Challenge/help request to anime encoders

[Chainmax]

I am currently trying to make an Xvid encode (and maybe later a DVD version) of a clip and need help to make it look decent. The source is truly awful, with spots all over the place, tons of noise, black borders that vary in width, and more. The best script I could cook up so far is this one:

TDeint()
Decimate(mode=2,quality=3)
Crop(22,4,692,460,align=true)
AddBorders(6,2,6,2)
RemoveDirt()
ConvertToYUY2()
GoldDust().Trim(0,FrameCount-2)+Trim(FrameCount-1,FrameCount-1)
ConvertToYV12()
Crop(6,2,692,460,align=true)
Deen()
Lanczos4Resize(640,480)
SSXSharpen()

It looks fine, but it still doesn't convince me as there is some ghosting and the colors could use some tweaking IMO. I am currently uploading two clips to some webspace I have available for now, the first one occupies ~70MBytes and the second one ~12MBytes. Once the upload is complete (in about 4 hours), they will be downloadable from these links:

[link removed]
[link removed]

I appreciate any tips you can give me.


P.S: please only download the clips if you seriously intend to help, I don't have much bandwith to spare.

[ChronoCross]

I'll take a look. see if I can help ya out

[ChronoCross]

indeed it is a challenge. Original 1980s simpsons episodes. this particular clip is outta my legue in terms of figuring our how to crop it correctly. the rounded edges is interesting. I manged in my first few tests to get the colors looking better and the noise removed but the ghosting is still a problem. it'll be interesting to see what everyone else comes up with I'll post a script once I get rid of the ghosting.

[Chainmax]

Actually, this is not part of an episode, but never before scenes from the "Some Enchanted Evening" episode that comes with the extras on my Simpsons 1st Season DVD. Regarding the cropping, what I did doesn't completely eliminate the black borders and sometimes the rounded edges can be seen but I felt that was the best compromise between border removal and unnecesary image cropping. I will run this same script through TMPG's deghosting and post an xvid encode of it soon.

[Chainmax]

By the way, would anyone recommend me to use DeSpot instead of RemoveDirt for black spots removal?

[Chainmax]

I'd also like to know of an Avisynth ghost removal filter, it's quite a pain in the ass having to make two extra color conversions when going back and forth from TMPG.

[Soulhunter]

Ok, here (http://s04.imagehost.org/view.php?image=/0136/1.png) is my "polish the turd" attempt !!!

The processing chain was like this...

- Interlacing & cropping same as in the original script

- VDub's Exorcist to reduce the ghosting n' halos

- Re-adjusting the brightness/contrast

- Limitedsharpen

- VDub's SmartSmootherHQ (13/35/254)

- hqdn3d(0,0,5,5)

- Unfilter(15,15)

- Fastlinedarken

- SharpResize

Think there are further enhancements possible...

- Merging the chroma from the original (less chroma blurring)

- Using BlindDeHalo or HQDering (reducing the halos even more)


Bye

[Chainmax]

What settings did you use with Exorcist, brigtness/contrast adjustment (which filter did you use for that, BTW?) and FastLineDarken? Also, why using the VDub version of SmartSmootherHQ instead of the Avisynth one?

P.S: I also never merged chroma from a clip to another, how would I do it?

[Soulhunter]

Originally posted by Chainmax
What settings did you use with Exorcist, brightness/contrast adjustment (which filter did you use for that, BTW?) and FastLineDarken?

Exorcist is a filter for VDub, you can find it here! (http://www.republika.pl/vander74/virtualdub/exorcist.zip)

Move the 1st slider to the right till the edges match the halos...

Now move the 2nd slider up till you cant see the halos anymore !!!


Brightness/contrast adjustment is one of the in-build filters of VDub...

Simply try to get back the original levels (before exorcist fucked them up) !!!


And FastLineDarken is a scripted linedarkener for AviSynth, you can get it here... (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82125)


Originally posted by Chainmax

Also, why using the VDub version of SmartSmootherHQ instead of the Avisynth one?

Uhm, only coz I can see the effect of the settings directly... ;)


Originally posted by Chainmax

P.S: I also never merged chroma from a clip to another, how would I do it?

IIRC, something like this...

Source = Mpeg2Source("C:\Simpsons.d2v")

Result = AviSource("C:\Filtered.avi")

Result.MergeChroma(Source)


Bye

[Prettz]

If you have the patience to tweak it enough to find some safe settings, Convolution3D can be used towards the end of your script to somewhat reduce ghosting. It can't eliminate the problem, but it can soften the ghosts so that they don't hurt the final encoded video as much.

Granted, I've only tried this on the Gunsmith Cats DVD, but it helped noticeably.