Facebook now lets you post hyper-realistic 3D photos
Your News Feed is about to get a lot more lifelike.
Facebook just began rolling out support for its 3D photos, which make portrait mode images look much more realistic.
The feature is possible thanks to the dual-camera setups that have become common on flagship smartphones. With 3D photos, when you post a portrait-style image, Facebook is able to separate the subject of the photo from the background and create a more layered look.
The result is a startlingly lifelike image that appears to "move" as you scroll (you can also tilt your phone to adjust the view).
You can see it in action in the video below.
The feature isn't perfect, and, depending on the photo, some attempts look better than others. According to Facebook, it works best with images that have a significant amount of contrast between the background and the foreground. It certainly offers a whole new way of looking at portrait mode images.
Anyone can view the 3D photos on Facebook right now, but the ability to post them will be rolling out much more slowly. Once it's live, you'll see it in the standard post options. It supports Portrait Mode photos from the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and iPhone XS for now.
Topics Facebook Social Media
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
