← DepthSnap / Guides / Why is my SBS stretched?

Why Your SBS 3D Looks Stretched (and the 30-Second Fix)

Four causes cover 95% of broken SBS playback. Check them in order:

1 · Player is in 2D mode

The classic: a Full-SBS file played as a normal video looks like two squeezed copies side by side. Fix: enable SBS / 3D / Left-Right mode in the player.

2 · Half-SBS played as Full-SBS (or vice versa)

Half-SBS forced into full-width mode looks stretched fat; Full-SBS treated as half looks skinny. Match the mode to the file — see our Half vs Full guide.

3 · Eyes swapped (reverseStereo)

Depth feels inverted — near objects behind far ones. Toggle the L/R swap option in your player; converters can also export crossed-eye format.

4 · It's your IPD, not the file

On glasses (XREAL/VITURE/Rokid) a wrong IPD dial setting doubles the image. Adjust the physical dial before blaming the encode.

💡 Quick test: pause on a frame. You should see two nearly identical frames. One frame only = not SBS. Two very different frames = eyes swapped.
Try the free converter

DepthSnap — free browser-based 2D to 3D SBS converter. No upload, no signup.