Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

questions about practical use of Neat Video, examples of use
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ehbowen
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Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:51 pm

Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by ehbowen »

I purchased the VirtualDub plugin version of Neat Video v5 Pro, originally for use with scanned film movie clips. Now I'd like to use it with captured VHS tapes, but I want to develop an efficient workflow.

Currently I capture the tapes to hard disk on a dedicated 32 bit Windows XP computer (my capture hardware won't function under anything newer). Then I transfer to a much more powerful Windows 10 computer for Avisynth processing, normally deinterlacing and denoising. I like to set my scripts up at the end of the work day and let them process overnight, so I can edit with them the next day.

What would be the most efficient way to work with Neat Video in this manner? Most of the tapes I work with are family memories, captured on consumer camcorders of various types and often a full 2 hours long or even more with a variety of shooting subjects such as outdoors, birthday parties, Christmas mornings, etc. Splitting them up by scene in advance of editing just isn't practical; I can't afford to spend hours working with a single tape at the rates consumers are willing to pay. What suggestions do the more experienced users have?
ehbowen
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Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:51 pm

Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by ehbowen »

Follow-up question: I normally deinterlace with QTGMC in the Avisynth batch script. Is it more effective/efficient to place this script item before or after using Neat Video to reduce noise (with the proper settings of interlaced/progressive in Neat Video as appropriate, of course)? I'm thinking "after" since QTGMC essentially doubles frame count in execution, but I'm open to correction.
NVTeam
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Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by NVTeam »

I think the only way to get accurate noise reduction for each segment/scene of a large film is indeed individual treatment of each scene. The noise is often quite different in different scenes, different shooting conditions, etc, so it is best to treat those individually. That may be easier to do in a video editing software that allows to detect and split scenes automatically so that you could apply individual instances of the filter to each scene.
If some scenes have the same noise, then copy&pasting the instance of the filter will help to save some time.

Hope this helps,
Vlad
ehbowen
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Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:51 pm

Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by ehbowen »

NVTeam wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 7:43 pm I think the only way to get accurate noise reduction for each segment/scene of a large film is indeed individual treatment of each scene. The noise is often quite different in different scenes, different shooting conditions, etc, so it is best to treat those individually. That may be easier to do in a video editing software that allows to detect and split scenes automatically so that you could apply individual instances of the filter to each scene.
If some scenes have the same noise, then copy&pasting the instance of the filter will help to save some time.

Hope this helps,
Vlad
I was afraid that you'd say something like that. Can Neat Video be used as a denoiser with a generic profile, or would other Avisynth plugins most likely be better suited for that?
NVTeam
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Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by NVTeam »

You can use Neat Video with one profile for the whole film, this will technically work but the quality of the results will suffer. One size doesn't perfectly fit all in this case.

Vlad
ehbowen
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Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by ehbowen »

All right. Let's say that I build and save twenty separate noise profiles for a tape. Now I want to run an Avisynth script which will render those clips overnight, as well as deinterlace with QTGMC and do some mild cropping and add borders (get rid of the NTSC video switching noise at the bottom of the frame). How do I call up those different profiles in a script so that I don't have to babysit it as it's rendering?

Please note also that I capture SD NTSC video in YUY2 (4:2:2). In order to use QTGMC I have to convert to YV12. My understanding is that Neat Video works in an RGB color space. Is that correct, and if so will I need to convert from YUY2 to RGB for Neat Video and then to YV12 for QTGMC?

Editing to Add: Following a quick experiment, is there any way to switch between these profiles during a single batch run? Splitting up the original file into 20 segments, processing them, and then putting Humpty Dumpty back together again demands more time than I can spend on a low-end project.
NVTeam
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Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by NVTeam »

To run an Avisynth script with several different noise profiles you can load them from different profiles stored on the disk. Please see the section 11. Using Neat Video in AviSynth in the [url=https://www.neatvideo.com/download/user-guides]User Guide of the plug-in for VirtualDub for more details on that.

Neat Video receives RGB data from VirtualDub and returns RGB data back to VirtualDub as well. So if your data are in different format, then you may want to make sure VirtuaDub serves RGB data to Neat Video.

I agree that separate processing of those individual scenes is more complicated in VirtualDub as compared with full-fledged editing applications like Premiere or Final Cut. It would be much easier to do there. Perhaps that is the way to go.

Vlad
ehbowen
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Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:51 pm

Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by ehbowen »

Sorry to bother you again, but I want to make this work.

Here's the relevant part of the script I'm using:

Code: Select all

AviSource("G:\Routsas\23-ElpidaHalloween1990.20210909.avi")
ColorYUV(cont_Y=10)
Tweak(cont=1.05,sat=1.3,dither=true,coring=false)
Levels(18,1.0,255,16,255,dither=true,coring=false)
Crop(4,0,0,-10).AddBorders(2,4,2,6)
AssumeTFF()
ConvertToRGB32(interlaced=true)
LoadVirtualDubPlugin("C:\Program Files\VirtualDub2_44282\plugins64\NeatVideo5.vdf", "NeatVideo5", 2)
NeatVideo5("C:\Users\Eric\Documents\Neat Video v5 for VirtualDub\Profiles\Penny23.clip profile.dnp", "C:\Users\Eric\Documents\Neat Video v5 for VirtualDub\Presets\Penny23.nfp")
And here's the error message I get:
PennyVideotapes-AV+000000.png
PennyVideotapes-AV+000000.png (15.48 KiB) Viewed 2922 times
What's the likely problem? Edit To Add: The paths and file names have been verified.
NVTeam
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Re: Using Neat Video in Avisynth/VirtualDub2 Batch Mode?

Post by NVTeam »

Please make sure you run the same versions -- both 32-bit or both 64-bit -- of Avisynth and Neat Video plug-in. Mixed versions will not work.
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