3DR

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About 3DR

Here is a description of what you are going for in this type of an image. I created this pool out of a need to share this technique with as many people as possible to explore the potential of this idea of 3DR. That being said I have provided the link to the origins of this new technique and hope you enjoy creating a foundation for this new trend to grow. Since 3DR is so new that I made up the term today, many of us will contribute way's and idea's that make this style work, I look froward to seeing what you come up with. Keep in mind you will need a tripod to do this photo and a minimum of one correctly exposed image (without flash) and one flash image of the same area. This style is very similar to HDR, only 3DR uses a flash image to create a 3D feeling rather than 3-7 images that do not use flash like the HDR process demands.(I coined the term 3DR, so don't go looking for a description on Wikipedia until one of the members of the pool adds that topic to Wikipedia)

This could be a simpler way to add depth to textured surfaces!

-Jaz

Textured graphics can be captured in a flash.

At the heart of the technique is the assumption that the brightness of a pixel in the image is related to its depth in the real scene. Parts of the surface deep in a crack or pit receive light from a restricted area of the sky, and appear relatively dark.

By contrast, protruding parts of the surface receive more light and appear brighter in a photo.

Correct colours

But the colour of the surface also affects its brightness in a photo. With the same illumination, light-coloured spots appear brighter than dark ones.

Taking a photo using the flash removes that effect. The surface is flooded with light and the camera can record the true colour of every part it can see, even those in cracks and pits.

The flashlight image is paired up with a photo taken without extra lighting. Software then compares the brightness of every matching pair of pixels in the two images and calculates how much of a pixel's brightness is down to its position, and how much is due to its colour.

That information is used to produce a realistic rendering of a surface's texture. By altering the direction of illumination on the virtual surface the system can generate realistic shadow effects.

- NewScientist.com news service
# Colin Barras

FYI- Please TAG your image 3DR so we can get this thing of the ground!