x264 settings

[CrAcKo]

I'm doing several video projects, and I want to use x264 codec in the final stage when I encode it to x264 with VirtualDub.

My video projects are about 2D fighting games, turning combos into avi and compile them, resulting in a combo video. I'm doing edits with Adobe Premiere, then export to uncompressed RGB. Finally, I use VirtualDub and apply the desired codec, saving to AVI.

My problem is...
The current guides are only about the older versions of x264, so I have no clue which settings are mentioned there. I was able to guess some options, which were given different names in the newer builds, but most of them I can't follow.

[EDIT]
My first 'success' with x264 has a size of 8.44 mb, lasts 1.15 min.
Video resolution is 640 x 480, 30 fps.

I used the following settings:
(2pass)

http://cracko.250free.com/images/doom9/00.JPG http://cracko.250free.com/images/doom9/01.JPG
http://cracko.250free.com/images/doom9/02.JPG http://cracko.250free.com/images/doom9/03.JPG



I'm a newbie but I really want to learn more about the codecs, I recently learned how to use 2pass in XviD...-_-.

[Sharktooth]

If you want to learn something drop virtualdub and software based on it (including x264 VFW) and use x264 CLI with some graphic frontend like MeGUI, RealAnime LE or StaxRip.

[Tommy Carrot]

@Cracko: The default settings are quite good, and personally i'd strongly suggest to enable 8x8 transform, it can improve the quality significantly in many cases. Also, if you find your video too smooth, decreasing the deblocking strength and threshold is a good idea (personally i prefer -2 for both). Oh, and 16 ref frames seems to be a bit overkill, 2-5 is enough imo.

And don't listen to Sharktooth, there is nothing wrong with vfw if you want to play your video back on PC. :p

[DeathTheSheep]

And don't listen to Sharktooth, there is nothing wrong with vfw if you want to play your video back on PC. :p
LOL :D

[hitbit]

2 pass IMHO is only useful if you care about reaching for a specific bitrate or filesize.
If you don't, you can safely use constant quality, thus speeding the encoding process.
24 seems a reasonable value to me, regarding quality/size ratio.

[CrAcKo]

I tried 32 ref frames last time lol, seemed to work pretty good. I read somewhere you could use this amount to improve quality. What exactly are ref frames btw?

I tried to use MeGUI, but don't understand one thing about it. How it is used, plus the avisynth thingy. I've never used these kind of stuff. I started soon with VirtualDub the first time I made a video.

[EDIT]
I've tried exhaustive search, which increased encoding time a bunch. But I think it's worth it. Again, I read it in a guide @ Doom9.

[foxyshadis]

Wait, you want absolute quality where time is no object? Your first post indicates the opposite, with numerous quality options unused.

AVC is more nonlinear in the frames that P and B frames can reference, it can look back over x number of frames to find the closest matching (and do the same on a macroblock level). Various quality tests I've seen have shown that 4-8 is the most optimal for film/video, and 8-16 for (some) animation.

Exhaustive (esa) is absolutely never recommended for regular encoding. Use multi-hex (umh) if you can spare that much CPU time. And for quality you should absolutely also get MeGUI/RealAnime so you can use RDO 7, Trellis, B-RDO, and no-fast-pskip, and maybe a custom quant. You really need to clarify what kind of quality/speed tradeoff you're looking for.

(Hey sharktooth, maybe you could add subme 7 to the vfw, since it doesn't require any GUI tinkering?)

[COREiP]

What should be used and avoided for anime?

[CrAcKo]

I need to start somewhere to be able to use MeGUI, AviSynth.

I'm clueless.

[Kostarum Rex Persia]

(Hey sharktooth, maybe you could add subme 7 to the vfw, since it doesn't require any GUI tinkering?)

You are right, I also hope that Sharktooth will include subme 7 to the vfw.

To all main Doom9 members : Is it true that VFW can't be modified to create *.MP4 files, instead of AVI files? I think that, if someone only want to do that job, VFW can create MP4 files. Please answer me (Doom9, Sharktooth, Tommy Carrot, DeathTheSheep, Manao).

Thank you.

[Sirber]

Like we've already told you many times before, VFW is DEAD and no one is working on it and no dev care about it.

[SeeMoreDigital]

To all main Doom9 members : Is it true that VFW can't be modified to create *.MP4 files, instead of AVI files? I think that, if someone only want to do that job, VFW can create MP4 files.Way back in May 2002, DivX released version 5.0.2 of their VFW codec and it was able to output to AVI and MP4 at the same time :eek:

So maybe it is possible....


