Three-dimensional video postproduction and processing

This paper gives an overview of the state-of-the-art in 3-D video postproduction and processing as well as an outlook to remaining challenges and opportunities. First, fundamentals of stereography are outlined that set the rules for proper 3-D content creation. Manipulation of the depth composition of a given stereo pair via view synthesis is identified as the key functionality in this context. Basic algorithms are described to adapt and correct fundamental stereo properties such as geometric distortions, color alignment, and stereo geometry. Then, depth image-based rendering is explained as the widely applied solution for view synthesis in 3-D content creation today. Recent improvements of depth estimation already provide very good results. However, in most cases, still interactive workflows dominate. Warping-based methods may become an alternative for some applications in the future, which do not rely on dense and accurate depth estimation. Finally, 2-D to 3-D conversion is covered, which is an important special area for reuse of existing legacy 2-D content in 3-D. Here various advanced algorithms are combined in interactive workflows.