Thanks for the feedback and the screenshots!
About the preview quality — the Before/After view in Chromaster shows only the resize result (how FFmpeg scales your video to the target resolution). It does not apply any encoding parameters. So switching between Archive, Extreme, or any other template won’t change what you see in the preview — that’s expected.
The actual encoding quality (CRF, grain synthesis, variance boost, etc.) only applies during the real encode. The preview can’t show these effects because SVT-AV1 needs multiple consecutive frames to work properly — temporal filtering compares neighboring frames to reduce noise, film grain is synthesized at decode time, and the rate control adapts across the entire video duration. A single-frame preview would be misleading since it wouldn’t represent the actual quality you’ll get in the final file. Think of it like judging a movie from a screenshot — you’d miss everything that makes the encoder smart.
If the preview looks different from what you remember in the previous version, it’s likely the resize algorithm that changed — check which one is selected in the Scaling method group. Lanczos 3 is usually the sharpest for downscaling.
About Archive + 50% reduction — a small heads up: Archive mode is designed for preserving your source at its original resolution, pixel for pixel. Downscaling inherently removes pixel information, so combining it with Archive is a bit contradictory. If you want the best possible quality at a reduced resolution, “Extreme” priority with your display and content type selected would be the right choice — it gives you the lowest CRF and slowest preset optimized for your specific use case.
About the GUI size at 1080p — the current window size (1600×1032) is the minimum design baseline. It fits 1080p with the Windows taskbar, but just barely. This is intentional to ensure all controls remain readable and usable. F11 or the maximize button lets you toggle to expanded mode on larger screens.
Could you share a full desktop screenshot showing the Chromaster window on your screen? That way I can see exactly how the GUI fits at 1080p. And if possible, point out what specifically looks different to you in the preview compared to the old version — a side-by-side with a red circle or arrow on the area that bothers you would help a lot.
960 × 540 is not 8px aligned. Enable Smart Resolution or adjust resolution to 960 × 544”
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The model heavily penalizes differences seen in a forced detection test (where the observer actively searches for the difference).
The model simulates a casual quality judgment: the observer doesn’t search, they simply make an overall assessment.
Ensure your hardware is capable in Media tab
Upgrade with Topaz’ Hyperion → encode with SVT-AV1
VDP-2 integration
New ICtCp Metric (color metric)
Yes
.chr Script Files : One-click encode recipes, batch processing, aso … 
From any CLI : 
Found the perfect settings for anime upscales ?
Self-documenting API 
The API is the documentation, designed to be dead simple.
You don’t even need to learn it : any LLM understands it instantly. Just describe what you want at your skill level, the AI translates it.
Security : Process isolation & hardening 
Loaded exclusively in ChrMonitor.exe, NEVER in the main process
Zero third-party DLLs in its address space
One file to distribute
6 quality metrics, all in one pass !
Aspect ratio intelligence
Smart matching algorithm identifies standard cinema and broadcast ratios automatically, or suggests the closest known format when no exact match exists.
What’s next
Batch calibration — the 
Edit : Sorry if I’m cluttering your folder with CSV or statistics files, it’s for future AI training. You can delete them without any problem or send them to my inbox 
