OSX video workflow for a Mac?
Hi, i'm looking to digitize a good amount of action sports (rollerblading/skateboarding) VHS tapes in the highest quality i can achieve.
My set up includes a JVC SR-V10U --> Canopus ADVC 110 --> 2014 iMac --> Final Cut Pro X I've found that i'm at a disadvantage using a Mac so i'm wondering what is the best way to 'enhance' a video after i've captured it. I took on this project as a noob, and am still figuring out filters, deinterlacing, encoding, etc. PC users have AviSynth, and VirtualDub but i haven't found many options for OSX users. Is there a better option than FCPx to capture the footage? Can I 'enhance' the video using FCP? I found an article explaining how to use AviSynth and Virutaldub with WINE (PlayonMac). Are there any problems with this approach, would this be my best best? Thanks. |
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Many Mac fans have not yet figured out that Mac no longer intends to support many graphics endeavors, including video work. You can get a few shots at some pretty good software, but it will cost plenty for Mac. Quote:
Some Windows apps work with WINE, but many don't. At the outset, it's likely you can get better quality captures with a better capture device and VirtualDub capture, which is still the affordable "best way" to capture VHS to a PC. It's old-fashioned, but it was optimized at the time for that sort of analog source. |
What sanlyn says is true. Most Mac users head-in-sand (fingers-in-ears) shouting that Mac rules, and MS/Windows drools. They assume the advice from from "Mac haters" and move on tho another forum. But I own OS X Macs , and have been a Mac user since the Apple IIe days.
Sadly, it's the wrong tool. Apple shunned video during the crucial years, the early/mid 1990s until 2001, when DVD/MPEG was being developed. As such, it has no tools. What it did do in 2001 was very limited. It wasn't until around 2007 that serious tools existed, and by then it was a decade too late. Not just that, but it pretty much gave BD-R the finger, which cemented its fate. Mac is only good for a DV workflow. But even then, not really. It's extremely limited. As a Mac user, I wish it was different. But it's not. I've also been a Windows user since the 80s, and am platform agnostic. To me, these are just tools. And for video, Windows is the right tool for the job. You already know some of this, it seems, but I just wanted to confirm it for you. An important question was just asked, and I'll echo it: What do you mean by enhance? What needs to be done? What errors do you see? In a nutshell, yes, get a Windows XP system with an AGP ATI All-In-Wonder card, and we can tell you what software is needed. Bonus: Windows has many free tools -- tools that ONLY exist for free, and are often best for the task. Although, yes, like Mac, sometimes the best (or only, or needed) tool is commercial. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. |
Right now i have no option other than my Mac, so i would like to figure out a workflow with my current set up.
Sanlyn, you mentioned a better capture card. Would that be the blackmagic intensity shuttle? also, i understand avisynth and virtualdub are specialized apps but aren't there any that work with osx? When i mentioned 'enhance' i was trying to figure out of FCP had similar tools to as/vd, but sanlyn answered that perfectly. I'm still new with this terminology so i can't really name exactly what needs fixed. But i'm able to compare with a very nice vhs rip i was given. When i use my equpiment to capture the video in FCPx it's not as sharp than the rip i was given. The guy who sent me the rip said he deinterlaced, used scripts, did a MeGUI encode then converted to mkv. I assume this is how he got the quality? |
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I can't answer for the party you mention, but MEGUI uses Avisynth. Hopefully he knows better than to use "rip" in the same sentence with VHS. Just as hopefully the other party knows better than to deinterlace VHS movies (which really might have been telecined, which should never be deinterlaced) and probably didn't re-interlace or restore pulldown for the encode. And hopefully the other party also mentioned that advanced hobbyists get a whole lot more involved with software than using MeGUI. Apparently, too, your mkv is progressive for PC display only, which is unnecessary nowadays with deinterlacing media players; the final mkv format would be neither DVD nor BluRay compliant, and if played via memory stick or external drive you'd find many set top players that can't handle mkv. But those are other topics. In summary, though, he apparently used advanced techniques and lossless media to clean and tweak, using filters designed for the specific problems associated with VHS sources, before re-encoding. I should also add that MeGUI uses better mpeg and h264 encoders than you will usually find with a lot of Mac video software unless you're willing to invest in pro gear. -- merged -- I forgot to mention: there are a few basic editors and encoders around that run on Mac and Windows that i've seen recommended, although some of their feature set might not be 100% available on Macs. But they seem to be popular anyway. There's the 64-bit intel version of Handbrake (http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php) and the multi-OS version of AviDemux (http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/). Here's a site that lists a ton of software in many categories with indicators for what works on Macs. http://www.videohelp.com/tools. Happy hunting, as many of these are freebies with either very short or rather long learning curves. And of course some of it is either paid or highly paid or outrageous. |
Thank you for the thorough response sanlyn.
