How to Convert a 2D Movie into Stereoscopic 3D

Stereoscopic 3D mimics the function of the human eyes. When watching a movie in 3D format, there are actually two slightly different images you see at a time -- one for each eye. The "left" and "right" images differ through their horizontal distance from each other, which is similar to the distance between the left and right eyes. Converting 2D movies into stereoscopic 3D requires separately measuring the image depth of each element through a manual or automatic process.

1. Decide whether you want to convert the movie into stereoscopic 3D professionally or you want to do it on your own. For a movie meant to be shown in a 3D theater, a technical conversion involving professional equipment is essential. Select a studio or production house specializing in stereoscopic 3D conversion. This is quite an expensive process that only big movie studios can afford. Once the process is finished, the movie is expected to be ready for 3D screening.

A professional 2D to 3D conversion is an expensive and labor-intensive process. As of 2011, this would require hundreds of visual artists working for about four to six months to finish a regular two-hour movie. The cost would be at least about $100,000. The challenging requirements in 3D post conversion can become more practical and affordable as the technology further progresses in time.

For a do-it-yourself project like in a home movie, it's possible to use a simple conversion program available in the Internet. However, this option generally works best when using the older 3D format called anaglyph 3D. This format requires a pair of anaglyph 3D glasses, also known as the red-cyan glasses, to view a 3D image.

2. Choose a 2D to 3D conversion software for your do-it-yourself project. Although each program entails using more specific steps for the conversion, each one essentially requires the generation of the left and right footage from the original 2D video, then the actual conversion allows the processing of the stereoscopic 3D images.

3. Open your original 2D footage in your conversion software. Depending on the program used, you may be required to configure other settings and even create an output depth map that you can use for the conversion. It is also possible to simply use the program's automated process to create the left and right footage. For such an automatic process, the program readily corrects the information needed to make a left and right footage based on your original video source.

4. Confirm the conversion by pressing "Convert," "Execute," or other buttons referring to the start of the process. The exact button or command depends on the program used. Wait until the conversion is completed, then check how the footage looks in your selected 3D format using the right 3D glasses.