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How to Create a 3D Anaglyph Effect in 4 Easy Steps

Want to make any photo look like an awesome 3D movie? In this tutorial, learn how to create a 3D anaglyph photo effect in Adobe Photoshop. It’s as easy as 4 steps, let’s begin!

Software: Adobe Photoshop CC

Difficulty: Beginner

Completion Time: 20 minutes

Images Used For This Tutorial:

Create the 3D Effect

Step 1

A 3D anaglyph is a stereoscopic effect that contains two different filtered colored images, one for each eye. To create this effect, first open your photo in Photoshop. Choose a photo with a clean, simple look because anything too busy doesn’t work as well. Here I’ll be using this portrait of a woman with dramatic makeup. Double click the background layer to bring up the New Layer box and name it Layer 1.


Step 2

Now press Control-J to duplicate the layer.


Right-click layer 1 and select Blending Options. Under the Advanced Blending uncheck the box next to G, which stands for the Green Channel.

3danaglyph2b

Select the duplicated layer and repeat the same steps. Right-click the layer and go to Blending Options. This time, uncheck the box next to R, which stands for the Red Channel.


Step 3

Time to create this awesome effect! Grab the Move Tool (V). Select Layer 1 and hit the left arrow key about 5-15 times to move the image to the left.


Now select the duplicated layer and hit the right arrow key about 5-15 times to move the image right.

3danaglyph3b

Get Your 3D Glasses Ready!

Step 4

Last but not least, use the Crop Tool (C) to trim the edges. And that’s it! Grab your 3D glasses to see this effect in action.

3danaglyph4a

Try this simple trick on a number of different photos like the ones below. Experiment with different subjects and play with how far you move the filtered layers for cool results.

3danaglyph4bfinal
3danaglyph4bfinal_example2
3danaglyph4bfinal_example3

I hope you’ve enjoyed creating this easy 3D effect! Show us your results and let us know if you like this tutorial in the comments!

Other Cool Effects You Might Like To Try:

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