3D Invitation

Please note: I'm not planning on getting married any time soon, but I'm thrilled to be able to share this idea/technique with folks who are!

While 2D can be nice enough, 3D is much more impressive. In a few simple steps, you turn a plain invitation into something that really pops - and including 3D glasses makes it extra fun.

The steps explained here require some knowledge of Photoshop (or G.I.M.P.), so please feel free to ask any questions if you're having trouble!

_{Nerdy note: Anaglyphic images are those in which one component of the composite image is red in color and is superposed on another component in a contrasting color (like cyan) to produce a three-dimensional effect when viewed through correspondingly colored filters in the form of spectacles.}

If you have any questions, need any advice/assistance, or would rather someone whip these puppies up for you feel free to comment, or shoot me a note here or on Twitter.

Step 1: You'll Need. . .

• Computer with image editing software
• Paper or cardstock
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Printer (or printing service of your choice)
• Paper 3D (anaglyph) glasses (this is a good source for them but there are loads of others online too) - one per invite
• Envelopes

Comments

[tinker234]

wow amzing idea

[shesparticular]

Thanks!

[GenteDeMassinha]

I can`t believe!!!!! My brother been loking for this for weeks now. Thank you very very very much :D I`m sure he will invite you for his wedding !!!!

[GenteDeMassinha]

* looking
please excuse my bad english

[shesparticular]

Not a problem at all (I actually read it as "looking").

[shesparticular]

Awesome, thanks so much! And I'd love to come to your brother's wedding :)

[Ricram2]

i wonder if you know the offset betwen colours in the print :) ?
lovely

[shesparticular]

Thanks so much! The colors for the different elements can be offset different amounts to create varying layers of depth.

[Les Créateliers]

This tutorial looks like so much fun!!! I decided to feature it on my website. You can see the page here:

http://lescreateliers.com/Les_Createliers/Idees_Ideas/Entries/2011/8/4_Cartes_dinvitation_3D3D_invitation_cards.html

If, for any reason, you do not wish to appear on my website, just let me know and I'll remove my post right away!

Cheers!
Marie-Eve

[shesparticular]

Very cool, merci! :)

[arboles]

Esta genial, muy buena idea! Felicidades.

[shesparticular]

Gracias!

[Ace Frahm]

What store carries the glasses? Can you make your own glasses from an arbitrary color pair (other than red-cyan)? How would you know the right RGB print color values to use in your design to match any color pair of transparency?

[shesparticular]

There's a store linked above that has them for a particularly low price, but they're also available from Amazon, eBay, and loads of other sources online.

I'm sure you could make other colored glasses, but this isn't something I've done so I can't offer any advice about what would work best (there are some available commercially that have two red lenses which are often sold as "decoder glasses" and some other colors as well). The RGB values are for red and cyan, but because printers vary it's important to check one printed copy before making a whole bunch of them.

Thanks for the questions!

[MrF_DT_teacher]

Love the idea! Just wondering if the red lens needs to go to the right eye to match the offset u applied?

[shesparticular]

I based the red-to-the-right in the image on other 3D images and it does work with the glasses. Oddly, having the red to the left in the image also works with the glasses, it just looks a bit different. I'd suggest playing with it and seeing which look you prefer.

Thanks so much for the comment!

[MrF_DT_teacher]

And thanks for posting this instructable. I'd been looking into 3D a while ago. I'm going to try your idea but with a desaturated photo and multiply the two layers with cyan and red to see if I get the 3G effect. Thanks again

[shesparticular]

If you're using a photograph, I'd suggest making sure it has an RGB color profile and separating the color channels to achieve the 3D effect. It's a bit more complicated, but works out really well!

[jsilcox]

The first and second pictures of the 3D glasses are opposite of each other... The colors must be on the correct eyes for the 3D effect to work, otherwise the images don't converge, but diverge and thus won't look right. The second picture of the 3D glasses (although not the standard arrangement) seem to be the ones that make the image your present, look right.

Please clarify this point and fix the images if necessary, so people don't get confused.

Thanks, great idea for a DIY project I just might have to try.

[shesparticular]

Thanks for pointing that out - hopefully it didn't generate too much confusion! It would appear that using the camera that's built into my laptop inverts images (I've now swapped it for a corrected image).

[XTL]

The apparent depth is defined by the amount of separation between the two layers.
So Varying the separation for each design element will make them appear at different depths

[tanniynim]

Thanks for this info! It certainly makes sense, but it would have taken me a long time to figure this out on my own. :)

[shesparticular]

Thanks so much for pointing that out! I opted to do it all at the same depth in the hopes that it would make it easier to read without the 3D glasses on but folks could certainly vary them also.

[indeepknit]

Why not also make the 3D glasses? Very nice Instructable! The ideas are a-flowin'! :)

[shesparticular]

I opted for the store-bought ones since they're pretty cheap (especially if you buy a lot of them), but you could certainly make them if you wanted to - you'd just need to track down a good source of red and cyan transparency film.

[sunshiine]

So creative!

[shesparticular]

Thanks so much!

[ChrysN]

Cool!

[shesparticular]

Thanks!