Evolution of these programs

The software to which we refer has evolved significantly. Indeed, developers know that almost any user wants access to these functions. This includes even those users with zero experience. Therefore, these software developers are working to make things easier for the majority of their customers. As a result, almost anyone will be able to access these retouching tasks. Even more so now that everyone is taking pictures with mobile phones and trying to improve them. Similarly, work with 3D material is also growing exponentially.

Let’s be clear. The vast majority of us keep numerous photographic files stored on our computers. However, currently, they are usually composed of 2D images. But it may be the case that we need them to be part of a larger or more ambitious project focused on the three-dimensional world. Therefore, what better than to use one of the programs or platforms that we will mention below.

What features should we look for in these programs?

The truth is that the design of 3D objects is not exactly something new. However, for some people it is quite complex. Fortunately, there are programs that allow you to perform these tasks effortlessly. With this in mind, they use AI or directly with the interface, itself.

The most important thing when converting a 2D photo to 3D is that the program we are going to use allows us to control the different parameters of the conversion. That is to say, for example, that it allows us to adjust the depth level of the object, as well as its size. In addition, they should include different 3D modeling included with which to work, and allow us to give shape and effect to the wallpaper. Finally, it is likely that you intend to use the project on another platform or simply print it. Consequently, a ruler or unit of measurement system is essential to know the real size of the object and its proportions.

Programs for working with 3D images

It can also happen that occasionally we need to have three-dimensional photos from our two-dimensional personal photos. Therefore, we will see how to do it. That is to say, to convert 2D photos to 3D in a simple way.

There are several solutions of this type that we can take advantage of, as we will see below. This allows us to choose the one that best suits our needs. We will also be able to select the one that suits our level of knowledge. As with other options, there are from the simplest to the most complex.

Depthy, designs with 3D images

The first option we consider corresponds to a web application. Certainly, this editing process is complex. However, all this is carried out internally. Consequently, the first thing you have to do is to access the official portal of the web application from here

You can then select the image you want to edit. With this intention, just press the Open Photo button. This will upload the image to the platform. Next, there are a couple of options to work with the image. The first one, Load Depthmap, allows you to add the depth map of the loaded image to the composition. If not, you will have to choose the Draw it option.

If you decided for the second option, then you have to enter this data manually so, with the mouse, we will have to draw the depth map of the photo. Although at first, it may seem a bit complex, this is done with the mouse itself. In this way, what we have to do is to mark with the cursor the objects in the image that are closer. Of course, we have different marker brushes, of different sizes, to use depending on the type of image to be treated. And we can not only customize the size of the brush, but also its hardness, which will refer to the depth of the transformation, or its transparency.

After finishing the arrangements, we will check that the image has the 3D effect. However, we recommend doing several tests with various objects and types of brushes to see the difference. Besides, since everything is free, we can make as many tests as we want. In addition, the web application is compatible with the most common photographic formats in these matters.

Smoothie3D to convert 2D photos to 3D

We are not talking about a total conversion here. However, it is possible to add three-dimensional objects and treat our images with the application that is included by default with Windows 10, Paint 3D. This is a simple tool that takes us into this interesting 3D world. Therefore, when we start the app, we load the 2D personal image in question. Consequently, just click on the 3D View button to change its appearance. In the same way, Paint 3D allows us to add 3D objects from its extensive library so that we can handle them and adapt them to the loaded image to give it the look we are looking for.

This proposal is available from the Smoothie3D online platform. It is also a web application accessible from here. Once there, we will be able to transform your 2D photos into 3D and at the same time edit them. For all this, the first thing to do is to load the corresponding image on the platform from the Image / add menu. Then the photo will be loaded on the desktop of the application so that we can start working with it.

Convert 2D images with Lithophane

This proposal works similarly to the previous ones. However, it works in a more direct and simple way. We say this because it is enough to load the image. Consequently, it will be loaded on the work desktop, but already as a 3D photograph. You only have to access from the following link.

Similarly, at the bottom, we find a series of shapes as samples that we can add to the original photo. Among these samples we find several three-dimensional shapes to give that look we are looking for to the original photo that we have previously uploaded, all in a quick and easy way. Once we have finished, we can download the resulting file to our hard disk from the Download button. The project will then be saved in STL format so that we can work with it in other programs or similar platforms.

Additionally, there is a Settings section where there are numerous customizable functions. In this way we can integrate a mirror effect to the original image, get the positive or the negative of it, rotate it, etc. Very well, in this way we have seen how to convert 2D photos to 3D with these applications. As you can see, they are web applications that greatly facilitate this task. Bye!

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Introduction to qView

qView is born with a clear objective to be a practical and minimalist image viewer. That is to say that we will only have the image as the central protagonist and without even a menu bar, it’s just you and the image. It is created with QT technology and is OpenSource which allows us to verify the source code of the application.

About this the developers say

qView was designed from the very start to be as visually minimal and space-efficient as possible. No cluttered interface, just your image, and a title bar.

This makes it a very light and easy-to-use application on our system. It has proven that its load times are quite short and the use of computer resources is quite low.

Despite being so light and having a minimalist graphical interface, it is not lacking in features such as rotating, flipping, zooming, opening images from a URL, recent images, from another location. All of them can be accessed by right-clicking on the main interface.

And what about supported formats? Don’t worry about that because qView supports all common image formats including bmp, gif, jpg, png, tiff, and webp.

Install qView on Linux

The support provided by this application is great and there are many options available to install it.

