5 jaw-dropping 3D ads that we love, from cats to dogs to Mario and even dragons – how they appear to ‘pop out’ even when they don’t
- Cinematic ‘3D’ ads featuring playful puppies, curious cats and even dangerous dragons are stopping passers-by in their tracks with how lifelike they are
- The ads, which uses a filming technique that creates the illusion of depth, are often shared on social media. Here are five of the ones we like the most
You may have seen the videos online: a billboard of a massive cat overlooking Tokyo’s Shinjuku district and appearing to stick its head out of the screen at passers-by below. Or a blood-red classical statue of a woman coming to life and seemingly dangling a Versace handbag over London’s Piccadilly Circus.
Animated 2D advertisements are being outshone by cinematic “3D” ads that have been dazzling viewers on the streets below and on social media.
Known as anamorphic ads, they get their name from a technique called anamorphosis, which is used to create the illusion of depth.
Similar to how our left and right eyes see slightly different versions of the same scene, anamorphic billboards combine two images shot from slightly different perspectives into one lifelike video.
Although the technology has been around for a few years, anamorphic advertisements have so far mostly been limited to areas in major cities with high footfall, potentially because of the cost and energy consumption involved.