SmartCut64: a smart-rendering editor (my replacement for VideoReDo)

[Bridgy]

Very good point Secoast, i am the same, i prefer portable when available, especially in cases like SC-64 where new builds are releases so often.

I think the only times that i mostly use the right click context menu to open a program is when i want to open a photo in Paint or Photoshop, i never use it to open a video file in an editing tool.

Anyway, still waiting for Jon the dev to arrive and try to sort this question out.

[ConsumerJon]

Hello! Sorry I haven't been here for a few days... let me read it all, do some testing and updates, and write a proper reponse!

[Bridgy]

Hello! Sorry I haven't been here for a few days... let me read it all, do some testing and updates, and write a proper reponse!

No problems Jon, i just set up build 1.0.31 and it seems fine for all of my workflow so far, i think you have replicated VRD perfectly for my own particular workflow, so now i use it full time, i even removed my VRD profiles and created my own within SC-64.

About the Profile List, in VRD when it is installed it creates a folder in the Windows Documents folder which is where the VRD Profile Files are kept, and if i add new profiles, edit profiles, or delete them, the profiles are saved in the folder.

In SC-64 where does you Profiles reside as i like to keep a copy of the Profiles backed up in another location just in case i need them.

Also, i still can't get my head around how VRD and SC-64 can be so different between the encode time and bitrates on the same source file when recoding to a different format, using an identical profile for each export.

Sometimes i have a source file that VRD will export to a certain bitrate much higher than the bitrate from SC-64, or vice versa, or in some cases almost identical, and the same applies to the encoder speed for the exact same file, using Software encoding.

I have seen bitrates vary between 20 to 30% in some cases.

[ConsumerJon]

Thanks Bridgy, great to hear that it's now working how you need it to!

SmartCut64 currently stores custom profiles in Windows registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SmartCut64\SmartCut64\o utput
To back them up, close SmartCut64, open Registry Editor, navigate to that key and choose File > Export, with Selected branch selected. Save the .reg file in your backup location. This includes your custom profiles, their ordering and other output preferences.

There is also an Export VideoReDo button, but that creates a compatibility file and does not preserve every SmartCut64-specific setting, so I would use the registry export for a complete backup at present. I'll have a think about making that easier.

About the bitrate and speed: matching the profile settings does not necessarily make the actual underlying encoding settings the same. There can be different encoder presets and internal compression choices. Selecting Automatic in both programs does not necessarily produce the same target. However, it would be good to investigate your 20–30% differences. Could you send one representative source, the exact profile settings from both programs, identical cut points, and either both outputs or their MediaInfo reports? With the export times and SmartCut64’s last export report too. That will let me compare the actual video bitrate and encoding settings and see if I should change some things...

[HemLok]

@ConsumerJon This is greatly appreciated!


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[Bridgy]

SmartCut64 currently stores custom profiles in Windows registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SmartCut64\SmartCut64\o utput

To back them up, close SmartCut64, open Registry Editor, navigate to that key and choose File > Export, with Selected branch selected. Save the .reg file in your backup location. This includes your custom profiles, their ordering and other output preferences.

I assume this is what you was referring to ?

I assume that if i lost my profiles or installed SC-64 on another machine, i just go to the output folder on the new machine and select Import, browse to the saved reg file and my profiles will be imported.

I am no guru when it comes to the Registry, i just assumed it might be easier than this, and can i assume it will be the same process if i was to intall SC-64 rather than use the Portable version like i do.


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[ConsumerJon]

Hi Bridgy, yep that iss the right registry key, but backing up profiles should be easier. I don't know if you've seen it yet - new version 1.0.33 now includes a proper backup and restore option. Tools → Edit Output Profiles → Back Up Profiles, and then save that .smartcut-profiles.json file. To restore or transfer profiles to another PC, choose Restore Profiles, select that file, then press Save. Cancel leaves your saved profiles unchanged. Restore replaces the current custom profile collection, and SmartCut64 automatically makes a recovery backup before applying it. This preserves custom profile settings, ordering, enabled/favourite flags and the default selection, and works with both the installer and portable builds!

[Bridgy]

Thanks for that, just tried it on Build 1.0.33 and all good.

Regarding the comments about the different bitrate and encoding speeds between SC-64 and VRD, for the most part i think i understand what is happening, and also because VRD has not been updated for 4 years now, there is probably a slight difference in the way that it works compared to how it works in SC-64 so i am not going to bother with sending all that info to you to look at, in the overall scheme of things the average difference is not that much, and one could never visually see the difference anyway.

I just noted on a few files in particular, i had a bitrate of 20% higher in VRD than SC-64, a few times VRD was lower by a fair bit as well.

The encoding speed can vary as well, but SC-64 is faster, in one case the uncut 44sec 4k-HEVC file to export to 4k-AVC took 122 seconds in VRD and 75sec in SC-64 using Software encoding and identical profile.

With lower res files the difference is a fair bit closer.

[Bridgy]

Hi again, well i was not going to mention this issue as it only happened once last week on an older build, but at that time it actually crapped out my Windows X-Lite Pro installation and it could not be recovered using the normal boot recovery options.

I have a light version of Windows called X-Lite Optimum 11 Pro on a 1tb Crucial T500 Pro NVMe drive in my Dell Pro Max editing PC, i installed it 1 year ago.

This drive is encrypted using Veracrypt, done after the Windows installation was completed and all set up ready to go, and during the encryption process you are prompted to create a Veracrypt boot loader recovery file that is stored on a usb stick or other usb device connected to the PC, and you can use this usb device to boot on to recover from a crash or from a busted veracrypt boot loader.

