Matching Graphics to VHS Footage

[koberulz]

I have a PNG sequence I want to overlay over some VHS-sourced footage. By default it looks way to sharp and clear. So I tried outputting at half-resolution from After Effects, then doing a Scale to Frame Size in Premiere, but that just looks pixelated and digital instead of soft and fuzzy.

What's the best way to go about this?

[poisondeathray]

You can degrade the sequence using various methods.

One that creates fairly authentic results is a plugin called Red Giant VHS
https://www.maxon.net/en/red-giant/universe/vhs

[koberulz]

I'm still on CS6 and that's rather expensive.

It's just motion graphics, it's not actual video content or anything, so I'm really just needing it less sharp rather than anything super fancy.

[poisondeathray]

Less sharp - you can apply a blur .

I doubt match that well, the VHS look isn't just a "blur" applied

[dellsam34]

Just record it to VCR and then recapture it and take a still from the footage assuming you have a VCR.

[jagabo]

There's a VHS filter for AviSynth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osUvH8PRk3g

[Alwyn]

Jagabo, that's great! Should have put an ES15 in there though-it's a bit wobbly.

[lordsmurf]

Just record it to VCR and then recapture it and take a still from the footage assuming you have a VCR.

This is probably easiest and looks most authentic.

[jagabo]

So I tried outputting at half-resolution from After Effects, then doing a Scale to Frame Size in Premiere, but that just looks pixelated and digital instead of soft and fuzzy.

Do you have a choice of scaling algorithm? It sounds like you got a point resize (AKA nearest neighbor). You want something like bilinear instead. In fact, VHS has about 320x480 resolution so you want to scale twice, first down to 320x480, then up to 720x480 (assuming an NTSC ITU cap), both with bilinear.

[koberulz]

It's an overlay with transparency, so recording it on a VHS won't work.

It's PAL. I output from AE at half-res, so 360 wide, which is near enough to VHS res, but the Premiere scale-up just looks awful.

[koberulz]

There's a VHS filter for AviSynth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osUvH8PRk3g

I missed this post somehow.

So my output is a transparent PNG sequence from AfterEffects, then I'm overlaying that in Premiere at the moment. I don't think I can overlay it in AviSynth, just because of having to sort out cuts and such...so is there a way to just process the PNG sequence with AviSynth? Am I better off outputting in a different format, like AVI, from AE? Can AviSynth output anything that supports transparency?

How do I actually use that plugin (ie, what are the options)? There's no readme. There's an feq file, no clue what that is.

[jagabo]

I've never used it but a quick looks shows it comes with a sample AVS script.

[koberulz]

I've managed to write out a cleaner version that only does what I want, but how can I turn it into a plugin? I created an AVS file, defined a function, and then dropped that in the plugins folder but it didn't work. Copying the same function to the top of my AviSynth script did work.

And my questions about transitioning from AE to AviSynth still stand...the filter seems not to handle transparency at all but I don't know how to fix that.

Here's what I whittled it down to:

function Retrograde(clip clp)
{ 
SourceVideo = clp.bilinearresize(392,576)
loss = imagesource("mask\hsync_%03d.bmp",end=127).assumefps(25,1).loop(1000)

original = converttorgb32(sourcevideo).levels(0,1,255,4,200)

grey1 = greyscale(original).bilinearresize(288,576).blur(-1,1).bicubicresize(400,576)
grey2 = pointresize(grey1,800,576).crop(0,0,799,576).addborders(1,0,0,0).bilinearresize(400,576)

hsyncloss1 = mergeargb(showgreen(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss)).pointresize(400,576)
hsyncloss2 = invert(hsyncloss1,"A")
greysync1 = layer(grey1,hsyncloss1)
greysync2 = layer(grey2,hsyncloss2)
grey = overlay(greysync1,greysync2,mode="add",opacity=1).converttoyv12

colorinputu = original.bilinearresize(100,576).blur(1,0).bilinearresize(400,576)
colorinputv = colorinputu

colorlossu = mergeargb(showred(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss)).pointresize(400,576)
colorlossv = trim(colorlossu,32,0)

coloru = layer(colorinputu,colorlossu).converttoyv12
colorv = layer(colorinputv,colorlossv).converttoyv12
color = mergechroma(coloru,colorv,0.5).coloryuv(gain_y=-256,cont_u=128,cont_v=128)

final = overlay(grey,color,mode="add",opacity=1).levels(40,1,255,0,255).bilinearresize(720,576)

return final
}

Needs further tweaking to allow transparency, and if I could get that sorted as a plugin that would be ideal.

