Hey everyone, I’m Al Caudullo and I’m back to show you another way to increase your profit from your video content.
There is one problem that we haven’t talked about.
And that problem is change.
From SD to HD to 4K and beyond. Even if you stay on the bleeding edge of technology, the content created a few years ago has lost some of its value.
You may have a fantastic shot of a once-in-a-lifetime event, but if it’s HD the client wants 4K, you could lose the deal!
As an independent video creator and storyteller, I have been lucky to produce numerous pieces of content that I continue to license worldwide.
During the heyday of 3D, I produced and created over 24 3D TV shows licensed for distribution worldwide. All of them were shot in HD.
But now, HD is outdated, old school, in short, not sellable.
4K is now the flavor of the day. It is the format that todays’ TV demands.
I have tried various ways to upscale my content, and no matter whether I used software or hardware solutions, the best I could hope for was creating somewhat satisfactory small clips in 4K.
But a recent development has changed all that.
It all started with AI or Artificial Intelligence.
To be more concise, the blending of software, hardware, and artificial intelligence.
I found Topaz Labs Video Enhance AI software.
In my next video, I will take you through using Topaz Labs Video Enhance AI to help you to earn more from your content library.
Topaz Labs Video Enhance AI.
Before we get started, this is my affiliate link, and I will make a small commission if you use it. If you appreciate my posts, then please consider using the link to purchase. It doesn’t cost you more, but it certainly helps me.
https://topazlabs.com/ref/1065/
Topaz Video Enhance AI is a video restoration software developed by Topaz Labs. It was first released in March 2020, and currently, version 2 is the latest. The software can improve video quality in standard definition videos and upscale them. Video Enhance AI is available on Windows and Mac and requires a GPU.
You might say that I’m a little late to the party since the software came out in 2020, but I say that I discovered it at just the right time.
It has been hailed as Video Voodoo, Awesome, along with many other superlatives.
I say it’s a moneymaker. I am currently working on all of that incredible HD footage that I’ve been sitting on and have been upscaling, denoising, and restoring these videos into stunningly beautiful, crisp, 4K sellable footage.
And now, with version v2.3, I can use the Chronos AI model which utilizes deep learning to increase video frame rate without any artifacts. Existing methods like frame blending and optical flow are decades old and produce inconsistent, unnatural, and sometimes downright awful results. Topaz Labs Video Enhance AI generates new frames that are often indistinguishable from frames captured in-camera.
This eliminates the usual judder that you would get with many other methods and presents you with a smooth, crisp video at 60 fps.
It also works fantastic with creating stuttering or motion artifacts. It looks natural and beats traditional time interpolation.
Here is what Topaz Labs says in its description. “Video Enhance AI uses information from multiple frames to achieve high-end results for video upscaling, denoising, deinterlacing, and restoration.
Improving the quality of videos is substantially more complex than photos because of motion-related issues like flickering, blockiness, and wavy artifacts. To solve this issue, Video Enhance AI looks at surrounding frames to improve resolution and reduce motion artifacts for natural results.”
That’s quite a set of tasks. How do they do it?
It all starts with three witches, a cauldron, some eye of newt, and some grasshopper toes…
No, no sorcerers spells and magic, this is all based on using artificial intelligence or AI. AI is a buzzword that has been thrown around with abandon lately but is all based on computing power and some nifty algorithms that analyze, measure, and respond.
In the case of upscaling, the software looks at gatherers’ details from multiple frames. You can upscale SD to HD or HD to 4K or 4K to 8K. In addition, it intelligently adds crispness and natural video details.
It’s unlike traditional upscalers that do little more than stretch the pixels making a general mess that is pretty much unusable.
If you just want to Denoise or remove unwanted grain and noise, Video Enhance AI does it better by using the same AI to analyze and fix. It minimizes flickering and other temporal artifacts caused by frame-by-frame denoising approaches.
Older videos shot with interlace settings are converted to progressive while preserving image definition with far less artifacts when compared to traditional deinterlacing.
The newest add-on to the software is AI Frame Rate Conversion. Take your 24 fps or 30 fps to 60 fps with new frames based on Machine Learning to “predict” the best intermediate frame to use to avoid the unnatural and often jittery look you get from Frame blending or optical flow.
This feature also does a magnificent job of creating smooth, more natural slow motion.
How fast it works is determined by the scalable architecture, so it will work as fast as your machine will allow. This avoids overtaxing your computer with strict standards that can often cause crashing.
But not everything is automatic. At first look, the appearance when you open the program is minimalistic.
The first step after opening is to go to File, then preferences. From that panel, you can see the available GPU & CPU and decide which you would like to use. It also gives you the option of using All GPUs, an experimental feature, if you have more than one. This step will significantly determine the speed of processing that the AI program will render.
In my case, using my Dell G7, I combined the power of my RTX 2060 & the Intel Graphics 630 GPUs. The next setting, Max VRAM Usage also governs the amount of GPU power to use from low to medium to high. You can explore the other options at another time.
Once that’s done, you can simply drag and drop the chosen file or files that you want to render. Topaz Video Enhance AI will make a suggestion based on the first scan of the file as to which of the seventeen (17) AI Models available. Each AI Model can be used for fixing the noise, compression, artifacts, interlaced, dehalo, moire that best pertain to your video.
You accept the suggestion or create a quad set of images and test four different AI Models to test and preview. At 100%, or upscale
Sizing can be set for primarily Denoising and Deblocking or upscale as much as 400% to as much as 8K resolution.
The final step couldn’t be easier. Once your decision is made on the AI Model, click Start Processing” and let the computer do the heavy lifting!
The software offers an ETA based on the input, output and just how much upscale or restoration that you choose. It will be displayed as how fast per frame of the processed file.
There is much more to the program that you can try for free by clicking this link.
At $299 for a buy it, you own it (not a subscription) it can more than pay for itself with only one small sale of older footage that you thought that you would never get any more cash out of.
I’ll have more ways for you to increase your profits as a video creator so please subscribe and keep watching.
What is 360 VR Video?
360 video is a video that is recorded in all directions at the same time with multiple cameras. The videos are stitched together either internally in the camera or externally using special software.
It then forms one spherical video that is controlled by the viewer, enabling them to look up, down, right or left at their discretion.
Is 360 Video Virtual Reality?
I want you to be the judge.
Recommended MicroSD Card for use with the Fusion 360 camera
How are you watching your 360 VR Video?
Are you watching on your PC?
Is it Facebook? YouTube? Veer.TV ?
Or better still, are you using your Samsung Galaxy Smartphone with your Samsung Gear VR Headset?
Or are you using another smartphone with a Google Cardboard? Google Daydream?
Leave a comment below. Let us know what you like or don’t like. If you have seen a 360 VR video that you think is awesome, tell us, and we will feature it.
What type of VR Headset do you own? Or do you watch with your computer? Smartphone?
Do you have a VR camera? Ricoh Theta S? Ion360? Samsung 360 gear? Insta360?
And if you are looking for 360 Video Production Services, contact Al Caudullo [email protected]
With 37 years of Media experience, we can Deliver More for You in 360 Video. Click here to see what our customers say about our work
Utilizing state of the art technology, Al Caudullo, and his team has been delivering award-winning compelling productions spanning the globe. Exotic destinations blended with unique cultural experiences give viewers an experience like no other.
From vibrant American cities like San Francisco and Las Vegas to the isolated mountains of Mongolia. From ancient civilizations of Cambodia and Myanmar to the lush resorts of Southeast Asia and beyond. All from the comfort of your living room.
