The technique used here for 3D images assumes on stereoscopic vision. It therefore follows that if you don't have stereoscopic vision (eg. you have a lazy eye) then you can forget any idea of seeing 3D pictures this way. I'm sorry, but you just don't have the necessary hardware.

The technique utilised to view the 3D images that are shown here requires no special kit. It's fairly easy to learn and quite fun. Two images are presented, side-by-side. The one on the left is for your right eye, and the one on the right is for your left. You cross your eyes until you get a single (out-of-focus) composite image, then you bring the image into focus without uncrossing your eyes - effectively decoupling the combined focus/convergence system your eyes normally employ.

A word about how the pictures appear when you get to see them in 3D, so you know what you'll be looking for. They do not jump out of the screen at you; it's more like you're looking into a box with an opening starting at the screen and carrying on beyond the screen into the monitor. The box seems to contain the image. Also, the 3D image will appear slightly smaller than the 2D images that make it up.

The images come in pairs. They'd look a lot nicer at a higher resolution than what's used here, but they have to be kept small (360 by 230 pixels) in order to be able to get them to fit on screens that may be only 800 pixels wide. Real photos look a lot better than low-resolution JPEGs. But still, you will enjoy seeing these 3-D photographs.

WHAT IS 3-D?

There are essentially five ways by which the human visual system can build a 3D model of a scene inside your head:

1. Pictorially. The man occludes a section of wall, therefore the wall must be behind him.
2. Stereoscopically. Your left eye sees part of a bush adjacent to the car and your right eye doesn't. The bush must therefore be behind the car.
3. Motion parallax. When I look at the tree and move my head left, the woman seems to move to the right; when I look at the woman and move my head left, the tree seems to move to the left; therefore, the woman must be closer than the tree.
4. Convergence. I have to cross my eyes more to look at the cup than I do to look at the book, therefore the cup must be closer than the book.
5. Focus. I have to focus harder to see the fork than I do the spoon, therefore the fork is closer than the spoon.

2D photographs only give you number 1 of these.
3D stereoscopic pairs give you numbers 1 and 2.
TV and movies give you numbers 1 and 3, although the 3 is only when the camera tracks (ie. smoothly changes position), not when it pans (rotates) or when the subject moves but the camera doesn't.
Holograms and reality will give you all 5 types of visual cue.