Can someone help me clean up this really bad video?

[Chainmax]

The following are screenshots from the "Making Of" of Gabriel Knight I, an AVI that's included in the game CD. Since it's a very crappy video (original res = 160x120@14,999fps compressed with microsoft video 1) and I love to watch it over and over, I'd like to resize it to 512x384 and clean it up. Then I'd recompress to XviD.

Screenshot 1:
http://members.arstechnica.com/subscriptors/x/master_burrfoot/MakingGK-SC1.jpg
http://members.arstechnica.com/subscriptors/x/master_burrfoot/MakingGK-SC2.jpg

I thought of using Blockbuster, MipSmooth (or C3D) and Unfilter. Do you guys have any ideas, like better filters or specific settings?

[mrlipring]

good luck. maybe you could try wearing someone else's glasses? :D

[Si]

You could try adding in noise - it won't compress well but it might be watchable - maybe from another room anyway :p :)

@mrlipring
LOL :)

regards
Simon

[Chainmax]

That doesn't help me much now, does it?

A long wile ago someone in other forum recommended me to use boxblur and some other VDub filters and the result was incredible. I know that avisynth filters will give me even better results than that. So, can anyone actually help me?

[scharfis_brain]

try some kind of simple blur (try differend radiuses until blockieness is gone)
and then apply warpsharp!

[mf]

This is the best I could do:

AVISource("makinggk.avi")
LanczosResize(768, 576)
ConvertToYV12()
Blur(1.0).Blur(1.0).Blur(1.0).Blur(1.0).Blur(1.0).Blur(1.0).Blur(1.0).Blur(1.0)
pre = last
Sharpen(1.0).Sharpen(1.0)
MergeChroma(pre)
aWarpSharp(depth=32.0, blurlevel=4)
Deen("a3d", 4, 15, 20, 20)
LanczosResize(2048, 3072)
XSharpen(255, 255)
LanczosResize(512, 384)

[Si]

@mf
Do you know - I am nearly tempted to run your script just to see the results :)

@Chainmax
When I want to try to improve a video, I actually type in a script and try it out.

I don't come here and ask whether xyz will be better than abc - I actually just do it and see for myself.

It is acceptable then to publish your best effort so far and ask for comments because it shows a bit of effort on your part and then people are willing to help positively.

On a technical note - your source is absolute garbage - noise addition, severe blur and keeping it small are in fact genuine techniques in making it watchable.

Have a nice day

Simon

[MrTibs]

I assume that the blocks dance around quite a bit so I'll try a temporalsmoother first then a bicubic resize.

If you could, email me a video sample (mrtibsvideo@yahoo.com): between 10-20 seconds long. I'd like to take a crack at it for fun.

[Chainmax]

mf: thanks a bunch :).


siwalters: I'd try my own filterchain but:

a) I don't have a computer right now (I'm writing from a cybercofee) so I wouldn't be able to see the results.
b) I know nothing about advanced filtering. I'm only starting to get the hang of it.
Even if I did have my computer with me, what the big deal with me asking for help? Isn't that what a forum is all about? I kinda see your point, but I'd always try to help someone if they asked politely.


MrTibs: yeah, the blocks do dance around quite a bit. I'll send you a 20sec clip in a couple of days.

[mf]

Actually, I'm always interested in "interesting" sources. So no problem for me.

[Cyberia]

Try BlindPP() one of the functions of MPEG2DEC3.

I bet BlindPP(quant=15) will work well. quant has a range of 0-31.

[PowerMacG4]

Resize the video using a nearest-neighbor resizer until each block is 1 pixel. Then resize the video back to your needed size using a bicubic resizer such as lanczos. Adding noise is useful, too.

http://chris.7thcircle.com/original.jpg
http://chris.7thcircle.com/new.jpg

http://chris.7thcircle.com/original2.jpg
http://chris.7thcircle.com/new2.jpg

[Chainmax]

That looks good. You only resized the pic?