User's Guide (version 5.

7)

VideoCleaner can natively open a wide range of image and video files, including some that normally
require a proprietary player. For all other situations, VideoCleaner includes an optional free screen
capture utility (CamStudio) that can dub videos as they playback within their proprietary player.

VideoCleaner works best on videos that:

 Are extremely dark (e.g. shot at night) or overly bright where the target details are located
 Require a moderate increase in details or focus to see the target event
 Have specks or artifacts that are randomly located on each video frame
 Need to be resized, cropped, trimmed, slowed down, or changed to a more common format
 Have artifacts from a prior VHS-digital conversion
 Depict very faint motion or subtle (e.g. due to distance) color changes
 Have compressed (washed out) or incorrect colors, or have incorrect lighting levels
 Are suspected of having undergone post-production scene manipulations

VideoCleaner does little to help with videos that:

 Are visually perfectly clear, but include noisy audio
 Show image smearing where video details blend into adjacent video details
 Require a television crime show's fantasy level of clarity improvement

ABOUT:
VideoCleaner is the world's most relied upon forensic video enhancement software because it:
 Meets the highest evidentiary scientific standards validated by courts and experts worldwide.
 Automatically maintains an audit trail of all filters and settings, and generates a metadata log.
 Preserves evidence by applying industry accepted filters without altering the original recording.
 Opens its source code for peer review scrutiny and is supported by hundreds of programmers.
 Provides free unlimited updates and support, and is licensed for any legal purpose.
 Is cost-free, ad-free, allows unlimited usage, and never collects any personal information.

With VideoCleaner, you can recover license plates and facial details, illuminate poorly lit scenes,
increase detail clarity, correct the viewing perspective, reverse lens distortion, repair VHS recordings,
improve color contrast, isolate channels, and so much more. VideoCleaner is cost and advertising
free, and created under the belief that clear evidence should be available to all those who need it.

Page 1 of 27
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Topic Page

Cover page ........................................................................................................................................... 1

Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................. 2
Quick Start Guide .................................................................................................................................. 3
Usage Hints .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Version history ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Main Interface ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Saving Your Work ................................................................................................................................. 7
CamStudio ............................................................................................................................................ 8
MediaInfo .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Main Section ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Properties Section ............................................................................................................................... 13
Specialty Features Section ................................................................................................................. 16
Finalizing Features .............................................................................................................................. 17
Final ColorSpace/transparency ........................................................................................................... 18
Forensic Authentication and Tamper Testing (explained) ................................................................... 19
Tutorial - Enhancing Sample Files ...................................................................................................... 20
References.......................................................................................................................................... 24
Science ............................................................................................................................................... 25
Notes, Super-User, and Acknowledgement ........................................................................................ 26
Glossary (definition of terms) .............................................................................................................. 27

Frequently check http://VideoCleaner.com for the latest version update.

This guide is Copyright, Forensic Protection, Inc. 2018

Page 2 of 27
 QUICK START PAGE
Launch "VideoCleaner" using the desktop icon. You will have
the option to Reload the default slider settings. The "No"
option is useful when working with multiple similar videos.

Once VideoCleaner loads, press the computer's F5 key (or

Ctrl-O) to load a new image or video file. Don’t use OPEN (in
the FILE menu) as it loads a script, not an image or video file

Adjust the program sliders to apply filters and features. The check boxes at the top of VideoCleaner
toggle on/off additional filter/feature sections. Once optimal clarity has been achieved, press the
computer's F7 key to save the video file (or use CTRL and S keys to save the current frame).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer keyboard shortcut keys

F1 ......... Shortcut help screen (to view this list of shortcut keys).
F2 ......... To access the VideoCleaner settings screen to configure user preferences.
F5 ......... or ctrl-O key to select an image-video to open in VideoCleaner, or reload the current scene.
F6 ......... Exports the enhanced VideoCleaner video to VirtualDub (VideoCleaner can then be closed).
F7 ......... Save the resulting video file onto the computer. Works in both VideoCleaner and VirtualDub.
ctrl-B ... Bookmark the currently viewed frame. (hold down the "ctrl" key and touch the letter "B")
alt-B ..... Jump to the Bookmarked frame.
ctrl-S .... Save the currently viewed frame in the format and destination folder of your choosing.
alt-S ..... Save all frames as a sequence of images in the format & destination folder of your choosing.
ctrl-Z .... Undo the user's last setting change, then press the F5 key to reload the video with the prior
settings (this is useful after getting an error message in VideoCleaner).

