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  1. Member
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    I have a few old (50+ years) 8mm family movies which I've had converted to .avi format.

    They are shaky, partially too fast, in places too dark, and need quite a bit of trimming.

    Is there easy-to-use software, not too expensive (since this is a one-time project)?
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  2. Mod Neophyte redwudz's Avatar
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    VirtualDub and VD filters: http://www.thedeemon.com/VirtualDubFilters/ Or you could try AVIDemux. All freeware. Lot of guides on the VD toolpage.
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  3. Member Soopafresh's Avatar
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    There are a lot of great tools out there, but there's a learning curve. Take your time and don't delete any of your originals.
    "Quality is cool, but don't forget... Content is King!"
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    I assume that what I need is filters. The deemon website that redwudz mentions has such an extensive list of them, that I don't really know where to start.
    Is there a filter for shaking? for slowing down? for lightening?
    I assume that trimming would be done by separate software?

    And, re AviDemux - what is the difference between downloading from author site, or from mirror?
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  5. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    You need to break down all the issues you need to resolve, then look for appropriate filters. In some cases there may be only one or two options, in other cases you may be spoiled for choice.

    For shaking, there is DeShaker for virtualdub

    http://compression.ru/video/public_filters.htm has several filters that may be useful, including a deflicker filter to smooth out lighting changes, and old colour restoration

    Trimming can be done in virtualdub as you go.
    Read my blog here.
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  6. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by rosmari View Post
    I have a few old (50+ years) 8mm family movies which I've had converted to .avi format.

    They are shaky, partially too fast, in places too dark, and need quite a bit of trimming.

    Is there easy-to-use software, not too expensive (since this is a one-time project)?
    What are the details? AVI is a container. What is the codec?

    If these were done properly, they would be individual frames at 18 fps. Those won't play directly.

    Or maybe DV format?

    Can you post a sample?

    My guess is you have a poor transfer and it needs to be done again.
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  7. Member
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    to edDV:
    I trimmed a piece out of one of them (with Solveig), and am attaching it.
    The original movies were clearly shot by someone who wasn't very good at it. I had them converted to .avi by Digital Transfer Systems, for a price. I think they converted/transferred them exactly as they were.
    Of course, I don't expect to transform them into a professional-looking thing. But I'd be happy for any improvements I could achieve.

    I'm unable to upload the trimmed bit of the .avi movie (it's only 20.7 MB)??
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  8. Member edDV's Avatar
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    I don't know what the limit is now. Try a 5MB clip. Best if there is motion.
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  9. I think the limit has been bumped to <30MB for videohelp

    There are free web hosting sites, like mediafire.com, sendspace.com , megaupload.com for larger files
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  10. Member
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    OK, I cut it down to 2.17 MB - let's see whether it goes through. Needless to say, there are just a few frames, but it does show the inconstancy of the light.

    I have now successfully trimmed with Videodub. My next step is to find the proper filters for adjusting light, and trembling (if possible). I couldn't find the De-shaker in Virtualdub - would that help steady the pictures?
    And some scenes seem to be accelerated - is there a way to slow them down?

    By the way, I'm afraid your reference to codec and frames of 18 fps is beyond my understanding ...
    Image Attached Files
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  11. It has been transferred to DV-AVI, but the field pattern is not standard.

    I think a longer sample is required to determine the field pattern.

    Deshaker is a 3rd party plugin for vdub (doesn't come bundled with it)
    http://www.guthspot.se/video/deshaker.htm
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  12. Member
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    thank you, poisondeathray - I'm making progress, following the excellent Deshaker guide by John Meyer.
    But I'm encountering a practical problem: the Deshaker screen produced by the filter (Deshaker v2.4 by Gunnar Thalin - I added that) is way too big for my monitor screen, and though I can move it around, I cannot lift it high enough for the "OK" button at the bottom to show. There is no obvious provision to make it smaller.
    Any suggestion?
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  13. Mod Neophyte redwudz's Avatar
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    You may have already tried this, but go to your computer 'Control Panel' and up your screen resolution temporarily and you may be able to see the full screen. And maybe resize the program screen once you can see the corners. Most programs are set for 1024 X 768 these days.
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  14. Member
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    you are right!
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  15. Member
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    OK - everything went well, but when I tried to "save as .avi", I got the following message:
    "cannot initialize smart rendering. The selected video codec is able to compress the source video, but cannot match the same compressed format".

    Not understanding much about codec, I had downloaded Xvid MPEG-4 Codec.

    I had the same problem when I used the Brightness-Contrast filter.

    help please ???
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  16. Member
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    So, how do I decompress an .avi file that I compressed with Xvid MPEG-4 Codec?
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