alphamerics top-quality video guide

[alphameric]

This guide will cover the general process of how to create quality smash videos for download or Stage6 streaming. If you have any questions or need something specific, feel free to ask me and I'll answer to the best of my ability. I've made this guide as idiot-proof as I think necessary, but there is always something that needs extra explanation.
The guide is broken up into sections where the first 3 apply to everything,

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Table of Contents
STAGE6 - LINK
What is Stage6 and why use it
Examples
Basic Requirements

DUMMIES GUIDE TO CAPTURING - LINK
Introduction
Requirements
Process

DIVX - LINK
Introduction
Settings

VEGAS 7 TO VDUB - LINK
**optional**
Introduction
Requirements
Process

VIRTUALDUB TO STAGE6 - LINK
Introduction
Process

END RANT - LINK
Troubleshooting
Final Thoughts
​

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STAGE6
what is stage6 and why use it
Stage6 is a video sharing website first launched by DivX, Inc. in 2006 and currently in gamma. It is similar to sites like YouTube in allowing streaming video to be uploaded freely by anyone who is willing to register. Significant differences between Stage6 and other sites include better quality video through use of higher resolutions up to 1080p, very small upload limitations, and the option to download media directly through the website or the DivX Web Player without the need to install browser extensions.

Stage6 should be the obvious choice when looking to upload videos. Sure there is a required plugin, but that is a onetime install (much like flash) and the benefit of top quality is far greater than having to strain your eyes with YouTube or Google Video.

examples
Here are a couple examples of the picture quality achievable with this guide and Stage6

a GANONDORF combo video

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Freeplays - ShiroiKen (YL) VS



basic requirements
a decent computer
This is really a no brainer. If you're computer can hardly playback 480p video, then I don't suggest capturing/recording video. Aside from processing power, you will need a respectable harddrive with plenty of space available.
For example, I have 340gb of free space to play with. Granted you will not need that much, I suggest having at least 10gb of free space on one drive.

the proper codecs
Another no brainer. Firstly, you need the latest codecs for playback.
I suggest the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. It has the essentials needed for playback
You will also need the Stage6 Plugin so that you can play DivX videos online.

On top of that you will need the DivX encoding codecs which you can buy or acquire for free elsewhere (torrents).

the software
Now depending on the portion of the guide you are going to follow, you will need VirtualDub which is free, or Vegas 7+, which can be free (torrents).


Any other section specific requirements will be listed in their respective sections.
​

 

[alphameric]

DUMMIES GUIDE TO CAPTURING
introduction
Okay, capturing footage to a laptop/computer is REALLLLLY easy. All you need is a capture card which you can get from any computer shop for anywhere between $30 and $1xxx. Obviously you don't need the expensive ****, just something that can capture 640x480 @ 29.970fps with a USB interface and composite inputs. The whole process is really similar to the virtualdub section of the guide. Keep in mine, I will be referring to settings available in the PICVideo M-JPEG codec, and not the Huffyuv one (because I dont use it)

requirements
a good computer
Simply because it takes alot of processing power to capture footage. You also need a large hard drive

a capture card
You need to capture the video somehow, silly.

virtualdub
Now I know lots of you like movie maker, but seriously, it's complete crap.

a lossless codec
Now there are a couple lossless codecs out there.
On the free side there is the Huffyuv codec, and on the 'purchase' side there is the Pegasus Imaging PICVideo M-JPEG codec. I use the latter. These codecs allow for maximum quality with minimum cpu usage. The downside is that the raw files take up lots of space.


process
step one
Open up VirtualDub, click File - Capture AVI. You are now in capture mode.

step two
Click File - Set Capture File and type in a meaningful name. This where you go to create files to capture to. Also, click Capture - Autoincrement filename after capture. That way you won't accidentally overwrite recorded files (as I have many times).

step three
Click Device, then select your recording device from the list. You should see the live feed appear if you have selected the right one.

step four
Click Video - Compression, then select your lossless codec from the list. You can configure your codec if you wish, but the default should be maximum quality (what I use).
Now click Audio - Compression and make sure it is set to <No Compression PCM>.

step five
Click Capture - Capture Video to start capturing, or Capture - Stop Capture to stop it.


conclusion
That is all that's to it. I don't suggest keeping the raw footage on your computer for long, unless you can afford the space. Also, if you have a fast computer you can capture directly into divx/xvid and/or use audio compression. To find out what to do with that footage, just follow whatever relevant portion of the guide.

