videobeaux/docs/programs/effects/repainting.md

repainting

Description

Applies an artistic “repainted” effect that makes each frame appear as if it has been smeared, redrawn, or blurred by an alcohol-washed brush.
The result resembles wet ink, soft smudging, streaked pigment, or repeated overpainting — giving the footage a tactile, analog, hand-altered feel.

Purpose

repainting is designed for creators who want:

• a painterly, reworked, or smeared aesthetic,
• a hand-drawn or alcohol-wet look without using frame-by-frame animation,
• soft organic distortion that feels handmade rather than digital,
• degraded yet artistic texture for music videos or collage,
• a simple effect that produces expressive motion smearing.

How It Works

1. Frame Reinterpretation
   Each frame is processed as if it were being redrawn or wiped over with semi-wet pigment.
2. Smudge + Alcohol-Wash Simulation
   Highlights bloom, shadows soften, and edges blur as if dissolved by solvent.
3. Temporal Softening
   Minor streaks or trailing may appear due to repeated repainting across frames.
4. Encoding
   Output is encoded using global Videobeaux settings (codec, CRF, pixel format).

Program Template

videobeaux -P repainting -i input.mp4 -o output.mp4

Arguments

• (No additional program-specific arguments; uses global videobeaux options only.)

Real World Example

videobeaux -P repainting \
  -i myvideo.mp4 \
  -o repainting_styled.mp4

Program Output

Technical Notes

• Works especially well on footage with bold shapes, faces, or brush-like motion paths.
• High-contrast imagery yields more pronounced smearing.
• Compression may increase the “wet paint” feel by interacting with soft, blended regions.
• Repainting is non-destructive in timing — cadence stays intact even while textures distort.

Recommended Usage

• Abstract or painterly music videos.
• Alcohol-ink inspired motion design.
• Narrative moments needing dreamlike or smeared transitions.
• Experimental cinema and visual collage.
• Live VJ loops that benefit from organic, evolving texture.

Quality Tips

• Lower CRF values maintain smooth, fluid repainted strokes.
• Higher CRF adds grit, giving the effect a rougher, stained appearance.
• Combine with double_cup for a liquified wash; combine with blur_pix for soft surface blending.
• Apply before LUTs if you want the grade to unify the smear colors; apply after LUTs if you want the smear to distort the grade itself.
• Up-scaling beforehand using convert_dims can produce smoother brush-like textures.