Topaz Video AI Beta v4.0.0.3.b

Topaz Video AI Video AI Beta
1

Hello everyone,

We have a new beta available for testing. This beta is the improved AB comparison update!

The beta overhauls how you typically interact with Topaz Video AI. Instead of the typical input, output view that you are used to, now, you will have two views that models can be applied to. With these views you can build and compare different combinations of models to find out which model configuration works best for your original input. You can see more information on how to use this beta below!

4.0.0.3.b

Changelog from 4.0.0.2.b

  • Replaces “favorites” section with “previews”. Any time a preview is created with new filter options, it will be added to this list. Different from TVAI 3, previews are grouped together by their filter options and shown on the timeline together.
  • New user interface
  • Re-enables split view mode.
  • Player will now pause after seeking.
  • Further improvements for player performance and behavior.
  • Fixed frame interpolation playback in the new preview.

Information about the beta

The main goal of the change is to allow you to make the best decision about what model configurations to use. To accomplish this, we think it’s best for the user to be able to apply different models and see the results side by side.

For example, you can apply Proteus to your A view and Artemis to the B view to see which one has the result you prefer. At any time, you can revert to the original input to compare with the original. This is different from before where you must apply one model configuration at a time and always be comparing to the original.

Details about how to use
The first difference is you must select which view to focus. If you click the left view, A will be highlighted. If you select the right view, B will be highlighted.

When you have a view highlighted, the models/filters you add to the view will be specific for that view. So if you want to see how “Recover Original Detail” works you could give view A & B Enhancement, then give them different “Recover Original Detail” values.

When you have made the changes to the filters you want to see, you can click “Process Next 
” to see these two different combinations of filters applied to the input.

When you do this, a progress bar will be applied to the timeline. This is the area of the video where you chose to see the filters be applied. You can watch this section to see how the input has changed. At any time, you may right click a view and click “Reset to Original.”

When you have a combination of filters that you really like (lets assume it’s the filters applied in view A) you may click the A view and click export.

We think this is the best way to be able to find the best mix of models to get the best results possible. Let us know what you think about the new previewing workflow established with this beta.

11 Likes
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In the Exports when I select 
 Close Video, nothing happens. Same behaviour as in the 4.0.0.2.b version. Also I can not find the “use (or use not) the temp folder” option anymore. Video AI seems to keep all old temp folders still instead of deleting them to save disk space? The old temp folders often remain even if I make a full deinstall of Video AI and fresh install a new version!

1 Like
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In the “single” preview mode, there doesn’t appear to be an option to pick “View 1” to adjust it’s settings.

When processing a preview, there is no: FPS, time completed, time spent process, etc.

Once again, things like performance is important for figuring out which model you want to use.

In the “Previews” section at the bottom of the app, I clicked on the three dots and the only option is “Close All”. There’s not “Show in Explorer”, “ffmpeg command”, etc options.

The “Close All” button in the previews section at the bottom only seems to close the selected preview, not all the previews.

In the “Previews” section at the bottom, a bunch of useful information about the previews are missing (E.G. FPS, whether or not they completed, time to complete, etc)

Cropping doesn’t work in the previews. All the previews are “full sized”.

Previews will play, once reaching the end it switches back to the original video and keeps playing. Ideally the preview should pause or loop.

Some times the indenting of “previews” is weird. Seems to happen if you have more than 2 previews.

Indented previews

Some times information in the previews section is just wrong. Not sure what causes it.

Wrong preview information

According to the screenshot above, the original video has Iris. It does not.

Preview don’t play back correctly if you generate multiple previews.

E.G.

  1. I put the playhead at the 20 second mark.
  2. I chose an enhancement pass (E.G. Nyx) and “process next 10 seconds”.
  3. After it has finished processing, I move the playhead to the 15 second mark, choose an enhancement pass (E.G. Gaia) and "process next 10 seconds.
  4. After it has finished processing, I watch back the preview. For the period 15-20, Gaia is played, for the period 20-30, Nyx is played.

Instead when I playback the preview, it should play the 15-25 mark in Gaia, then switch back to the original. Because according to the UI, I am previewing Gaia and nothing else.

You can’t make previews at the same start point as a previous preview.

  1. Create a preview at the 5 second mark.
  2. Adjust the settings and try to create a different preview at the 5 second mark. You can’t.

Video: https://youtu.be/M50HXT5DslI
Note: UI is extremely contrasty due to recording settings. Sorry.

Sometimes my model settings aren’t applied correctly. I don’t know what causes it.

Example of issue.

  1. Import a video. Both side 1 and 2 are original.
  2. Select Side 1, set to Iris.
  3. Select Side 2, set to Nyx.
  4. Press “Process videos”, both Side 1 and Side 2 are Nyx.

