LitByLeia devices, such as the RED Hydrogen One smartphone and Lume Pad (2020) tablet, leverage JPEG file formats with embedded Leia Image Format (LIF) metadata. This proprietary encoding enables these devices’ unique lightfield displays to render depth information while ensuring easy file sharing compatibility. Unfortunately, most communication platforms and viewing devices flatten these 3D files into standard 2D images. The good news is you can extract the hidden right image in these JPEG files to create your own stereogram. Let’s explore two methods to do this.
Prerequisite
The simplest way to move a LIF-embedded JPEG file from your LitByLeia device to a computer is through direct transfer. Here are a few options:
- USB-C Cable: Connect your Leia device to a PC or Mac using a USB-C cable.
- USB Storage: Copy the image to a USB drive and transfer it to another device.
If either of those direct transfer options are not possible then we recommend compressing the JPEG file into a ZIP archive and emailing yourself the file as an attachment to preserve the 3D quality of your spatial images.
Extracting the Right Image of the Stereoscopic Pair
The following methods for extracting hidden images depends on the version of the Camera app (Holocam) on your device. For newer versions of Holocam (like v1.22.7), Method #1 is recommended. We’ve tested this method with the specified version and it works. For older versions (like v1.14.0), Method #2 is suggested. Please note that these methods are mutually exclusive. If one works, the other will not.
Method #1: Using Photopea
Photopea is a free online photo editor that can handle various image formats, including JPEG files embedded with LIF metadata. Here’s how to extract the hidden image using Photopea:
1. Access the Editor: Navigate to photopea.com.
2. Initialize: If you are a first-time user, click the “Start using Photopea” button to enter the workspace.
3. Import Your File:
- Click on “Open From Computer” in the center of the screen, or go to File > Open in the top menu.
- Select your JPEG file with LIF metadata and click Open.
4. Verify Layers: Look at the Layers panel on the right side of the workspace to ensure all elements are visible and unlocked.
5. Extract All Assets:
- Navigate to the File menu at the top left.
- Select Export Layers (Note: In Photopea, this is the standard way to extract all individual layers at once).
6. Download: A dialog box will appear allowing you to choose the format (PNG, JPG, etc.). Once configured, click Save to download a .zip file containing all your extracted layers.
Method #2: Using ExifTool
ExifTool is a powerful command-line tool that can extract metadata from various image formats, including JPEG files embedded with Leia Lightfield Formatting. Here’s how to use it:
1. Download ExifTool: You can download it from https://exiftool.org/.
2. Install ExifTool: Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.
3. Open a command prompt or terminal: The exact steps may vary depending on your operating system. To open the Command Prompt (CMD) in Windows, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog box, then type “cmd” and click OK.
4. Navigate to your directory: Use the cd command to change to the directory containing your photo. In the following example, the file path “C:\Users\Realistec\Pictures” refers to a directory (or folder) on a Windows computer. Here’s a breakdown of its components:
- C: This is the drive letter of the primary hard drive on the computer.
- Users: This is a folder that typically contains subfolders for individual user accounts on the computer.
- Realistec: This is the name of a specific user account on the computer.
- Pictures: This is a subfolder within the user’s account that is typically used to store images and photos.
Therefore, the full path “C:\Users\Realistec\Pictures” points to the “Pictures” folder within the “Realistec” user account on the primary hard drive (C drive) of the computer.
Example: cd C:\Users\Realistec\Pictures
5. Run ExifTool: Start by using the following command to generate an output (*.txt) file with detailed metadata information:
exiftool -a -u -g1 -w txt myphoto.jpg
- Remember to replace “exiftool” with the entire file path to your installation.
- Also, remember to replace myphoto.jpg with the actual filename of your lightfield photo.
- The text file will be saved as myphoto.txt
Example: C:\Users\Realistec\Desktop\exiftool-12.97_64\exiftool -a -u -g1 -w txt IMG_20240705_16504194.jpg
6. Open the newly created sidecar text file: This file provides important metadata, including Image Size, Megapixels, and the Holocam software version.
7. Check for the ‘Right Albedo’ metatag: If the file contains this specific metatag, as shown below, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, follow the instructions in Method #1.
8. Extract the XMP-LImage: Use the following command to extract the right stereoscopic image, which is identified by the ‘-RightAlbedo’ Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) tag:
exiftool -b -RightAlbedo myphoto.jpg > myphoto_right.jpg
- Again, remember to replace “exiftool” with the entire file path to your installation, and replace “myphoto.jpg” with the actual filename.
- Add “_right” to the second filename.
- The hidden right stereoscopic image will be extracted and saved as myphoto_right.jpg
Example: C:\Users\Realistec\Desktop\exiftool-12.97_64\exiftool -b -RightAlbedo IMG_20240705_16504194.jpg > IMG_20240705_16504194_right.jpg
Additional Info
The right image has a lower resolution (1280×720) compared to the left image (3840×2160). To achieve a seamless stereoscopic viewing experience, either the right image will need to be upscaled (resampled) to match the left image’s resolution or the left image will need to be downscaled to match the right image’s resolution.
To help your stereogram software correctly combine the images, make a copy of the original (left) image and rename it “myphoto_left.jpg.” This will make it easier for the software to identify and pair the images.
Conclusion
By following these methods, you can successfully extract the hidden image from your LIF files and enjoy them on various devices and platforms.
