Is it possible to use the new models in 2.4 in version 2.3, like Proteus v2?
I want to use the command line as part of my workflow and do not want to lose this. I keep testing on 2.3 until this feature is re-added to Topaz. But I would like to test the new models if this is possible?
Thanks
be part of the beta team if you want to help. being part of the beta allow to have installed at the same time the released one and the beta one. just run 2.3 on your computer and have the last beta of 2.4.0 installed if by chance the exe is still available.
Copied from upthread:
So, to get Proteus v2 in 2.3.0, open the following file in Notepad:
C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Topaz Labs LLC\Video Enhance AI\models\proteus-b-1.json
Then change line 3, from:
"version": "1",
To:
"version": "2",
Then to properly use the updated proteus auto model, you need to change line 110 from:
"autoModelKey": "prap-1",
to:
"autoModelKey": "prap-2",
Then save the file as a new file, proteus-b-2.json . (Be careful not to overwrite proteus-b-1.json .)
Do the same thing with proteus-auto-1.json .
Thank you! Sorry, I missed it if it was already explained.
@marty Iām on macOS and actually I do have both installed at once - I just told the installer to put 2.4 in a separate folder. That seems to work OK, I can launch either 2.3 or 2.4. However I donāt really want to use 2.4 yet because of the lack of command line, so Iāll just stick with 2.3 for now. Hopefully with the 2.4 models added as per vicās instructions.
right, sorry, missed the command line request ! hopefully, Vicullum8 gave you the right solution 
!
Message for Mr Bishop or any other devs, iām actually trying the Windows 11 last Iso insider release as main system (not in a VM), didnāt had any issue so far with anything I tried except 2 things (one is related to Magix vegas pro) i think, certainly software related.
just in caseā¦ the bug that was present in the 2.4.0 beta where the login was not keep after closing VEAI is back under this ābetaā system, and using the 2.4.0 release. just saying , not a big issue, i understand it can be related to W11 but in caseā¦ as the system is out soon for Oem machine.
all the best !
Hi all
Iām still testing with Topaz and just realised I have a pretty major problem - the timecode of my source clips is not read or preserved! I tested both 2.3 and 2.4, and I have āexperimental timecodeā turned on.
With timecode turned on, in the app it shows all clips starting at 00:00:00:00.
This is going to make it impossible for me to conform the files written by Topaz back into my Resolve timelines.
Is this a known problem? I have tested two source input codecs: DNxHR and ProRes 422 HQ.
If I run ffprobe on the input files I am testing with Topaz, it clearly shows the timecode can be read by FFMpeg:
$ ffprobe testTopaz.mov
ffprobe version 4.4 Copyright (c) 2007-2021 the FFmpeg developers
built with Apple clang version 12.0.5 (clang-1205.0.22.9)
configuration: --prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/ffmpeg/4.4_2 --enable-shared --enable-pthreads --enable-version3 --cc=clang --host-cflags= --host-ldflags= --enable-ffplay --enable-gnutls --enable-gpl --enable-libaom --enable-libbluray --enable-libdav1d --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopus --enable-librav1e --enable-librubberband --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsrt --enable-libtesseract --enable-libtheora --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxml2 --enable-libxvid --enable-lzma --enable-libfontconfig --enable-libfreetype --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libspeex --enable-libsoxr --enable-libzmq --enable-libzimg --disable-libjack --disable-indev=jack --enable-avresample --enable-videotoolbox
libavutil 56. 70.100 / 56. 70.100
libavcodec 58.134.100 / 58.134.100
libavformat 58. 76.100 / 58. 76.100
libavdevice 58. 13.100 / 58. 13.100
libavfilter 7.110.100 / 7.110.100
libavresample 4. 0. 0 / 4. 0. 0
libswscale 5. 9.100 / 5. 9.100
libswresample 3. 9.100 / 3. 9.100
libpostproc 55. 9.100 / 55. 9.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'testTopaz.mov':
Metadata:
major_brand : qt
minor_version : 512
compatible_brands: qt
creation_time : 2021-08-24T15:52:40.000000Z
encoder : Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio
Duration: 00:00:28.57, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 114038 kb/s
Stream #0:0: Video: prores (HQ) (apch / 0x68637061), yuv422p10le(tv, bt709/bt709/unknown, progressive), 1280x720, 114037 kb/s, SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 15360 tbc (default)
Metadata:
creation_time : 2021-08-24T15:52:40.000000Z
handler_name : VideoHandler
vendor_id : appl
encoder : Apple ProRes 422 HQ
timecode : 00:15:36:23
Stream #0:1(eng): Data: none (tmcd / 0x64636D74), 0 kb/s
Metadata:
creation_time : 2021-08-24T15:52:40.000000Z
handler_name : TimeCodeHandler
timecode : 00:15:36:23
Unsupported codec with id 0 for input stream 1
Then this is ffprobe run on an output file produced by Topaz:
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'TestDNX00028103_1.50x_1920x1080_amq-12.mov':
Metadata:
major_brand : qt
minor_version : 512
compatible_brands: qt
encoder : Lavf58.20.100
Duration: 00:00:28.57, start: 0.033008, bitrate: 228859 kb/s
Stream #0:0(eng): Video: prores (HQ) (apch / 0x68637061), yuv422p10le(tv), 1920x1080, 228859 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 15360 tbc (default)
Metadata:
handler_name : VideoHandler
vendor_id : FFMP
No timecode at all!?