 

[alphameric]

DIVX
introduction
For both Vegas & VirtualDub you will be using DivX for encoding.
The quality/size ratio is completely dependent on your video and bitrate choice.
Explanation on how to get to this screen is explained in each section.


instructions
STEP ONE
Unless the video source is 720x480 (unlikely), you need to set the Certification Profile to Unconstrained.
The reason is that DivX will not allow you to export @ 60fps without it.
If your source IS 720x480, you can set it to 1080HD mode, and you will be able to play the videos back with a DivX-Enabled DVD player.

Make sure that Encoding Presets are disabled, and set the Rate Control Mode to 1-Pass. I am not covering multipass encodes, since those tutorials are plentiful online.

For the last option, you can set the bitrate to anywhere between 2500-8000kbps.
This will greatly effect the final filesize as well as the image quality.
Higher bitrate = Higher Quality = Larger File.

Clicking the Codec tab at the top will bring you to the second step.

STEP TWO
There's not much to do here except set the Encoding Mode to Insane Quality.
The other options aren't very effective when it comes to Smash, so just leave them as you see them.

Clicking the Video tab will bring you to the next step.

STEP TWO
Everything should be as you see above. Everything except the Interlace option.
Set the option to Progressive Source.

CONCLUSION
There you go, that's all it takes to setup DivX. Both Vegas and VirtualDub have the ability to save your settings, which I explain in their sections. The only reason you may want to come back to this setup is to either check it and make sure the settings are all good, or to adjust the bitrate to something else depending on the length of the video.

 

[alphameric]

VEGAS 7 TO VIRTUALDUB
**OPTIONAL STEP**
introduction
Vegas is a heavyweight when it comes to video editing. It is much like Adobe Premiere only it is designed to only work with digital video. Meaning you cannot capture directly into it unless you have a digital source.
Both Premiere and Vegas are excellent programs, and when it comes down to editing, it is basically personal preference. I prefer Vegas because I love the interface and the flexibility and professional quality of the effects and processing. Keep in mind, this guide is not telling you how to use Vegas, just how to export/render your product. Also, you do NOT have to use Vegas, this is just a mid-step to put your combo video together.


requirements
a good computer
Now I know I already stated you need a good computer in the general requirements, however I must say it again now. Vegas is a beast. If you're computer can barely run it when you aren't processing effects then good luck doing any effect work. On top of that, if your PC has trouble with it, you will be able to do NOTHING with it when it comes to rendering the final video.
If you still want to proceed, here is a handy tip for rendering test videos. Export with the same video settings that the raw videos had. I know it takes more space, but it is much faster. Also, when doing test renders, do not render the whole thing, just bits and pieces.


instructions
STEP ONE
Once you start up Vegas start a new project with these settings, then save the profile as something. I saved mine as smash. You can now go on your merry way and make your video. Once you are done that proceed to step two.

STEP 2
When you are ready to finish your video, click File - Render As then select Video for Windows (.avi). You will then be greeted with this series of screens. Just copy what I have here, then save the profile. and then click the button titled Custom

The main idea is to export the video using the same settings you captured it with. If you aren't sure, just go back to your capture program and check the settings.


CONCLUSION
That is pretty much it. Make sure you save the profile so you don't have to go through that everytime.
The DivX settings are covered in its own section, so just refer to that if you need any assistance.

 

[alphameric]

VIRTUALDUB TO STAGE6
introduction
Now VirtualDub is no heavyweight editing program. This is what I use when I'm either rendering a final piece, want to do multi-pass renderings or when I am just uploading single matches with now fx or anything.
The party piece of VDub is its integration with AviSynth. Now you needn't worry about the software, since I'm SURE you downloaded the K-Lite Mega Codec pack which I said was required.

requirements
FANCY VDUB PLUGIN
Now you may need the Field Shifter plugin for VirtualDub.
You can get it HERE. Simply install the file to your VirtualDub plugin folder.

process
STEP ONE
Locate you video, either the one from Vegas or the raw one you captured.
Now in the same directory as the video, create a text file and rename it from whatever.txt to whatever.avs.
Open this avs file in notepad and input the following text then save:

AVISource("your video.avi")
AssumeTFF()
separatefields()

Replace "your video.avi" with your video's filename.


STEP TWO
Open the avs file in VirtualDub.


STEP THREE
Click Video - Compression then select your codec.
In this case DivX.

STEP FOUR
Click Audio - Compression then select Lame MP3.

