John,
I'm continuing to experiment with applying Paint Synthesizer presets to video files. Unlike the IOp's, most factory PSC presets produce a great deal of flicker and jitter when used to process video. I reasoned that this flicker could be reduced by selecting presets that generate the same output every time they are applied to the same image. Most video has only small changes from frame to frame, so if a preset always produces the same image from the same source, it would seem to show promise for producing temporal continuity from frame to frame in a video. This means eliminating randomization that changes the output drastically each time the preset is used.
I picked the "Colorized" preset in PSC: Autopaint: General Image Render Styles folder, placed it in a PASeq, and triggered it without using a pen or mousing on the canvas. For a very simple source image, this preset produces a different output every time it is triggered. I applied the Paint Synthesizer Macro Edit "Turn off all randomization." Then I inspected all the PSC menus for additional parameters that might vary each time it was triggered. Unfortunately, I have still been unable to find settings that generate a reproducible output on the same source image.
Could you give me some info on where I need to be looking to eliminate the remaining sources of variation in this preset? Hopefully, once these parameters are identified they can be used to stabilize other presets.
Thanks for your help.
Replies
Michael,
I do not have the standard preset filing system so I can not be 100% sure that I am following your example. However If you are using the Colorize Image Operation, the issue might be with the "seed" and "random" settings.
put the program into Image Operation mode then flip to the editor panel select Colorize:: the parameters fourth and third from the bottom of the panel are "seed" and "Random" respectively. Select a number for seed and set the random parameter to "use seed." This will or should take out the random variation for this operation.
John can clarify, but I believe that the turn off all randomization macro edit is aimed at paint synth operations not image operations.
cheers
Liveart,
"Colorized" is a Paint Synthesizer Classic preset. As far as I can tell, the "Colorize" IOp is not used. Thanks very much for the idea, though. It's definitely something to keep in mind for IOps.
Ok I found the preset. There are a lot of random elements in this preset. Starting with the path start. The preset has smooth random 1 as the path start generator. There are a few options that would not be random- each will give a different result. The grid scans the regionalizers and cat map scan will produce repeatable results. I also like the sketch to internal path option. Another method might be to use bezier paths.
After path start check the path randomize parameters. The preset starts with a directional Gaussian displacement and a source orient mod to that displacement. To minimize randomness set the displace to none-- check to see that the macro edit did this.
Pain color modulate would be the next panel to check - factory setting is a procedural mod. just for kicks and giggles check to see if the modulate amount is 0 and the modulate increment is 0 and the path gradient is set to none
Path angle has a 7-cycle mod in it that could cause some flicker
the brush mod panel has an orient modulation which like wise could cause flicker
technically neither of these is a "randomizer" but as they change the brush shape (angle) in response to the source it is possible that there could be some odd or unique strokes
Of course if you eliminate all possible variation you will kill the hand painted look that SA is great for.
If you turn on 'Reset Generator' in the Path Start control panel, then you should get the same sequence of start points for each frame. Even if you are using something like 'Smooth Random).
If you are filtering path start locations with probability, inhibitor, or range settings, then that's going to change which start points actually make it to be drawn.
Just to clarify something that was said in this discussion, the Paint Synth Macro Edit commands only work on the paint synthesizer.
Someone in another post noticed that 'Turn off all randomization' doesn't turn on Reset Generator in v4. So you would still have to do that manually. That's on my list of things to fix.
John,
I'm the guy that mentioned the problem with "Turn off all randomization." So far I have not yet been successful in taming this preset.
If I set Probabiliy = All, does this eliminate filtering by probability?
Yes, All eliminates filtering by probability. It looks like probability filtering is turned off for that particular preset.
Texture Range filtering is turned on for that preset in Path Start. But that's a big part of it's look, since no paint strokes are drawn in flat areas of the source image because of how it is setup.
There are also a bunch of different things turned on that also work to restrict the drawing. Local Color Range probability in Path Application, and PaintColor LumError for Visual Error in Path End.
Random Start is turned on in Brush Type in the Procedural Brush, so that randomizes the brush texture.
If i run the Turn Off All Randomization macro edit, and then manually turn off Random Start in Brush Type control panel, and turn on Reset Generator in Path Start, then i get the same paint strokes identical places drawn every time i run Action for a static image. Set Max Stroke to 100 and run action into 2 layers.
Random Start is also on in Background Texture, and that is being used in the paint rendering as well. So turn that off as well.
If you do that as well as the other things i just mentioned, then it draws exactly the same thing every time for a static image.
I'll add turning off the 2 Random Start controls i just mentioned to the paint synth macro edit (in addition to turning on Reset Generator in path start). The whole point of that macro edit you mentioned is to turn off all randomization options, so you don't have to manually hunt through all the control panels like i just did.
John and Liveart,
Thanks to both of you for the help. I learned a lot more about SA from this experiment. John, your modifications generate the same image every time, just as you stated. Unfortunately, I found that this does not reduce the flicker enough for many clips. So onward to other approaches.