NOTES:
 If the user activates conflicting VideoCleaner settings, or their computer's configuration prevents
a specific feature from working, an informational on-screen message will be displayed.
 The program shortcut, “VideoCleaner fix”, resets VideoCleaner back to its installation defaults.
 The program shortcut, “Reload last session” does just that, with all prior settings intact.
 For technical support or feature requests, visit http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2461639

KNOWN ISSUES:
VideoCleaner’s playback controls cause a stuttering view if your computer cannot keep up with the
filter processing demands. Use the right/left arrow keys or navigation bar to move to a specific frame.

Sometimes, pressing the "F5" (or ctrl-O) key will cause multiple file “open” windows to appear. This
occurs when Windows thinks that it hasn't yet offered the VideoCleaner file open selection window. If
this occurs, use the "Cancel" button (or the "ESC" key) to close the extraneous file selection windows.

If you are unable to see the sliders, even though the right-hand side panel is open, right-click on the
C:\VideoCleaner folder and select "Properties", then select "Edit" on the "Security" tab. Choose your
login, check the "Allow Full Control" option, and select OK to allow VideoCleaner to access its folder.

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 USAGE HINTS

Looking for a fast image/video enhancement or authentication solution? Here are a few examples,
along with their corresponding VideoCleaner solution (denoted as feature group - specific feature).

PROBLEM .................................................................. SOLUTION

See active settings or their inverse affect ................... MAIN - Use / List / Override / Subtract Features
Blend the original to the enhanced .............................. MAIN - Enhancement Transparency
Place original next to enhanced result ........................ MAIN - Compare Original to Enhanced
Video details appear or need fuzzy ............................. MAIN - TOOLS - Unsharpen, Sharpen Strength
Video details/colors are compressed or expanded ..... MAIN - TOOLS - Video/Color Contrast Strength
Video colors are too subtle or intense ......................... MAIN - TOOLS - Color Saturation Strength
Color correction or scene was colorless ..................... MAIN - TOOLS - Shift Overall Hue
Remove glare or flashing lights ................................... MAIN - TOOLS - Suppress HotSpot Strength
Scene is too dark or too bright (automatic) ................. MAIN - TOOLS - Backlight / Histogram
Scene is too dark or too bright (manual) ..................... MAIN - TOOLS - Equalizer & MAIN - CURVE
Video has random specks or blurring .......................... MAIN - TOOLS - Deblur/Denoise
Handheld camera motion is erratic ............................. MAIN - TOOLS - Stabilize Iterations
Video or image is slightly out of focus ......................... MAIN - TOOLS - Focus
Scene looks like a mosaic of tiny squares .................. MAIN - TOOLS - Deblocking
License plate, text or logo is hard to read ................... MAIN - FORENSIC - Canny, Sobel & Edge
Hard to detect moving objects/people ......................... MAIN - FORENSIC - Isolate Motion / iFrames
Movement or color changes are too faint .................... MAIN - FORENSIC - RGBamplifier Strength
Can't read stationary signage or license plate ............ MAIN - FORENSIC - Frame Averaging
Video's authenticity is suspect .................................... MAIN - ANALYSIS - Extract & Test & MinMax
Identify file's characteristics ........................................ MAIN - ANALYSIS - File Information
Audio is too quiet or shouldn't exist ............................. PROPERTIES - CORE - Volume
Video plays at the incorrect speed .............................. PROPERTIES - CORE - FPS speed
Only need a range of video frames ............................. PROPERTIES - CORE - Starting & Keep frame
Video plays in reverse order ....................................... PROPERTIES - CORE - Reverse Video
Video contains repeated frames ................................. PROPERTIES - DUPLICATE frame removal
Fast moving objects look jagged ................................. PROPERTIES - FIELDS - Sep/Swap
Video jerks up/down or left/right (after Sep/Swap) ...... PROPERTIES - FIELDS - Nudge & Shift
Interlaced fields are out of horizontal alignment .......... PROPERTIES - FIELDS - Horizontal alignment
Only a small portion of the video matters .................... PROPERTIES - CROP
Adjust video resolution or aspect ................................ PROPERTIES - RESIZE
Video needs to be flipped or rotated ........................... PROPERTIES - ANGLE
Certain color channels contain greater detail .............. PROPERTIES - CHANNELS
Remove frames inconsistent with reference frame ..... SPECIALTY - DESEQUENCE
Digitized video shows VHS or ghosting defects .......... SPECIALTY - VHS
Perspective is distorted, or is pincushion or barrel ...... SPECIALTY - VIEW
Overall image/video color is incorrect ......................... SPECIALTY - COLORIZE
Add a header to contain annotations .......................... FINALIZING - MARGIN - Header
Add the audio waveform for visual impact .................. FINALIZING - MARGIN - Waveform
Need to highlight or pixilate a specific area ................. FINALIZING - ACCENT
Need to add on-screen text annotation ....................... FINALIZING - TEXT
Need to add frame number annotation ....................... FINALIZING - NUMBER
Need to add a progressive time stamp annotation ...... FINALIZING - TIMEstamp

