vdub2rtfx V7

VDUB2RTFX V7 Provides a virtualdub filter interface for Liquid 7  and Pinnacle Studio - new implementation with enhanced functionality, easy installation and preview support!!   Installationsdatei:   Date   vdub2rtfx.fex V7.1.4 15.10.2006 7.1.4 Error in EZ_logoaway corrected 7.1.3 compatibility with 7.1 SP1 compatibility with Edition 6.1 limited test with Studio X - demo better compatibility with Deshaker and Spotremover virtualdub preview support creation of EZ_ plugins, integrating into the Studio / Liquid User Interface and allowing keyframing the effect

Functionality:

Integration of VirtualDub-Filters into Studio and Liquid.

Virtualdub is freeware and is often used and referenced. It has a filter-interface for which a lot of very interesting filters are written. With the VDub2RTFX-Plugin for Studio and AVID Liquid it is now possible to use most of the virtualdub-filters in these programs.
Information about VirtualDub can be found on www.virtualdub.org
You can find a list of most of the available filters for virtualdub in the the Virtualdub-Filter-List

VDub2RTFX allows the use of most of the available virtualdub-filters in Liquid and Studio. The development of the vdub2rtfx plugin started in the begining of 2004 with a simple version that allowed the integration of the MSU-Oldcinema-filter into Studio 9 and Pinnacle Edition 5.5.

The new version 7.0 provides now nearly full virtualdub compatibility including the virtualdub preview. The vdub2rtfx-plugin provides every filter a complete virtualdub environment per clip on the timeline. This allows the usage of several filters with different parameters on the same timeline. (A functionality that virtualdub is not providing). Furthermore with the “EZ-Userinterface” (Easy-Userinterface) it is possible to use many Virtualdub-filters with the Stdui/Liquid userinterface, fully integrating into the Studio/Liquid effects environment and supporting of keyframes.

New functionality:

• easy installation of virtualdub filters in Liquid 7.1, Liquid 6.1 and Studio X
• only copy the file vdub2rtfx.fex and the virtualdub-filters into the same directory.
  No fiddeling with xml-files etc, they will be created automatically.
• support of virtualdub preview functionality, preview of effect possible if the filters supports this function
• preview via external devices (i.e. firewire) possible
• support for “neatvideo-plugin” (see www.neatvideo.com)
• improved comnpatibility with deshaker and Spotremover effects, parameters are now saved correctly for every clip individualy

Installation

• download vdub2rtfx_b65.fex - rename it to vdub2rtfx.fex
• Locate the RTFX-plugin directory (i.e. <program_directory>\plugins\RTFX )
• create a new subdirectory in this RTFX-plugin directory, i.e. “virtualdubFX”
• copy the file vdub2rtfx.fex into this directory
• copy the virtualdub-filters you would like to use into the same directory - you will find a list of virtualdub filters in the vdub-filterlist
   
• 
  
  Thats’s it
  
• start the application
• You will find a new rack named “virtualdubFX” in the FX-library
• In this rack you will find all virtualdub-filter and a special effect “*VDUBControl”

Installation of Virtualdub Filter

Download the virtualdub-filter you want to use (maybe you have to unpack the zip.file).

Copy all files into the folder where you installed the file “vdub2rtfx.fex”.

In Edition 6.1 you are done. After restarting Edition 6.1 the new virtualdub filter will show up in the Rack “virtualdubFX”.

In AL7.1 unfortuantely the way effects are handled, changed to reduce the loading time. Filters are now only registered when they are new. It is not possible for an existing RTFX-effect to register addtional effects later. This makes it impossible for the vdub2rtfx-plugin to register new virtualdub-filter.

But there is a workaround: After copying the virtualdub-filter into the virtualdubFX-folder, delete the vdub2rtf.xml-file and rename the vdub2rtfx.fex-file to i.e. vdub2rtfx1.fex or what ever you want. The renamed file will be see by AL7 as a new effect and all virtualdub-filter located in this folder will be registered.

I am sorry for this inconvenience but I do not see another solution yet.

Liquid 7 has problems when too many effects are installed. Install the effects you realy need only.

If you update from a previous version of virtualdub please uninstall this version. If you have already used a vdub2rtfx version 6.x please delete all .xml-files from the virtualdubFX directory before starting Liquid.

Compatibility with Edition 6.1

The plugin is working correctly in Edition 6.1 - crashes in Blue 6.1 are reported, but I donot know why.

