A method for stereo vision may include filtering a row or column in a stereo image to obtain intensity profiles, identifying peaks in the intensity profiles, pairing peaks within a maximum disparity distance, determining a shape interval for peak pairs, selecting a peak pair with a maximum shape interval, determining a disparity offset for the peak pairs, extending shape intervals to include all pixels in the intensity profiles, computing depths or distances from disparity offsets, and smoothing the stereo image disparity map along a perpendicular dimension. Another method for stereo vision includes filtering stereo images to intensity profiles, identifying peaks in the intensity profiles, pairing peaks within a maximum disparity distance, determining shape intervals for peak pairs, and selecting peak pairs with the maximum shape interval. Apparatus corresponding to the above methods are also disclosed herein.