“3D” video or film periodically becomes a hot topic…and then fades away. Back in 2011 when it was going through another “hot” phase, Adobe added a number of features to After Effects to try to make it easier to create and preview content intended to be viewed through two-color 3D glasses. In the event you might need to create content like that today for a special event or other application, here’s how you go about it:

1. Creating a Stereo 3D Camera Rig

Creating stereo 3D video requires using 3D space in After Effects, to get different perspectives for the left and right eye. This video explains the terms “stereo” and “3d” in this context, then shows how to create a Stereo 3D Camera Rig in After Effects. This uses a script added to AE that creates a chain of compositions, which we dissect and show how to use:

2. Stereo 3D Controls

Running the script noted above also adds two custom effects: Stereo 3D Controls, and 3D Glasses. The first one allows you to set how exaggerated the 3D effect will be, and what point in space the left and right cameras are looking at to set where the “screen” is:

3. 3D Glasses Composition

The second custom effect sets up which compositions are used for the left and right eyes and other important viewing options. We also talk about how to deal with color balance in this world where the two eyes are tinted differently from each other:

4. Focus and Convergence

Focus – and giving the eyes and brain clues as to what is near or far (such as depth of field effects) – are important for creating a Stereo 3D experience that is believable, versus one that just gives the viewer headaches. Here we dive into the tweaky details:

These movies were previously appeared on Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning. They’ve retired this course from their library, so we’re making the movies from it available publicly for free. You can either scan our page on ProVideo Coalition to see the other free movies we’ve posted over the last couple of years, or check out the Crish Design channel on YouTube.