Expert: Alessandro Machi - 2/16/2007

Question
I have videos recorded from my camcorder and would like to know if theres a way to turn them into 3D? Or photos to 3D?

Answer
Hi Pat, I created a 3d effect from still images for a Christian Stand up Comedy video called "The Spirit of Comedy".  There are 3 or 4 transition scenes in the Spirit of Comedy in which I set up multiple photos at different elevations and than shot directly overhead looking down at the various photos, some images had actually been printed from video originals, the effect looked like one was floating in a 3D atmosphere.

The general procedure for doing 3d on video is to shoot with the idea that you are trying to shoot 3D, you are asking for the effect to be done after the fact, which is something I have never seen asked before on the internet, congratulations on being a true original!

I suppose such a computer video program already exists or will exist in the near future that will allow one to create 3D video after the fact. In theory if one used a non-linear editing program and added a red filter on one time-line and then added a blue filter over the exact same footage on another time-line and then slightly offset the two timelines either by shifting them so they are not exactly in sync or by sliding one time-lapse slightly to the left or right and then recombined them onto one timeline and then one wore glasses with a red filter on one spectacle and a blue filter on the other spectacle, that might create the illusion of 3D. (I apologize for the really long sentence).

I've never tried it so don't bet on that suggestion actually working. Now the next question is, just why do you want to see your home movies in 3D!