Artbeats, which specializes in the production of high quality stock footage, has released their Stereoscopic 3D (S3D) stock footage library. The initial offerings include a variety of nature shots, plus the first S3D aerial stock footage available to the royalty-free market.

New 3D content will be added monthly, including pyrotechnic, city scene, establishment, winter scene and additional aerial collections, says Phil Bates, Artbeats president and lead cinematographer. Artbeats is the first production company to utilize Pictorvision's gyrostabilized eclipse 3D aerial rig, capturing aerials of downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Long Beach and the shores of Catalina, he adds.

Artbeats' S3D stock footage is offered as QuickTime movie files with formats that include HD stereo pairs (both sides squeezed horizontally into a single HD frame), separate HD Right and Left views and 4K versions (when shot on RED). Available via the company's web site (http://www.artbeats.com/S3D), Artbeats provides metadata specific to each S3D clip including the positive parallax percentage, interocular separation measurements, and the maximum display size, which is the largest suggested screen size on which to display a clip.

Artbeats also offers a S3D Video Guide, and a free, downloadable full HD resolution S3D clip to help editors gain a feel for Artbeats footage. Royalty-free pricing for S3D HD footage is US$449 to $799 per clip. Artbeats FootageHub rights managed S3D HD clips range in price from $499 to $1,999. Pricing includes separate left and right views, as well as a side-by-side stereo pair. Most of the S3D clips are also available in high-res 4K versions.