Free 2D > 3D converter

I don't know - didn't try both.

Knallberto said:

From 2D pictures you only can make "with tricks" and a lot of work a pseudo-3D-picture :-(

You get 3 or 4 planes of depth, but NEVER a 3D picture. It isn't correct, if 100.000 people tell/believe same nonsens.

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If you have 128 shades of grey to work with (for example), then you have 128 planes of depth. But that has got to be tedious, to do a good job of something like that. Would only be worth it for something really special. But that should be enough to be convincing.

Knallberto said:

I said it: take a cheap camera, make 2 photos - and you get a 3D photo within 30 seconds.

Did you ever see "3D photos", made with a one-lens-Sony-camera? They are flat/flat/flat. Sony's 3D photos are a "selling trick" . 3D panoramas are okay.

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The "3D panorama" is the only way the Sony Nex (and other) cameras produce 3D photos. And it's not flat, it really works.

Sure, you can also take two photos and do it manually, but it's nice having a built-in mode to make it easier.

Corel Video Studio x4 Ultimate (pshew!) claims to be able to produce a 3D movie from a 2D original. Automatically. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds interesting. I'm sure it's fake, but sounds like it could be neat.
--
Gary W.

Converting 2D movies (not photos!) is easy, often 3D tv or pc programs can do it - but there are a lot of bugs in video. Trick is like with Sony's 3D panorama: movement gives many pictures from which 3D impressions are calculated.

This is "pseudo 3D", but not and never "real 3D"

For real 3D movie you always need TWO lenses. If someone tells other 3D blahblah - he is a fairy tale teller, knowing nothing about 3D

Knallberto said:

Converting 2D movies (not photos!) is easy, often 3D tv or pc programs can do it - but there are a lot of bugs in video. Trick is like with Sony's 3D panorama: movement gives many pictures from which 3D impressions are calculated.

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Sony's sweep panorama doesn't "calculate" two images, it stitches two panoramas at the same time. As you sweep the camera, you create the needed offset. Clever, really.

The turning of video from 2D to 3D can be done with a calculation that is going to be more flat. I'm sure the movie studios have people spend a lot of time to make it not flat, but a lot of 3D movies in the theater are really 2D or have parts that were 2D.

Knallberto said:

This is "pseudo 3D", but not and never "real 3D"

For real 3D movie you always need TWO lenses. If someone tells other 3D blahblah - he is a fairy tale teller, knowing nothing about 3D

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But if you've gone to the theater to see a 3D movie, you've probably seen both and couldn't tell the difference. "Fake" or "real", it makes no difference if it looks the same. I have my doubts about an inexpensive automated approach, though.
--
Gary W.

Many people are DISAPPOINTED by 3D movies (and 3D) because these are 2D pushed movies. I never would spend money for such fakes.

AVATAR was a milestone ... much others are weak, very weak tries to persuade people to buy "3D". Money, money, money .... but far away from 3D.

Yes the sweep stereo panorama of Sony cameras and others is made by assembling vertical slices from left and right of the middle of each frame of the image sequence burst. Using this technology
http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~peleg/papers/cvpr99-stereopan.pdf

The other main way of making stereo panoramas is the more obvious one of using two cameras and assembling/blending vertical slices of the middle of each frame (from a rotating sequence). eg.
http://www.mediavr.com/stereo/martin2.html

Sweep single camera 3d capture is no good for anything with a significant amount of action

(as the left and right views are effectively assembled from different moments in time).

Samsung's new NX200 has sweep panorama 3d still mode too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKZ7Xr1QI0s - but also something it calls "3d still" which is I think a single shot 3d capture but I dont know how (or how well) this works.

PeterM