Video quality very bad after export /MAGIX MOVIE EDIT PRO PREMIUM

[BBanani]

Hello everybody,

I am experiencing some big change in the quality when exporting a video file using Magix. After the export the video gets very blurry, sharpness is gone and quality just reduced alot.

I have been using Magix Movie Edit Pro Premium a while now and so far I am satisfied with the product.
Before I basically only filmed in 1080p with an older action cam and didn't care too much about the quality... Recently I have bought a new GoPro Hero8, and I have been using 2,7k and 4k because obviously I want to focus on better video quality now.

The videos are used to put on Youtube but I have never been digging how to keep the quality very good. Most of my video's are quite short (less than 5 minutes) and I always use some mp3 file in the background.

So for example, when I use 2,7K (30fps) and I choose to export to MPEG-4, These are the export settings:

MPEG-4-Export (MP4)
Video: H.264; 2704x1520p; 29.97 frames/s; VBR 6000 kbit/s; hardware encoding
Audio: AAC; Stereo; 48000 Hz; 128 kbit/s


Hope somebody can help me out of this so I can keep the quality of the raw file after I did the export to MPEG-4.

Thanks in advance!

[sophisticles]

Try using the software encoding option, see if there is any appreciable difference.

Hardware encoding depends on the SDK used to build the application, the drivers, the application and the hardware itself. If you were using hardware encoding all this time and suddenly there is a decline in quality, a regression may have been introduced via an update to the drivers or application itself.

[poisondeathray]

Video: H.264 2704x1520p; 29.97 frames/s; VBR 6000 kbit/s; hardware encoding

6000 kbit/s for 2704x1520 is too low of a bitrate for any h264 encoder, HW or SW - Unless there is no motion, like a static picture (I doubt that's what you have when using a GoPro)

But even if you export a good quality video, Youtube will degrade the quality anyways since it re-encodes everything

[BBanani]

Thank you for the fast replies.

What kbit/s would you recommend then?
Well I hope that the quality after export remains a little bit the same as the raw file so Youtube won't completely rage up the quality.

I took a screenshot where you can see my advanced options before exporting the video:

[Attachment 54360 - Click to enlarge]

[smrpix]

Your bitrate is too low. GoPro's native 2.7k is encoded at 60-100 mbps in H.264. So start with about half that.

[BBanani]

Ok thanks,

If I look at the original source, the kbps is numbered around 45000.

If I would take half of the 60-100 mbps (so 80 then), that would be 40000 kbps then.
Or should I take the same as the original which is 45000 kbps.

[smrpix]

Start with half of the original. Unlike the camera you don't have to do it in real time. So 23000. From there you can reduce it until the quality is unacceptable. (Use short segments rather than the entire clip for your initial tests.)

[BBanani]

Start with half of the original. Unlike the camera you don't have to do it in real time. So 23000. From there you can reduce it until the quality is unacceptable. (Use short segments rather than the entire clip for your initial tests.)

Ok thanks,

I am trying and testing now with short video fragments like you suggested. I starts looking better, I tried 23000 and other formats. But on another forum they are advising 32000 and 60000. So that's already pretty high? I am testing now...

I also experienced somekind of flickering of light every second in the video. I think I should also put on the option 'apply anti-interlace filter (suppresses flickering)' then?
I could also be part of my old and not so ideal graphic editing laptop.

[poisondeathray]

I also experienced somekind of flickering of light every second in the video. I think I should also put on the option 'apply anti-interlace filter (suppresses flickering)' then?
I could also be part of my old and not so ideal graphic editing laptop.

If you're shooting indoors, that might be from a mismatch between the electrical mains frequency and shutter settings

Belgium is a 50Hz "PAL" area, but your framerate is 29.97 . Normally a 29.97 fps shot has a shutter angle of 1/60 - that works ok for "NTSC" areas with 60Hz

You would normally use 25 fps , 1/50 shutter - not sure if your go pro can do that


It could be other things too; it might help to post a small sample clip

[BBanani]

I also experienced somekind of flickering of light every second in the video. I think I should also put on the option 'apply anti-interlace filter (suppresses flickering)' then?
I could also be part of my old and not so ideal graphic editing laptop.

