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MillimeterThe 3D Toolbox
Aug 12, 2010 12:00 PM, By Barry Braverman
Transitioning to shooting in 3D.
Stereo3D Toolbox LE allows for precise tweaking of the five principal parameters affecting problematic 3D images. For Mac users, this is the economical tool of choice for manipulating convergence, vertical gap, rotational disparities, color saturation, and zoom percentage. Many 3D shooters prefer to shoot 2K resolution to allow for repositioning as necessary to achieve an optimal 1920x1080 output.
The stereo toolbox
It's always a question for 3D shooters whether to converge in-camera or later in post. The key advantage of converging in post is the avoidance of keystoning as might happen with toed-in cameras, and the ability to set convergence. Applying convergence in software may also allow for a closer placement of the screen plane—in the case of the 3DA1, to accommodate converged objects nearer to the camera than approximately 85in.
Not all 3D camera disparities can be effectively rectified in post, however. Insufficient parallax during capture may fail to record critical detail around objects, this detail being effectively lost forever and not easily introduced via software.
3D disparity adjustments in post may also lead to a loss of resolution because the left and right images must be enlarged to allow the required repositioning inside the 1920x1080 window. The loss of resolution is an inevitable consequence of shooting 1920x1080 in the first place. The alternative route of shooting at 2K with a slightly larger frame size (2048 horizontal pixels) allows much greater freedom to set convergence and otherwise correct 3D disparities in post.
Most common left-right disparities in camera can be addressed in Stereo3D Toolbox LE. More sophisticated users may want to consider the full version, Stereo3D Toolbox ($1,499), which features coarse and fine disparity controls, a 3D text generator, parallax guides, and user-savable presets.
3D shooting has its limits
Shooting 3D requires shooters to acquire a vastly different skill set. While we've always used monoscopic depth cues to create a 3D illusion, the 3D shooter no longer relies on such cues exclusively to project the illusion of depth. 3D is after all a technical trick that requires the viewer's cooperation to fuse two distinct 2D images in the far-reaches of the mind. In this sense, the 3D stereographer pushes constantly up against the limits of what an audience can be reasonably expected to accommodate.
Simple tools like IOD calc and Dashwood Cinema Solutions' Stereo3D Toolbox LE ($99) can help the 3D shooter avoid inflicting unnecessary pain on the audience. As effective storytellers working in this new dimension, that has to be at the very least a worthwhile and noble goal.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.