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 VERSION HISTORY (beginning with version 5.0)

5.7 Color limiter added to Forensic-RGBamplifier. DeGhosting added to VHS in Specialty section.
Negative Tools-Sharpening values now soften the scene.

5.6 New variables (inserted using the F2 key) to include file and system information into TEXT
annotations. VideoCleaner now loads for users who never followed the installation instructions.

5.5 Reorganized TOOLS “Deblur Denoise” slider, and added dirt denoise option. New CURVE “Data
bit depth” slider posterizes. Combined FORENSIC “Sobel” and “Canny” sliders. Swapped order of
FORENSIC “Isolate” and “RGBamplifier” sliders. Removed redundant MARGIN active slider.
Fixed error when all feature groups are made inactive.

5.4 New TOOLS “Hue” slider improves detail perceptibly through color shifting. New Append position
in CORE appends unaltered original prior to the enhanced results. Removed a slider redundancy
by allowing a Duplicate Frame Removal strength of zero to also serve as the filter’s on/off switch.

5.3 Significantly improved VideoCleaner’s automatic proprietary video extractor. Combined RESIZE
“Preserve aspect” and “Snap to common” sliders. New COMPARE slider Matrix option zooms in
on rectangular area defined in ACCENT. New “-1” “mask” position of ACCENT’s Pixelation slider
confines enhancements to user defined oval or rectangle accent area (unless using COMPARE’s
Matrix). The VELA file is now named and retrieved from the same folder as the file being tested.

5.2 F7 key also saves videos from within VideoCleaner. New top slider OVERRIDE option overrides
protective user limits. Increased TIMESTAMP annotation size range. FRAME number annotation
auto-resizes based upon aspect ratio. TRANSPARENCY slider moved to top (rightmost position
“7” replaces the now removed Bypass option). COMPARE’s “Original” text overlay is less opaque.
Removed “mid-frame” option (was redundant to the frame range options within the CORE group).

5.1 Combined TOOLS slider pairs (Backlight & Histogram) and (Denoise & Deblur), plus FORENSIC
slider pair (Motion & iFrames). Added 8th Forensic edging mode that most discards colored pixels.
New “Reload last session” program shortcut (also useful if installation step #1 was ignored).