If you're shooting indoors, that might be from a mismatch between the electrical mains frequency and shutter settings

Belgium is a 50Hz "PAL" area, but your framerate is 29.97 . Normally a 29.97 fps shot has a shutter angle of 1/60 - that works ok for "NTSC" areas with 60Hz

You would normally use 25 fps , 1/50 shutter - not sure if your go pro can do that


It could be other things too; it might help to post a small sample clip

Thanks

I only take outdoor shots, camera is always standing still recording me doing some bouldering/climbing.
I checked my GoPro and there 240 120 60 30 and 24 fps for 2,7K.

What if i put the GOP Length option to 30? Would that solve the case for the already recorded videos.

[poisondeathray]

What if i put the GOP Length option to 30? Would that solve the case for the already recorded videos.

Not sure, depends what the actual "flickering of light" problem is . Maybe posting a sample would be a good idea.


Does the "flicker" occur when you play the original file ? in a media player like VLC, MPV, MPCHC, etc...?

If it only occurs after exporting, then it's probably an export setting, low bitrate or maybe some other project setting issue

[super8rescue]

constant bit rate and at least 8000 kbps

[sophisticles]

Video: H.264 2704x1520p; 29.97 frames/s; VBR 6000 kbit/s; hardware encoding

6000 kbit/s for 2704x1520 is too low of a bitrate for any h264 encoder, HW or SW - Unless there is no motion, like a static picture (I doubt that's what you have when using a GoPro)

Wait, I'm confused, I thought if you used that magical open source avc encoder with the name that starts with an "x", you could use ridiculously low amounts of bit rate? Aren't you one of the people that has claimed my encoding tests are invalid because I "use too much bit rate", like you know, 10Mb/s for 4k is "too much" according to you, but somehow 6Mb/s for 2.7K is "too low"?

Or maybe you have finally learned how to encode good quality video and no longer blindly put your faith in the most over-rated piece of software ever created.

[poisondeathray]

Wait, I'm confused, I thought if you used that magical open source avc encoder with the name that starts with an "x", you could use ridiculously low amounts of bit rate? Aren't you one of the people that has claimed my encoding tests are invalid because I "use too much bit rate", like you know, 10Mb/s for 4k is "too much" according to you, but somehow 6Mb/s for 2.7K is "too low"?

Wasn't me. I never said that

Yes, you're confused.


I have said in the past , when you do tests, you should include a range of bitrates, and include examination of RD curves. It's easier to see problems at lower bitrate ranges than at very high bitrates (where everything looks the same) . eg. If encoder "A" achieves a certain level of "quality" at 20% less bitrate than encoder B, encoder A has better compression than encoder B , at least on that test source and scenario .

(If the OP is doing bitrate , compression testing, he hasn't indicated so)

[abolibibelot]

@BBanani : Or export as a lossless intermediate (Lagarith, MagicYUV, UT Video...), then encode with x264 or ffmpeg -c:v libx264, or any GUI that relies on x264 – or x265 if your computer is poweful enough or if you're patient enough – using quality based settings rather than a particular bitrate. With x264 the quality preservation is generally deemed excellent with -crf 18 or less, I don't know what is considered equivalent for x265. A setting like -crf 20 or -crf 22 may be considered good enough but as it's been said, YouTube always re-compresses at a low bitrate, so it's preferable to encode the “master” at a higher quality than what would be considered “good enough”.

I am trying and testing now with short video fragments like you suggested. I starts looking better, I tried 23000 and other formats. But on another forum they are advising 32000 and 60000. So that's already pretty high? I am testing now...

It's highly dependant upon the nature of the footage so there's no definite answer. At the same resolution, a collage of still pictures requires a very low bitrate to get a good quality, while hectic handheld footage showing heavy rain and dark foliage moving in the wind and running dwarves and dancing sheeps with digital noise all over the place would require tremendously more to be halfway watchable.

(If the OP is doing bitrate , compression testing, he hasn't indicated so)

“He” may be a “she”, or a “ze”, or a “heshe”, or a “shkle”, or a... whatever... (But seriously, this sh#t can be very serious in some places nowadays.)

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together... koo-koo ka-choo...

[Cornucopia]

It's always been serious - some of us (me included) just weren't aware of the ramifications.


Scott

[sophisticles]

It's always been serious - some of us (me included) just weren't aware of the ramifications.

No, it's not serious, it's a joke perpetrated on the general public. This whole "my pronouns are" crap is just that, the work of sick, demented minds, and unfortunately the world has lost the courage to call it out for what it is.

[smrpix]

No, it's not serious, it's a joke perpetrated on the general public. This whole "my pronouns are" crap is just that, the work of sick, demented minds, and unfortunately the world has lost the courage to call it out for what it is.

Thanks, darling.

/s