How do i improve my hd video?

[miamidaddy2]

Hello. I am fairly new to video production so i need a little help. I am currently shooting video for an adult site and I have not been getting the results I am looking for. I have noticed on a couple of big name websites that their video is almost 5 to 10 times better than mines. I am using premiere pro CS5 and I have went out and purchased the same exact canon HD camera they are using and i am shooting in 1080 and 60i and the results are not any better which i know has to be done using filters, plugins or other software. Their video is visibly smoother and sharper than mines, noticeably around the edges.

I have 3 main questions which i am looking for help on:

1. I am shooting in 60i, is deinterlacing the footage mandatory to achieve the best results? or sometimes or never used?
2. How do i make the video look silky smooth without losing details?
3. What is the best way to sharpen video, especially around the edges, without getting the bad artifacts from using traditional sharpening?

I am using premiere pro CS5. Is there any plugins that i can use for this program or do i need another software. Thanks a million in advance for all the help!

[aedipuss]

a screenshot of the problem is probably not appropriate, but if what you are seeing around edges are horizontal in nature it is most likely de-interlacing artifacts. the easiest way to get rid of it is to shoot progressive. the cam most likely has a 30p mode i would try.

[Kaizen 32]

30p or even 24p will be smoother than 60i.

[miamidaddy2]

Hey guys thanks for your fast response. I have tried shooting in 30p mode and it is looking better and it doesn't look jagged around the edges when i apply normal sharpening to it.

For my second question when i say smooth I don't mean the smoothness of the video motion, but more like the smoothness of the picture itself, its like on their videos the skin tones look smooth, blemish free, like it was airbrush slightly to hide imperfections, while still retaining the sharp details, how can I achieve a similar look?

And for my third question, what is the best way to sharpen video, more so around the edges, without getting the bad artifacts from using traditional sharpening?

Thanks again.

[edDV]

30p or even 24p will be smoother than 60i.

not at all correct.

60i = 60 motion samples per sec.
30p = 30 motion samples per sec.
24p = 24 motion samples per sec.

Hey guys thanks for your fast response. I have tried shooting in 30p mode and it is looking better and it doesn't look jagged around the edges when i apply normal sharpening to it.

How are you viewing it? Premiere low res preview window?

What is the intended output format? DVD? Blu-Ray? Online flash video?

How does the video look with the camcorder connected HDMI directly to an HDTV?

What is the camcorder model?

For my second question when i say smooth I don't mean the smoothness of the video motion, but more like the smoothness of the picture itself, its like on their videos the skin tones look smooth, blemish free, like it was airbrush slightly to hide imperfections, while still retaining the sharp details, how can I achieve a similar look?

That would be a filter of some sort. Equivalent of photoshop filters that flatter skin tones. Normally these reduce detail (smooth lines, wrinkles, blemishes) and add some glow.

And for my third question, what is the best way to sharpen video, more so around the edges, without getting the bad artifacts from using traditional sharpening?

What parts of the image need sharpening? Again judge by the direct 1080i camcorder connection to the HDTV. I suspect your problems are due to the way you are monitoring, setting the project or encoding.

I also suspect camera lighting issues. Set lighting is 75% of the issue.

[Kaizen 32]

Especially after transcoding, 60i footage will show the symptoms you have described. It's 60 half samples a second because of the interlacing and it does not translate well after encoding, especially on youtube. 30p or 24p is progressive footage and the 30 or 24 samples are FULL samples not half samples like the 60i. Interlaced footage is just begging to look bad after transcoding. I've never seen progressive footage that didn't look smoother than interlaced.

[edDV]

Especially after transcoding, 60i footage will show the symptoms you have described. It's 60 half samples a second because of the interlacing and it does not translate well after encoding, especially on youtube. 30p or 24p is progressive footage and the 30 or 24 samples are FULL samples not half samples like the 60i. Interlaced footage is just begging to look bad after transcoding. I've never seen progressive footage that didn't look smoother than interlaced.

Depends how you process it.

But if I was shooting an adult film for multi-format release, I'd be shooting 24p. However, 24p is the most difficult to work with during shooting and in post. A film school basic course is needed. Also narrow depth of focus lenses, steadicam, etc.

30p is useful for internet distribution to 60Hz monitors but won't transfer well to large HDTV sets or PAL release.

[miamidaddy2]

Thank you for a informative response. Well, I am viewing both video clips on windows media player, and I have rendered the video into a mp4 h.264 file and the bitrate is 3 Mbps, which is about the same as their clips. The intended output is about 80% online flash video and the other 20% for DVD sales. When I connect the camera directly to HDTV the footage is beautiful, very nice. Also the model of the camera is a Canon Vixia HG20, with a Raynox 0.7x wide angle lens.

