Paint 3D onto Any Photo

Converting a 2D portrait into a 3D portrait appears to be much easier

than one would expect. Start off loading in an image like Lincoln.  

A script has been written which makes it possible to paint a color

coded depth map over an image such that lighter colors are up close

and darker color are far away. This map can be used to do some horizontal

image shifting between the two stereo output images to make an area appear

closer or farther away. 

The script files are located here. Provided one has read up enough on 

Gimp to know how to install script files, the 3D scripts will be found
in the menu here.

Three items are added to the original image. First a gray scale copy is added above

the original. Second, a transparent depth map layer is added above that. Third, a 

Brightness scaled color depth palette is provided which enables depths to be painted

as colors over a black and white image. 

Select your favorite paint brush. This paint brush cannot paint in the color

palette. But the color of the palette can be picked up by the paint brush when

the control key is pressed. After selecting a color, it can be painted on the 

depth map layer. 

The depth map for Lincoln shown below could have been done better. But this 

example shows what kind of impact various details have on the output image. 

This depth map file can be saved and opened and modified at any time. 

All during the painting process, the map can be converted to a stereo

image without saving at any time.  

For now, the image on the right is getting adjusted by the depth map

for the parallel output image.  

For the cross eyed output image, the image on the left is getting adjusted.

The details on how to do this better are still in development.   

The original image is always unchanged and is at the bottom layer. 

So color images work just as well. 

The parallel output is shown on top. The cross eyed on the bottom.  

2.25.12_1.35PM 

dsauersanjose@aol.com

Don Sauer