An American NBA team member charges to the end of the court and takes a shot at the basket, which appears three-dimensionally in the foreground. At the NBA tournament filmed in 3D at London’s O2 Arena last autumn, viewers feel as though they are following the action at close range. Concert footage featuring No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani and the striking deep-sea expedition to the wreck of the Titanic, recorded by director James Cameron with a Fusion 3D camera, create a similarly lifelike impression.
Quantel’s new Stereoscopic 3D software makes production of these 3D films possible and allows real-time processing in post-production for the first time. When working on feature films, documentaries, sporting events or concerts, the operator can see the corresponding effects immediately while making a change to a frame. “When Stereoscopic 3D is used, two simultaneous HD or 2K data streams are modified and played out synchronously without rendering,” explains Simon Bartlett, Quantel Market Development Manager for Post and DI.
The stereo 3D software is designed to eliminate differences in sharpness, colour or motion between the two individual images. In the past, these differences could give viewers headaches after watching 3D films for a period of time. The human brain automatically attempts to compensate for every difference between the left and right eye that is not naturally caused by position or viewing angle. The problem was demonstrated clearly in Łódź using reference 3D material from 1953 showing the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The question of whether glasses will continue to be required for future 3D presentations also attracted considerable interest among the specialist audience at the Camerimage Festival. Autostereoscopic displays can already separate the images for the two eyes directly on the screen, eliminating the need for additional glasses. A light modulator ensures that the left and right eyes each see only the appropriate image.
In post-production, Stereoscopic 3D is currently described as the only system that enables real-time processing of 3D projects. The new stereo 3D software is available as an option for all new Pablo 4K, iQ4 and Max 4K systems. Stereoscopic 3D is also available as an upgrade for Pablo 4K and iQ post-production systems, which cover the entire workflow from editing and effects through colour correction to mastering.