"Stereoscopic Apparition of the Holy Spirit Hovering over Mary Magdalene in Contemplation of a Vision of an Otherworldly Hypercubus Crucifixion Induced by the Absorption of Laudanum"

I used After Effects to make a 3D Hypercubus Cross, obviously inspired by Dali's famous painting. I found some fantastic free textures on Flickr Creative Commons created by J.L.Jones under the pseudonym SkeletalMess . Thanks Jerry for sharing your wonderful work, also available with much much more on the Shadowhouse Creations Blog.

I manipulated the textures, trimmed, rotated, lightened, darkened and recut them all to 1000x1000 pixels squares to make the sides of all the cubes. Well, the cubes actually have only the 4 visible sides. I took two shots with the virtual camera moving it sideways some, and came up with this stereo pair. Click here for a full screen version: homepage.mac.com/gaudel/WEBIMAGES/3Dhypercubuscross2500.jpg

I added the four little cubes to the Cross, changed the lighting in AfterEffects to make it glow, added a checkerboard floor made 3D with AfterEffects, and photographed Jesus and Mary Magdalene in 3D on a black stage. Mary was shot up close with a 28 mm, Jesus from a distance with a longer zoom. I assembled the pair on a black background, did a rough placement, and then adjusted them moving the left and right images in space forward and backward by sliding them sideways. There is actually a good deal of latitude. That's a pretty good start, and the depth is good. Click here to look at a full screen image:

homepage.mac.com/gaudel/WEBIMAGES/3DHYPERCUBUS2500.jpg

Now I need to add to it.

Since MM would not go behind the frame, I decided to leave her in front, enlarge the black canvas, and move the frame back. I added a new floor, the lighted globe in the night sky, the mummified Holy Spirit dove hovering, Adam's monkey skull at the foot of the Cross, and the poppy pod on an old mini cushion/scapular embroidered with IHS. Then I made the canvas even wider, and added Old Joseph in a polio brace and crutches to keep MM company... It became too much, and the Hypercubus Cross was getting lost. Click here for a full screen version:

homepage.mac.com/gaudel/WEBIMAGES/3DHYPERCUBUS+JOSEPH-SMA...

I cut out Joseph, removed the floor inside the frame, added a dark sky with red clouds I lifted off a picture on Flickr by , added another globe as a "Saturn" way back and a monstrance near the foot of the cross, moved Adam's Chimp skull forward. Finally, I went to South Alabama to visit family, and shot my first outdoor 3D pictures. A red Barn cut out from its background was dropped in the distance. All the pieces were strengthened and sharpened wit Topaz.

Perfect, I think I will leave it alone now and call it finished. How about a very special Dalinian title: "Stereoscopic Apparition of the Holy Spirit Hovering Over Mary Magdalene in Contemplation of a Vision of an Otherworldly Hypercubus Crucifixion Induced by the Absorption of Laudanum". Click here for the full screen version:

homepage.mac.com/gaudel/WEBIMAGES/3DHYPERCUBUS-3D-SHARP-Z...

Done