10 incredible 3D animated GIFs

There are several ways to create a 3D effect on a 2D surface. 3D movies rely on splitting the image on the screen so the left and right eye get a slightly different image. This is done either with polarized passive glasses in the theater, or active shutter glasses that match a screen's refresh rate in 3D TVs. However, 3D video is essentially a brain hack - nothing you're seeing is actually any closer or farther away.

With that in mind, it stands to reason there should be other ways to trick the brain that aren't quite so elaborate. Indeed, a new 3D craze is sweeping the internet (well, mostly Tumblr). GIF fans have realized that dropping a few lines into the right animated GIF gives it a startlingly good 3D effect. Unlike many other things you see on Tumblr, this is really neat.

Click the gallery above to see each one of the animated pics and then check out the full explanation below, without your browser being weighed down by all those hefty GIFs.

You don't need glasses, nor do you need to go through some sort of ritualistic staring contest with the picture a la Magic Eye - just watch and be awed. The best effects are seen when the source footage makes use of depth of field, which leaves some parts of the frame out of focus. Combine that with a little visual trickery, and you've got something certifiably three dimensional.

So what's going on here? The two white lines split each image into three panels, but the brain stitches them together into one image. The white lines cease to be separators and instead act as a reference point for what is foreground and what is background. Your brain picks up anything behind this imaginary barrier as being farther away. When something (like a gun) passes in front of the lines, it is perceived as being closer. Thus, the brain assembles a 3D image out of it.

There are certain kinds of shots that are particularly good for these images. Action movies are excellent, especially if they were filmed for regular 3D. Movies that were filmed in 3D tend to have more things being pointed at the viewer to show off the 3D effect. Cartoons are also great for these GIFs because they have very clean lines and distinct shapes. There are also a lot of these images with a gun being aimed - it's not that Tumblr users are suddenly more obsessed with firearms, those shots just work especially well with the 3D effect.

The next time you're in a movie theater and need to strap on cumbersome, uncomfortable 3D glasses, just think how much easier it could be. Make sure you check out the gallery at the top of the post for maximum enjoyment.