This guide is for Neat Video v4 plug-in for Edius being used with Edius 8.53.

If you use another Neat Video plug-in or another editing application, please select the corresponding quick start guide.

1. Installing the plug-in

1. Make sure you have started Edius at least once before installing the plug-in. If you have not done that yet, start Edius and exit it.
    
2. Download the EXE installer of Neat Video for Edius (make sure you download the version of the installer that matches your version of Edius):

• if you already purchased the product and have a current license for the Home or Pro plug-in, please download the corresponding Home or Pro plug-in from My Products page
• If you want to try Neat Video before purchase, please download the Demo plug-in from Download page

3. Double-click the downloaded EXE file to start the installer.
    
4. Proceed through the steps of the installation process. Use the default settings offered by the installer. This should automatically make the plug-in available to Edius.
    
5. Start Edius and find VideoFilters > Neat Video v4 in the Edius’ Effect folder.

In case the plug-in has not become available in the  VideoFilters list, please contact Neat Video support for assistance.

2. Running Neat Video on a sample video clip

Please download the test-kit prepared to help you start using Neat Video. Having downloaded, please unzip it to a new folder on the hard disk.

The test-kit includes a sample video clip: SampleClip.mpg. This is a typical video clip captured by a digital video camera in high-gain mode. Some technical information about the sample clip is available in the SampleClipInfo.txt file.

Please start Edius and go through the steps below to clean the clip using Neat Video.

2.1. Add the sample clip to the project

1. Configure a new project in Edius

Create a new project in Edius using “HD 1920x1080 25p” template.

Edius will then open the new project with Timeline, Player window and other windows:

 

2. Add the sample clip file to the project

Use the File > Add clip... menu in Edius to import the SampleClip.mpg file into the project:

 

3. Add the sample clip to the timeline

Drag-n-drop the sample clip from Player window to the Sequence 1 in the Timeline (into 1 VA line).

The Edius preview window will display the sample clip and you will see that there is strong noise in it. The task of Neat Video is to reduce this noise:

 

2.2. Add Neat Video effect to video clip

1. Go to the Effect tab, then navigate to Effect > VideoFilters > Neat Video v4.
2. Drag-n-drop Neat Video v4 from there to the clip in the timeline.

Edius will add the effect to the clip; you will see a new line Neat Video v4 added in the Information tab.

Important: Check the order of effects in the Information tab. Make sure Neat Video v4 goes first there and stays above Layouter. Manually drag Neat Video v4 to the top there if necessary.

 

2.3. Configure Neat Video

1. Open Neat Video plug-in window

1. Use the timeline controls to select a frame with large flat featureless areas; the selected frame will be used for noise analysis in the next stages.
2. In the Information tab, select the Neat Video v4 line and double-click it to open the Neat Video plug-in window.
   (If you run the Demo plug-in, click OK in the popup splash screen of the plug-in to proceed further).

The Neat Video plug-in window will open and display the current frame from the clip:

 

2. Build a noise profile for the clip

To reduce noise in this frame and in the whole clip, Neat Video generally needs a noise profile describing the noise properties of the clip. You can prepare such a profile using the Auto Profile function:

1. In the Device Noise Profile tab       click   

Neat Video will then automatically analyze the noise to build a new noise profile:

2. Visually inspect the selected area — it should contain no visible details, only noise; otherwise the noise profile and subsequent noise reduction may be inaccurate.

If the selected area does contain any details, move the selection to a featureless area or simply draw a new selection in such an area (the selection must be at least 32x32 pixels large). Then click the Auto Profile button again.

3. After that Neat Video is ready to filter the clip.

 

3. Check Preview

• Switch to the Noise Filter Settings tab 

You will notice that Neat Video has already applied noise reduction based on the default filter settings and the preview shows a clearly visible difference: there is less noise than in the original frame.

You can try to adjust the filter settings and see how that affects the results. For example, try to adjust the Temporal Filter > Radius setting (in the Temporal tab in the Filter Settings box in the right part of the window) from 2 to 1 or to a higher value. This will apply weaker or stronger temporal noise reduction to the frame.

 

4. Apply the changes
 

• Click    in the bottom of the plug-in window.

Neat Video will save the current settings and close its main window.
(If you run the Demo plug-in, it will also describe the limitations of the Demo version at this point).

Once this step is completed and Neat Video window is closed, the filter is ready for work.

The preview in Edius now shows the clip with noise reduction applied to it:

 

2.4. Render the video

To apply Neat Video noise reduction

• Use the File > Export > Print to File... menu item in Edius.

This will automatically apply Neat Video noise reduction to the sample clip and save the result to a new video file on the hard drive. You will then be able to open this new file, evaluate the filtration results and adjust the filter settings if necessary.

Please see the User Guide for more details about adjusting the filter settings and other aspects of using Neat Video. These Video Tutorials will also help you to get the most out of Neat Video noise reduction.