooming: optical and digital. You may wonder what the difference is between the two and which is better to use.

Optical Zoom

Optical zoom uses the optics (lens) to enlarge the subject in the frame.

Digital Zoom




Digital zoom crops and enlarges the subject which reduces the quality of the image.

Without a doubt, optical zoom is better than digital zoom. In fact, I suggest disabling digital zoom on your camera if you can (my point-and-shoot camera allows this). Digital zoom does what you can do later in an image editing program like Photoshop and opting to do it later does not cause irreversible damage to your original image.
By: http://learnprophotography.com/

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Rule of Thirds Definition...!

The rule of thirds is one of the main “rules” in art and photographic composition and stems from the theory that the human eye naturally gravitates to intersection points that occur when an image is split into thirds.

I’d like to note that I’d rather define this compositional technique as a guideline rather than a rule, but for the sake of consistency with other photography sources, I’ll continue to call it the rule of thirds.

Rule of Thirds Definition

In the rule of thirds, photos are divided into thirds with two imaginary lines vertically and two lines horizontally making three columns, three rows, and nine sections in the images. Important compositional elements and leading lines are placed on or near the imaginary lines and where the lines intersect.

When taking a photograph with the rule of thirds in mind, it’s always best to compose the photograph in the camera. This is so that you can avoid cropping later to retain as much of the image as possible and avoid reducing the quality of your photographs. However, I encourage going back to some of your older photography and seeing if you can improve them by cropping in a way to make them use the rule of thirds technique.

Rule of Thirds 

Rule of Thirds Examples

Rule of Thirds Example: Landscapes

When taking a picture of a landscape, it’s natural to want to center the horizon in the frame. However, pictures often look better if the horizon falls on the upper or lower horizontal dividing line. If the focus of your image is on land (i.e. mountains, buildings), the horizon should fall near the upper third and if the focus is the sky (i.e. sunsets, sunrises), the horizon should fall near the lower third.

Here is an example of the rule of thirds for a landscape photo. The focus is on the land area rather than the sky so the bottom two-thirds of the photograph are filled with land and the top third is sky.

Rule of Thirds Example: Portraits

Here is an example of a rule of thirds portrait. As you can see, the eyes are lined up with the upper horizontal line and each eye is where the upper horizontal line intersects with a vertical line.
By: http://learnprophotography.com/

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Digital scissors for perfect pictures

Inpixio Photo Clip is a great piece of app that enables you to achieve various actions on your digital pictures...

remove

From the other side of the world to take a picture of the city of his dreams  and now an object disturbs this perfect view. It's really annoying !

Save your favorite items and delete those that bother you.

So, you take control of your images.
 

Cuts and montages

With Inpixio Photo Clip 6.0, your digital scissors , routing any detail , individual, object or even landscape your photos. In addition , attach objects cut on other images to make collages or photomontages unparalleled . Create impressive photo montages , from your own images!





And all this easily !

Do not be afraid to engage in Inpixio Photo Clip 6.0 ​​!

The software has a very user friendly interface. In addition , it is provided along with help and tips , sample photos and video tutorials. The main functions are described precisely , step by step, so that you realize unique photos !

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Make your business a professional in this program

Your photos and videos in an amazing slideshow

MAGIX Photostory 2014 Deluxe (the successor to PhotoStory on DVD 2013 Deluxe) gives your photos a new lease on life: Transform your photos and videos from digital cameras, smartphones and video cameras into fantastic slideshows.
Add your own personal touch with text, music and spectacular effects in HD, 4K and 3D.
You don't have time to create a slideshow from scratch?
Then simply choose from one of the many professional style templates and the automatic slideshow maker will take care of the rest.

Everything for moving images

-->Redesigned user interface, including touch elements
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-->Image and sound from video clips are displayed on one track
-->Automatic image optimization and volume adjustment
-->Over 300 high-quality effects, transitions, decorative elements etc.
-->Quick audio dubbing with over 400 songs & sounds
-->Create slideshows with animated travel routes
-->Custom menu design with professional templates
-->Present your slideshows on TV, on the go, or online

Optimized user interface

The Photostory 2014 Deluxe user interface has been completely redesigned.
All new: The easy to use, color coordinated interface with large buttons makes designing slideshows a blast – now including touch support!

For everyone who likes sharing

Your online photo album with over 500 MB storage space

Upload your slideshows to the MAGIX Online Album directly from the program and present and share them with the world. Includes play function for slideshows, videos and music.

