What is ‘Wiggle Stereoscopy’?

What is Wiggle Stereoscopy, you may ask. While many might already know the term, there are quite a few who make them too.

Wiggle Stereoscopy is a simple animated photo or picture, which uses the left and right images of a stereogram or a 3D photo. The technique is also known as Wiggle 3D or Wobble 3D. Japanese call it Piku-Piku, which means twitching.

The two images, left and right, are animated or alternately displayed on the screen in a particular frequency. This flickering of the two images, one after the other, creates a 3D image in the brain of the viewer. Hence the images look realistic and almost 3D, even on a regular display screen. You don’t need any special software or 3D glasses to view these images. The images can be animated using simple formats such as GIF or flash, or can be used with JavaScript programs.

Most wiggle stereoscopic images use two images, but the final outcome is sometimes jerky. Some use more than three images to make a smoother illusion.  Take a look at some examples below to find out what these 3D images look like.