Digital Pics to View-Master

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Thomas
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Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

Has anyone figured a way yet to convert digital pictures to View-Master? I have tried to find something on the net but all I can find is using the old 50's camera. If no one has found an easy way to do this, I may have to develop one. :) It doesn't seen like it would be difficult?

But I am hoping someone has and has already saved me the trouble.

Links? Directions? Anything about there? :)
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by WiredEarp »

There is already a ViewMaster attachment for iPhones, so you could just use that?

I assume though you wish to use a vintage Viewmaster with digital photos. I think you'll run into issues, as Viewmasters project light through the equivalent of slides (if I remember correctly) so you cannot just print out 2 differing photos and merge them using the viewfinder optics. You could try printing onto transparencies or something like that perhaps...?
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

There are actually a few options for doing this; it depends on how much work you are prepared to do!

The easiest way is to use this service:

http://www.image3d.com/stereo/index.html

If you send them your image pairs, they will produce a View-Master reel for you. All you need to do is take the pictures (and pay them!).

The hard way is to use a kit like this one:

http://www.3dstereo.com/viewmaster/vm-mar.html

Image

For this you will need to format your images according to the instructions (using Photoshop) and then you will need to find a lab that can transfer the digital photos onto 35mm slide film. I live in the UK, and there is a company here that can do this:
http://www.digitalslides.co.uk/detailed ... l-cameras/
I'm sure there are similar labs around the world.

You will need to make sure that the dimensions and proportions of your images are exactly right, so that when they are converted into 35mm slides they will be the correct size and shape to be inserted into the blank View-Master reels.

Once you have the slides, you will need to cut out the individual images (carefully) and mount them in the reel templates. In the old days, View-Master produced dedicated film-cutters to work with their own cameras:
Image

You can still find these second-hand on Ebay, but they are of limited use when using slides taken from a different kind of camera; the images won't line up with the cutters, sadly.

There is also another option, if you want to produce your own stereoscopic slides: you can mount them in the Realist Format, which was by far the most popular consumer 3D format of the mid-Twentieth Century.

Image

The mounts for this format can be purchased here:
http://www.3dstereo.com/viewmaster/rbt-wid.html

or on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370434727045? ... 812wt_1396

With this format, the images are much easier to process; you just send the left and right images to any lab that can convert them to 35mm slides and have them printed full size. Make sure you instruct them not to cut or mount the images. They will send you a roll of slide film, and you simply cut out the images and mount them in the blank Realist frames.

The slides can be viewed using a modern viewer:
Image

or a vintage viewer:
Image

The image quality is stunning; 35mm slides are much higher resolution than any video or computer format (some estimates put the resolution at approx 24 megapixels) and this is by far the best way to view stereo photos. The FOV of a Realist viewer is also very large; much greater than any consumer level head-mounted display.

I generally mount my best photos in this way. It's a great way to see them!

Good luck!
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by WiredEarp »

Thats some great info ShawmK! What exactly is the FOV of the Realist viewer? I wonder if the 'slides' could be replaced with projectors or LCD screens, and then that would give you a high FOV viewer?
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

I have not seen this "Realist" format before. It may be the way to go. :)

But if I'm snapping shots with the Aiptek, which to say one pic with both images half width side by side, do I have to convert first or can the lab do that for me? *Blink*
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

Thomas, you will need to re-format your photos before you have them processed. You should resize them so that the width is correct, and you will need to save them as two separate images: one left and one right.

I would recommend downloading StereoPhoto Maker:
http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/stphmkr/index.html

This is an excellent program for working with 3D images (and it's completely free). :)

WiredEarp, there are many different Realist viewers with different lenses and different FOV's. The basic red model above is about 50 degrees I would say, but there are high-end models that have a much higher FOV. It should be fairly simple to mount a pair of LCD screens into any of these viewers, but the result would probably be a bit bulky. These viewers are designed to be hand-held, rather than head-mounted.

