How To Animate a 2D Photo in 3D Space

I wanted to share this video on how to animate a photo in 3D, exactly like what we did in class.   I really like this concept of bringing a 2D photo to life using photoshop and after effects to create a 3D movement. It's very quick and effective and can be used for so many things.

The Parallax Effect

3D animation takes place in a three-dimensional space with objects able to move on all three axes (x,y,z), as opposed to the the 2 axes (x,y) 2D allows.

But wait... What is 2.5D animation? 

Put simply, 2.5D animation is a 2D animation in a three-dimensional space.

The parallax effect allows motion in still photographs. One can accomplish the parallax effect by taking a still, separating it into different layers, then putting those photos in a 3D space and moving a camera through it. This also involves using perspective and shadows to make those 2D objects look seemingly three-dimensional.

The parallax technique brings still images to life. It's useful when trying to replicate live footage. The following is a great example and short tutorial of how it works:

Animating a Still Photograph

Have you ever seen a show or documentary where there is a still image that has been animated to look 3D? That is called the parallax effect, and can be done using Photoshop and After Effects. It is surprisingly simple as well. Using the skills we have already learned in class we could easily create the effect by following this tutorial I found on YouTube. By singling out individual subjects in the photo, making them each their own layer, and putting them into 3D space in After Effects, a beautiful looking 3D animation can be created.

Converting 2D films into 3D

     With the recent zeal in 3D films, many producers of older films want to get more money out of their films by re-releasing them in 3D, films like Titanic, and Jurassic Park to name a few.  I wanted to look into how the process of converting films from their original state to 3D worked.  It is a crazy process that takes a lot of man power and money to accomplish and there are potential pit falls every step of the way.  To start the director of the conversion has to make a decision as to what the depth of the each scene should be.  Then frame by frame a team of artists (300 for Titanic) rotoscope every object in the frame to create a depth map.  This is then used to create 3D models of the scene which are used to help create the stereoscopic image.  There are many possible problems because if the parallax built by the artists does not agree with the other signals people get about depth such as focus and perspective then it can cause discomfort.  Also if the two images that create the 3D effect are not the right distance apart then it can make the audience disoriented and uncomfortable.  Converting Titanic required 450 artists to work for a year and cost over 18,000 dollars, but a cost that was worth the effort, as it grossed over 300 million dollars.