When i explained how my party recorded the VHS, I completely butchered his process which probably set off some nerves to someone who knows what they are talking about lol. He actually reordered it to a dvd first. I don't mean to put him on the spot, but when i asked how he achieved such quality, he sent me this. Quote:
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Post-capture Avisynth likely compensated for this some, but some errors cannot be fixed in software alone. The capture card and VCR are extremely important here. Quote:
But from the sound of things, you're just going to toss his work, and start over with the tapes. And that's the ideal solution here. So your workflow would be this: VCR (JVC S-VHS SR-V10U = good) > external TBC (the Canopus may or may not remove all errors, depending on the source; DataVideo TBC-1000 suggested) > Canopus ADVC 100 series (DV workflow not ideal, but not many solutions exist for Mac) Then the "raw" (DV) digital file is on the computer. > Avisynth to process, via AvsPmod GUI ** > VirtualDub to accept the AVS script, and add further filters as needed, output to Huffyuv AVI Here's where your workflow gets muddy... You can: (A) edit the footage in FCP/Premiere/etc (B) then encode the VirtualDub-output AVI to interlaced disc format (MPEG-2), then author (C) add QTGMC("slow") deinterlacing into the Avisynth script for streaming progressive output (MKV, MP4, Youtube, etc) You've never really specified the output and post-capture steps. I suggest a full archive copy on disc. And if needed, as second encode for the streaming version. That's what quality-conscious people do. We save the best for disc use, and another version for the streaming "sharing" version that is uploaded elsewhere. Why? Even the best deinterlacer leaves artifacts. If relying on free encoders, use Avidemux for both MPEG-2 and MP4/MKV (H.264). ** Note that I'll be posting some Avisynth samples later this month and in coming months, as I finally get all my Avisynth restoration guides online. This has taken me several months, but I think I finally have most of my Avisynth knowledge committed to an organized set of documents! (And I've never seen anything like this anywhere else online.) |
lordsmurf had some good recommendations, so I have little to add to the workflow except that the Mac will be a big set of limitations. Myself, I'm far from a devotee of AvspMod. Many use it. If you do, you should learn first to run Avisynth on its own and use VirtualDub to monitor the output. Otherwise newcomers to AvsPmod can have a rough time trying to figure out what's going on.
lordsmurf emphasized the quality of the playback machine. Your JVC is probably pretty good, but it's not ideal if you have 6-hour tapes. Most of us have more than one VCR anyway, as some tapes just refuse to track on one machine but will run OK on another. Recording VHS directly to DVD is hardly the best way. It's frought with problems unless the source tape is in fairly pristine shape on a good player. Capture to DV is a step up (but you'll have some color resolution loss, and tape artifacts will be somewhat more complicated to clean up). Capturing with a decent card to lossless AVI with huffyuv or Lagarith lossless compression is better yet. You would use one of those two compressors for all of your intermediate work files. Encoding to MPEG or mkv or whatever would be the very last step. Many assume that just because a VHS tape is recorded to DVD, making it "digital" automatically cleans up everything. It doesn't. Not at all. If the tape has defects or problems, as most of them do, it just makes the workflow more difficult. I don't really want to put your friend on the spot myself, either -- after all, he's trying to be helpful. But I think lordsmurf's description of the results in probably pretty accurate. To explain that a common script and unvarying process is used to clean up everything because "everything looks alike", well....it's not true. They might look similar, but not alike. There's no way that any two VHS tapes will "look alike". But this, after all, is how everyone learns this stuff. You can read about it from now 'til the cows come home, but until you actually try it the whole thing will just be a great big mystery. Much of this learning process is enhanced by posting samples of videos and having members check them out. Yeah, they always find something wrong no matter how "good" it is. But it helps to identify problems, understand their causes, and get a handle on what can be done about them. You can also learn a ton by looking over restoration and repair threads that explain what was done to improve the results. As lordsmurf says, the first step is learning to get a workable capture. All you can do there is do the best you can. Then go from there. |
Please do not buy the BlackMagic. I have had nothing but problems and have gone through three, each with its own quirks.
You have two primary options worth considering. Before I get to those, you either need a copy of Windows via Bootcamp or Parallels. Mac software is limited for VHS filtering and correction, and while I generally create my final files via FCP X or Compressor because I like the encoders, all work should generally be done in Windows one way or another. Hardware-wise, these I have found to be the only one really worth considering that you can buy new for MAC ONLY: Elgato Game Capture HD - this is not the Video Capture Device sold for $80. This device is intended for HD game capture, but you can capture VHS with it using composite with its included adapter or S-Video with the $10 additional retro gaming adapter (which I recommend). At its highest bitrate, its quality is very good. I will not argue that it is better than a 4:2:2 uncompressed capture, but for what is Mac compatible this would be my first suggestion. I have done plenty of correction with captured MP4s, in VirtualDub for Windows-only filters and FCP X color correction/noise reduction. They are better for clean sources or at least brighter sources, but its software lets you adjust color/brightness. I picked one up at Best Buy for $140 and once you are done capturing your tapes, it will not be made obsolete for a while if you use it for other purposes. Best Buy has a good return policy, so if you don't like it you can bring it back. If you end up running Windows, you have other devices you can consider. I would recommend the VC500 as the second option because its one of the few capture devices that isn't too expensive, works well with VirtualDub, and you can buy new. Beyond that, you run into driver issues and finding good equipment. I own both of these and the newest Mac Retina and they both work well. |
lordsmurf, when you say the 'raw dv file', how do i achieve that? I am capturing with FCPx, so would i save it from there in the DV format?