The encryption process creates a special pre-boot Loader to replace the normal Windows boot loader, and after starting the PC i get a small password prompt in the top corner of my screen which i type in the password that i created when encrypting the drive, the PC then boots straight into windows, no need for an Admin login password.

Ok so last week i was running a recoding job (4k AV1 to 4k HEVC) and when the export hit the 85% mark, the PC just locked up and was totally unresponsive, i let it go for 15 minutes just to see if it would come out of this HUNG state, but it didn't fix itself, so i had to restart the PC using the power button.

On boot up, my PC just took me to a blue screen telling me that my PC had an issue with the boot loader, i attempted a repair, nothing worked, and i am a certified microsoft and Dell computer technician, so i was kind of surprised.

I got my Veracrypt recovery usb stick out and booted from that to reinstate the Veracrypt boot loader if it was lost or corrupted, and it did not work, for a stupid reason that i won't bore you with right now.

Luckily for me, i run a weekly Clone of my system drive every sunday night onto another identical NVMe drive, this is my backup for cases just like this, so it turned out to be a savior in this case.

I removed the windows drive and installed the Cloned drive, booted back up, updated a few of my apps that i dad done since running the clone a few days earlier, and i then cloned this drive to the original drive before i encrypted the new cloned drive.

To do a clone or image of an encrypted system drive (or any drive for that matter) you must decrypt the drive first, then clone it to the backup drive, then re-encrypt it.

About 1 hour ago from writing this, i was doing another export job, this time i had to recode a 4k HEVC to 4k AVC for a client who has an older tv that doesn't support HEVC, it got to 17% and my PC locked up again, i hit the panic button thinking this might be a repeat of last week, after 20 minutes, i powered down and restarted the PC, and thankfully it booted on the Veracrypt boot loader, and wend to Windows as normal.

This had to be triggered by SC-64 as i had nothing else running, both times i was recoding a file, and both times it paralized my PC completely.

It has made me a bit nervous now, so i will be watching this just in case it happens again.

If it turned out to be my Dell PC at fault, then it is covered by a 5 year premium care on site warranty, or a new PC if the issue cannot be fixed on site.

[Bridgy]

Hi Jon, is there a Cropping tool, i can't find one, as i have a 1280x720 youtube video that i need to crop the black portions off.


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[Bridgy]

Installed 1.0.35 today, not much, if anything, has changed for my own use, but i have been putting this tool thru the wringer today with a lot of editing of 3 different formats, adding titles, and the Batch Tool now has 45 files exporting to other formats.

This software is great right now, and i don't really think there is much more that i need it to do right now except maybe add the 3 items below.

1. Cropping tool would be nice if it hasn't got one already.

2. Can we change the Save Joiner button to Open Joiner as there is no need for the Save Joiner button, i prefer to add files to the joiner as i edit, then i prefer to open the Joiner List to do what i need in there, then i export the file/s from inside the Joiner List, and the same applies to the Batch Tool as well, i want to be able to add files using a button, and then open the Batch Tool using a button as well, and once i am in the Batch Tool i can run my exports from there.

3. Can we add a button on the side to Add to Batch Tool and another for Open Batch Tool


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[ConsumerJon]

Hi Bridgy - I think you're going to be please with the new 1.0.37 version released!

Tools > Crop Video now lets you drag the green edges or corners in the preview, or you can enter exact pixel values. The sidebar Save Joiner button is now Open Joiner. I’ve also added Add To Batch and Open Batch Tool buttons. This release includes live title font and colour previews, optional chapters at clip joins, and optional clearing of an idle Joiner list. Caveat - obviously cropping requires a full video encode (and does not preserve Dolby Vision when re-encoding).

Always keen to hear of any more suggestions of improvements/changes!

[Bridgy]

Ok i just need to reiterate once again my absolute surprise at how quickly you are getting these new features done, and fixing issues when requested, i have never seen anyone working so fast and eagerly on any software, and here i was thinking i am the loner in here with barely anyone else contributing.

Any member of this forum who comes into this thread and craps on or whinges about this Software, what it can do, what it cannot do, bugs here and and bugs there, and that nothing works etc, well they should either be polite and input their issues or requirements, or not bother coming in here at all.

I post most of my test results in here, i try to write a description as best as i can, i try to provide screenshots and/or a video of my testing when i can, as this is the only way to inform you, and others of how my experience has been so far.

I understand that people are busy or have better things to do, but if one is going to crap on this software saying this or that doesn't work, then provide some form of proof so that Jon can see it, and try to fix it if he can, politeness is the key, but we have people in this forum who are down right rude and think the world revolves around them, such people need to go back to the beach and bury their head in a hole.

Because of the limitations that i now have with using VRD Pro with my particular files, i have been looking for another Tool that replicates VRD as much as possible because i love the way that VRD worked, now i have found what i believe is a much better version of VRD for my own personal use, and i thank Jon for his work and dedication to this software, and i sincerely hope that everyone finds out about SmartCut64 and buys a license if/when they feel that it suits them for their own personal needs.

To Jon, how are things going on the TV Broadcase side of things, given that it seems like i am a bit of a loner in the way that i use SC-64 and most users of VRD seemed to use it for TV Broadcast material.

I have just tested the Cropping tool, it works, however there are a few things that i think need to be added and/or changed just to make the process flow a bit better, at least for me, and none of the Cropping Tool stuff that i post up soon is based on the Cropping tool in VRD because the Crop Tool in VRD was hopeless and very clunky, and obviously very old as well.

I still can't believe how far SC-64 has come in the past few months, i am totally blown away.

Unfortunately, as with most things, not everyone is going to like a product or the way it works, but i would be very surprised if there are people out there who do not like SC-64 as it is right now, and i love the look and feel of every aspect of the GUI especially.

Be back later today with the results of the Crop Tool.