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What tools are available for this?  What are their relative merits / costs (in all senses)?

• First I tried Boris RED but encountered issues.
• Next I investigated AviSynth, discovering two approaches:
  • MSU’s Frame-Rate Convertor (FRC)
  • MVTools2-based scripts; the latter was the more complex but for me it worked best.
• Next I looked at MotionPerfect, which I purchased years ago from Dynapel back in Standard Definition days.
  • Nowadays sold by Gooder Video
    • They sell version 4.3.1
    • I have version 4.3.0
    • I updated it to 4.3.1
      • That shows a different icon/logo to the Dynapel version of that same product.
      • It works the same as far as I can see.
• Another day(s):
  • Boris RED (4 & 5) via NLEs
    • Adobe
    • Avid
    • VegasAfter Effect
  • Kronos ??
  • Twixtor ??.
    • Some people claim this is the fastest motion-estimation-based method.
  • Avid ???
    • e.g. locate the (years-old) Avid velocity / warp envelope demo featuring a surfer ???

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Boris RED 5.0.6: Retiming & Velocity experiments continued.

A new day, restarted the Boris RED 5 (Engine), started a fresh project, altered many settings.

No success.  Always the same issue: if frame-interpolation happens, due to pseudo-increased framerate or pseudo-slomo, then exported frames are in the wrong order.  Only if neither framerate increased nor velocity reduced does it look correct.

I give up until a fix or workaround appears…

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Keyframes: Stretching or Constant (Option)

• http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/15/858761
  • With “Keep Keyframe time” enabled, the effect timing remains the same if you change the length of the effect.
  • Disable this function to stretch the keyframes to fit the new effect length.

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Velocity Remapping/ReTiming by Motion Estimation (”Optical Flow”) in Boris RED

Questions (as for any such app / method):

• Can it do it?
• How easily?
• How robustly / flakily?
• Quality of Result?
• Productivity e.g. processing time in relation to real-time?

Answers:

• Yes it can in principle do it, via the BCC Optical Flow filter
  • (as opposed to the BCC Velocity Remap filter, which just blends frames).
    • e.g. http://borisfx.cachefly.net/borisfx/Documentation/BCC6AE/BCC%20Velocity%20Remap.pdf
• However when I tried it I encountered some practical difficulties:
  • Boris RED 4 succeeds in exporting broadly the expected result (e.g. to AVI-VFW-Cineform) but that result has a slight blemish in the form of flickering, as if (possibly) original frames are slightly brighter than derived frames.
  • Boris RED 5 fails to export the result in a usable form.
    • I tried various containers and codecs.
  • I have reported these and other issues, to Boris FX (via their Support Form).
• For my situation, until these issues are addressed, the question of “Productivity” is academic.

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I phoned Avid for advice re Media Composer 6:

• Unlike (immediately) previous versions of MC, BCC is no longer included - it can be purchased separately (from Boris).
  • Avid Forum discussion on this is at http://community.avid.com/forums/p/102328/590456.aspx
  • I see BCC 8 has just been released by Boris, but it seems only to be for After Effects.
• If I upgrade my Dongle to MC version 6 then it will still activate my existing MC5.5 ?
  • {This is important to me since, as of now (December 2011), unlike MC5.5, MC6’s AMA does not yet recognize XDCAM-EX footage.  I understand that it is planned for early 2012.}
    • {Later on I discovered that Sony in fact have made AMA plugins available for MC 6.0.  I installed them (on my Mac) and they worked.  The site, indicated by http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=394827, is http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.downloads.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcam-downloads-XDCAMSoftwareDownload.shtml#apps.
  • Answer: YES (the upgraded dongle is backwards-compatible)
    • Phoned Avid.
    • Douglas “Gaijin-Eyes” also confirmed he has been able to do this.

I just migrated my existing copy of Boris RED 4.3.3 from an old laptop to MacBook>BootCamp>Windows7.  It involved:

• Establishing with Boris that I had previously purchased it.
  • Initially an issue, I had to dig out an email invoice from 2009.  Hooray to GoogleMail for keeping everything (unlike *** HotMail which deleted my emails when I hadn’t used it for a month)
• Installing a trial download of RED 4.3.3 (from a couple of years ago) and running it, to get the Product ID code.
• Boris sending me another code.
• Entering the code, to take the application out of Trial mode.
• Rebooting the application (otherwise its Preview still had an “X” across it)
• Generating library browser thumbnails
  • Took getting on for half an hour…
  • Various effects complained of missing expected fonts on my system, as follows, and stated they would use the default system font instead.  Not sure which effects they were, but maybe the data display like pie charts etc. (?)
    • Lucida Grande
    • Adobe Caslon Bold
• It remains to be seen whether it will work in the same Windows 7 but in a Parallels virtual machine.  Not that it would be very sensible to attempt this, but just for curiosity and to know what options I have.

• http://community.avid.com/forums/p/83962/471997.aspx (Posts of May 2011)
  • Douglas
    • The (free) upgrades apply only to BCC AVX bought from Boris (or a Boris dealer) at the regular price.
    • For an upgrade from BCC 6 to BCC 7 via Avid, you will have to wait until it is included in a future Productivity Pack and then buy the new pack.  Still a lot cheaper than via Boris as it also would probably include any newer versions of Squeeze etc.  The only thing you need now is patience.
  • Dean
    • I asked them about the BCC7 upgrade and they confirmed that bundled products are not eligiable.
• http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/news/story/boris_continuum_complete_7_avx_now_available/ (Article of August 2010)
  • Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, today announced that Boris Continuum Complete 7 AVX (BCC 7 AVX) is now available. BCC 7 AVX brings over 200 filters to Avid Media Composer and Avid Symphony. The new release features lens blur effects, a video noise reduction tool, a new OpenGL particle engine, and new on-screen overlay control widgets for streamlined workflow.
  • Boris Continuum Complete 7 AVX is available immediately through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct through the Boris FX web site at http://www.borisfx.com for an MSRP of $1,995 USD. Owners of previous versions of BCC AVX may upgrade for an MSRP of $599 USD.
    • {Prices may have changed since then}
• http://www.motionmedia.com/Boris-Continuum-Complete-7-AVX-for-Avid-Media-Comp-p/borccavxmcs-dvd.htm (as of this post)
  • Boris Continuum Complete 7 AVX for Avid Media Comp Our Price: $1,895.00

BorisFX’s BCC can be used as plug-in to various NLE’s, where it can be used for motion-tracking (among other things).

• From Sony Vegas 10
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvQ_s5EEOZQ
    • BCC 7 with Vegas 10.
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNciAPlwb0k
    • In this video you will learn how to properly motion track in Sony Vegas Pro 10 with the third-party compositing mode plug-in called Match Move available here:
      • Boris FX Continuum Complete (Get the free trial or buy it):
        • http://www.borisfx.com/sony/bccsvp/
    • Remember Sony Vegas Pro 10 is not made for motion tracking. Try using after effects
• From Avid Media Composer
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-V_tdjw2Mw
    • Most Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) filters include a built-in motion tracker which can be used to control the position of the PixelChooser mask or matte or to position the light source of a Light effect. For example, you can attach a light to a moving object in one easy step. In addition, BCC includes powerful, specialized filters that allow you to recover motion data from a clip and then use the data to apply effects. For example, BCC Witness Protection allows you to track a person’s face and apply a mosaic effect to obscure it; BCC Match Move locks the movement of one image clip to another image clip; and BCC Corner Pin allows you to map media to a specific area on a moving object in a media file.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNciAPlwb0k

•  Using BorisFX’s BCC Match Move.  Plugin to Vegas