Artifacts after ecnoding in Vegas

[Pragzs]

Greetings folks, i hope you can help me with this issue.
I am using PicVideo MJPG codec for recording, and when i encode in vegas, i am getting some strange artifacts.
I assume problem in color space? Any suggestion?

- Sony Vegas

- VirtualDub

[Baldrick]

What codec are you converting to?
And I guess you are you using same codec with similar bitrate setting in both?

[jagabo]

The Vegas image is showing posterization artifacts -- usually caused by a reduction in bit depth (24 bit RGB to 15 or 16 bit RGB, for example).

[budwzr]

Try matching the project to the media.

[Pragzs]

What codec are you converting to?
And I guess you are you using same codec with similar bitrate setting in both?

It was Xvid 8k bitrate, i don't think problem in codec, i am seeing it even in preview.

The Vegas image is showing posterization artifacts -- usually caused by a reduction in bit depth (24 bit RGB to 15 or 16 bit RGB, for example).

Any way to fix that?

Try matching the project to the media.


[Attachment 8997 - Click to enlarge]

Same issue.

Any way to decode using ffdshow?

[budwzr]

Adjust the gamma level in Vegas. Use split screen preview.

[Pragzs]

Adjust the gamma level in Vegas. Use split screen preview.

Where i can do that? Can you please show me?

[jagabo]

The Vegas image is showing posterization artifacts -- usually caused by a reduction in bit depth (24 bit RGB to 15 or 16 bit RGB, for example).

Any way to fix that?

I don't use Vegas so I can't tell you where the problem lies. Look for anywhere where you can specify the color depth.

Are you running dual monitors? Are they both running at 24 or 32 bit color depth?

[Pragzs]

The Vegas image is showing posterization artifacts -- usually caused by a reduction in bit depth (24 bit RGB to 15 or 16 bit RGB, for example).

Any way to fix that?

Are you running dual monitors? Are they both running at 24 or 32 bit color depth?

No, i'm using only one.

[budwzr]

It's in the Secondary Color Corrector.

[Pragzs]

Nothing helps, looks like i will have to use something else.

[budwzr]

A gamma tweak WILL solve the issue. It's a black level problem in Vegas.

[aedipuss]

mediainfo for the source and a sample might help.

[poisondeathray]

I think jagabo is right - it looks like a reduced color palette

Check your export settings. I don't have vegas open right now bit it will say something like 24bpp (bits per pixel), that's 8 bit for red, green and blue each . Anything lower than that will cause what you are seeing . "32bpp" is ok, but that just renders a dummy alpha channel (RGBA , 8+8+8+8 =32)

It was Xvid 8k bitrate, i don't think problem in codec, i am seeing it even in preview.

Do you mean you see this in vegas' preview window, before encoding ?

[Pragzs]

mediainfo for the source and a sample might help.

General
Complete name                    : C:\Users\Prag\Dropbox\Public\videohelp\source.avi
Format                           : AVI
Format/Info                      : Audio Video Interleave
File size                        : 45.2 MiB
Duration                         : 9s 67ms
Overall bit rate                 : 41.8 Mbps

Video
ID                               : 0
Format                           : JPEG
Codec ID                         : MJPG
Duration                         : 9s 67ms
Bit rate                         : 40.4 Mbps
Width                            : 1 920 pixels
Height                           : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16:9
Frame rate                       : 30.000 fps
Color space                      : YUV
Chroma subsampling               : 4:2:2
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Scan type                        : Interlaced
Scan order                       : Top Field First
Compression mode                 : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.650
Stream size                      : 43.7 MiB (97%)

Audio
ID                               : 1
Format                           : PCM
Format settings, Endianness      : Little
Format settings, Sign            : Signed
Codec ID                         : 1
Duration                         : 9s 67ms
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 1 411.2 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Sampling rate                    : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth                        : 16 bits
Stream size                      : 1.53 MiB (3%)
Interleave, duration             : 35 ms (1.05 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration     : 500 ms

General
Complete name                    : C:\Users\Prag\Dropbox\Public\videohelp\vegas.avi
Format                           : AVI
Format/Info                      : Audio Video Interleave
File size                        : 33.3 MiB
Duration                         : 9s 67ms
Overall bit rate                 : 30.8 Mbps
TCOD                             : 0
TCDO                             : 90666666

Video
ID                               : 0
Format                           : JPEG
Codec ID                         : MJPG
Duration                         : 9s 67ms
Bit rate                         : 29.1 Mbps
Width                            : 1 920 pixels
Height                           : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16:9
Frame rate                       : 30.000 fps
Color space                      : YUV
Chroma subsampling               : 4:2:0
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Scan type                        : Interlaced
Scan order                       : Top Field First
Compression mode                 : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.468
Stream size                      : 31.5 MiB (94%)

Audio
ID                               : 1
Format                           : PCM
Format settings, Endianness      : Little
Format settings, Sign            : Signed
Codec ID                         : 1
Duration                         : 9s 67ms
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 1 536 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth                        : 16 bits
Stream size                      : 1.66 MiB (5%)
Interleave, duration             : 245 ms (7.35 video frames)
Interleave, preload duration     : 250 ms

A gamma tweak WILL solve the issue. It's a black level problem.