5.0 FINALIZING section defaults to active. SuperResolution can be applied to any resizing. ACCENT
feature group defaults to a rectangular or oval highlight. DEBLOCKING and EQUALIZER feature
groups have been simplified, defaulted to their optimal mode, and relocated into TOOLS group.
The DESEQUENCER feature group was relocated into the SPECIALTY section. Added “Nearest
neighbor” to the RESIZE group, and Looping to the CORE group. Sub-second accuracy added to
time stamp annotation. Untouched video and its cropped version can now be placed beside the
fully enhanced version. Sliders streamlined to improve speed. Improved wording & error handling.

Page 5 of 27
THE VIDEOCLEANER INTERFACE:

Do not use the menu at the very top of this program. It relates to the AvsPmod interface and
not the VideoCleaner features. Instead, use the controls located on the right-hand side.

Script code: No need to Preview window: Shows the Section toggles: Check a toggle
examine this area unless you video in its current state. Apply box to activate and display the
want to modify or understand filters to make changes. Auto- features of that section. The
the VideoCleaner source code. resizes to fit the entire video. program automatically reloads.

Slider and its setting (min, max, current)

Playback controls. Feature description

Frame number. Frame navigation bar

Ratio of displayed size to true size

Current frame # Color space
Playing time of current frame
Total number of video frames Playback frames per second
Video resolution and aspect

If the VideoCleaner sliders are not visible, click on these 3 mini arrows to
restore their visibility. You can adjust the size of the control windows by
moving the boundaries guides (see the blue arrows in the image above).

NOTE: Avoid using Playback controls because most computers lack the power to play an enhancing
video in real time. Instead, use the computer's arrow keys or navigation bar to select a specific frame.
Page 6 of 27
 SAVING YOUR WORK

VideoCleaner provides several methods to save one’s work. The user can hold down their computer’s
CTRL key and touch the letter “S” to save the current enhanced video frame as a single image, press
the ALT and “S” keys together to save all video frames as a series of images, or press the “F7” key to
save their enhanced results as a new video. All VideoCleaner settings are automatically retained, and
reloaded for reuse unless the user chooses to “Reload the file and lose the current changes” (which
resets all settings and sliders back to their defaults) the next time VideoCleaner is started. The latest
VideoCleaner settings are automatically logged in a file ending in "VideoCleaner_settings.txt" which
is located in the video's file folder (and also in C:\VideoCleaner). This log file is a powerful resource to
ensure that VideoCleaner results can be replicated on demand, and easily presented to the court.

Another saving method is to press the "F6" key to

export the enhanced video into a program called
VirtualDub, which has a wider range of save options.
This method allows the user to close and restart
VideoCleaner to work on a different image or video file,
as both programs work independently of each other.

Once inside of VirtualDub, press the "F7" key (or select

"Save as AVI" under the "Video" menu) to save a copy
of the enhanced video in the uncompressed format (a
huge file format that retains 100% of the video details).
If a smaller compressed file size is desired, press
CTRL-P (hold down the "ctrl" key and touch the letter
"P") or select "Compression" under the "Video" menu to
choose a compression Codec, and then press "F7" to
save the video. VirtualDub will ask for the file's name
and where the user wants to save their finished video.

To save only a portion of the video, the user only needs to select the first and last frames by moving
to the beginning and ending frame of the desired range and then selecting the relevant icon (see the
red arrows above). Similarly, pressing the computer's Delete key will remove only the designated
frame range. If frames are accidentally deleted, pressing CTRL-Z (holding down the "ctrl" key and
touching the letter "Z") will undo the last change.

There are additional VirtualDub features and

filters available through the internet. Unless the
user activates such additional filters inside of
VirtualDub (located under the "Video" menu),
the side-by-side before-after views of the video
will be exact duplicates of the VideoCleaner
results. As with VideoCleaner, the keyboard’s
right and left arrow keys are used to move
forward and backward through the video.

NOTE: The Lagarath video Codec will save

100% of the video detail in about 20% of the file size of using uncompressed. However, the resulting
video will only be playable on computer’s with that Codec installed. Lagarath is recommended for use
when saving intermediary video versions on your computer to save hard drive space.

