Facebook Adding 3D Photos To News Feed This Summer

Facebook has announced that users will soon be able to post 3D photos to the News Feed. Very little information was shared by Facebook during its F8 conference, but the company said that the new feature will be available later this summer.

Facebook showed a brief demo of how 3D photos will appear in the News Feed. The demo shows pictures having a sense of added depth when users scroll up and down the News Feed. Of course, the “3D” appearance of these images is limited, but it definitely looks promising and it might encourage people to post more.

Facebook didn’t say how exactly users will be able to capture and post 3D photos on its app, but what’s clear is that it will be available directly from the Facebook app. TechCrunch speculates that the company may be using its machine learning technologies to turn regular photos into 3D-looking images.

Facebook is also using machine learning for a new feature called “VR memories,” which allows users to convert their old 2D photos and videos into a virtual three-dimensional environment through point cloud reconstruction, as explained by Engadget.

In simpler terms, users would be able to turn a photo from their past into a virtual recreation. The new 3D photos feature isn’t as advanced as that, but it does mean that Facebook is continuously advancing its AI tech to offer new experiences on its platform.

Facebook already supports 360-degree photos and videos, and adding support for 3D photos in the News Feed seems like a step forward for the company. The move also ensures that the vast majority of its users have something new to play around with on the app while also providing developers and brands a new way to interact with consumers.