NeatVideo 4: which version to upgrade to?

megabit wrote on 7/8/2016, 11:59 PM

I've been a frequent and satisfied user of NeatVideo plugin for Vegas Pro when editing FHD from my EX1 (excellent but noisy) - now that I have the FS7, I obviously need to upgrade from v.3.6 to 4.1 for handling UHD/4K resolution. But the choice of NV flavor is not so obvious anymore, as - apart from the VP plug-in - NeatVideo now comes in many more versions which might be of interest, first of all these two:

- OFX for Resolve 12 (and I do use Resolve along Vegas Pro)
- plug-in for Magix (Yes!)

So it's a really tough choice which one to upgrade to... Would Resolve OFX be more appropriate for my workflow? Full (paid) Resolve versions have their own noise reduction, but not the (free) version I'm using... Also it would seem logical to clean the noise if necessary in the same session color grading is performed, and then render out for final editing in Vegas Pro (or Magix ?!!), thus saving one render generation loss and perhaps keep more quality in the final render....But - not having any experience with NeatVideo for Resolve - I have no idea whether it would really work better for my entire workflow.

The plug-in for Magix sounds interesting of course, as we're soon going to be using a Magix product - but if they decide to keep Vegas Pro basically what it is now, I guess plug-ins for Vegas Pro (and not for Magix) is still what we will be needing after the transition... Or will we?!!

So - a really tough choice it seems - therefore I'm refraining from upgrading my NeatVideo until I hear some opinions from those having used Resolve along Vegas Pro in their workflow (as I've just started to do). Please share your invaluable opinions guys - I'm all ears! TIA

Piotr

Comments

vtxrocketeer wrote on 7/9/2016, 12:29 AM

From me, a solid two thumbs up for using the OFX version of NeatVideo in Resolve.

I ingest 4k source footage into Resolve (Studio -- paid version), export HD proxies to cut in Vegas, then export from Vegas an XML to Resolve and grade the original 4k material. In other words, this is round-tripping.

In Resolve, my first node for all clips is NeatVideo (when needed), followed by primary and secondary color corrections on additional nodes, respectively. NV is far better than Resolve's native noise reduction, but it is incredibly slow when rendering. You will read the same opinion throughout BlackMagic's Resolve forum. I have a screaming fast rig, and on a 4k export from Resolve with NV applied I still get no better than 1 fps. Yes, you read that right. But the resulting noise reduction is very, very good. Sometimes, after many years of using NV, I'm still astonished at how good it is.

I've also used the NV plugin in Vegas to excellent effect before I migrated to 4k material. Since the time when I added Resolve to my arsenal, I prefer to perform all noise reduction and grading within one application, and Resolve fits the bill. I don't particularly like straddling two professional applications, but Resolve's use of my GPU makes viewing and grading 4k material a breeze, and its node-based color grading suits me well (after working through a professional tutorial).

I hope this helps.

megabit wrote on 7/9/2016, 1:55 AM

Thanks for the reply - I've been thing along the same line, it seems :)

My question is: can we even use 3rd party OFX plugins (like NeatVideo) in the free version of Resolve, which doesn't support noise reduction by design?

Thanks,

Piotr

megabit wrote on 7/9/2016, 2:56 AM

Please disregard; I downloaded the demo NV for Resolve plugin and the installation is straightforward. However, there are other consideration - like my non-Studio version demanding as much as 8 GB VRAM !!!! (I only have 4GB)....

Piotr

vtxrocketeer wrote on 7/9/2016, 4:12 PM

Piotr, my GPU has *only* 4GB VRAM, and I can run Resolve Studio with no problem. I'm pushing the limit, to be sure, but it works. I have no idea why your version is "demanding" 8GB. Even that exceeds BlackMagic's own recommendations for 4k editing.

megabit wrote on 7/10/2016, 11:44 PM

True - but this is what Vlad of NeatVideo explicitly states on their website, under the "potential problems with Resolve". So I'm on the fence right now... Who knows how the Vegas plugin is gonna work in VP 14 and all future versions from Magix? I tried the OFX Reolve version (demo of course), and you're right - playback and export run and the miserable 1 fps speed when NV is enabled in the clip! VP 13 - while also slow with NV enabled - at least makes some 5-6 fps (on my old system - with the current one I didn't try it, but it should be at least some 10 fps, in case of 4K 500 Mbps stuff). I'm not ready to fork cash for the (paid) Studio version of Resolve, so should I need to replace my 4GB M2000 Quadro with a much more expensive 8GB card - well, not worth it for me...On the other hand, incorporating noise reduction into the same session/render as all the grading and CC (i.e. in Resolve rather than Vegas) sounds like the only reasonable way! Well, I must do a lot of research before making my final decision on which Neat Video plugin version to upgrade to...

Piotr

K-Decisive wrote on 7/11/2016, 1:38 PM

Many Pocket cinema owners have gone the Neat Video route because they do not get the full version of resolve. From what I've seen they all swear by it. I believe some are preferring it over the NR in Resolve. However, the NR in resolve is really fast being off the GPU. I can typically plow thought rendering my BMCC footage at about 12 fps, that with 3-4 nodes including NR. If you were in a time=money situation it would really help.

A lot of people sell their extra Resolve dongles over at BMC user because they come with all the cameras except the pocket/mirco cimema. And many people have multiple cams.