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NeverarGreat

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Join date
11-Sep-2012
Last activity
7-Jul-2025
Posts
7,698

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Post
#780242
Topic
General Star Wars <strong>Random Thoughts</strong> Thread
Time

Movie trailers could be so much better.

For instance, in Star Wars, the opening crawl tells of the first victory by the Rebel Alliance, yet the film begins after this presumably exciting battle. What if the trailer for Star Wars was simply this battle, edited to around two minutes in length? The film would remain the same, except that it now has a cool deleted scene that adds to the story instead of ruining bits of it beforehand.

Post
#780172
Topic
Star Wars: Rogue One - * Non Spoiler Discussion Thread *
Time

darklordoftech said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

those airtubes which don't seem to serve any purpose

TIE Fighter pilots in the OOT also have airtubes.

The difference being that those airtubes are connected to an airtight spacesuit instead of to...the side of his face? Does he have little auxiliary mouths on either side of his main mouth for air? Is he an aquatic creature with gills? It could work I guess, it just seems kind of awkward.

Post
#780171
Topic
Star Wars GOUT in HD using super resolution algorithm (* unfinished project *)
Time

Turisu said:

Is anybody with the know-how interested in colour-correcting these? All that beautiful recovered detail with the awful GOUT colours seems like a crime.

Either Harmy's or TeamBlu's versions could be used as a reference as both have much improved colours.

Team Blu's '97 Special Edition preservation is also a good color source, and I would argue that it is the closest of the projects to the original coloration of the film from 77, albeit with somewhat muted colors. But pretty soon there may be a much more definitive color source in the screenshots Mike Verta is planning to release. So I'd say hold off on color correction for now, good things come to those who wait :)

Post
#778759
Topic
Neverar's A New Hope Technicolor Recreation <strong>(Final Version Released!)</strong>
Time

No, it shouldn't be applied to the intro crawl, as it desaturates highly saturated yellows. This LUT will make most scenes better, but of course it will have issues with any scene that is supposed to have a magenta push, such as the Binary Sunset. The end credits also shift ever so slightly green. I'd disable it in those three areas, but other than that, it should be good to go.

Post
#778747
Topic
Neverar's A New Hope Technicolor Recreation <strong>(Final Version Released!)</strong>
Time

The magenta push is gone, but the lights are still somewhat red. This is mostly fixed by correcting the luminance of the shot, which I have done separately throughout the film:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/133233

The boosted reds are also brought down somewhat, and the purple tint to the entire picture is brought to a warmer, more natural hue.

I'm correcting this film shot by shot, as there is sadly little consistency to the color problems. When I get to this one, I'll be reducing the saturation for sure.

Post
#778736
Topic
Star Wars Custom Blu Ray Saga Set (a WIP)
Time

If you're looking for a LUT to fix the Blu-ray (or the DVD for that matter) of Star Wars, here's one I just finished work on:

https://mega.co.nz/#!nU9DkRAB!ogmGQcqxeXD9mpdlMNVeLyAVkhOGd5QINHyPFhVsN-0
It fixes the blue shadows, magenta laser flashes, purplish skin tones, and greenish whites of the Blu-ray. It is also possible to reclaim the blown out highlights of the blu-ray as long as you make a .ts or .mkv file from the disc and it isn't re-encoded before bringing it into Premiere Pro for an RGB curves adjustment.
Post
#778734
Topic
Neverar's A New Hope Technicolor Recreation <strong>(Final Version Released!)</strong>
Time
https://mega.co.nz/#!nU9DkRAB!ogmGQcqxeXD9mpdlMNVeLyAVkhOGd5QINHyPFhVsN-0
Here's an updated LUT, which now retains as much of the shadow detail as possible. I've also slightly backed off the magentas in the green highlights, as well as a few other tweaks, but it's very similar to the previous one in most regards.
Post
#777190
Topic
Neverar's A New Hope Technicolor Recreation <strong>(Final Version Released!)</strong>
Time

Pulling up the shadows with Premiere Pro introduces a lot of ugly noise that's hanging out down there, so I've gotten the trial of AE to see if the noise reduction effect will work for the shadows, and it doesn't look very good. fine detail is obliterated with that effect. Perhaps some sort of Super resolution effect would work.

Purely hypothetically, if the original grain plate which was used for the Blu-ray was found, would it be possible to cancel out the grain?

Post
#775642
Topic
Neverar's A New Hope Technicolor Recreation <strong>(Final Version Released!)</strong>
Time

Thanks! Yeah, the shadows are trouble. I experimented with pulling up the black level, but that caused more problems than it solved, and the convolution kernel idea simply increased blurriness. Despecialized 2.1 (the version I have for reference) seems to have gotten a bit more detail in the shadows than I've been able to do, how did you manage that? When I view the superblacks in speedgrade I see a bunch of information down there just like in the superwhites, but I'm at a loss as to how to bring this back up.

Thoughts?

Post
#775626
Topic
Star Wars GOUT in HD using super resolution algorithm (* unfinished project *)
Time

Brooks said:

I just saw this thread today, I haven't had a chance to read the previous 30 pages yet.  Is this something that can be applied to still photos in photoshop?  I looked at your samples and I'm intrigued.  I have a ton of old negatives that I've scanned and I'm curious if this technique will work.  Keep up the great work!  -Brooks

As I understand it, this technique works by combining detail from surrounding frames, so no, not really.