There is at least one hand-held digital viewer on the market at the moment:
http://www.cyclopital3d.com/3DPhotoView ... anchor_120

Image

There were literally hundreds of different slide viewers available in the last Century. Have a look at some of these:
http://www.viewmaster.co.uk/htm/quickref.asp
(This is a website maintained by Keith Clatworthy, and is one of the best resources for 3D viewers that I have ever seen.)
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

How do I print a photo to fit into one of these gizmos?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Holmes-Stereosc ... 1c2351be78" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Does stereo photomaker have an option for this?

[EDIT]: Hmm... I think I found it? Print Stereo Card? Now all I need are the measurements of my particular device...
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

Hi, Thomas,

Formatting the image for one of those viewers is actually really easy (and cheap!).

The "Print Stereo Card" button is exactly right. When the window opens up, you want to choose "Classic Stereo Card: 7x3.5in"

A little lower in the window, click the button marked "Canvas Size" and type in "X = 7 inches" and "Y = 5 inches".

You should wind up with a stereo card that looks a bit like this:

Image

You can either print this out using standard 5x7 inch photo paper, or for the best possible quality, you can take it to any standard photo lab and have it developed as a 5x7 print.

Once you crop off the bottom bit, you will have a 7x3.5 inch stereo card, which was the universal size for all stereo print viewers.
Image

The photos will work in any vintage stereo viewer, or you can use modern folding viewers like these:
http://www.3dstereo.com/viewmaster/lor-lite.html

Good luck!
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

I was looking at maybe this one...

http://www.loreo.com/pages/products/lor ... photo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It requires 4x6, but I hear yew can put an iPod in it and it works well.

The one I am playing with now belongs to a friend of mine. So I may have to get my own.

I had her measure a card and it is the standard 7x3.5 that yew mentioned. :)

[UPDATE]: I sent her a few card pictures I made with Stereo Photo Maker in eMail. She hasn't printed them out yet but she said she held the viewer up to the screen and said the 3D was amazing. So I guess it works! :) It should be even better once they are all printed.
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by WiredEarp »

Thanks again ShawmK for those links. Looks like that digital one is 47 degree FOV... not enough for what I was wanting.

I was just wanting a BOOM or binocular type viewer with massive (90+ fov) for playing around with high FOV imagery. It doesn't have to be digital etc. I'm wondering what has existed in the past in terms of high FOV (stereoscopy does have a very long history) - surely there's been a superhigh FOV (120+) stereoscopic viewer before...
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by PalmerTech »

WiredEarp wrote:Thanks again ShawmK for those links. Looks like that digital one is 47 degree FOV... not enough for what I was wanting.

I was just wanting a BOOM or binocular type viewer with massive (90+ fov) for playing around with high FOV imagery. It doesn't have to be digital etc. I'm wondering what has existed in the past in terms of high FOV (stereoscopy does have a very long history) - surely there's been a superhigh FOV (120+) stereoscopic viewer before...
The LEEP viewer! ;) I can build you a high FOV viewer if you want, print or digital.

http://www.leepvr.com/leepviewer.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

WiredEarp,

I'm afraid I don't know of any consumer-level stereo viewers with a field-of-view quite that high. Usually there was a trade-off between the quality of the lenses and the cost of the viewer once it was mass-produced. Most viewers fell into the 40-60 degree range.

The highest FOV viewers I have come across are these customised View-Masters:

Image

The lenses were adapted by a Dutch stereo camera-maker named Co van Ekeren, and the quality is extremely high.

They can be purchased here:
http://www.stereoscopy.com/3d-books/vie ... ewers.html

There was a print viewer called the "Lothian Stereoscope" that had very high quality lenses and produces the highest magnification of any print viewer in my own personal collection, but the FOV is not in the 90+ range. Probably closer to 50 or 60.
Image

A Slide viewer with very good optics was the "3Discover" viewer, produced in Canada (and still available). This viewer had a very large clear image (again, not quite 90+ I'm afraid) and the accompanying slides feature some of the best 3D photography I have ever seen.
http://www.3dvision.ca/viewer_titles.html

There were also the stereo viewers designed for viewing aerial reconnaissance photographs during the war. Viewers like these:
Image

These were never available to consumers - they were used by the military - but you do see them popping up on Ebay every once in awhile. Usually for a lot of money.

