Neat video is awesome for the GH1!

K

Kellar42

Well-known member
Hey guys...

I had heard about Neat Video Noise Reduction plugin and done some reading about it, but except for one comment to the contrary, I got the impression it would do nothing for the fixed pattern noise we get on the GH1.

Nonetheless, I did a little extreme low-light testing the other night and decided to go ahead and pick up the Neat Video plugin.

I am amazed and thrilled by the results. It really knocks out the green and purple banding I was getting at extremely low exposures, as well as handily taking care of high-ISO noise.

Definitely worth the $100 bucks. I've only been using it for an hour, too, can't wait to keep experimenting.

I'm attaching two grabs, of a very dark moment, the before and after should be fairly obvious.

Also this video, which I just replaced with a few NEat Video filtered sequences. I didn't apply it everywhere, so there is still some noise around, and it doesn't kill all banding (it works best on the purple green lines, which were plaguing me), but we're are talking DARK here folks. Sorry no before and after: http://www.vimeo.com/8047536
 

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In these two stills it appears to have removed a significant amount of detail along with the unwanted artifacts. But certainly if the shots were unusable without the correction it might be a worthwhile tradeoff.

Have read good reviews on the Neat Video plug-in.
 
tflak said:
In these two stills it appears to have removed a significant amount of detail along with the unwanted artifacts. But certainly if the shots were unusable without the correction it might be a worthwhile tradeoff.

Have read good reviews on the Neat Video plug-in.
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It looked to me like it had softened the image quite allot, howevever if the detailing that I could see was false detailing then I guess that's acceptable.
 
I guess maybe these weren't the best stills to post. Yes it softens the image. In this case to remove horrible banding, I pushed it even farther than normal and the somewhat detailed shirt became kind of smooth. However, without direct comparison, especially with night shots, I don't think it will cause a problem on most shots...anywhere in the video that had white shirts had lots of green and purple lines, they look a lot better now.

I'm happy with it, anyhow. :D.
 
I've been using Neat Video for a bit and I know you should be able to tweak it without removing detail. In this case though it looks like you pushed it quite a bit.
 
yeah, neat video is a great utility, used it for the d90, but for the gh1, i dont' even see it even necessary unless it was badly shot on accident and just had to have that particular shot. otherwise, good tool, wouldn't bother using it with the gh1.
 
I think it could work great for any footage BTW. Tools are good, know when to use them, Neat has saved my life for noise in the past.
 
The point here was not so much normal noise but the nasty color banding (fixed pattern noise) that we are seeing mostly with the GH1 when underexposed, but also specifically on white shirts or walls. This really helps...
 
i get where you were going with that, but my comment was just being realistic. i wouldn't for a second depend on neat video to fix a shot for me. i get all the run'n'gunners here might. but for narrative or even documentary filmmaking, stick to properly exposed shots or else you'll be sorely disappointed when editing you see your footage.
 
Yea Keller42, carry a light kit around with you at all times.
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That sounds like good advice because that is the ways pros go about their shooting. No matter what you are shooting you need light. Nowadays with the LED portables lights there is no excuse not to be able to carry some with you at all times.
 
John Caballero said:
That sounds like good advice because that is the ways pros go about their shooting. No matter what you are shooting you need light. Nowadays with the LED portables lights there is no excuse not to be able to carry some with you at all times.
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Great! all you PRO's have fun with your little travel cam and light kits for run n' gun stuff. Excellent!
 
I'm starting to pick up a couple of the smaller LED lights and I agree that they are required for most things. And in the banding thread, I've said as much to several people complaining about banding.

The only trouble with the GH1 is that there are shots that would be acceptable where you want most of the frame dark but your subject has a white shirt on, and then the green and purple banding can get pretty intense. Neat video seems to help that. That's all.

I'm practicing, testing, disciplining myself for something more planned (and stable!) down in this neighborhood. I just thought I'd share something that helps a little, as often post processing things do more harm than good. Here is the night before last, over dinner and a stroll...you can see why I might not have had a light kit (or a tripod with me) http://www.vimeo.com/8113529

With all that, I'm not a huge fan of these internet test videos and wish to quickly graduate to something else...
 
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