The “Only Keep One Preview” option breaks the side by side preview system. Because only one of the previews is actually generated.

In the “Input” section, you can click on the “Three dots” and it will have options for “Copy Settings” and “Paste Settings”. This will copy and paste the enhancement settings from the selected side. This doesn’t really make sense. This is the original video, it shouldn’t have enhancement settings.

Other issues?

5 Likes
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When the 4.0.0.2.b ended up with a red cross error I wanted to try again with the 4.0-0-3-b but this one is unable to process at all. Any attempt ends up with the red cross error immediately. This seems to be related to the “use all gpu” option turned on even if that worked before in the 4.0.0.2.b. Anyway even if it starts working with the 4090 alone it ends up with the red cross error after a very few minutes again.
logsForSupport.zip (488.8 KB)

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when are we expected to test the Nyx v2 that supposed to be released with v4?

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Good question. But I think there are more severe issues with those 4.0 versions than missing Nyx 2.

Especially the totally missing fps/spf remaining time indicator or at least some kind of percentage of the files progress is an absolute deal breaker.
Other issues are well described by @20rushtonj

P.S.: Iris still is abysmally slow on Apple Silicon (both V1 and V2), so on MacOS it’s absolutely not recommendable.

2 Likes
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I noticed one thing - is selecting this view
image
force-imposing a two-bars-preview (hence twice the time needed), despite me going back to one-screen preview?

When I seek with the mouse through the processed areas, where I made preview on just one bar (1st, despite showing me [2] window), VEAI will display unprocessed video, since ‘single-window’ view shows 2nd window, not the 1st. When both bars/windows have filled/processed video, the seek-preview will usually show the processed output in single-window view.

And I still don’t see any indications of speed, other, than bar-filling animation, nor I can see any activity with model downloading/processing. :slight_smile:

Edit: Oh, so in single-window preview, I can only see [2] window, since [1] should be the non-processed video view
 Then the VEAI 4’s ‘logic’ should also switch between single-view or comparison-view and display just one (blue) bar for the processing, to avoid confusion. :slight_smile:

Would it be possible to avoid re-processing the frames already processed, and having the seeking cursor/bar snap to the parts of the processed previews? And display time at the mouse’s position in the seek bar, while we’re at it
 :slight_smile:
At this position, preview is fine:

image
image1920×1009 100 KB


but just a moment later:

image
image1920×1030 94 KB


despite me running whole 30s of preview on top of the other one made just minutes ago (I wanted to test, if the previews would overlap).

With single-window preview, if I click-seek through the ‘previewed’ part, VEAI 4.0.0.3.b will fall back to the unprocessed view:

obraz
obraz1920×975 91 KB

At the moment, where unprocessed frame ‘meets’ processed one, VEAI will flash the small single frame, then just show unprocessed video while seeking with mouse. Playing will just show unprocessed video afterwards.

1 Like
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When I switch to a different processing mode or make adjustments to the current one rhe Process Next button often stays inactive not let me generate a new preview again unless I move the video slider far to a new part of the video! Also yes, I can select different modes for left and right window but in the left window will always be displayed the source material and on the right one the preview so that I can not compare two models side by side!

1 Like
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Iris speeds on macOS are not likely to change in the next few releases, the original change that caused the return of the slower processing speeds was made to avoid artifacting on certain M1 systems.

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Thanks for the info - although it’s not one I would have liked to hear.

So I‘ll have to stay with the 3.4.0.1.a where Iris simply flies :thinking:

What about providing the previous model without the speed-hampering fix as an optional additional download to those where it runs trouble free (e.g. M2 users)?

P.S.: Iris is artifacting in this 3.4.0.1.a on my M2 as well under Sonoma but there’s an easy fix: just start the app under Rosetta and the output is fine.

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Previews are still often not in sync with the source, so this whole A/B view thing makes no sense before this long known problem finally gets fixed


1 Like
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“Crop” function is gone! Why this?

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The crop function is still there. There’s a Crop button in the top right of the app that allows you to crop videos.

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Thank you, I found it and it works as usual. UI becomes more and more a challenge for leftbrainers :wink:

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Is this related to manual frame input being truncated to only 120 fps instead of say 190, or 240? As I no longer have the ability to input desired frame rates past 120.

Otherwise, I love the new interface, unfortunately I still have display issues with the previews.

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Same issue here!

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Like I said before, the new GUI is a MAJOR Step backward!
I can’t see a Time, how long it takes to Process the 2-Sec Preview!
I can’t play the Preview in a Loop like before!!!
What the heck is this? :rage:

4 Likes
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Impossible to export a movies with NIX or Artemis enhancement. VAIE write Error.
logsForSupport.zip (616.3 KB)