The Online Album features lots of extras:

*Smartphone and tablet support
*Visitor counter
*High-quality display options
*Comment function
*Login for contacts and guests
*Direct uploads for you and your contacts
*Customizable download feature (select download rights for you online content)
*Full Facebook and Twitter integration
*Add some flair to your content using background music
*and much more

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How to Set Up a Simple Photography Studio

Sometimes, we just need better light. Not so much a larger amount, but something nicer, portable, something adjustable, and something that will just fill in the right places. As we get better at shooting, we start to notice where critical light is missing. But we don't always need the kind of Hollywood set that Tom Cruise is akin to. You can achieve some amazing light, using some of the most easily accessible tools that won't cost you big dollars and in some cases won't cost you anything. Firstly though, we need to understand that handling this equipment is the latter of two evils. The first is learning to identify light, where it's coming from, how soft is it, and how it interacts to highlight your subject.

Let's start with the most available light there is, daylight. It might seem silly, but using the natural daylight, will provide you with the best light there is. Studio lights, are built to try and mimic this light in it's various forms. Sitting your subject next to a window, will provide a very complimentary colour and softness to the light. The softer the light, the more it wraps around your subject.

If using the window method, try both direct sunlight and indirect shaded light for different effects, and the best part, it's free! To mimic this kind of light we use studio strobes or "flash" as they are commonly known. The easiest set up to get, is a single strobe and a large reflector and stand. Many places sell these as kits for as little as $600, sometimes including remote wireless triggers, so you don't even have to be anywhere near the lights when shooting. Compare that to an on-camera flash kit, which can cost $400 up for a good system, the extra few dollars are going to give you so much more creative freedom to experiment. Look for kits that include the light, stand, remote trigger and a softbox. You must get a softbox. No softbox, no soft complimenting light. If not included, they start relatively cheap anyway, at around $100, often less.


A system offering around 400 watts of power is plenty for a small studio, but make sure you can adjust the power up or down by at least 1/4 of a stop with each change. Good systems such as those from Elinchrom and ProFoto provide great control in 10th's of a stop. Small, but often needed for subtle improvements. Light with a basic reflector that offers gold, silver, white, black and translucent, will serve the best. These are known as 5 way reflectors. The gold offers a subtle, warm (orange) tone, whilst the silver cools the light down with a slight blue cast. White adds light to increase the exposure, and black subtracts light, adding a high contrast look. The final element is the translucent disc, acting like a small softbox or cloud. To explain, clouds make for the perfect softener of light, acting as a gigantic "diffuser". The larger the light source, the softer the light becomes, as the further it has to travel across a surface, before spilling into the subject below. As an example, shining a torch through a bed sheet will spread the light evenly, whilst the torch itself, will pinpoint the light. A good start for absolute beginners is to get a continuous light kit, instead of a flash kit. With the continuous kit, simply switch it on, look through the viewfinder, and what you see is what you get. Problem with continuous lighting is, it's often hot, tungsten lights are noisy, cast a yellow light, and become very hot to touch within a very short time of turning them on. New manufacturers are making this easier, with cold LED lights that mimic daylight, but have a big cheque ready if you want a set. A simple strobe kit is not hard to master.

Many studios use multiple lights, white cards, block boards, reflectors and all sorts of gear, but that kind of gear is reserved for very high end commercial and fashion shoots. To get started, a simple light kit with a 5 disc reflector will give you just as soft or dramatic a look, to wow your friends and family or even your client. Remember, the more gear you have, the more you need to use it, otherwise it's costly resource just sitting in storage.
By: Steve Rutherford

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Top Ten Ultimate Camera Controls

1. Get to know your camera

Cameras come with instructions for a reason. Use them. Quite often these little books packed full of information will explain the reason for your terrible shots. I teach beginners the ins and outs of not being of scared of your cameras settings and the features they offer. I always tell students that the more they can know about their camera, the quicker they can respond, especially when on holiday, enjoying something like whale watching. Not getting to know all the features of your camera and how to adjust or access them with practice will always ensure you get the after splash not the tail fin of the whale.

2. Use every setting you can find

The features built into some cameras nowadays are astounding. One example is extreme ISO speed where you can set the sensitivity of your camera to see light that essentially can't be seen. The ISO speed in a digital camera is no different to the film speeds we used to use many years ago. Remember from your local supermarket or department store you could buy Kodak 100, 200 or 400 speed film. Well digital doesn't use film, cameras now come with an ISO speed setting built into them, where you can adjust the sensitivity to suit your needs. This is especially good for parties. Here's my tip - FREE to you. Turn off the flash at a party and push your ISO button and move it from the standard of 100 or 200 up to 1600 or 3200 and see what you get. I bet you'll be surprised that without the flash you can actually see all the colours of the party, making for a much more interesting shot. Try it, along with all the other buttons and settings, and experiment.


