3D in VMS - Noob questions

Markk655 wrote on 6/15/2011, 6:16 PM

I started watching Stereoscopic 3D webinar for Vegas Pro. Mostly out of curiosity. I figured that i would give it a try.

If I have a single camera, can I just offset the same footage by a specific amount (essentially making a left/right eye)? Then follow the same type of workflow for 3D as per the webinar? If so, is there a specific offset suggested? Would I use "Track Motion" or the new "Stereoscopic 3D Adjust video FX plugin to move it?

I guess the question is, is there a way to generate reasonable (eg. for home use) 3D footage from 2D (even stills?)?

Thanks for your help,

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 6/16/2011, 3:53 AM

The only case in which that would work is if the camera is traveling in a circle and always aimed in to the center and the subject is motionless. I'd guess this is a pretty rare situation.

The way Hollywood makes 3d from 2d is to isolate the individual subjects in the frame, masking them out, and creating new left & right frames by repositioning the pieces in the stereo field. The result looks like flat paper dolls moving around by hanging on strings like puppets. You might me able to accomplish this in VegasPro with the bezier mask function but be prepared to spend several ours on each frame creating new masks for every item in each frame one at a time.

TOG62 wrote on 6/16/2011, 5:14 AM

The point is that 3D relies on the fact that your two eyes see slightly different images, due to the distance between them. To make a true 3D picture you need two different images taken from two, slightly different, positions.

Steve Grisetti wrote on 6/16/2011, 5:27 AM

It is possible to shoot 3D using two camcorders, mounted or held side-by-side, if both cams are set up identically.

VMS 11 includes a feature for combining video from two different sources into 3D anaglyphic (red/blue) video.

Markk655 wrote on 6/16/2011, 8:15 AM

So, it is a combination of the distance between the eyes and angle of viewing then, right?

Looks like I'll hold off on learning more about this (since I don't have 3D capability) and concentrate my time on the differences and application of the Titler and the NewBlue Titler!

Thanks for your help!

Eugenia wrote on 6/16/2011, 12:05 PM

Personally, I'd buy two cheap digicams and a dual tripod holder. The tripod holder is not more than $20 on eBay. For 3D, I'd go with any two same digicam models that have exposure compensation + lock, cheapest being the Canon A1200, that shoots in 24p and costs $110 ($220 for both of them). Overall, you can shoot in 3D for 250 bucks.

There are some consumer cameras now that shoot in 3D, but they "bake" the 3D in one single file. These are usually some digirecorders without any control whatsoever, and low bitrate, so I'd advise against them.

Here are two 3D tripod mounts btw, I own the first one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dual-Camera-Bracket-Mount-2-Cameras-3D-Stereoscopic-NEW-/150593641582?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2310149c6e
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dual-Camera-Bracket-Mount-2-Cameras-3D-Stereoscopic-NEW-/280584197259?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41541f148b
Place the cameras as close as possible, have the lenses to the distance of human eyes between them.

Markk655 wrote on 6/16/2011, 6:50 PM

Thanks for your suggestions! Much appreciated!