I have authored a DVD with some sample footage from my camera which look very nice on the HDTV so thats not a real issue, but the problem seems to come when I try to match the quality of their footage for the web, my footage is ok but it is not crystal clear, crispy, and sharp using the same camera. To me what I am missing is the flattery on the skin tones, and the sharpness of the picture. It really looks like all of the hard edges are enhanced, lets say on picture frames, wall corners, the outline of the body, etc., and that is what i am trying to achieve.

For the skin tone issue, do you know of any filters or plugins for premiere pro CS5 or any other software that can flatter the skin tones like was stated, (smooth lines, wrinkles, blemishes).

Lastly, I would like to sharpen the whole entire picture image. Judging by the direct connection to the HDTV it looks great, but I am not getting the same results when I render the video for web viewing. Is there any plugins or filters to use that will sharpen mostly the the edges?

Also if I am monitoring, setting the project or encoding wrong, what are the proper settings to use. Thanks again.

[edDV]

Thank you for a informative response. Well, I am viewing both video clips on windows media player, and I have rendered the video into a mp4 h.264 file and the bitrate is 3 Mbps, which is about the same as their clips. The intended output is about 80% online flash video and the other 20% for DVD sales. When I connect the camera directly to HDTV the footage is beautiful, very nice. Also the model of the camera is a Canon Vixia HG20, with a Raynox 0.7x wide angle lens.

I have authored a DVD with some sample footage from my camera which look very nice on the HDTV so thats not a real issue, but the problem seems to come when I try to match the quality of their footage for the web, my footage is ok but it is not crystal clear, crispy, and sharp using the same camera. To me what I am missing is the flattery on the skin tones, and the sharpness of the picture. It really looks like all of the hard edges are enhanced, lets say on picture frames, wall corners, the outline of the body, etc., and that is what i am trying to achieve.

For the skin tone issue, do you know of any filters or plugins for premiere pro CS5 or any other software that can flatter the skin tones like was stated, (smooth lines, wrinkles, blemishes).

Lastly, I would like to sharpen the whole entire picture image. Judging by the direct connection to the HDTV it looks great, but I am not getting the same results when I render the video for web viewing. Is there any plugins or filters to use that will sharpen mostly the the edges?

Also if I am monitoring, setting the project or encoding wrong, what are the proper settings to use. Thanks again.

If the video looks fine to the HDTV then you know the camera is ok. The issues are losses during editing and compression.

It is a useful strategy to shoot with compression in mind. This includes lighting for low noise, steadicam for camera movement, flattened exposure and narrower depth of field lenses. Noise is a major issue. Avoid dark lit backgrounds or dark corners that suck bit rate. An HG20 implies low budget. A camcorder in the $6-8k range would be much better. You can rent these.

If DVD is low priority, shooting 30p or 24p will help compression.

I normally release to DVD, Blu-Ray or broadcast so I'll let others explain best compression techniques for web release.

For project settings, match your shooting format (e.g. 1440x1080i or 1920x1080i) then do filters and editing, then deinterlace*, maybe more filters, then downscale (for 720p or DVD), then encode. Save work in process for each step so you can re-do later.

If you do all the above correcctly, you shouldn't need to sharpen this type of video.


*Deinterlace and resize are best done in avisynth.

[miamidaddy2]

I have learned already alot from this post and all help is greatly appreciated. I believe to have solved my first question by shooting in 30p instead of 60i, I am no longer getting any jagged edges anymore which was a problem and i guess now I would not have to worry about de-interlacing the video footage.

The reason that i purchased the Canon Vixia HG20 is that one of the sites that im comparing my footage to is using the exact same camera and they are getting better results with it, what to me looks like they are enhancing the footage with plugins and filters after editing and THAT is what im trying to achieve.

The results I am getting are good so far, but im trying to figure out how to enhance my footage as in all of their footage, as the skin tones are smoothed out like airbrushing in photoshop which is blemish free, and all the hard edges are very sharp visably and im not getting that.

So my specific questions seem to be more plugin based for now:

1. Do you know of any filters or plugins for premiere pro CS5, or any other software that can flatter or smooth skin tones like was stated, (smooth out lines, wrinkles, blemishes)?

2. And what plugin or technique can i use for premiere pro CS5, or other software, that will enhance the edges mostly, not like traditional sharpening which affects the entire image, im looking to sharpen only the edges?

Thanks again.

[2Bdecided]

Especially after transcoding, 60i footage will show the symptoms you have described.

Not if you do it properly. Google Vegas deinterlacing (or whatever NLE you use). Or use AVIsynth.

It's 60 half samples a second because of the interlacing and it does not translate well after encoding, especially on youtube.

It will look just fine on YouTube if you do it properly.

