New Zealand Patent 505513 + U'K' Patent GB2366114 and Australian Patent 785021 + Other Patents Pending.

Having parallel left and right views for the capture of a stereo pair is common advice. However, converged camera views have the advantage for full screen display where image height can be equalised.
With natural stereo vision we converge our eyes lines of sight to focus on objects nearby and we progressively diverge our lines of sight to focus on objects that are further away. When looking to the distant horizon our lines of sight are virtually parallel.
In natural vision when we gaze about, everything we choose to look at is imaged correctly in 3-D as the convergence and focus of our eyes adjust in unison to suit the subject of central attention being looked at. Objects outside of our center of converged viewing are double imaged and out of focus and are perceived with less detail.
When taking a stereo photo it is common to consider that the camera's lines of view should be converged to meet with the subject of interest as with natural vision. But when this is done, only the area of central convergence is presented correctly. The heights of objects that are outside of the central area converged apon in the left and right views are different. The image size on the right side of the left image is smaller than the corresponding image size on the right side of the right image, and visa versa. This is referred to as horizontal keystoning.
For projection of converged views the keystoning effect may be compensated for by converging the left and right projectors to reverse the keystone effect on screen. This is effective when projecting from a close proximity to the screen and where the degree of camera convergence in the image capture was fixed and constant.
Any vertical height difference in the stereo pair hinders the viewability of the 3-D image. Everything in the stereo image should be presented as viewable at the discretion of the observer. The vertical height of all points common to the left and right images must be equal, as if converged on in the original scene.

Parallel 3-D imaging is best for stereo prints and slides where there is no further opportunity to correct the image height of the stereo pair. But parallel imaging does not completely correct height difference and it results in a loss of frame width.
When making a stereo pair intended for viewing directly from film in a slide viewer or by projection, it is prefered that the two views of the camera lenses are parallel and aiming straight ahead. This assists with reducing vertical height difference that results from convergence. The left side of the left image and the right side of the right image are then masked or cut off as the details they show are not common to the other image.
Height imbalance still remains due to the difference in distance between the subject and the two lenses. Objects on the sides of an image scene are closer to one lens than to the other resulting in different image sizes. This is less apparent when objects are further from the camera. This effect also occurs with natural vision as a secondary cue for the location of objects.
Another factor is that the focal length of the lenses in a stereo camera are not exactly matched. One lens will provide a slightly wider angle of view resulting in a smaller image size.
Parallel imaging results in an a loss of full frame width to an aspect ratio not suitable for full screen display. Further cropping reduces the resolution.
A SOLUTION.
A converged stereo pair can maintain full frame width and be height adjusted to equalise the left/right image height. This enables the entire image to be correctly observed.
Digitised converged stereo pairs, can be height equalised by a skew and preset bias of a video cameras' CCD's or by editing the stereo pair after the image capture. Stereo pairs corrected in this way may also be transfered to film for projection.To the (ACB) 3-D Image Gallery. 3-D Photography by Marc Dawson.
As parallel camera views require image height correction anyhow and result in a loss of frame width, the convergence of camera views is then preferable as it enables full frame width to be maintained. Correction of converged camera views is STUDIO 555's preferred method for still or motion stereo pair capture and for the presentation of printed, screen projected or monitor displayed 3-D images.
See examples of height equalised 3-D images in the STUDIO 555 (ACB) 3-D ANAGLYPH GALLERY

For Still and Motion Stereoscopic Photography and for Alignment of your Stereo Pairs, Contact  STUDIO 555

Anaglyphic Contrast Balance (ACB) 3-D is an embodiment of New Zealand Patent 505513 + U'K' Patent GB2366114 + Australian Patent 785021 + Other Patents Pending.

Anaglyphic Viewing

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