3. Look at what makes a good photograph... and remember it

4. Become friends with your F-Stops

F-Stops are often identified on a camera's LCD screen or aperture adjustment wheel, as numbers in decimals, e.g. f4.5, f5.6, f8. f11 etc. They are also known as the "aperture" of your camera, which dictates two things in your photographs: How much light is let into the camera to allow for an exposure and how much of your scene is in focus, referred to as "depth of field". I'll start with the first, which is fairly simple, light control. Choosing an "aperture" of say F16 or F22 will generally minimise the amount of light in your exposure, and require a longer time to expose the photo. But choosing F4 will let in a lot more light. That said and done, your chosen aperture, will then dictate your "depth of field" as well. An easy way to remember whats happening is this example.

If we choose F22 for an image, then we will have the equivalent of 22 metres or a "long" focus and we will have turned off 22 of our light bulbs, resulting in a picture that has everything in focus from right in front of our camera to the far off horizon, but we will have a very dark image. Choosing the opposite end of the aperture range, say F4, will give us exactly the opposite (in general terms), I.E., only about 4 metres or a "shallow" focus and with only 4 light bulbs turned off, a much brighter picture. I hope I explained that well. F-Stops are not difficult, and the above should help you get a better understanding of how they can affect your photos.

5. Practice, practice and practice..

This is by far the most important, but it must be done consistently and with a concentrated effort. It took me a long time to understand the relationship between each of the crucial settings on my first camera, but the more I practiced and experimented, the quicker I understood, and then once it just clicked and I no longer had to think about it.

Practice costs nothing other than time, especially now that we are in a digital age with a delete button, to erase our mistakes!

6. Simplify the scene

Including too much in your scene is often too much to view, hence why one of the most effective techniques is to lessen what's in your shot. Keeping a single subject, complemented by a plain simple background or surroundings will make all the difference.

7. Line edges up

Using the edge of something in your scene to interact with another edge creates a visual pathway. The shoreline of a beach leading out to a headland can create the impression of a continual line. Use these to your advantage, line up as many things as possible to lead to your subject.

8. Tell a story

I am always looking for a way to convey a message in my photography, and it can often mean finding a bizarre angle, a lower vantage pint or simply getting closer. But all in all, every photograph is about telling a story and to do so, you need a connection. The stronger the connection between your subject and its surrounds/environment, the stronger the message, therefore the stronger the appeal of the image. Look to include items/things/views etc that compliment the subject or challenge it, either way, questions drawn from your image, all lead to building a story.

9. Experiment with colour

A colour photograph isn't the aim for every photograph. Experimenting with different colour hues, such as converting to black and white or sepia, or some other monotone, or even just desaturating (removing some intensity) the colour a little can help be less distracting. Too much colour, can sometimes distract the viewer from the subject, because they wow over the colour and then look for a subject. It's all about experimenting.

10. Show it off

Showing you work is one of the best ways to get feedback. Show your images to everyone you can, friends, family and little to their very first reaction... "wow" or "oh OK", or "that's nice". The latter two is your first indicator that the image didn't grab their attention immediately.
Look at what can be improved and get out there.

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Create your Pictures Framing With This Selection Of Tips

Whether you are getting into photography for fun or for a professional career pursuit, there is a great deal to learn. With the right base of information, you could definitely be on your way to real inspiration and great feelings about the art. You can start with the tips in this article, to find out what photography is really all about.

A great photography tip is to invest in a tripod. Having a tripod is very important because it will allow you to take a clear and focused picture. Don't assume that you can take a clear picture just by using your hands. Avoid blurry pictures by getting a tripod.

• Make sure you're holding your camera properly to get the best photograph. You want to make sure you have your arms tucked against your sides and one hand should be under the lens to support it. This will help reduce any movement and insure that you're able to get good photos.

• A DSLR is a must have if you are seriously pursuing photography. Digital single-lens reflex cameras are the ideal way to view your subject just after you take the photograph. If you want the largest image sensor, as well as the most highly detailed images, choose a full-frame DSLR.

