The question I'm most asked is: what program or programs do I use to create my stereograms. There is an underlying implication that it is the software that makes the stereogram. This is only true with SIS and SIRDS. I don't make too many SIS and SIRDS for just that reason. Too much of the creation process is in the hands of a program; not enough in my artistic senses. I prefer to be at one with the creation process; I want control.
What it ultimately comes down to for me is eyeballs and trackballs. All the other effects you see come from digital image processing skills which have nothing to do with stereogram creation, per se. That being said, my current hardware & software plays on combinations of the following for a variety of stereogram techniques.
There are still a number of stereograms on Color Stereo I made with my ATARI Falcon. Atari, the unsung also-ran platform (using windows in 1984) had built-in 16bit color. I'd installed a preemptive multitasking system, and my primary image-processing software had become Apex. When Atari Computers came to an end, I chose to switch to the Macintosh platform.
Currently, I'm using an Intel Mac Pro. The new Intel Macs can run multiple OS's, but do not support OS 9 (Classic) or any Mac OS previous to Tiger, which is unfortunate. I have a two monitor setup: both 22" with 1280 x 1024 resolution. Though this is effectively 2560 x 1024, it is really only practical working on one screen. Using the other monitor for palettes, and music player is a tremendous productivity boost. For acquiring digital images to work with, I have the usual items you would expect: a scanner, and digital camera.
My main program is Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop is certainly not a dedicated stereogram tool, but I always seem to find something in it that does most of what I need. Since I use it for all my Web images, digital retouching, and other graphics needs, I stick with it for autostereograms. It is my other world.
I've now begun to experiment with 3-D applications. Strata 3D works well for a variety of things. I also use Amorphium Pro. Amorphium is an interesting application—but does not work with OS X any later than Panther (10.39).
Note that any graphics program that allows you to shrink and stretch a pattern to the left or right is capable of making stereograms other than SIRDS & SIS.
The only programs I know that are really stereogram dedicated, are SIRDS and SIS applications. There appears to be several available on the Internet, but I am unfamiliar with these, because they are for the Windows platform. There are only two for Mac that I know of which work on a decent level:
• Sirds 1.3 . . . The only decent SIRDS app I've found for OS X, from Katsura Shareware. Works excellent.
• Stereo 3-D . . . a stand alone program: Reasonably priced, works good. OS 9 (Classic) only
Since SIRDS programs require patterns and depth images, you may likely need a separate program/s to create these. To my knowledge, there are no dedicated depth image programs. I create my patterns and Depth Images in Photoshop. If you want to make depth images other than alpha/numerics, and geometrics, you might want to look into 3D models.
I'm always ready to experiment with new hardware and software. Although costs are certainly something to consider, my biggest impediment is finding time. I just can't seem to download that anywhere.