Easy Holmes Stereoviews

from the

Van Ekeren Twins

The following description covers some simple techniques I have developed for making classic Holmes-format stereoviews using the pictures I shoot with my twin P41/43 stereo rig from Co van Ekeren's shop in the Netherlands. The techniques, with very slight modifications, are usable with any of the van Ekeren twin rigs. The same tools and techniques can be used for any other digital image files, including those scanner from slides or negatives. Be aware that the sample images shown here are presented at only a small fraction of their actual resolution to minimize the time required to download the page.

The procedure requires that you have access to two pieces of software and two images:

• StereoPhoto Maker - a widely used stereo image editor available for free download at Muttyan's Home Page.

• Adobe Photoshop Elements - a very powerful subset of the top-of-the-line Adobe Photoshop. Cost for downloading   the software from the company website is only $90.00 and the program is bundled with many scanners and cameras. Since Adobe sets the bar for image editing, many of the features we will use can be emulated in other software. However, you should expect to do some experimenting if you choose to use other software.

• arches.jpg - if you click on this link, you can download an image mask that will let you to create the classic arches at the top of your stereo pair. You should download this image in the directory that you normally use for stereo editing.

• 4x6.jpg  - a scaled image that will assure that your final stereo pair gets printed in the proper 4 x 6-inch format. You should download this image in the directory that you normally use for stereo editing.

Basic Stereo Editing

Load your left and right chips into StereoPhoto Maker, remembering that the left chip will have to be inverted. I usually set the STEREO view to Gray Anaglyph (red/cyan), with VIEW set to full-page,  as it is easier to perform basic alignments. I start by fixing any vertical mis-alignment and then proceed to set the stereo window. Once all this is done, I set the VIEW to Side-by-Side and you should have something that looks like this:

Verify, by freeviewing or using another stereo format, the the left and right images are not reversed before you proceed. If the  images are reversed, use the swamp left/right function to fix the problem.

Since each chip has a 4:3 aspect ratio, so now we have to crop to set up for the Holmes format.

Click:   Edit  =>  Crop  =>  Custom Cropping

You will be presented with a set of windows for entering the Width and Height cropping size (in dots/pixels). Assuming you have been shooting at full-resolution, use the following values, depending upon your camera type:

If you are shooting at other resolution values or with different cameras, the Width and Height values should be just slightly less then the height of your image pair (the second value in the Img. Size After Align. window at the lower left on your screen).

Once you have entered the values, they will come up each time you use the Custom Cropping function, which will save time for later pictures. Should you choose to change the Width and Height values, you can do so at any time, although there is no reason to unless you are cropping for another reason. A cropping window will now be defined on-screen and you can move the window to either side to achieve optimum composition. Once you release the left mouse button, the computer will crop the picture, so don't release the button until you are ready! At this point your image will look something like this:

At this point the image should be easy to free-view and you can verify that there are no surprises. Now use the File  => Save Stereo Image function sequence to save the image as a JPEG set for maximum quality (99). The file image size should be at least 4.5 megabytes for most pictures. Do not try to save disc space by compressing the image with a lower quality setting! at this point you can exit the StereoPhoto Maker software unless you are processing multiple images.

Editing in Adobe Photoshop Elements

Boot the Adobe Photoshop Elements software and load your image pair:

Click:  Image  => Resize  =>   Image Size

Verify that the Constrain Proportions box is checked and that the units in both the Width and Height values in the Pixel Dimensions box are set to Pixels. Look at the highlighted value for Width - if it is NOT set to 3400 pixels, type in that value and click OK. If the value is already set to 3400, just click CANCEL.

Note that what we did in this step is to set the width of the image pair to 3400 pixels. No matter what the size of your original image pair, you will need to set the working width to 3400 pixels to use the tools provided. If your source image has a higher resolution, don't work, as a width of 3400 pixels is more than enough to produce very sharp stereo pairs.

Now load the arches.jpg file:

Click:  Select  =>  All and Edit   =>  Copy

and clear the ARCHES image from the screen. Now click Edit   =>  Paste to drop the arches on your stereo pair:

Use the Move tool to slide the arches upward until the "snap" into place at the top of the pair:

Now switch to the Magic Wand tool and click on the red arch on the left side. Once it is highlighted, click EDIT  =>   Cut to remove the left side of the arch:

Now repeat the process with the right side and you will have a classic-looking Holmes pair:

Now click on Layers  => Flatten Image and the arches will become permanent. Click on Select  => All and then on Edit => Copy to copy the pair to the clipboard. Load the 4x6.jpg image and click Edit  =>  Paste to drop the pair onto the 4x6 blank:

Click on Layers  => Flatten Image to "attach" the pair to the 4x6 mask. If you choose, use the text function (18-point font) to add any desired text just below the right image of the pair:

At this point, save the image under any file name you wish. Use the JPEG file format and, when prompted, select the highest image quality (12 in Adobe Photoshop Elements). Although there are multiple steps involved, with a bit of practice, formatting a picture will only take a few minutes (<5).

Preparing the Card

Getting Your Prints

Copy the files you want to print to a CD ROM, Compact Flash card or other digital medium. Take the files to your local 1-hour photo processor and have standard 4x6-inch glossy prints made from each image file. It will only take about 1/2-hour since they will not have to process any film. We will trim and mount these prints to make our final Holmes Stereoview card.
 
 

Getting Your Cards

I have 3.5 x 7-inch cards cut from 4-ply acid-free matte card stock that is available from college bookstores, picture framing shops, and most outlets that cater to the creative scrapbook trade. I have the shop cut the stock into 7-inch wide strips, from which I cut 3 1/2-inch segments using a heavy-duty (and sharp) paper cutter.
 
 

Mounting Your Image Pairs

• Use a paper cutter (or an Exacto knife and a metal straight edge) to cut the bottom edge of the card parallel to and just below the printing beneath the right image.

• Apply adhesive to the back of the print. In the past, I have used 3M Photo Mount^TM spray adhesive, but the application is messy. Now I use the Xyron 900 system, a machine that can be purchased at most major scrapbooking outlets as well as innumerable sites on the Web. This machine will apply an even layer of adhesive, complete with a protective backing. Since switching to the Xyron system, I now trip the excess material from the top of the arches once the adhesive has been applied. At this point, your print is like a large sticker that can be applied to the card after you strip off the protective backing.

• Use the table top as a guide to center the print on the card (side to side) with the lower edge of the print matching the lower edge of the card face.

• Gently press the print into place, put a sheet of paper towel over the print face, and use a kitchen rolling pin to firmly set the print in place. This is a critical step if you are using the 3M Photo Mount or other conventional adhesives. It is not as critical if you are using the Xyron system.

• Set your prints aside to set. Layers of paper towel and a stack on books can be used to apply modest pressure. I let the prints set for about 24-hours, at which point I have a nice Holmes-format card:

As a final touch a typically round the corners to make it easier to insert the cards in the viewer. Besides, I think it makes them look a bit more authentic. I use a Lassco Model 20 heavy-duty corner-rounding machine, which can be purchased for $100-150 from numerous Web-based outlets.

Some additional options include:

• If color pictures offend your traditional sensibilities, the images can be converted to grayscale or sepia prior to printing.

• If you photos need a bit of enhancement, you can do so at any point in the sequence of operations within Adobe Photoshop Elements.

• If you don't give a hoot about tradition, the 4x6 prints can be viewed directly using a 4x6 print viewer or lorgnette.