This invention relates to a method for manufacturing an
optical film, an
optical film, a
polarizer, and a
liquid crystal display device. The objective is to provide a method for manufacturing a wide-width
optical film with low retardation values in both the in-plane and thickness directions, and to suppress display unevenness caused by environmental variations in the
display device, using a
plant-derived resin. The method for manufacturing the optical film of this invention is characterized by comprising: a step of forming a strip film from a
cellulose ester resin containing a total acetyl substitution degree of 2.30 to 2.60 and a
sugar ester having a
furanose or
pyranose structure; and a step of stretching said strip film, wherein the retardation value R... o The range is 0–10 nm, R t The process of stretching the long strip film, with a
wavelength of -10 to 10 nm, includes the following steps: a first step to obtain a first stretched film; and a second step to further stretch the first stretched film to obtain a second stretched film, wherein the stretching temperature of the second step is in the range of 190 to 220°C.