This article was first published in the August 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online
Three-dimensional video has been around in one form or another since the early 1900s, and was popularised in the 50s using anaglyph glasses (one lens blue, one red). Video-production equipment during this time made amateur 3D movies cost-prohibitive, but with cheap video cameras now widely available, home 3D recording is well within reach.
What you will need
Engineering graduate Francesco Fagnoni made a 3D set-up while at school. You need: two identical cameras; a piece of wood 10cm x 5cm x 6mm; two identical screws as a tripod and 6mm longer than the wood (¼ -- 20 threads will work for most cameras); a computer to produce videos; 3D anaglyph glasses.
Construct your 3D rigDrill two holes for your screws, 6.5cm apart. Place the cameras side-by-side on the outer holes and screw them in so they point in the same direction. Washers can be used if the screws are too long for the holes. In order to start the cameras at the same time, it's helpful if your cameras have remote control.
Get filmingFind a good place to set your 3D rig and focus on something. If you have to start the cameras manually, the videos will need to be synced in post-processing. Subjects in the distance will not be as interesting in 3D, since the change in position will be less noticeable. Try to focus on people or objects that are close.
Transform it into 3DTransfer the left and right video into separate folders on your computer. Download a 3D tool such as Stereoscopic Player. Once launched, click "Open left and right file": you will see your video displayed in 3D. If the images are not aligned, press CTRL and the up or down arrow to adjust.
Produce and shareIn order to upload videos in 3D, Fagnoni uses StereoMovie Maker, but other software is available. Using this program, you can open the sources, adjust and synchronise as needed, then produce the video in "side-by-side" mode, which can be uploaded to YouTube. Add the tag "yt3d:enable=true" to tell YouTube that it's a 3D video. Once the video is playing, click on the gear icon, then select "3D options", to select the type of 3D glasses that you will use with the video (coloured-lens, interleaved, HTML5 stereo, etc). YouTube will then format it.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
