Take 3d pix [ iPhone ]

I admit it. I am a sucker for 3D. I loved 3D movies as a kid (and still do). I had 3D comic books, and a View-Master to look at 3D pictures of exotic locations far from my Midwest home.

Now, my iPhone can create pretty impressive 3D images, with just a few clicks. [App Store link] is U.S. $1.99 and easily earns a permanent place in my collection of useful apps. Unlike the 3D cameras of old, your iPhone only has one lens, so you get depth by taking a picture, moving about 2 inches to the right, and take another. The software guides you through taking the two images, and allows you to discard one or both of the pairs if you're not happy with them. TwinShot3D then creates an overlay of the two images, instructing you to drag one of the images so that part of the image in the background lines up. Then press the '3D' button, and you get an anaglyph image that can be viewed with standard red/blue 3d glasses. You probably have a few pair sitting around, and if not you are provided a link to get a free set, or you can buy as many as you need.

When you are done the pictures are saved to your camera roll, where they can be viewed right on your iPhone, or exported. You can even print them on a color printer, and get a photo that will work fine with the anaglyph glasses.

In my experience, the software worked quite well, and I was able to produce several images that had nice depth. You can experiment with the distance between the two images. More distance gives you an exaggerated 3D effect. Too much, and the illusion falls apart and the images can't be converged by the brain.

Version 1.0 of the software was reported to be pretty buggy, but the current version 1.01 is nice and solid. I had no surprises, freezes, or shut downs. If you are as hooked on all things 3D as I am, TwinShot3D is a lot of fun for the money.

Here's a link to view some 3D images taken with the camera. You'll need 3D glasses to view them, of course. Below is a gallery of some of my test images.