3D Anaglyph Glasses

Let us examine a type of 3d technology that has been in existence and widespread use for the last 50 years – anaglyph 3d glasses. Using this unique way of filtering the colors that your eyes see, you’ll see the image on your screen pop out at you and seem more realistic.

With the prevalence and widespread use of 3d glasses and technology lately, it’s no wonder you may be wondering exactly what kind of process goes into creating such an amazing effect, giving you the experience of having the movie or show you’re watching seem like it’s happening in the same room as you, right in front of your eyes. It’s all about how our eyes see the world around us in 3d, and how different technologies are used to simulate that effect for two dimensional things like motion pictures. This article will show you the ins and outs of anaglyph glasses and how they work.

It all comes down to the binocular effect that your eyes provide to your brain. When you look at an object, you’re actually viewing it from two different angles, due to the 2 inch difference between your eyes in terms of location. This way, your brain is getting two varying signals, allowing you to see around them to an extent, at least far enough that you can reasonably extrapolate where they are in relation to you and other objects. The brain translates the signals each eye is giving you and allows you to interpret it as a three dimensional image. It’s this very binocular effect that 3d anaglyph glasses seek to replicate. The problem is, the physical media that you’re seeing with the naked eye is not three-dimensional; it’s a film, a moving picture. What the 3d anaglyph glasses have to do is fool your eyes into thinking it’s seeing it the way it sees the rest of the world, and it does so in a simple, yet interesting, way.

In a nutshell, 3d anaglyph glasses feature one red lens and one blue lens. When a movie calibrated to anaglyph 3d is played, there are two projectors that display two images on the same screen – one red, one blue. When wearing the glasses, the red lens filters out all the red, so all you see is blue, and vice versa. So with different images being sent to each eye, your brain triggers the binocular effect and starts to fill in the blanks for you, just as it would any other image. This has the effect of making the image appear lifelike, seemingly popping out of the screen, characters and objects having depth and a discernable distance from the wearer of the 3d anaglyph glasses.

This particular anaglyph technology is one of the earliest adopted methods of 3d for films, and has been in place since the 1950s. Its novelty made it an added incentive to visit theaters, and was used frequently in films of that era, particularly science fiction and horror films of the time. While the succeeding decades saw a dramatic drop in the use of that particular technology, the recent resurgence of 3d in films has given the anaglyph glasses quite a comeback. While there are different technologies used in 3d films today, widespread use of those same technologies in home 3d use is still a ways away, so companies are cashing in on it now by providing anaglyph alternatives to be viewed on your home television. Everything from 3d Super Bowl ads to DVDs of 3d movies providing an anaglyph version of the movie and the appropriate glasses are seen frequently today.

If you want to experience the 3d craze from the comfort of your own home, it’s quite easy to see why you’d want to try out 3d anaglyph glasses. Nothing quite beats the feeling of being pulled into the action and excitement of your favorite program, and 3d helps you do that!