Deinterlacing And Upscaling NTSC Archives To 4K Progressive Deliverables

Part 2: Identifying interlaced footage and upscaling without losing the nature of the original footage

When working with archive materials, it is important to take into account the fundamental differences between the capture format vs. the deliverable format, such as:

In this Insight, the imported Anahola NTSC master is manually synced, de-interlaced, and upscaled to 4K.

Learning to upscale – Topaz AI or Resolve’s Super Scale

In the final project, I used Topaz Video AI for more advanced 4K upscaling. After a trial-and-error period to find the optimal settings, I generated transcodes of all the sub-clips to 4K. Interestingly, the client found the clarity of the footage, together with the added details (and wrinkles) on interviewees’ faces, disconcerting and asked that the effect be reduced.

The Topaz AI clips were eventually blended to around 50% strength, producing sharper detail while retaining some of the original NTSC footage texture.

But if you don’t have the budget or time to use a third-party source for upscaling, this Insight will teach you how to use Resolve’s Super Scale functionality and the various options available.

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight, you should understand how to:

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Questions or Comments? Leave a comment!

Let me know if you have specific questions about restoring archival material! Also, if you found this helpful, have something to add, or need more questions answered, leave a comment. It helps us know what you like to see on Mixing Light.

– Daria