Fine-tune your Depth Maps with Dimenco @DEPTH 2.0
Dimenco showcased the extended capabilities of its 3D content-enabling software @DEPTH 2.0 at NAB in Las Vegas this week. @DEPTH 2.0 contains two major new features: The ‘Accurate’ algorithm and the Depth Maps Creation Service (DMCS).
@DEPTH 2.0 offers a cost-effective semi-automatic and high quality offline conversion of 2D video content to any 3D content format including stereoscopic and multiview. @DEPTH 2.0 uses depth maps in order to create 3D. These depth maps are grey scale images in which the user can bring objects to the front by coloring them whiter and can bring objects to the back by coloring them a deeper black.
Why Disney Stops 2D-to-3D Conversions
No more 3D conversions for Disney classics are in the pipeline. Disney was happy whenThe Lion King 3D grossed nearly 95 M$ according to BoxOfficeMojo, but following conversions such as Beauty and the Beast 3D (47.6 M$), Finding Nemo 3D (41 M$) and Monsters, Inc. 3D (33 M$ and counting) made far less money. And as you will read below, the Mouse's lawyers have a problem too...
The result is that Disney is cancelling The Little Mermaid 3D even if the work started already. Note that The Little Mermaid will be released in 2D HD on Blu-ray on October 1st, 2013.
Gener8 3D Conversion Company is Expanding Fast
Canadian Stereoscopic 3D conversion company Gener8 is expanding fast and is hiring!
The company says it is looking for more than 40 people to hire by March 2013. CEO Rory Armes confirmed they are creating lots of jobs in Vancouver and is looking for 20 compositors, 14 rotomation artists and seven rotoscope artists to work on a variety of 3D conversion projects for major films being released in 2013 and 2014.
Gener8’s client base includes Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox and Columbia Pictures. The company has worked on a number of major films, including the last Harry Potter movie, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and The Amazing Spider-Man.
2D to 3D Depth Script Crafted as a Musical Score
FXGuide published this week an interview of Legend3D founder, chief creative officer and CTO Barry Sandrew about the art behind the 2D-to-Stereoscopic-3D conversion of TOP GUN, the 1986 movie that made Tom Cruise a worldwide star.
TOP GUN was re-mastered for the big screen from high-resolution original negative scans and painstakingly converted to 3D by Legend3D under the supervision of the film’s director, Tony Scott. Rendered in 3D, the film’s complex, long shots reveal extraordinary depth and clarity, allowing viewers to explore every detail of the action. From the spectacular aerial dogfights to the intense close-ups in the cockpits, each frame enables the audience to feel a part of the story.
How to Craft a Depth Script
The Legend team then crafted a "depth script" for the film which, as Sandrew explains in the interview, was designed to follow the pulse of the story much like a music score. “Most people rarely notice the music score in a movie but when executed well, we are very much influenced by it,” he says. “Our goal is the same in stereo conversion. We want to avoid creating a situation where 3D becomes the story. In fact, the audience should be able to lose themselves in the film, forgetting that they are watching a 3D movie. However, we do want to use conversion to immerse the audience and enhance their emotional and visceral reaction to the storyline.”
The Top Gun 3D trailer is visible here under. A link to the Blu-ray 3D pre-order is also available.
Aiseesoft 3D Converter Released for Mac
Aiseesoft (China) 3D Converter for Mac is an cheap easy-to-use 3D stereoscopic video conversion tool that can help you convert 2D videos to 3D files on Mac and convert 3D videos to other 3D modes on Mac computers. This last feature is of course the most useful one as 2D to 3D conversion automatic software is still to be considered with caution...