[jagabo]

Can you provide some typical samples of your png images with alpha channel?

That script is only blurring the video and adding some halos. Is that all you're looking for?

[jagabo]

I used the Nyan_Cat_Sample.avi as a large overlay. I converted the blue background to transparent. I blurred it, added halos and luma/chroma noise, then overlaid it onto a flat grey background. Is this something like you want?


[Attachment 67587 - Click to enlarge]

[koberulz]

I'd need the output to have a transparent background, so I can overlay it. It's nothing super complicated, just text and a couple of logos.

That script is only blurring the video and adding some halos. Is that all you're looking for?

As opposed to what? It seems decent from what I've tested. Certainly better than the shitty rescale I was doing.

While it's not graphically complicated, there's a lot of scripting going on, so the PNG sequences I've already generated account for probably a week of constant rendering time. As such I'm pretty keen to use the PNGs rather than outputting all over again to AVI, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that.

[koberulz]

Additional point: still not sure why it's not working as a plugin?

[poisondeathray]

I've managed to write out a cleaner version that only does what I want, but how can I turn it into a plugin? I created an AVS file, defined a function, and then dropped that in the plugins folder but it didn't work. Copying the same function to the top of my AviSynth script did work.

Additional point: still not sure why it's not working as a plugin?

That's not a "plugin" in avisynth lingo . Plugins for avisynth mean things like .dll's

What you want is an "auto imported script" - when you change the .avs extension to .avsi and put into the plugins folder it will automatically load

[jagabo]

Here's simple function that blurs an ARGB image like your Retrograde() but retains (and blurs) the alpha channel:

function VHS_blur(clip v)
{
    v.LanczosResize(280,v.height).Sharpen(0.2, 0.0).LanczosResize(v.width,v.height)
}

If you want it greyscale convert to greyscale before or after calling it. Same for levels adjustments.

[poisondeathray]

While it's not graphically complicated, there's a lot of scripting going on, so the PNG sequences I've already generated account for probably a week of constant rendering time. As such I'm pretty keen to use the PNGs rather than outputting all over again to AVI, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that.

When you import PNG's with alpha channel with ImageSource, make sure you use pixel_type="RGB32" to import the alpha channel

To export the script, you can export a PNG sequence with transparency with ImageWriter(), or with ffmpeg, or with vdub2 . Or use some other format like MOV (e.g. PNG in MOV or QT animation), or AVI (e.g. lagarith and utvideo support RGBA) are common choices for alpha support

[koberulz]

Here's simple function that blurs an ARGB image like your Retrograde() but retains (and blurs) the alpha channel:

function VHS_blur(clip v)
{
    v.LanczosResize(280,v.height).Sharpen(0.2, 0.0).LanczosResize(v.width,v.height)
}

If you want it greyscale convert to greyscale before or after calling it. Same for levels adjustments.

Are you saying to use this instead, or as well? I'm not sure I follow.

When you import PNG's with alpha channel with ImageSource, make sure you use pixel_type="RGB32" to import the alpha channel

To export the script, you can export a PNG sequence with transparency with ImageWriter(), or with ffmpeg, or with vdub2 . Or use some other format like MOV (e.g. PNG in MOV or QT animation), or AVI (e.g. lagarith and utvideo support RGBA) are common choices for alpha support

I've just never worked with transparency in AviSynth before. So I'm not sure a) how to retain alpha through the filtering process and b) how to output. How does one actually run ImageWriter?

I'm also not sure how to import the PNG sequence. I can import one PNG, but the syntax for sequencing confuses me.

[jagabo]

Import a PNG image sequence with alpha channel:

ImageSource("ovr%03d.png", start=0, end=11, pixel_type="RGB32")

"ovr%03d" means "ovr" followed by a three digit decimal number with leading zeros, starting with 000 and ending with 011: ovr000.png, ovr001.png, ovr002.png... ovr011.png.

ovr = ImageSource("ovr%03d.png", start=0, end=11, pixel_type="RGB32") 
ovr = VHS_blur(ovr)

# stop here if you want to export a PNG sequence or video
# or
# continue using the image sequence as an overlay, 

background = ColorBars() # or load a video file
Overlay(background, ovr, mask=ovr.ShowAlpha())

[koberulz]

Am I able to just not define the end, so it continues until it runs out of PNGs? How does it handle a change in the number of digits? AE has a minimum of five (so it starts "filename_00000.png", "filename_00001.png", etc) but the sequence is long enough to hit six-digit frame numbers.