As far as the output, i'm looking for a streaming / download concious file at the end. For the master file or maybe raw file would be a better term, I would rather just save it to an external harddrive. I don't need or really want to convert to DVD right away. Post capture steps, i'm still trying to figure out the best way to capture the video onto my computer which i assume is FCPx. Then how to actually use AviSynth/VirtualDub to correct the video. I obviously have research to do on the different tools. here are some screenshots, per sanlyn's suggestion. Left: My raw capture in FCPx. Right: 3rd party source On my capture during the title screens I noticed horizontal lines in the lettering when it faded into the next title screen. Also the words weren't perfectly still. http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/imag...Pt0Zppng-1.jpg http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/imag...0hK49png-1.jpg http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/imag...NjUMvpng-1.jpg |
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Your left side is interlaced, the right is de-interlaced. |
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To be honest, they both look deinterlaced. I think a preview deinterlacer is involved here. Meaning screen caps will be useless. AviSynth does not run on Mac at all. VirtualDub runs in Wine, but with caveats and errors. Parallels is what you want -- not Bootcamp. Put Parallels into "Coherence" mode. :wink2: There have been times when I ran a full Mac workflow, from capture to encode to output. I've not captured on one in years, but I still frequently use it for all post-capture work. |
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Something else to keep in mind: you can't analyze motion problems from a still frame, but you can get a ton of info by watching frames move in sequence, especially at 1 frame every 1 or 2 seconds, or slower. You can also enlarge frames for viewing -- you can do that with images, too, but how much has changed between the original, unprocessed frames and the jpg compression in the images posted? Each image itself is second-generation (at least) and is lossy re-compresseed. All the images look deinterlaced to me. |
premiumcapture, i found a .mov file for my raw capture, is that correct?
Does AviSynth run with Parallels? I'm going to download the free trial instead of using the Wine method. Although, the article i mentioned earlier stated Wine could run AviSynth and VirtualDub. I guess it's very buggy as lordsmurf stated? I will try to be less broad with my description of the 'moving letters'. I've been rewatching it and it seems like the color isn't 'solid' or 'still' inside the lettering. it's sort of fuzzy inside, but a very minimal amount. Also, here is a better example of the horizontal lines i was referring to during the fade out. http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/imag.../bagY6l1-1.png |
Those lines and other noise come from improper interlace/resize, and the denoising in the other images looks rather destructive without accomplishing all that much (but as I said, it's really tough to tell from resized jpg stills).
BTW, that "VG3" image is 732x401. Did you resize it from the original? How was the image made? Quote:
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AviSynth runs in Windows, Parallels just lets you run Windows while you run your Mac. Very useful all around, though I would only recommend XP - 7.
The .mov should be roughly 14 GB/hr, the bitrate of DV. FCP X just rewraps everything, but that should be it as long as its as big as DV. I am not totally familiar with Wine, but you have to keep in mind that filters are coming from all over the place doing all sorts of things in different ways. Wine might let you run VirtualDub, but for a full workflow I would stick with Windows unless impossible. Quote:
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For the stills, i just did a screenshot (cmd-shift-3), cropped them, and uploaded to imgur. Is there a better way? Usually the easiest is not the best..
I believe that is the raw DV as I only have 2 minutes captured and it is 465 MB. Sadly, I have a copy of Windows 8. I know it's very different from xp and 7, but will it affect me? I will using running parallels strictly for this project. |
Re-upload but don't crop, it can distort the image and give the impression that there are other problems. The easiest way is to open the video and take a screenshot and upload it directly to the forum. The file will be in PNG which is better than JPEG.
That sounds like DV to me, but you can verify in VLC by clicking Codec Details under View. Those are the files that you want to work with. They have the best quality you will get with your current equipment. Windows 8 should be fine, I don't thing you will run into too many issues, but I would stick to Lagarith over Huffyuv for editing, only because getting the drivers to work in Windows 8 will be a PITA. |
did as you described premium. i did not resize the quicktime window, i wasn't sure if it would effect the results.
Also, capture it seems you are very familiar with what I am trying to do with OSX. Do you have a particular workflow, or maybe can you point me somewhere that can give me more information on this subject? |
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Everything I know has come from hours of looking at forum posts here and videohelp. I will get back to you on that later today. |
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