Cant find it.

[Pragzs]

Do you mean you see this in vegas' preview window, before encoding ?

Yes

Check your export settings. I don't have vegas open right now bit it will say something like 24bpp (bits per pixel), that's 8 bit for red, green and blue each .

I don't see anything like this, only in project settings, 8 or 32 bit.

[budwzr]

I think jagabo is right - it looks like a reduced color palette

The source is 4.2.2, so you need to change the project settings in Vegas to Sony AVC.

[poisondeathray]

Do you mean you see this in vegas' preview window, before encoding ?

Yes

Then that suggests an import or decoding problem, not an encoding problem by vegas or xvid vfw

If you are using 8bit project settings , try 32bit either full range or video levels

This smells like a studio RGB problem with vegas

Check your export settings. I don't have vegas open right now bit it will say something like 24bpp (bits per pixel), that's 8 bit for red, green and blue each .

I don't see anything like this, only in project settings, 8 or 32 bit.

Ok maybe not for some export formats

[Pragzs]

I think jagabo is right - it looks like a reduced color palette

The source is 4.2.2, so you need to change the project settings in Vegas to Sony AVC.

1 min.

[poisondeathray]

OK I didn't see your youtube post

I think there's 2 different problems here. One is import and one is export

How did you take the screenshots in the 1st post? Did you notice the gamma curve and overall brightness is roughly the same between the two? It's only the posterization difference

But the youtube comparison shows different levels, different curve

This is likely a studio RGB vs. computer RGB issue with vegas
http://www.glennchan.info/articles/vegas/colorspaces/colorspaces.html
http://www.glennchan.info/articles/vegas/v8color/v8color.htm
http://www.glennchan.info/articles/vegas/v8color/vegas-9-levels.htm

Long story short, different formats are treated differently in vegas, some get studio RGB treatment (16-235), some get computer RGB treatment (0-255). Furthermore, the export format chosen can change the levels, because vegas "expects" certain levels for different formats. Sometimes you have to apply studio to rgb filter or vice versa and play with the various 8-bit vs 32-bit fullrange vs. video levels settings

What you see on the monitor is not necessarily reflective of what you're going to end up with, unless you have external monitor setup and configured

[budwzr]

Here's the color corrector:


[Attachment 8999 - Click to enlarge]

Set the preview window to BEST/FULL when doing this.

[poisondeathray]

Can you upload a few seconds of the original file here (use vdub in video=>direct stream copy mode)

Both youtube videos are screwed up; the 1st is screwed up because YT decodes MJPG with full range, so blacks get crushed. So it's really 3 problems here

[Pragzs]

poisondeathray

Thats a lot of text, and my english is pretty bad, i really dont understand what do i need to do exactly.

Can you upload a few seconds of the original file here (use vdub in video=>direct stream copy mode)

Both youtube videos are screwed up; the 1st is screwed up because YT decodes MJPG with full range, so blacks get crushed. So it's really 3 problems here

Yes, hold on.

[Pragzs]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26913187/videohelp/source.avi
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26913187/videohelp/vegas.avi

[budwzr]

Vegas says the codec is 32 bit.

Summary
Album/source: Video:PICVideo M-JPEG 4 32-bit VfW Codec

Anyway, I can't open it.

[Pragzs]

Maybe this
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26913187/videohelp/sourceh264.avi
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26913187/videohelp/vegash264.avi

[budwzr]

I remuxed it to AVC and it's fine in Vegas:


[Attachment 9000 - Click to enlarge]

[poisondeathray]

It works ok for me, and it's not posterized

When you right click the file, select properties, what does it say about the decoder used? Does it say the same thing for you as budwzr posted above ?

[Pragzs]

When you right click the file, select properties, what does it say about the decoder used? Does it say the same thing for you as budwzr posted above ?

Is it in Vegas? I have only 1 mjpg decoder, Picvideo.
You mean this?

Video:PICVideo M-JPEG 4 32-bit VfW Codec

[aedipuss]

vlc plays the source.avi fine here budz. but, interlaced mjpeg? i didn't know you could even interlace mjpeg. what a mess that must be to de-interlace.

vegas doesn't seem to have any problem going to sony avc.