One ‘bonus’ of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic was that it made stereoscopic event organisers look into different ways to host their events or monthly meetings virtually, and others to share more of their work online, making them accessible to many more people. Whilst this post helps with viewing stereoscopic 3-D images on screens generally, one of the most popular platforms for 3-D events has been Zoom, so I’ve included some details at the end of this post about how you can watch along in 3-D.

An important place to start is to see the host’s event details as to which format the images will be shared in; it’s usually side-by-side parallel view, but can also be anaglyph, cross-view, or sometimes a mixture. If they don’t say, and you’re not sure, make sure you ask in advance to give yourself time to get any required 3-D viewers.

SIDE-BY-SIDE PARALLEL-VIEW FORMAT IMAGES

In the side-by-side parallel-view format you may need a stereoscope if you can’t freeview, you don’t want to freeview for too long, or if the images are too large on the screen you are viewing them on. Please note that if you find the images are too large, in the case of Zoom and some other platforms, you can reduce the tab/photo’s size to help.

–SMALLER SCREENS

For a smartphone or a small screen, I recommend the London Stereoscopic Company’s OWL VR Kit, which will hold your phone in place with a magnet and enable you to view the smartphone whilst holding it up. They can accommodate phones up to 17.7cm in length (in landscape format). The lenses don’t over-magnify the images, which I find many 3-D viewers designed for smartphones tend to do. The smaller and inexpensive versions of the OWL VR Kit are the London Stereoscopic Company’s Lite OWL and the studier Steampunk OWL, which can also be used with a smartphone laid flat or supported in some way. I find these viewers also don’t over-magnify (the Lite OWL, however, has a shorter focal length) and can be carried in a pocket or handbag to have at hand; the only tricky part is when you’re getting used to using one you have to find the ‘sweet-spot’ of where to hold the viewer away from the phone to get the best stereoscopic effect (but remember to keep it against your eyes like a pair of glasses, don’t hold it away from your face or it makes it even more complicated). The Lite OWL has a small hole on either side which you can tie string or elastic to to make it wearable without having to constantly hold it in place. Also remember that if you’ve already bought books from the London Stereoscopic Company, they nearly all have a stereoscope which can be used with a smartphone.

There is also a small viewer made by Loreo, the Loreo Lite, which is better for those with eyes closer together. They’ve been discontinued and cannot be ordered directly, but they have a distributor in the USA with stock, based in Las Vegas. In the UK, you can also order these directly from the Widescreen Centre website. Also in the USA, you can order these and other viewers from Berezin Stereo Photography Products.

–LARGER SCREENS

On a larger screen in side-by-side parallel-view format, such as a computer or laptop monitor, a mirrored or prismatic stereoscope can be used. The one I use everyday is the NVP3D stereoscope. The mirrors do not distort the images, as I’ve noticed with other mirror-viewers, and there’s a knob on the top which allows you to adjust the angle of the mirrors so you can view different-sized stereoscopic images on a variety of different-sized monitors.

An inexpensive prismatic stereoscope for monitors is the Loreo Pixi 3D viewer, recommended for 10 to 15 inch wide 3D images. I like that it enables the user to loop it around their ears so they can use it hands-free, but I’m afraid I have not tried one of these myself so I cannot comment yet about the quality of the stereoscopic effect it produces. They are unfortunately discontinued, but please see above for the ‘Loreo Lite’, which includes some shop links where they can be purchased.

There are other prismatic viewers which can be also used for the larger screens, you can order some from Berezin in the USA; please see the individual glasses/viewers on this website for their recommendations for use with particular screen sizes.

SIDE-BY-SIDE CROSS-VIEW FORMAT IMAGES

For side-by-side cross-view images please see my tutorial on how you can view these without a stereoscope, be aware though that if you leave your Zoom camera on, everyone will see you staring at them cross-eyed!

ANAGLYPH IMAGES

Many hosts use anaglyph images and it’s important to note that, so far, I’ve only seen images displayed in red/cyan anaglyphs. Other coloured anaglyph glasses are available but you will not be able to view the anaglyphs as they are intended to be seen unless you have the correct colour glasses, so it’s always worth checking before buying. Also note that the red lens should be on the left eye, otherwise your glasses will be upside-down and the 3-D images will be inverted. You can buy anaglyph glasses easily and inexpensively on Amazon and eBay, sometimes you might even find a suitable pair kicking about in a 3-D book or comic. Some examples of websites selling them directly in different countries are: American Paper Optics (USA), The Widescreen Centre (UK), 3D Glasses Shop (UK), De Wijs (Netherlands), 3D Stereo (USA).

VIEWING ON ZOOM

The link to download the Zoom app can be found on their website. It’s free to use as an attendee and is available worldwide except for the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine (certain regions). To attend a Zoom meeting, the host will provide a link or a meeting ID which you can click on or add to the app to attend. It’s also possible to attend without using an app, the Zoom website help section offers lots of guides on different ways to use Zoom and attend meetings. I advise you to take note of the timezone in which the event is hosted and convert it to your own timezone – I admit that I’ve been in an empty Zoom meeting room wishing I had checked my own timezone correctly!

Once you’re set up to attend, then you have to decide on how to view the stereoscopic images/videos. Usually the host will explain what format/ which formats they will use; I wrote a guide on how to view stereoscopic images in an earlier blog post which may also be helpful.

Some hosts have developed ways to show parallel- and cross-view side-by-side formats and anaglyphs all on the same Zoom screen at once so you can choose whichever format you prefer and magnify that area if necessary.

HTML 5 3D VIEWER

Another example I’ve seen is the event organiser using Masuji Suto’s HTML5 3D Viewer. The organiser hosts the images or videos which will be viewed during the Zoom meeting on a separate website, and using the HTML5 3D viewer, you can choose from a drop-down list which format you’d like to view them in; this also allows the images to be viewed on 3-D TVs.

RECOMMENDED DESKTOP ZOOM SETTINGS FOR PARALLEL-VIEW IMAGES

We recommend the following settings for optimal viewing of parallel side-by-side stereoscopic images and videos on desktop apps:

• During the Zoom sessions the presentations should be viewed in either the side-by-side gallery view or side-by-side speaker view. Details about how to change to these views can be found on the Zoom website here (look for the options at the top middle and top right of the Zoom screen).
• We also recommend that the screen is viewed in ‘fit to window’; this option can be found next to the green screen share icon at the top middle and is in the dropdown box.
• To adjust the size of the presentation to make it easier for those who wish to free-view or use a stereoscope we suggest that once the side-by-side gallery or side-by-side speaker view is in use, you can move a grey slider bar found between the presentation and the gallery/speaker areas and slide this to the left to reduce the image size to about 7″/18cm, about the size of original stereoview cards.
• A ‘getting started’ guide to Zoom can be found here.

Please note that a good internet connection is highly recommended for viewing videos on Zoom.

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