Artists are capable of drawing images that are perceived as three-dimensional (3D) on a two-dimensional (2D) canvas, such as a piece of paper; therefore, giving the illusion that an object is jumping out of the page. In this project we demonstrate a technique in which stripes are bent in unique ways, to create the illusion of volume within a flat surface.
The proposed technique consists on drawing straight horizontal lines on the dark areas of a black and white image, and a semicircle in the white area of the image. The semicircle is centered in the middle between the start and end point of the white patch. This is demonstrated in the image below where we have two horizontal black lines in the black and white image on the left. We then proceed to draw a red horizontal line where there is black, and a semicircle on the white area.
If we repeat this technique on a more complicated image, we can further appreciate its effect. Below we present a white vertical stripe. When the technique is applied across the entire image, a cylinder appears.
Similarly, in the image below, a triangle becomes a cone.
Finally, the technique is tested on the image of a hand, as shown below. The hand (left image) is segmented, and a black and white version is produced. A 3D version of the hand appears after applying the technique.
The color of the stripes does not limit us. We can use any colors if the contrast amongst the stripes is strong. For example, below we created a video of a hand appearing. We repeated the video a few times using different stripe colors. The dynamic effect of the video shows an interesting result as the hand goes thru. At every video repetition, we use a different color scheme for the stripes.
Here, we have demonstrated a technique of enhancing black and white images by adding a 3D effect.