STEP FIVE
Click Video - Filters.
Now click add then click Resize and set it to 640x480 or 320x240 (sissy) with the Lanczos3 filter.

**OPTIONAL**
Instead of doing the above you can use the new Field Shift. Add that followed by the Field Bob filter, then click OK and close the Filter window.


STEP SIX
Click File - Save as AVI, let it render and voila!
Also, you may want to click File - Save Processing Settings. That way, next time you just have to load the settings and you're ready to go.

 

[alphameric]

TROUBLESHOOTING
Q: MY VIDEO IS IN A FORMAT VEGAS/VDUB DOESN'T RECOGNIZE (ex. mp4)
A: Not a problem. VirtualDub supports videos in AVI and MPG format, whereas Vegas supports just about everything minus a couple. Solution? Convert the file to an MPG using TMPGEnc. It's a free program that will take just about any format and convert it to an MPG which you can use in VDub as well as Vegas.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Okay, so hopefully you have a sweet-kickass-awesome quality video.
Doesn't matter if the actual content is crap, as long as it's crystal clear crap.
Now obviously there are probably more ways to do this, and I'm sure I'll be getting some PM's from some of you but w/e.

ANYWAYS, for those of you who don't want to have to tinker with avisynth, or touch virtualdubVegas to Stage6. How? Well, instead of rendering into the original file settings, you render using the DivX codec with 59.94fps. Under the DivX settings you change progressive source to de-interlace source and voila.
Magus pointed out that that way of doing it isn't as good as doing it the long way, but it's not bad at all
(thats what I did for my ganon vid ). Also, if you have a codec other than DivX that you like to use, feel free to use that instead but I cannot guarantee the same quality or Dr./DivX Converter being able to convert it for Stage6.

That's about it.
I wanna thank Magus for clearing my head and for getting me on the 60fps trail in the first place. whatsoever, you can go directly from

NOW, I'D BETTER START SEEING SOME TOP QUALITY **** ONLINE!!!!

Honestly folks, just upload to Stage6. If you are worried people can't watch them because their computers blow, render 2 versions. One for Stage6 (yay) and one resized to 320x240 for YouTube (nay).

 

[GUIGUI]

I will surprise no one if I say that I consider this thread should be sticky. Thanks a lot, alphameric, I was trying to make a guide myself, but with my lack of resource and correct material, plus profound lack of knowledge, it wouldn't have been ready soon.

Thanks for all the inputs, and I hope other people will start doing quality recording and spread the word.

 

[Big-Cat]

You might want to state this:

NEVER USE DIVX/XVID IN ANY EDITING PROGRAM

This is what the AMV community has told me.

 

[alphameric]

You might want to state this:

NEVER USE DIVX/XVID IN ANY EDITING PROGRAM

This is what the AMV community has told me.

I believe they are referring to when you are doing cuts into smaller videos.
It's true you should never render into Divx/Xvid unless it is your final compile.
Or perhaps something regarding DivX/XviD and youtube, I don't know.

If that is not what they are referring to, then they really need to catch up because Stage6 doesn't support anything BUT DivX.
No doubt they only suggest Windows Movie Maker, which is utter crap.

 

[Big-Cat]

I believe they are referring to when you are doing cuts into smaller videos.
It's true you should never render into Divx/Xvid unless it is your final compile.
Or perhaps something regarding DivX/XviD and youtube, I don't know.

If that is not what they are referring to, then they really need to catch up because Stage6 doesn't support anything BUT DivX.
No doubt they only suggest Windows Movie Maker, which is utter crap.

Only WMM? No way. AMV.org has users with mostly Adobe or Vegas. They say that when converting to AVI, use something like HuffyUV despite the large size of the file. However, this is done to keep video quality and then it's encoded with XviD when done.

Also, they hate Youtube so much, it's always replaced with Boochshak as a censor.

 

[alphameric]

They say that when converting to AVI, use something like HuffyUV despite the large size of the file. However, this is done to keep video quality and then it's encoded with XviD when done.

Ah, if you read the whole guide you would know that I say to use a lossless codec when capturing and editing, plus I explicitly suggest HuffYUV or PICVideo M-JPEG. You are to keep the video in that format until you are complete, then export to DivX.

Meaning, if do your work in Vegas then plan to render using VirtualDub, then you would render the AVI with the same codec you started with. In case of this guide, PICVideo M-JPEG. That way you don't lose any quality whatsoever.

So basically, you just regurgitated what I had already stated.

