Anaglyph 3D Effect in Affinity Photo

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create an anaglyph 3D effect in Affinity Photo. An anaglyph is a type of stereoscopic image that is usually viewed with 3D glasses. These types of images have been around since the 1850s. An anaglyph 3D image contains two “filtered colored images” that are used for each eye. Red and cyan are the typical colors used for this effect. In addition, red and green were also paired together. When looking through red-cyan 3D glasses, the left eye sees the red color while the right eye sees the blue color.

Before you begin, go to the following link to download the image used for the tutorial.

Woman

Man

Step 1

First, go to File > Open and select the image of the woman.

Step 2

Press CTRL + J two times to make two duplicates of the image.

Step 3

Select the first duplicated layer. Next, go to the Channels Panel. Scroll down paste the Composite color section. Right-click on the Background Green and select Clear. Then, right-click on the Background Blue and select Clear. In the Layers Panel, label this layer Red.

Step 4

Now, select the second duplicated layer. Go to the Channels Panel. Right-click on the Background Red and select Clear. Label this layer Cyan in the Layers Panel.

Step 5

After that, select the Cyan layer. Lower the Opacity of the layer to about 60%. Then, take the Move Tool. Press and hold Shift and move the Cyan layer slightly to the right.

Step 6

Next, grab the Crop Tool from the Tools Panel. Take the node on the left side in the middle and bring it in some to the right to crop out the protruding red part. Then, hit Apply.

Step 7

Click the Adjustments icon in the Layers Panel and select the Brightness/Contrast adjustment. Set the Brightness to 9% and the Contrast to -8%.

Bonus

You could also make the anaglyph 3D effect using red and green.

Step 1

Go to File > Open and select the image of the man.

Step 2

Next, make two duplicates of the image by pressing CTRL + J two times.

Step 3

In the Layers Panel, label the first duplicated layer Red and the second layer Green.

Step 4

Select the Red layer. Next, go to the Channels Panel. Then, right-click on the Background Blue and select Clear. Now, right-click on the Background Green and select Clear.

Step 5

Once you’ve done that, select the Green layer. Right-click on the Background Red and click Clear. Now, right-click on the Background Blue and click Clear.

Step 6

Now lower the Opacity of the Green layer to 50%. Take the Move Tool. Then, press and hold Shift and move the green layer slightly to the right.

Step 7

Next, grab the Crop Tool and pull the left side in to the right to remove the red part and hit Apply.

Step 8

In the Layers Panel, click the Adjustments icon. Select Brightness/Contrast. Set the Brightness to 16% and the Contrast to 10%.

Congratulations, this tutorial is complete! You now know how to create an anaglyph 3D effect in Affinity Photo. For more Affinity Photo tutorials, check out this article on creating a neon portrait effect.