Does that not work with the Retrograde() function? Retrograde() is a bit too dark for my taste, and perhaps a little too blurry, but VHS_blur() looks a bit too nice. A middle ground on blurriness with unaltered luma would be the ideal, although that being said VHS_blur() still looks better (or worse, as it were) than the full-res sequence. I just don't really understand what each line of Retrograde() does, so it's difficult to dig in and tweak. I tried removing all the levels() calls but it blew out way too bright.

And I'm still not sure how to use ImageWriter(), do I call it and then just play the file in VDub, or...?

[jagabo]

I don't think you can automatically continue from five digit names into six digit names. Just do it as two sequences and join them together.

part1 = ImageSource("ovr%05d.png", start=0, end=99999, pixel_type="RGB32") 
part2 = ImageSource("ovr%06d.png", start=100000, end=whatever, pixel_type="RGB32") 
part1+part2

If VHS_blur() doesn't blur enough for you then blur the video more. If you want a black-and-white result add GreyScale(). If you want the video resized to 720x576 then resize it. If you want it darker make it darker. You can add all that inside VHS_blur() or after calling it.

VHS_blur().Blur(0.5).RGBAdjust(r=0.9, g=0.9, b=0.9).BilinearResize(720,576).GreyScale()

I didn't bother modifying Retrograde() because it was much easier to create a one line function that does approximately the same as its two dozen lines.

[koberulz]

Why do you keep mentioning greyscale?

[jagabo]

Retrograde() converts color video to greyscale. So I was guessing that's what you wanted.

[koberulz]

No it doesn't?

[koberulz]

VHS_blur()


Retrograde()

[poisondeathray]

And I'm still not sure how to use ImageWriter(), do I call it and then just play the file in VDub, or...?

http://avisynth.nl/index.php/ImageWriter

ImageWriter("PATH\output_%05d.png", type="PNG")

You can "run" the script by running analysis pass in vdub to write the files, or avsr64 script.avs, or ffmpeg -i script.avs -an -f null NUL . avsr64 is probably the fastest by a small amount

[jagabo]

RetroGrade() converts to greyscale when I call it:

function Retrograde(clip clp)
{ 
SourceVideo = clp.bilinearresize(392,576)
loss = imagesource("mask\hsync_%03d.bmp",end=127).assumefps(25,1).loop(1000)

original = converttorgb32(sourcevideo).levels(0,1,255,4,200)

grey1 = greyscale(original).bilinearresize(288,576).blur(-1,1).bicubicresize(400,576)
grey2 = pointresize(grey1,800,576).crop(0,0,799,576).addborders(1,0,0,0).bilinearresize(400,576)

hsyncloss1 = mergeargb(showgreen(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss)).pointresize(400,576)
hsyncloss2 = invert(hsyncloss1,"A")
greysync1 = layer(grey1,hsyncloss1)
greysync2 = layer(grey2,hsyncloss2)
grey = overlay(greysync1,greysync2,mode="add",opacity=1).converttoyv12

colorinputu = original.bilinearresize(100,576).blur(1,0).bilinearresize(400,576)
colorinputv = colorinputu

colorlossu = mergeargb(showred(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss),showblue(loss)).pointresize(400,576)
colorlossv = trim(colorlossu,32,0)

coloru = layer(colorinputu,colorlossu).converttoyv12
colorv = layer(colorinputv,colorlossv).converttoyv12
color = mergechroma(coloru,colorv,0.5).coloryuv(gain_y=-256,cont_u=128,cont_v=128)

final = overlay(grey,color,mode="add",opacity=1).levels(40,1,255,0,255).bilinearresize(720,576)

return final
}


ImageSource("Untitled-1.jpg", start=0, end=23, fps=23.976, pixel_type="RGB32") 
RetroGrade()

[Attachment 67654 - Click to enlarge]

RetroGrade() copy/pasted from post #13.

I also have a version of VHS_blur() that blurs the chroma a lot more but I didn't post it because I though you wanted greyscale (there's no point in blurring the chroma if you arn't going to use it).