Thomas,

You may find that Loreo viewer of limited use; it was designed to accompany the Loreo print camera from the early 90's and the lenses are only fair. The holder will only take prints up to a maximum of 6x4 (which is what the camera was designed to produce). Oddly, the folding pocket viewer that Loreo produced (and still sells) is actually better, and much more useful for viewing stereo prints of any size.
Last edited by ShawmK on Tue Feb 07, 2012 2:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

????? I thought I saw all the loreo viewers? Did I miss one? Do yew have a link?
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

Here you go:

http://www.loreo.com/pages/products/lor ... iewer.html

This is a surprisingly good viewer; it works with different print sizes, and it folds flat so it's very convenient.

I sell collections of my 3D photos, and I always include one of these little viewers with the prints, so people always have a way to view them in 3D.

They are available to buy here:

http://www.3dstereo.com/viewmaster/lor-lite.html

or here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Inexpensive-E ... 993wt_1297
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

Oh yes I remember that one. Discounted it as not too sturdy. I can see why yew would put it in with pics yew are selling, but for personal and home use, I was wanting something that would last a while, and also looked a bit more modern. So far I don't I have found anything like that?
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

Try this one:
http://www.londonstereo.com/shop_home3.html

Image

It has good lenses, it's sturdy, and it was designed by Brian May :)
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by cybereality »

Wow! There is some great info in this thread. Haven't had much experience with stereo slides or viewers, but this topic has me interested.
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

I have been collecting vintage 3D formats for more than 25 years now. There is a huge amount of material out there, and I am still discovering new formats and new viewers all the time.

That's why I always have to laugh when I hear people referring to 3D as a "modern gimmick"... :lol:
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

I do like that Owl!

But the black one is sold out! ACK! Maybe I should try the 5 lucky dip deal and take my chances? :)
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by Thomas »

I have sent a message to the OWL guys telling them I am interested in the "5 lucky dip OWL" deal, so long as they can assure me that all OWLS will not be the same color, that being a dreadful color they cannot sell otherwise. :)
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by waldorf »

There are actually a few options for doing this; it depends on how much work you are prepared to do!

The easiest way is to use this service:

http://www.image3d.com/stereo/index.html

If you send them your image pairs, they will produce a View-Master reel for you. All you need to do is take the pictures (and pay them!).
HI everyone, I'm new here, from uk and a long-time viewmaster fan. I'm adding to the helpful comment made above and I can recommend image3d very highly. I've only used them so far to produce 2D viewmaster reels but I've just bought a fuji real 3d w3 camera and hope to create 'left and right' images that I can upload. Has anyone done this? Recommended software?

Nice to be here.
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by ShawmK »

Hi, Waldorf, and welcome!

Always great to meet a fellow View-Master fan.

You should have no trouble using the Fuji camera to produce photos for Image 3D to process. I would recommend downloading Stereo PhotoMaker - if you haven't already:

http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/stphmkr/index.html

It's the perfect programme for editing and manipulating stereo photos, and will easily convert the Fuji's .mpo files into side-by-side jpegs.

Do you collect View-Master reels and viewers? What other 3D formats are you interested in?
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Re: Digital Pics to View-Master

Post by waldorf »

Thanks ShawMK. Yes, I have a few viewmasters, many old reels and lots of memories..., plus a few custom reels that 'image 3d' have made for me. Postage to the Uk is expensive so I've been looking for options to get custom reels in made the UK. I'm rather intrigued by Brian May's 'owl' reader and 3d cards but have only just discovered these.
Thanks for the tip about stereo photomaker.
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