Cheers

[Doom9]

DivX released version 5.0.2 of their VFW codec and it was able to output to AVI and MP4 at the same timeObviously it's possible.. once you've called iccompress (or whatever the name of the VfW API function is to compress a frame), you could put the compressed frame into a separate file if the codec were written to do that. However, as I've said countless times, by doing that you kill the advantage of VfW and that's editability. Let's face it, the reason we use VfW isn't because we like it, but because through it we can edit files. There's simply no alternative anywhere. It's the reason people create Matroska files in VfW compatibility mode, it's the reason people complain that they can't edit their AVC in MKV files, etc.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Agreed... But i think the majority of people who keep asking this question are not bothered about editing.... They just want to place their DVD back-ups straight into MP4.


Cheers

[Doom9]

They just want to place their DVD back-ups straight into MP4.Then it shouldn't be any problem to use an app like MeGUI, RealAnime or staxrip ;) VfW is just a roadblock when the goal is MP4.

[Sirber]

Then it shouldn't be any problem to use an app like MeGUI, RealAnime or staxrip ;) VfW is just a roadblock when the goal is MP4.The correct order would be... MeGUI, StaxRip or RealAnime, sorted by popularity ;)

[Doom9]

I sorted alphabetically ;) And looking at all the people who visited the staxrip thread today, I dare say it's an ever changing process...

[godhead]

I sorted alphabetically ;) And looking at all the people who visited the staxrip thread today, I dare say it's an ever changing process...

It's because staxrip has the the Digg effect happening today.

I have not used staxrip, so I'm not saying that's the only reason, but I'm sure it has a great deal with the increase in traffic to it today.

[Caroliano]

The main dificulty with MeGUI is that you have to learn Avisynth scripting. For who never touched in things like that it is dificult. But once you loaded your first file and plugin, the things will get easier. Start by this page: http://www.avisynth.org/YourFirstScript or see the script that MeGUI create.

As for configurations, use the presets that shoud be good. The exaustive search is a totaly waste. The quality gain is ridiculous low, if any, and the time is multiplied. Not even Insane profile have it enabled. If you want more control and to know every option then :search: and :readguid:

[Doom9]

The main dificulty with MeGUI is that you have to learn Avisynth scripting.That's not even true. There's a one click mode, and there's an avisynth script creator that allows you to create (and load) an AviSynth script from a DGIndex script or AVI without knowing so much as a single AviSynth command. Beware of the awsome power of the Tools menu. I'm using all these tools myself as they work reasonably well.. I did the whole codec comparison without ever having GKnot installed, and that's a first.. MeGUI served all my needs.

[Sharktooth]

I tried 32 ref frames last time lol, seemed to work pretty good. I read somewhere you could use this amount to improve quality. What exactly are ref frames btw?

I tried to use MeGUI, but don't understand one thing about it. How it is used, plus the avisynth thingy. I've never used these kind of stuff. I started soon with VirtualDub the first time I made a video.

[EDIT]
I've tried exhaustive search, which increased encoding time a bunch. But I think it's worth it. Again, I read it in a guide @ Doom9.
Refs are automatically capped at 16. So using 32 is useless.
Exhaustive search is not meant to be used in normal conditions. It's so slow but it doesnt increase quality in any visible way over UMH.

[CrAcKo]

Okay, I'll stick with those settings for x264, thanks alot !

- CrAcKo

[Sharktooth]

For what concerns subme 7, it is not in the SVN. It's an experimental patch so even if it is a small change i dont think to add it to VFW until it gets committed.

[Kurtnoise]

Hey sharktooth, maybe you could add subme 7 to the vfw, since it doesn't require any GUI tinkering?
http://kurtnoise.free.fr/x264vfw_r391.exe

[Tommy Carrot]

http://kurtnoise.free.fr/x264vfw_r391.exe
http://hu.worldcybergames.com/var/smileys/worship.gif

[Sharktooth]

http://kurtnoise.free.fr/x264vfw_r391.exe
well... subme 7 is not going to be added soon (if it will at all...) to the svn however if you're so kind to post the patch i'll add it in my builds.

[Kurtnoise]

I don't know how to write a patch... :o So, if you have a how-to...

btw, it's not a big deal. First, apply the subme7 patch. Second, in the vfw\config.c [line +/- 544], add :
SendDlgItemMessage(hTabs[3], IDC_SUBPEL, CB_ADDSTRING, 0, (LPARAM)"7 (RDO - Insane)");

I wrote 7 (RDO - Insane) for this item but you can write anything you want (like I love Bill Gates or vfw r0cks... :p :D )

[bond]

die vfw die! ;)

[valipod]

Hi, Sharktooth, any chance of adding the "Quality Mode" to the VFW? Being reasonably easy to add and reasonably usefull to use... :)

[bond]

use megui