New Free Software Allows Real 3D Manipulation Of A Single Image

Artists all over the world use Photoshop to retouch images and for graphic design. Because of that, Photoshop has become the #1 image editing software out there. We know Photoshop has put a lot more implementation into its 3D capabilities, but that's not what Photoshop is really for and it still has a long way to go. So it's great news that a group of Researchers at Carnegie Mellon and University of California, Berkeley have come out with software that allows for full 3D manipulation of objects in a photograph.

The video shows some pretty impressive results using their software. So how does it all work? Well, if you're into reading complex code, you can take a look at their here. For the rest of you, here is a quote from the developers of the software:

Photo-editing software restricts the control of objects in a photograph to the 2D image plane. We present a method that enables users to perform the full range of 3D manipulations, including scaling, rotation, translation, and nonrigid deformations, to an object in a photograph. As 3D manipulations often reveal parts of the object that are hidden in the original photograph, our approach uses publicly available 3D models to guide the completion of the geometry and appearance of the revealed areas of the object.

The downside is that you can only manipulate objects that you can find stock 3D models of online. As shown in the video, Turbosquid offers thousands of 3D models for you to use. I wil definitely be giving this software a try this weekend. 

[via Gizmodo]

Michael Mellon's picture

Michael Mellon resides in Wauwatosa, WI with his wife and two kids. His passion for photography lies in architecture and interior spaces. He also loves the rush of shooting live concerts.
Michael is currently an assistant photographer for Bonton in Milwaukee, WI.

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9 Comments

I was about to feel like it could be a nice new exploration for my work ... until I saw the prices of the 3d objects ont the website !
... this is not for a week end leisure ...

Those models take forever to build. The price is certainly justified, like licensing a photo.

You can find some models on sites like grabcad for free. But the work typically isn't all that good. You can also have a look at software like Autodesk's 123D catch - you take pictures from several angles of your objects and it creates a 3d model of it, all free.

I don't blame the price itself, but more the way the article make it sound like "I'll give a try this week-end" ...
No doubt that's a nice 3d rendering take time and skills !

I just sourced the website they were using because the models seem to be pretty well put together. I'm sure there are other sites out there, as others have mentioned, where you can download the models for cheaper or even free. But just like our profession(s), you get what you pay for.

You don't need to use the models from the website. There's countless models you can download online for free.

Is this legit? Has anyone actually tried this? It seems WAY too good to be true.

Yeah it's legit. It's somewhat limited of use other than creative animation or indie movie production fills, as far as I can see.

What sorcery is this?!?

Meh.