Technique: Flatten 3D Objects Using Slit Scan Photography

What you need:

• iPhone 4
• Tripod
• Swiveling Office Chair
• Small object to photograph
• Slit Scan App from the iTunes App Store

The first step is to download the Slit Scan app from the iTunes App Store. Once you have the app on your iPhone, it's time to get started taking slit scan pictures!

The iPhone 4 is set up on a c-stand, using a Glif to attach to it. The swivel chair is used to provide a constant, level rotation. The books and paint bucket are used to raise the subject high enough so that the back of the chair does not obscure the exposure while spinning.

This set up can also easily be done with a lazy susan or an office chair without a back. The trick is to make sure that the subject is placed in the perfect center of the rotation device. Try spinning it really fast and placing your object in the center of it. If it spins off too quickly, you weren't quite in the dead center.

Next you want to line up your stationary slit with the center of your object. Give the object a spin and see if there are any gaps throughout the exposure. If the camera doesn't show any gaps after a full rotation, you're ready to start the actual scan. For small objects (under 3' or so), 30 FPS should be a good rate to scan. For larger objects (people) try 20 FPS. If you taking a slit scan image of a large, slowly rotating object try using a slower frame rate like 15 or 10 fps. Have fun experimenting!

Here are some example images taken using the above setup: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flipmovie/5...

This is a series of shots taken using the above setup, but this time I used the iPhone's front-facing camera to photograph myself: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flipmovie/5...

Here are some images taken using the moving slit option in the Slit Scan app: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flipmovie/5...