I donāt understand how this software can be usable in a professional context without preserving timecode. If I use it I will want to process several thousand clips and itās vital that I can reconform them onto my original timelines. But thatās going to be impossible without timecode.
Iām hoping thereās something Iām missing and this can be made to work?
āIām hoping thereās something Iām missing and this can be made to work?ā
well itās written experimental because itās a feature which is ā¦ in his experimental state iām afraidā¦ so unless this feature is not anymore in alpha/betaā¦ itās like the use of both Gpu , itās still experimental. but maybe someone else will come with a solution ;).
āI donāt understand how this software can be usable in a professional contextā
Nobody never told that it was made for a professional use. i donāt remember any such statement from topaz in regard of this.
Thanks for the fast reply. I understand that itās labelled experimental, but āexperimentalā to me implies āworks with some caveatsā, however right now it seems like it doesnāt work at all. May as well not be there. Thatās why I was hoping I was missing something, like it works with some input formats but not others or something like that.
Nobody never told that it was made for a professional use. i donāt remember any such statement from topaz in regard of this.
Thatāsā¦ technically true. But on the website it says:
This makes it more cost-effective, faster, and better integrated into your workflow than server-based upscaling.
ācost-effectiveā, ābetter-integrated into your workflowāā¦ these are terms you use for professional software. You donāt talk about integrated workflows and cost efficiency when selling software designed for your grandparents to edit their old VHS tapes 
Not to mention the price!
Anyway, I think I may have figured out a workaround. Itāll require more work on my part, but may be possible. Resolve has an option to output the source frame number on the rendered file. Itās meant for rendering to image sequences, but if you render a video file with it, the filename includes the frame number of the first frame. Eg in my last test: TestDNX00028103.mov - so the first frame of the source clip is 28,103.
I should be able to write a script that uses that number to work out the starting timecode (based on the FPS) and then writes it into the file using ffmpeg. So Iād run that script on batches of files rendered by Topaz, before importing them into Resolve and then conforming.
Iāll do some testing on that.
can we get more focus on faster renders which is the most important
Found another problem that means my script idea canāt work when rendering MOV out of Topaz:
The FPS is somehow being set wrong on ProRes exports from VEAI. This means even if I use a script to set the correct starting timecode, the resulting file shows up in Resolve as having the wrong number of frames. Itās one or two out. So it still wonāt conform.
Hereās ffprobe running on my input file:
Duration: 00:00:28.57, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 114038 kb/s
Stream #0:0: Video: prores (HQ) (apch / 0x68637061), yuv422p10le(tv, bt709/bt709/iec61966-2-1, progressive), 1280x720, 114037 kb/s, SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 15360 tbc (default)
And hereās ffprobe running on the ProRes output from Topaz:
Duration: 00:00:28.57, start: 0.033008, bitrate: 228593 kb/s
Stream #0:0(eng): Video: prores (HQ) (apch / 0x68637061), yuv422p10le(tv), 1920x1080, 228593 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 15360 tbc (default)
Hereās the part that is wrong: start: 0.033008
This happens on every render I do from Topaz using either āProRes 422 HQ (Fast)ā and āProRes 4444 XQ (Slow)ā outputs. It happens with every input file I tested, including an input image sequence, so it canāt be related to input file metadata. Tested input files: DNxHR MOV, ProRes 422 HQ MOV, TIF 8bit image sequence.
These tests were done in 2.4.0 on macOS. I set āShow Timecodeā to disabled, and I also disabled the Keep Audio option in case that might affect anything (though my test clips had no audio anyway.)
Looks like if I go ahead with Topaz Iāll have to render out in image sequence format. Of course this is going to use vastly more disk space.
PS. Another bug? Both the āProRes 422 HQā and āProRes 4444 XQā outputs in Topaz are producing 422 HQ files.