• When taking photographs, make sure that your subject is as relaxed as possible at all times. One way that you can increase relaxation is to use music in the background. This will draw your subject's focus away from the importance of the photographs so that you can achieve the highest quality picture.

• Always check out other photographers and what they are taking pictures of. By taking the time to view the art created by other photographers, you will be inspired and reminded of all the different ways a subject can be shown in one single shot.

• Make sure you have a focal point for your photograph. This should be the first thing that the viewer's eye is drawn to. Whether it's a flower, a person, or a bird, every shot you take should have a specific focal point. Don't only think about what the focal point is, but figure out the best spot for it in the shot.

• One of the most important elements of photography is the ability to frame a shot. In order to eliminate any objects which distract from the subject matter, you should zoom in on a main focal point. This will help keep clutter out of your pictures, and eliminate any unwanted focal points.

• The foreground is much more noticeable than the background in a photograph. Make sure your foreground has a nice appearance and will show depth.

Taking Great Pictures

• Keep an eye on the weather outside. Weather conditions can create many opportunities to improve or destroy a great picture. You can still get some great outdoor shots on a cloudy day. Compose your photos so that the gray sky is not actually in the frame. Don't let it stop you from taking great pictures.

• There is a lot of things that make up photography, and whether for fun or career, you want to get all the information you can, so that you know that you are making the right moves. There are various techniques and strategies that you should learn, if you really want to make a name for yourself, even if you aren't taking it to a higher level.

By: Phoemela Lukes 

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How to Make Beautiful Photos in 10 Tips

Of course, when you look at professional photos, you start thinking more skeptical about your photographing skills. But it is not necessary to look at professional photos and lose your heart. You can learn how to make great photos without expensive equipment. Just use some of the tips, which are described below.

What you need?***

Camera, imagination, patience

1.
     To make your photos interesting you must have a camera with function, which allows you disable the automatic settings and set them manually. Often in practice it's SLR digital camera. It also has a better matrix, which affects the quality of the photos and you can change lenses, allowing you to take your photos more diverse, giving you more space for creativity.

2.
     Try to take pictures as best as possible, to make minimum adjustments on the computer later. Try to mentally divide the frame into nine equal parts and possibly put important objects on the intersections, not in the center of the photo. This will make the photo composition more dynamic.

3.
      Don't get carried away with the flash. It often makes blurry photos and faces can be flat. To avoid blurry photos lean hands on a firm surface and press the shutter during the pause in heartbeat. Only practice helps you to hold the camera confidently and steady.

4.
       Look for unusual angles and subjects. You can make an interesting shot when you photographed only part of the object, composition can be built in abstract forms.
Look for bright and unusual color combinations. Try to remove any small objects from the frame, they can distract from the main view.

5.
        Analyze why you like or don't like your photos, it will help you in the process of shooting.

6.
         Shoot animals and children from the floor or at the level of their eyes, it will make your pictures more interesting.

7.
         Try not to "only press the button", photography - thoughtful process. It makes sense to get around with the different parties of the object to choose the best angle.

8.
          Learn to observe. This is crucial for the further development of you as a great photographer. Look around to notice interesting and unusual events that can become the basis for photography.

9. 
         Get used to the fact that you are still a beginner. If you just started studying photography and you make a "brilliant photos", then your self-esteem somewhat overstated. In this case, you just need looking for the slightest faults and getting rid of them.

10.
         Try to make a lot of different photos and practice will make you better!

By: Nikolas Chist

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Amazon has developed a technical platform to insert video ads ..

Advertising is a component of the Amazon business model. When customers browse its site looking product, they meet targeted advertisements. Amazon account and improve the system using video advertisements. Yesterday, the e-commerce giant has formalized an agreement with FreeWheel.

This American company has developed a technology platform to insert targeted video advertising which includes monetization tools and a marketplace to manage inventories. FreeWheel customers include major media like ABC, AOL, DIRECTV, ESPN, NBC Universal, Sky, Turner or Viacom.

At Amazon, these ads will meet including trailers of movies, video games, product demos with integrated buttons that users can click to buy a product ("shop now") directly or get more information ("learn more").

According to the blog Re / Code, Amazon could also use this technology to develop its offer VoD on Kindle Fire tablets. Agreements have been signed with some broadcasters to offer the first episode of several TV series in exchange for the dissemination of advertisements. 

A good way to entice viewers who are more likely to pay to buy the rest of the content. If successful with advertisers, advertising model could even expand and why not help increase the free offer.
(Eureka Press)

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