Use of Optics in making Three-Dimensional Videos

Stereoscopy

Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion

of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. Stereoscopic methods present two offset images
separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. These two-dimensional images are then combined in the brain to
give the perception of  3D depth. Stereoscopy creates the illusion of three-dimensional depth from given two-
dimensional images. Human vision, including the perception of depth, is a complex process, which only begins with
the acquisition of visual information taken in through the eyes; much processing ensues within the brain, as it strives
to make sense of the raw information. One of the functions that occur within the brain as it interprets what the eyes
see is assessing the relative distances of objects from the viewer, and the depth dimension of those objects.

Perception of Relative Distance of Objects by Human Brain

The light reflects by the objects and those rays comes to eye and an inverted image formed on retina, that is
how one eye forms image of any object in front of it. As two eyes are nearly 2 inches apart from each
other, each eye sees same scene from a slightly different aspect. This is called binocular vision. These two
images formed by both eyes being worked by brain, and brain calculates “how far object is?” relative to
the eyes, from the previous experience which the brain had. This all work in total, creates all the scene
which we are seeing with the sense of relative distance of all objects which are in the scene.

Polarization

Polarization, is the property of certain electromagnetic radiations in which the direction and magnitude of
the vibrating  electric field  are related in a specified way. Light  waves are transverse : that is, the
vibrating electric vector associated with each  wave  is perpendicular to the direction of  propagation. A beam
of unpolarized light consists of waves moving in the same direction with their electric vectors pointed in
random orientations about the axis of propagation . Plane polarized light consists of waves in which the
direction of  vibration  is the same for all waves. Therefore, it can be polarized in any dirction we want.

Use of Polarization Technique to make 3-D Effect in a 2-D video

A polarized 3D system   uses  polarization  glasses to create the illusion of three -dimensional images by
restricting the light that reaches each  eye.

First, videos are made with the use of stereoscopic camera ( which is a camera that has two recording
lenses with nearly 2 inches distance between the lens ). And to present stereoscopic images and films, two
images are projected superimposed onto the same screen or display through different  polarizing filters. The
viewer wears low-cost polarized eyeglasses which contain a pair of different polarizing filters. As each
filter passes only that light which is similarly polarized and blocks the light polarized in the opposite
direction , each eye sees a different image . This is used to produce a three - dimensional effect by
projecting the same scene into both eyes , but depicted from slightly different perspectives. Multiple
people can view the stereoscopic images at the same time.