Help needed restoring Anime to High Definition with comparison video file

[xonathan]

Hello everyone. I've been experimenting with avisynth scripts to restore old anime from DVD's. I need help with one of my projects. I have a DVD from an OVA that I want to restore so it looks like a Blu-Ray remaster as much as humanly possible. I've attached a sample of the anime from the iso using MakeMKV I want to restore in the “test” file here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/3jqtyhsvwwm9240/VFG+test.mkv/file

The same director from that DVD made an earlier OVA that has a similar look that was remastered into Blu-Ray. I've attached a sample of that anime in the “remaster” file here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/hqrk03oqq89mub0/FF+remaster.mkv/file

In other words, I want to restore through filters the “test” file to look as the “remaster” file as much as possible. Both files contain scenes I've spliced that are representative of the whole OVA's. I've been using TFM, spline36resize, aWarpSharp, Hysteria, Deen, MSSharpen, and LSFmod to accomplish this but I want to know if there are other options. What do you suggest? Thanks

[Selur]

Using Vapoursynth with one of these:
- https://github.com/TianZerL/Anime4KCPP
- https://github.com/Nlzy/vapoursynth-waifu2x-ncnn-vulkan
- https://github.com/rlaPHOENiX/VSGAN+ BSRGAN
should be worth a try, assuming you got a fast graphic card or enough time/motivation. (Payware: Video Enhance AI by Topaz Labs should also work fine with old cartoons)

[xonathan]

Thanks. I've tried waifu2x Vulkan through dandere2x. Will using it through vaporsynth give me an advantage? I'll give Anime4K a try. Would you say these options are better than trying the individual filters?

[Selur]

Point of using it through Vapoursynth is to have additional filtering options before or after the resizing without having to create humongous amounts of images in the file system.

[Selur]

Before using a resizer the comb handling should be done properly, otherwise those flickering edges will cause problems for any ml based resized.

[jagabo]

That HD sample wasn't made from a field blended NTSC/PAL conversion of a VHS tape like your "DVD" sample. The secret to getting good upscaling is to start with clean, sharp video. So you need to clean and sharpen that VHS source first, then worry about upscaling.

[Selur]

For Anime, clean an sharp isn't really soo necessary (the machine learning filters help there a lot), but all those blends are a problem.
If one would handle this scene by scene and create vfr output it might work, but that thing is a mess, some scenes are like 12fps and others more like 25.
So handling that with 'just a few filter calls' will not work.

Cu Selur

[xonathan]

Thanks everyone. The thing is with this particular sample I tried the Anime4K and did not like the results. I'm trying:

TFM(slow=2, pp=5, clip2=(TDeint(src, mode=2, type=3))).TDecimate().vinverse().ConvertToRGB32()
RGBAdjust(r=1.02, g=1, b=1.1)
ConvertToYV12()
DeRainbow(thresh=10)
awarpsharp2(depth=8)
FastLineDarkenMOD()
hqdn3d(0,0,3,3)
deen(mode="w2d", rad=1)
MSharpen(threshold=15, strength=40, highq=true, mask=false)
LSFMod(200)
Sharpen(0.1, 0.3)
Hysteria(1)
seesaw()
SuperToon(power=0.2)
DeHalo_alpha(rx=3.0, ry=3.0)
maa2()
GradFun2dbmod()
spline36resize(1280,720)

Any sugestions?

[Selur]

• using multiple sharpeners
  • awarpsharp2(depth=8)
  • MSharpen(threshold=15, strength=40, highq=true, mask=false)
  • LSFMod(200)
  • Sharpen(0.1, 0.3)
  • seesaw()
• using multiple line darkening filters (Hysteria, SuperToon)

seems strange,... are you sure that is necessary and makes sense?

Isn't there a better source available of the show?

[xonathan]

Maybe I'm over doing it. But that's why I put low settings on each. Each does a different thing no? No that show is not available in HD and that's the best source.

[jagabo]

Yes, a better source would help a lot. But with this source try something like:

Mpeg2Source("VFG test.d2v", CPU2="ooooxx", Info=3) 

CheckMate(thr=10, max=20, tthr2=20)
Crop(8,0,-8,-0)
BilinearResize(400, height)
ColorYUV(gain_y=30, off_y=-6)
ColorMatrix(mode="rec.601->rec.709")

QTGMC(Preset="fast")
SRestore()

TemporalDegrain()
emask = mt_edge(mode="cartoon", thy1=15, thy2=15).mt_expand().mt_expand().mt_expand().Invert().Blur(1.4).Blur(1.4).Blur(1.4)
Overlay(last, LSFMod(200), mask=emask)
dehalo_alpha(rx=1.5, ry=2.0, brightstr=1.5, darkstr=1.0)

MergeChroma(aWarpSharp(depth=5), aWarpSharp(depth=25))
Sharpen(0.4, 0.2)
Hysteria(strength=1.5)

nnedi3_rpow2(2, cshift="Spline36Resize", fwidth=704, fheight=540)
aWarpSharp(depth=2)
Sharpen(0.3, 0.0)
ChromaShiftSP(x=-1.5, y=0)

nnedi3_rpow2(2, cshift="Spline36Resize", fwidth=960, fheight=720)
aWarpSharp(depth=2)
Sharpen(0.2)

nnedi3_rpow2(2, cshift="Spline36Resize", fwidth=1440, fheight=1080)
aWarpSharp(depth=5)
Sharpen(0.4)