How to Use Snapchat's New 3D Selfie Camera Mode

In mid-September of 2019, Snapchat unveiled 3D images and 3D filters on its platform, and a camera mode which uses the depth data provided by a smartphone to create a dimensional image. These dimensional images can be enhanced with Snapchat's proprietary augmented reality lenses, giving them added depth and appeal. With just a little touch of your smartphone, this new 3D camera mode can provide a whole new world of depth and appeal to any photo you take.The 3D camera mode makes use of your smartphone's depth data to reconstruct a selfie by allowing the smartphone's movement to modify the image's perspective, which has the effect of making the selfie appear to emerge from the screen. This 3D image can be blended with new filters and lenses which provide additional dimension to your Snap, and which can be edited while in preview mode before you send the photo to anyone.

Recipients of 3D photos

People whom you have sent 3D photos to using your new Snapchat feature, will be able to simply tilt their smartphone a little bit to change the perspective they have, regardless of the type of device they're using. The new feature requires that a smartphone be equipped with a front-facing camera, and that it has built-in depth data. At present, the option can only be used on the iPhone X and some of the newer phone models.However, any Snapchat user can receive and view the 3D effect on any kind of device whatsoever, including an Android smartphone. Users who do have access to the feature will be able to click on a drop-down menu within the 3D camera mode, and then actually select the option for 3D. In addition to switching the camera to 3D mode, the filter and lens carousel will automatically update with filters and lenses compatible with 3D operation. Any 3D selfies can be shared within Stories or chats, just like any normal Snap.

What the Snapchat representatives say

According to Snapchat representatives, the platform's plan going forward is to continue this kind of innovation, and to find new ways for its users to express themselves, so they can enjoy more feature-rich usage of the Snapchat camera. Since they are aware of users' desire to communicate with each other using visual Snaps, and to extend that kind of usage for greater enjoyment, it's only natural that Snap developers would concentrate their efforts on enhancing that overall experience. That means you can expect improvements and enhancements to the 3D mode in the coming months and years, all of which will be intended to improve on its current capabilities.

Selfie mode extends world-facing mode

This enhancement for selfie photos comes fresh on the heels of 3D effects which were unveiled in August for Spectacles 3. As opposed to the camera mode in the app which specifically applies to selfies, the Spectacles 3D option was designed for a world-facing camera. It was in August of this year that Snapchat announced its new Spectacles, which would allow you to see the world with a 3D view. The Spectacles 3 sunglasses are equipped with cameras on both sides of the frames, so that dimension and depth can be captured, similar to how human eyes view the world around us.This will allow all of your followers to see things from the same perspective you do. In addition, Snap's augmented reality tools will allow you to enhance and add a great deal of creativity to your photos before sending them. When Spectacles 3D was announced in August, Snapchat representatives declared that it would help all users to re-imagine their favorite moments by using a whole host of new 3D effects. Different lighting, landscapes, and a whole slew of other magical effects could be added to any scene just by swiping.Along with the cameras built into the frames, the new Spectacles are also equipped with four built-in microphones constructed of stainless steel. Photo resolution is 1642×1642 pixels and the video resolution is 1216×1216 pixels. The spectacles have sufficient storage for saving either 1,200 photos or 100 videos before exceeding the limit. The case that the Spectacles come in is also equipped with a charger, so that it can charge Spectacles on the go.

The first generation of Spectacles was introduced in 2016, and since then they have been considerably improved and refined. Spectacles 2 were rolled out in September of 2018, and included a few more features than the original version, such as the ability to take still images. They were also water-resistant, and were equipped with dual microphones so as to provide better audio quality.Although Spectacles 3 was announced in mid-August of this year, they won't begin to ship until fall, and pre-orders have been selling for $380. Probably one of the most significant improvements of Spectacles 3 over previous versions, is that this version is directly linked up to Snapchat. That means you won't have to upload photos or videos using Bluetooth sync, which is often a tedious process, before landing them on your smartphone, where you can edit them and ultimately post them.

Snapchat usage of 3D lenses

Snapchat currently has upwards of 203 million active daily users, and the platform estimates that approximately 70% of all those individuals either view or use Lenses every day. This new 3D capability is therefore very likely to catch on strongly with Snapchat's user base, and enjoy widespread usage very rapidly. It won't take long for word-of-mouth to pass along all the creative types of selfies which can be taken and enhanced with the filters and other tools that operate on selfies.The Snapchat 3D camera mode is already being rolled out to users around the world, so it won't take long for the verdict to come in about how successful and how popular this new feature is. If you're a Snapchat user yourself, you should give it a try and experiment a little bit, because you just may find that it has become your new favorite way of communicating with friends.