Casa Media - facebook-3d-photo

The social media giant has implemented a new feature to its Facebook 3D photos option.

The system is now able to simulate depth in any image, allowing you to turn any static, 2D image into a 3D one. Neat.

Facebook explained:

“Our 3D Photos feature has [thus far] relied on the dual-lens “portrait mode” capabilities available only in new, higher-end smartphones, so it hasn’t been available on typical mobile devices, which have only a single, rear-facing camera. To bring this new visual format to more people, we have used state-of-the-art machine learning techniques to produce 3D photos from virtually any standard 2D picture. This system infers the 3D structure of any image, whether it is a new shot just taken on an Android or iOS device with a standard single camera, or a decades-old image recently uploaded to a phone or laptop.”

Facebook had previously launched 3D image posts back in 2018, then for stories last year, but the whole process was reserved to people who possessed higher-end smartphones and devices, exploiting their multiple cameras to facilitate 3D depth of field.

With this new Facebook update, any image captured on any device can simulate depth.

How to create Facebook 3D Photos

Wanna try out the Facebook 3D photos option? Simply update your Facebook app to the latest version, head over to the post creation section (tap the “What’s on Your Mind” prompt on your home feed). Then, navigate through the post options on the left menu bar. After scrolling a bit, you should see the 3D photo option, like so:

Then simply select your image and let the magic happen. Follow their advice with the foreground and background colour thing as it can look disappointing otherwise. It should look like this:

Cool effect no? Of course, it’s just a simulation of 3D and not actual full depth. But they’ve added the mouse-tilt which allows you to play around with the post.

For all you techy people out there, the Facebook 3D photos system is now able to identify theoretical foreground and background elements then split them to simulate depth. Like most AI, it’s based on learning about a lot of other 3D images and how they show depth.

In our opinion, this can be a great way to spice up old creative and modernize your brand. It’s always good to try to implement new features in your social media strategy as it prevents your audience from getting bored of seeing always the same old stuff.

If you truly want your creative to pop out on news feeds, you should check out the 3D post option by Facebook as it simulates full depth. It’s a bit more complicated but well worth it from a marketing perspective.

Facebook 3D Videos to come next?

But even more exciting news is Facebook announcing they’re working on the same effects for videos:

“In addition to refining and improving our depth estimation algorithm, we’re working toward enabling high-quality depth estimation for videos taken with mobile devices. Videos pose a noteworthy challenge, since each frame depth must be consistent with the next. But it is also an opportunity to improve performance, since multiple observations of the same objects can provide additional signal for highly accurate depth estimations.”

Imagine how creative people will be able to get with their videos, and how immersive they’re going to be? We definitely look forward to that.

Do you plan on using Facebook 3D Photos in your social media strategy?