Quality is job 1 
Iāve been using the ProRes 422 HQ (Fast) output modes and it seems to mostly go okay unless the input file has variable framerate. When using Chronos though (and even when selecting Chronos once and later a different model) seems to completely mess with the duration of the file, a 1 minute file might end up 1 minute and 20 seconds if you ever selected Chronos in that session. Iām guessing it has to do with the slow motion variable or something.
Also worth noting is that Chronos seems to skip frames fairly often for me which ends up making the output look unsmooth which is kinda the opposite of what youād want with Chronos.
Either way it would be nice to have this type of stuff a lot more reliable or it makes it hard to use the raw audio without re-encoding and so forth.
I noticed this as well. 16 bit TIFF is currently the only way to get high bit depth 4:4:4 out of VEAI, which is extremely wasteful compared to ProRes 4444. I always have this internal debate in my mind whether to go with 8 bit PNG or 16 bit TIFF, and then whether itās going to fit within the disk space I have available, heh.
Also, not to sound like a broken record, but being able to chain models would save on processing time and disk space in general. A very common workflow for me is Gaia-HQ 100% to get crisp 4:4:4 chroma (Gaia is unbeaten at chroma upsampling) followed by one of the Artemis or Proteus models for the actual upscaling step.
Thanks very much for the details. Iāve never tried processing with Chronus but I think I clicked on it in the UI at one point. However I had definitely restarted (many times) since that happened.
To rule out any such problems I just did the following:
Then I opened the UI, dragged my ProRes 422 HQ 1280x720 30 FPS (no audio) sample, selected 1920x1080p output, no grain, no audio, ProRes 422 HQ output, and filled in the suggestion boxes until it recommended Artemis MQ. Then I processed that.
Result:
Duration: 00:00:28.57, start: 0.033008, bitrate: 228583 kb/s
Stream #0:0(eng): Video: prores (HQ) (apch / 0x68637061), yuv422p10le(tv), 1920x1080, 228584 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 15360 tbc (default)
Then I tested MP4 H264 output. Same thing.
Then I tested two more input files. Completely different source, different codecs (H264 MP4). And I got a very slightly different result:
Duration: 00:00:13.37, start: 0.033000, bitrate: 45243 kb/s
0.000008 closer to correct this time!
Sigh. So itās not related to Chronus it would appear. And I definitely donāt have variable frame rate encodes - especially given the problem happens even when I use an image file sequence as input, which of course has no frame rate at all.
So far as I can see, at least on macOS, Topaz simply always outputs video with a starting timecode of around 0.0033000 - 0.033008.
Maybe thereās some way I could script ffmpeg to fix the metadata, like I am hoping to add timecode. Iād need to investigate that. But when I tried, I couldnāt change the FPS without also reencoding the video.
Right now the only way I know I could use Topaz is to render out to file sequences. I have ~ 2 hours of 30 FPS footage (~ 216,000 frames) I would want to run through it, so thatās going to be a lot of disk space. Probably around 3 TB in fact. Though I guess I could write a script that monitors the output folders and encodes to a video format on the fly, deleting the image files as it goes. That should reduce the amount of free space thatās required at any given moment.
This is all quite frustrating. I was so impressed when I saw the picture from Topaz. But itās proving such a hassle to actually use it for a real project.
My software is not working, like i open and after some seconds it just crash. anyone help? i uninstall and install, but nothing works
maybe we could help if itās not VEAI related, but until then, i would suggest you to contact support and send them the logs when the crash happen. what does the windows even log tell when VEAI crash ? itās an error related to VEAI or you have some other errors not related ?
after i del all the temporary data, and all the saves that the windows do, the software works, i dont know why this error happen, but i will check after the next related, with this error happens again. thanks @Martyprod
After dropping 5 episodes of old anime for upscaling with Proteus, I noticed that after finishing first file, this version of VEAI stops responding (doesnāt crash). I think either it has to do with the number of files, their format (AVI container - XVID and MP3), or the fact that I had first, sometimes also second and third file previewed, then clicked āStart Processingā, but VEAI didnāt ask if I want to process just this one or all files, just began working. Thatās usually when it happens.
Where could I upload some episodes for you to test and logs?
I already reported this issue to the support, and it has been forwarded to the devs (well i hope .). some people already got this issue.
fortunatly it can be reproduced because this error and the crash of VEAI at the end of the 1st video is not written in the log, not even in the windows event log !
Meanwhile a new version or beta fix this issue, there is a way to have your episodes / files processed.
ā if you donāt see at the beginning a message asking if you want to process all the videos or only the one checked, just cancel the processing as soon as you can. restart it until the window appears (sometimes, yoāull have to uncheck the ācheck allā button.
if the window appears with the two questions, then you know that VEAI will work ok, and not crash !
