Download: Windows, Mac. Released August 13, 2020.
Major features
I don’t know why, but the installer does not ask me where to install this software. I even cancelled the first attempt thinking I might have missed the option but even on the second attempt it did not ask me where to install. This is quite unprofessional.
the 1.5.1 is a “hot fix”. they are releasing a lot of version actually, lot of beta, even an alpha now, and it’s really going in the right decision. i don’t think the “unprofessionnal” is the right word here. i’m pretty happy to see how it’s going actually, as this software is still the only one to do it, and make it available to all kind of customers. and bug and issue happens in all kind of software. I just upgraded to a well known video editor at an insane price and the ammount of bugs after 20 yeras of existence is crazy 
there are much more unprofessionnal thing i think that having a bug that i’m sure will be adressed soon 
(i didn’t had that issue while installing the 1.5.0 and the fix over it, maybe it’s happening only with the “hot fix”, try to instsall the 1.5.0 first and the fix after.
VEAI has not allowed to set your own install location from the beginning (on PC at least). There might be programming reasons for this, as all the other AI software do allow you to set an install location. I suspect professionalism has zero to do with this.
Edit: Chase has posted below that you set an install location on a system completely clean of VEAI.
It will ask for a directory location on a new install, with no uninstall info on the system, no VEAI directories, and no registry keys. I don’t believe the uninstaller removes the registry keys, or the directories under C:\Users. If you run the uninstaller, and go and make sure you manually remove the registry keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Video Enhance AI
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Video Enhance AI
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Topaz Labs LLC\Video Enhance AI
And user folders:
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Topaz Labs LLC\Video Enhance AI
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Topaz Labs LLC\Video Enhance AI (BETA)
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Topaz Labs LLC\Video Enhance AI
…then it should ask for a directory location when running the installer.
If there is still an uninstaller present even after running the uninstaller (due to a bug or glitch), you can remove the uninstall information from the registry using CCleaner (“slim installer”).
Ideally running the uninstaller should either remove the above directories and keys, or it should ask the user if those should be kept or removed.
On 1.5.1, the AI model descriptions on mouseover are wrong (out of order and mixed up). For example, Gaia-HQ seems to have the Gaia-CG description, Gaia-CG seems to have the Gaia-HQ description, not sure about the others.
Not that big a deal, but the user needs to be sure what AI model is actually selected (i.e., is the model being used the selected model name, or selected model description?).
A few suggested quality of life features in future releases:
Is it just me or the video codec has been changed when selecting the mp4 format? I usually can upscale 480 to 1080 using Gaia CG and it result in file size of about 1.70GB but today I re-upscaled the same file with the 1.5.1 and it resulted in a 9.11GB? it now reads Advanced Video Codec I assume this is H.264?
Same here.
Original: 640x368 1157kbps
1080p Upscale: 1920x1080 50,948kbps
ROTFLMAO
Perhaps a target bit rate setting would be nice. Perhaps with a suggested optimal bit rate for each resolution. I’d like to upscale whole series but a 45 min episode at 1080p should be in the 400-600mb range or 4-5kbps bit rate.
I gather a lower bit rate video would be a lot faster to process too.
I mean I’m all for it with the AVC rather than the old H.263 but a little warning would have been nice and also the bite rates are insane. Mine was 640x480 9753kbps and with the 1.4.2 I was at 1.70GB with the 1.5.1 I got 9.11GB lol that is an insane size even for a 22 min episode.
Yep avc1 is just a variant of the codec ID for h264.
I’d suggest HandBrake to squeeze it down in size if needed, using a Constant Quality Rate Factor in the range 20 - 15 (20 being heavier compression than 15).
Oh I appreciate the suggestion I actually did that using Hybrid because I like the Anime4k CPP filter in it. But I was just saying the change log for the 1.5.1 did not show the codec change nor it explained the huge file size difference.
I vote for H.264 or H.265 HEVC, with configurable bit rate, or QP!
I second that.
the output size of mp4 in 1.51 is too big , a 24 min animation need 6 gb seriously?
beside could you guys make a parameter for GCG model? we also a batter sharp or denosice for it
I have no issues so far with 6 GB for 25 minutes.
why it slow down when the screen going to sleep
In the middle of my first run with 1.5.1, but looking at save.json in AppData\Roaming\Topaz Labs LLC\Video Enhance AI it appears to using CRF 0.5
Fractional CRF is unusual, but I think it is allowed. CRF 0 in H.264 is uncompressed. Default is CRF 23
So 0.5 would be slightly compressed, and big files.
For those who aren’t familiar with ffmpeg, the following from a command line will reencode your video in h.265:
ffmpeg -i “input.mp4” -c:v libx265 “output.mp4”
You have ffmpeg, because it comes with VEAI. You would have to move it to your path, or to the folder where your video resides. Done simply as shown (and the quotation marks are only needed if there is a space in the file or path name) will use the H.265 CRF default of 28. If you want less compression use
ffmpeg -i “input.mp4” -c:v libx265 -crf 20 “output.mp4”
Lower numbers compress less, higher compress more. range is 0 to 50.
obviously put your own filenames in place of input and output.
CRF 0.5 is a bit much to say the least. CRF 16 would be fine for most. Preferably, it should be an exposed parameter to the user.