For Ubuntu 20.04/ 18.04 as well as any distribution based on any of these versions, we have available a PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jurplel/qview
sudo apt update

And finally, install the application:

sudo apt install qview

For Debian 10, we have to download a DEB file from the download site or by running

https://github.com/jurplel/qView/releases/download/4.0/qview_4.0-2_amd64.deb

And install it by running

sudo apt install ./qview_4.0-2_amd64.deb

Every time a new stable version is released, you will have to update the command.

For ArchLinux it is available from AUR.

For OpenSUSE you can run

sudo zypper in qview

In the case of any RPM package based distribution, you can download the package

wget -c https://github.com/jurplel/qView/releases/download/4.0/qview_4.0-2_amd64.deb

and install it with your distribution’s package manager.

Finally, you can download the APPImage format which is compatible with any Linux distribution. For many, it is the best way-

wget -c https://github.com/jurplel/qView/releases/download/4.0/qView-4.0-x86_64.AppImage

Conclusion

qView is an application whose main concept is minimalism but without losing functionality. Thanks to it we have an alternative to other image viewers more complex to use.

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I started with GIMP, but I didn’t tell you what it was about. GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is an open-source application used for image editing. We could say that it is a serious competitor to Adobe Photoshop but it is free and multi-platform.

Although it is a very complete application and has powerful features, you can even extend its functionality through extensions. These extensions, mostly designed by community members, help to cover specific user needs.

So, here are 3 extensions for GIMP you should not miss.

3 extensions for GIMP

1.- DarkTable

Although GIMP is quite complete, it does not have native support for RAW images. This format is uncompressed, i.e. it contains all the data that the camera has captured. In short, there is no loss of information.

Many professional image editors, need to use RAW images that are obtained by a good camera. So, that’s where Darktable and GIMP come to the rescue.

With Darktable you have access to the handling of this format, including Color gradient, Post-processing, and more. An affordable solution to high-quality image management.

2.- G’MIC

On the Internet, it is fashionable to apply filters to images, sometimes unnecessarily. But if you want to apply many professional filters, then G’MIC is for you.

Thanks to this add-on for GIMP, you will have at your disposal many different filters to apply to 2D images. However, the plugin does not limit itself to this, but it is also possible to reduce the noise of the images and improve the processing of them.

So you can see some of the filters and how good they look.

Finally, this complement that also works independently, has an extensive and very well done documentation.

3.- Hugin

If your images are related to a scenario, then Hugin is everything you were hoping for.

From the project website, we are told the following “Hugin is an easy to use cross-platform panoramic imaging toolchain based on Panorama Tools. “

With Hugin, you can assemble a mosaic of photographs into a complete immersive panorama, stitch any series of overlapping pictures and much more.

Hugin’s work is spectacular and to see it, you’d better go to Flick.

Conclusion

GIMP is too good an application to even be free. It is a fundamental part of the work of many people in the world who have found in it an alternative to Photoshop. However, it can always be improved and thanks to these three plugins it can be even more efficient.

Also read:

Photoflare an image editor for Linux

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Why use image hosting services

There are a number of reasons you may need them.

• Image stays forever. However, this service depends on the service provider.
• Numerous file type support (JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4 and more).
• Unlimited file size support.
• Share the link of the image and voila! No need to upload them on each and every site again and again and again.

Best image hosting services

Let’s have a look at some of the most popular FREE image hosting services that.

• Imgur

If you’re a Linux user, then you are already familiar with Imgur. Even if you’re not a Linux user, you may already have taken the advantage of Imgur without even knowing it.

That’s ok as it’s currently the most popular image hosting services of all. It allows numerous facilities for image hosting like easier sharing, custom organization (album) etc. The most powerful thing is, there’s no limit of file size along with file expiration! Yes, your images are bound to stay FOREVER if you choose to. It supports file formats like JPEG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, APNG, MOV and MP4 while the last 2 file types are only for desktop site of Imgur.

While there’s no necessity for making an account with Imgur, it’s better to do so as it will allow you have greater control over your images.

• Flickr

Flickr was originally a community-driven hosting service for sharing photos. Currently, it’s under Yahoo since 2013. Now, it serves even better!

You have the facility of a whopping 1TB storage for hosting your image files!!! That’s a big size to consider about. Flickr doesn’t put any restriction on bandwidth. However, your image size must be under 200MB. You can also upload videos with the restriction of 1GB size and 1080p resolution.

Flickr doesn’t support a variety of file formats, only the popular ones – JPEG, PNG and non-animated GIF files. However, Flickr preserves an EXIF data of all images that photographers and enthusiasts enjoy the most.

• 500px

This one is also quite similar to Flickr. 500px is a photography community first, hosting site second. For pro photographers, this place is like the heaven if one is looking for showing off his skills.

As 500px is dependent on enthusiasts, it puts some limitations for free accounts. You’re allowed to upload 7 images per week with no file limitation. A nice trick would be merging all your favorite images into 1 LARGE image and upload it to 500px. Simple but not so simple. Confusing, right?

The paid plans are available on 500px.

• Google Photos

Well, Google is also a great place to host your photos. Google has already earned its name in the field as a reliable hosting service. However, when we’re talking about their image hosting service, you have to keep a few things in mind.

First of all, your images are limited by 16 megapixels. That’s OK-ish for most of the people but personally, I don’t like that. If your target is to hold videos, then the limitation is 1080p. In the case of the storage capacity, all these usage will eat up your Google Drive storage. Free accounts get 15GB for free and higher capacity requires paying money.

All these awesome image hosting services should be more than enough to satisfy your needs. Feel free to share your experience with them. If we missed one of your favorites, don’t forget to mention it in the comment below!

Enjoy!

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