The only limitation is that the preview of virtualdub-filters is not working corrctly. The sample image Edion 6.1 is delivering to the plugin has a wrong color mode. Unfortunately I cannot change this easily.

Compatibility with Studio X

As I do not own Studio X, I tested the plugin with the Studio X demo. The plugin works correctly. Only the NeatVideo-Virtualdub-filter is crashing. I could not find the cause yet.

Preview (AL 7.1 and Studio X)

vdub2rtfx supports now the virtualdub preview functionality. Filters that support this functionality have a preview button. Press this button and a preview window opens. In this window you will see a preview of the effect. You can browse through the clip by using the buttons below the preview window and the slider.

Unfortunately Liquid provides a wrong information about the duration of a clip so the maximal length is set to appr. 20 seconds. If you go beyond the real limits of your clip you will see only a dummy image.

The preview is also shown on external devices like the firewire output (Only AL7.1 and Edition 6.1). The BoB may work too.

More information to come ...

Buttons (from left to right):

• jump to start of clip
• 1 frame back
• 1 frame forward
• jump to end of clip
• 25 frames back
• 25 frame forward

Neat Video

In AL7.1 the noise filter Neatvideo can be used with the new vdub2rtfx-plugin.

Deshaker

The deshaker effect (deshaker_v2.0.zip) can now be used with vdub2rtfx without restriction. All parameters are saved now in the Liquid or Studio 10 Project individualy per clip.

Set parameters to video standard you are using (i.e. for DV-PAL: “Standard PAL (1.094”). Video type is “Interlace upper field first”.

The log file can be selected individualy. If you want to use deshaker on several clips, use a different filename per clip. Otherwise you will overwrite results from other clips. It is possible to use one clip and “append to file”, but it is not recommended, as this file can become very big.

Let pass 1 render.

After rendering, open the editor again and select “pass 2”. Let pass 2 render. Finished.

As the filter is slow, it is possible to render all clips in one run.

SpotRemover

Since version 6.5 it is possible to use the Spotremover-effect spotremover.zip, For details see website http://konstant.freeshell.org

Special Configuration Information

(With vdub2rtfx 6.5 this should  be needed only in speciual cases)

Liquid 7 has problems when too many effects are installed. Install the effects you realy need only.

You can use most of the virtualdub-filters the same way you are using RTFX-effects, but some filters need special care.

Vdub2rtfx knows 3 compatibility types for the virtualdub filters:

1. full RTFX compatible, you can use this filter like the other filters. (This is the standard type when adding a new virtualdub filter)
2. partly compatible, few virtualdub filters do not support the virtualdub “Jobcontrol” and the parameter changes do not show any change. In this mode the full filter_data table is saved. This mode is very inefficient and can cause other trouble up to crashes. Use it only if realy necessary.
    
3. No preview. Some virtualdub filters have problems when rendering is runing in the background and at the same time the filter is used for creating a realtime preview. Candidates are Deshaker, Spotremover and Neat Video. For these 3 plugins the realtime preview is switched off to avoid problems. If a filter causes problems while scrubbing through the timeline, avoid scrubbing or use thismode.

You can change the compatibility type for a specific virtualdub-filter by using the special effect “*VDUBControl”.
This procedure is necessary when the filter creates problems. i.e. is crashing AL7 or if it is specified on these pages that the filter needs a special type, i.e. the “Deshaker”-filter can only run as type 3, otherwise it may crash AL7.

• add “*VDUBControl” to a clip
• add the virtualdub-filter to the clip
• Looking at the FX-properties shows following window
   
• 
  
• Edit *VDUBControl
  
  
  
• Set the compatibility type to the type you want to have for the following firtualdub-filter
• close *VDubControl
• edit the virtualdub-filter
• if everything is alright and the filter is working as you expect you can make the type change permanent
• edit *VDUBControl again
• select “SaveXML”
  
  
  
• close *VDubControl
• a new XML-file will be generated for the virtualdub-filter specifying the new compatibility type
• delete *VDubControl from the Clip
• from now on you can use the virtualdub filter like the other filters - it will always run in the saved compatibility type

The parameter preview correction has to be set for some virtualdub-filters that have problems with the AL7 RT-preview functionality. These filters create a distorted preview.By setting the preview-correction parameter in *VdubControl for this filter this problem is corrected. You can make this change permanent by following the “Save-XML” procedure.