Post
#775582
Topic
Neverar's A New Hope Technicolor Recreation <strong>(Final Version Released!)</strong>
Time

Hello again after...(checks calendar)...7 months!

There's been progress, unfortunately not too much. I'm halfway through the film, but I'm continually learning and making improvements to my technique along the way. On that note, I have taken advantage of the 30 day trial of Adobe Speedgrade and made a LUT! It has about a dozen secondary color adjustments within it, fixing most of the global problems with the blu-ray in a single convenient package. I use the Luther.LUT with a curves adjustment before and after it in Premiere Pro. The first curves adjustment brings the highlights in the Superwhites down to legal levels, then the LUT is applied and then the final adjustment brings the highlights back up to proper levels. The good news is that there's more highlight information than I originally thought, and it's easily accessible with the curves adjustment. Here's the LUT file for those of you who want to experiment:

https://mega.nz/#!ndMg1Q4S!ro5BIbfxhJMyrjcMTGzHrD0ZYT8PmhvBlTPPJf-3XvQ

And some comparisons showing it in action with the curves adjustment:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/130898/picture:0

One of the issues in the Blu-ray is that some of the mid-highlights are shifted green, whereas other areas in this region are shifted red. I've done my best to normalize these shifts which are clearly visible in the Tantive corridors. The oversaturated magentas are now within manageable levels, and the red lights in the last comparison which were blown out have been brought down a bit throughout the film.

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/130901/picture:0

Here you can see the color shifts in the highlights, specifically in the stormtrooper helmet vs body and in the lights beside the door, which have been normalized and brought back down to legal limits. In the next comparison, the blues which had been boosted in the Blu-ray have been brought back down, and finally the oversaturation in the greens of the final shot has been dealt with somewhat.

I'm definitely using this LUT going forward, and perhaps even going backward to apply it to some of the first reel.

So again, sorry about the apparent lack of progress, but there's a whole lot going on right now behind the scenes, mostly work correcting the HUNDREDS of places in the Blu-ray where colors are simply gone and I need to pull color information from other sources entirely.

The work continues!

Post
#775563
Topic
Star Wars GOUT in HD using super resolution algorithm (* unfinished project *)
Time

Based on what I've seen, the Blu-ray is at least free from warping and has good aspect ratio. Compared to Team Blu's '97 edition, the blu-ray, and other 35mm frames (which pretty much agree with each other), the GOUT is the odd man out in terms of image warping, although it is a pretty good match in terms of cropping. It has a very unusual warping pattern that very tricky to reconcile with the blu-ray (believe me, I've tried), so you would need some advanced distortion controls to fix it. If that could be fixed however, that would make it the go-to version for me at least ;)

Post
#773451
Topic
Force sensitivity: Can it be &quot;acquired&quot;?
Time

I'm in the camp of thinking that anyone in the Star Wars universe can have power in the Force, but there are different way in which it can be gained. The Jedi can gain power in the force through their Yogic practices and the Sith can gain it quickly through these same practices plus an aggressive mindset. In my personal view, nobody is born with ability in the Force. Aside from being a pretty good pilot, Luke had no special Force abilities until Ben began training him, and Leia didn't have them until Luke suggested the possibility. Genetics may predispose someone to being more suggestive to the Jedi's training regimen, but that is about where genetics ends for me in being the basis for Force sensitivity.

I believe that some people in the Star Wars universe (Rebels) see the Force as a sort of sentience, a Godlike power if you will, that people can gain by fighting for a just cause, which is why the rebel commanders will say 'may the Force be with you'. Whether or not that aspect of the Force actually exists in this universe is up for interpretation.

Post
#773323
Topic
The Philosophy Thread - Where Serious Questions &quot;May&quot; Be Discussed
Time

Post Praetorian said:

So here is a philosophical consideration to be shared...if one were to determine that one's existence in the world were actually a detriment to one's own entourage, while equally considering that one's absence might pose a different problem of similar magnitude is it more noble to stay the course or abandon ship...?

For example, if one were to discover that one was an insatiable gambler whose persistent existence could only ruin normal familial stability, while at the same time recognize that one's absence would allow for one's newborn child to grow up without a close paternal figure is it preferable to cede to the demands of the present or to linger still further to accomplish the goals of a future tense?

To clarify, in the above scenario there can be no realistic thought of a cure for the disease in question and no real doubt as to the eventual discord with which the child might grow to view the one who lingered on seemingly for his/her sole benefit...thus given that both paths end in pain is it best to cut it to the quick so that it might be swiftly done, but be long in duration; or is it preferable to allow this given harm to fester, however allowing that any eventual parting might be considered more of a final blessing than a curse...?

Having known an insatiable gambler who left his children behind with a premeditated exit from this world, I'd say that it would be better to linger, for the other option is an admission to the world that the sufferer felt completely trapped , worthless, and powerless to change his situation. Whether or not the world truly is deterministic, or whether or not he could better himself in time, seems to be beside the point. It's belief in oneself that is important, the belief that one is essentially good and has the humility to recognize that they can't know the outcome of every situation, no matter how hopeless it seems. Acting to cut life short, or to artificially prolong it beyond the will of the flesh itself, tends towards selfishness and hubris.