YouTube SD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kQ8gZ3544g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svLFtzEvKBQ
Vimeo HD:
http://vimeo.com/7450160
Youtube HD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlLJsbvvoKU
...though most of that is in very low light.

All from Canon HV20, 50i.

Cheers,
David.

[Kaizen 32]

It will look just fine on YouTube if you do it properly.

If that's your idea of just fine on youtube, then yea, it will look just fine. If you want it to look better than just fine, shoot progressive, unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise.

[edDV]

It will look just fine on YouTube if you do it properly.

If that's your idea of just fine on youtube, then yea, it will look just fine. If you want it to look better than just fine, shoot progressive, unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise.

Only if you are clueless at deinterlace.

[aedipuss]

It will look just fine on YouTube if you do it properly.

If that's your idea of just fine on youtube, then yea, it will look just fine. If you want it to look better than just fine, shoot progressive, unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise.

Only if you are clueless at deinterlace.

???

there is no "perfect" deinterlace method. the 2 halves of the frame are shot at different times. putting them back together to make a single progressive frame is a comprimise no matter what method is used. interlaced video is fine when used directly on a tv, but shooting progressive for progressive output is much better as both halves of the frame are recorded at the same time.

[edDV]

It will look just fine on YouTube if you do it properly.

If that's your idea of just fine on youtube, then yea, it will look just fine. If you want it to look better than just fine, shoot progressive, unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise.

Only if you are clueless at deinterlace.

???

there is no "perfect" deinterlace method. the 2 halves of the frame are shot at different times. putting them back together to make a single progressive frame is a comprimise no matter what method is used. interlaced video is fine when used directly on a tv, but shooting progressive for progressive output is much better as both halves of the frame are recorded at the same time.

I already said above that if web publishing to a 60Hz computer monitor is your only goal, then shoot 30p. Just accept that it will look jerky on an HDTV (unless film shooting rules are used) and conversion to PAL will be compromised.

If you already shot 60i like the OP, you can do an acceptable deinterlace for web compression.

If you want multi-format distribution (ATSC-29.97, DVB-25, Blu-Ray, DVD, NTSC, PAL) at broadcast quality, you will get best results shooting 24p.

[2Bdecided]

there is no "perfect" deinterlace method. the 2 halves of the frame are shot at different times. putting them back together to make a single progressive frame is a comprimise no matter what method is used.

a) the best AVIsynth deinterlacing methods rarely fail. Sometimes, but rarely.
b) if you think any remaining deinterlacing artefacts are visible after the framerate has been halved and YouTube has encoded it to a few Mbps, then you're deluding yourself.

interlaced video is fine when used directly on a tv

...and all modern TVs are progressive devices. Which, IMHO, sometimes do a terrible job of displaying interlaced SD video, and a barely passable job of displaying interlaced HD video. But there are better deinterlacers available in AVIsynth than in most TVs.

Shooting progressive for progressive output is much better as both halves of the frame are recorded at the same time.

Clearly 1080p60 is better (assuming there's sufficient bitrate) - but when the choices are 1080i60, 1080p30 and 1080p24, you're "stuck" with 1080i60 if you want smooth movement on TVs - and the deinterlaced result is more than good enough for YouTube, Vimeo, etc.

Cheers,
David.

[2Bdecided]

It will look just fine on YouTube if you do it properly.

If that's your idea of just fine on youtube, then yea, it will look just fine.

You're trolling - for the dodgy hand-held footage I've put on YouTube, the deinterlacing is near-faultless and (at 480p or 720p) the YouTube encoder has actually be quite kind to it.

If you want it to look better than just fine, shoot progressive, unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise.

If that footage had been shot 25p, it would have looked exactly the same on YouTube, but stuttered like mad on my TV and DVD.

Cheers,
David.

[Kaizen 32]

Do whatever works for you & makes you happy. I'm simply offering my opinion.

[miamidaddy2]

So my specific questions seem to be more plugin based for now:

1. Do you know of any filters or plugins for premiere pro CS5, or any other software that can flatter or smooth skin tones like was stated, (smooth out lines, wrinkles, blemishes)?

2. And what plugin or technique can i use for premiere pro CS5, or other software, that will enhance the edges mostly, not like traditional sharpening which affects the entire image, im looking to sharpen only the edges?

Thanks again.

These are the questions i would like answered if any can help would be appreciated. Thanks

[poisondeathray]

"smooth out lines, wrinkles..."

what is this a geratric adult site ?

There is a plugin for after effects called beauty box . I think it's available for premiere as well. There is a demo available. I played with it and it's very slow

http://www.digitalanarchy.com/beautyVID/main.html

For edges , there are several plugins available for after effects - sapphire plugins, revisionfx, but you can play with avisynth sharpeners for free as well. They use edge masking (e.g. LSFMod)