 

[Big-Cat]

Ah, if you read the whole guide you would know that I say to use a lossless codec when capturing and editing, plus I explicitly suggest HuffYUV or PICVideo M-JPEG. You are to keep the video in that format until you are complete, then export to DivX.

Meaning, if do your work in Vegas then plan to render using VirtualDub, then you would render the AVI with the same codec you started with. In case of this guide, PICVideo M-JPEG. That way you don't lose any quality whatsoever.

So basically, you just regurgitated what I had already stated.

Man, I feel stupid.

To be honest, I didn't bother to read the whole thing.

 

[RaynEX]

Alpha.

Good sh*t.

 

[Big-Cat]

I noticed that the pics you showed aren't in perfect quality. I can see small dots. Is it because it looks like that on Stage6 or is it DivX because I might use XviD for exporting instead.

 

[alphameric]

Small dots are caused by recording from a composite source.
They aren't as obvious when the picture is in motion.
Normally you don't notice them in videos because the picture isn't as sharp or as high a resolution causing large blocks to occur.

Recording with S-Video does not have that effect. I just don't have a TV/VCR with S-Video out.

 

[Big-Cat]

I can still see them in motion.

 

[alphameric]

I didn't say they weren't visible, I said they weren't as obvious
BTW if you are watching the crew video i have on my stage 6, that was done differently hence the large drop in quality.

 

[Big-Cat]

I was watching the Ganondorf video.

 

[Magus420]

Looks really nice from what I read. Ooh, I got a shoutout =D

Any idea how the Lagarith lossless codec compares to those two? It was considered one of the best from what I remember back when I looked into them but that was awhile ago. Haven't kept up to date on them really.

I don't have an s-video out on my TV or VCR either. Can't you just connect the s-video connector on the GC cable to the card and the composite connector of the cable to the TV?

 

[Big-Cat]

Looks really nice from what I read. Ooh, I got a shoutout =D

Any idea how the Lagarith lossless codec compares to those two? It was considered one of the best from what I remember back when I looked into them but that was awhile ago. Haven't kept up to date on them really.

I don't have an s-video out on my TV or VCR either. Can't you just connect the s-video connector on the GC cable to the card and the composite connector of the cable to the TV?

I hear Lagarith is still a great codec for editing footage.

You should bring this to www.animemusicvideos.org and see what they think. They need a new guide when it comes to game footage.

 

[alphameric]

I've never heard of Lagarith's codec.
The only reason I suggest the ones above is because they are the only lossless ones I have any experience with. I pick M-JPEG > HuffYUV because the filesize>quality ratio is better.

As for S-Video, I know what kind of connectors you are talking about, but I don't have that kind (just the regular one). I suppose I could look into picking one up.

Anyways, perhaps I should seek out a sticky?
*bats eyes*

 

[Snowstorm]

Is it likely i already have a capture card? Cause i dont even really know what that is lol

 

[alphameric]

probably not

 

[muesli]

1 word: sticky

more than 1 word: This guide is really simple constructed and in my opinion it answers all question while reading it. As I said this quide should be made sticky, this isn't a result of 10mins - I think this claimed a lot of more time, like 2h+.


Grade: A



muesli

 

[GUIGUI]

The new divx codec 6.7 is now available for free: http://www.divx.com/divx/windows/codec/
it says it allow greater quality. Would that change in any maner your guide for capturing. Does it allow a better quality capture and conversion?

 

[alphameric]

i really doubt it.

 

[GUIGUI]

By the way,I don't know what happened, but the image for you Ganon combo is broken.

 

[alphameric]

By the way,I don't know what happened, but the image for you Ganon combo is broken.

thanks, fixed

 

[alphameric]

*BUMP*
Image links fixed to a consistent host and a couple things updated.
Also, could this get a sticky? It answers most of the questions people continue to ask.

 

[GUIGUI]

I concur on the Sticky (especially as it is the only thread telling exactly how to do), just in case it wasn't obvious.

 

[Pyr0]

Great Topic.

Thanks a lot man.

 

[Lipucd]

Garuu~

Great idea....too bad V.Dub craps on my MPEG's from GameBridge...>_>;;

Any clue oh how to fix this? Should I install a different codec or what?

 

[alphameric]

That's caused by an inherent compatibility issue between VirtualDub and GameBridge. GameBridge uses MPEG2 streams which can't be opened by VirtualDub.

So what you might want to try is VirtualDubMod which you can get here.

Give that a shot and tell me how it goes. If it works out then I'll add it to the guide.