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 CAMSTUDIO

If a view cannot be opened in VideoCleaner, CamStudio can record that video while it the proprietary
software displays it onto the computer screen, including sound, and then save the resulting video so
that it can be opened by VideoCleaner. A low-resource ad-free version of CamStudio is ready to
install (Choose "Install - Camstudio screen capture", located in the VideoCleaner program shortcuts
folder). Once installed, follow these usage instructions:

Launch the CamStudio program

and select "Video Options"
under the "Options" menu to
choose a compression Codec.
In general XVID (http://xvid.com)
provides optimal visual quality in
a very compact file size (the VideoCleaner shortcut
folder also includes the XVID installation). Using "Max
Framerate" can help ensure that no video frames are
skipped or lost, but may result in a larger final file size.

To record a video, select "Window" located under the "Region"

menu, then select the Red record button. Now mouse click on the
proprietary video player's viewing window to select it, and then start playing the proprietary video. A
progress bar will indicate how large the dubbed copy is becoming. When the desired portion of the
proprietary video has finished playing, select the stop button in CamStudio to complete the recording.

Once the user presses the CamStudio Stop button, they will be asked for a file name and saving
location for the newly created recording. The recommended name is "Screen.avi" since that matches
the default input name for VideoCleaner. Be aware that screen captured recordings, while typically
much larger than the originating video file, will not contain any additional video details.

Once the newly dubbed video has been saved, it can be opened directly in VideoCleaner without the
need to use the proprietary viewing software. VideoCleaner can then be used to remove duplicate
frames and restore details to create a more accurate and compact dubbed video version.

WARNING: Depending on your computer, the dubbed version may include blended frames (hybrids
of two sequential moments in time) that compromise file accuracy and VideoCleaner enhancements.
Page 8 of 27
 MEDIAINFO

The first time a video is loaded, VideoCleaner may create several support files in the same folder as
that video. One of those files may have a name extension that ends in ".ffindex". If this file exists, it is
a temporary index file created by FFDSHOW (the tool that opens most VideoCleaner's videos) to
index frames, and speed up future load times for that same video. Another file has a name extension
ending in ".Mediainfo.txt" and contains video metadata and facts useful for your reports and analysis.

The Mediainfo file may include GPS coordinates, camera settings, capture date/time, the creating
software name/version, and other identifying information. This file can be opened with any text editor.
Below is a simple Mediainfo.txt file for example purposes. Abbreviated metadata can be viewed within
VideoCleaner by moving the "File information" slider (located in the "Analysis" filter group) completely
to the right.

If your video is on a read only media

(e.g. a video DVD), you can access
the file "Mediainfo.txt" which is
located in the "C:\VideoCleaner"
folder. That file contains the most
recent video metadata, but this file
will be overwritten each time a new
video is opened using VideoCleaner.

Depending on the video's file format,

the displayed metadata may not be
secure and could have been modified
prior to your review. Furthermore,
some metadata will be in a seemingly
cryptic format. Here are some useful
links to convert that data:
Convert UTC time
Convert GPS coordinates

NOTE: You can use VideoCleaner to

load any TXT file, including the
Mediainfo file, and the computer's
right arrow key will scroll through the
metadata file. If you attempt to use
the left arrow, you may get a seek
error because VideoCleaner is trying
to view this text file as a video file. If
this occurs, press the computer
keyboard's "F5" key to reload the
metadata file to continue reading it.

We recommended that you do not update the MediaInfo software as the newer versions include
adware and other potentially undesirable characteristics.

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 VIDEOCLEANER - SLIDERS AND SETTINGS
Within each VideoCleaner section, are groups of features. Each feature is controlled by sliders. To
the left of the slider is its description plus the default (inactive) value shown in brackets. To the right of
the slider's name is the actual slider control. The number on the left edge of the slider control is the
lowest allowed value. The highest allowed value is listed to the right side of the slider. The farthest
right number (in blue) is the current value of that slider. Mouse clicking on the blue current value will
reset the slider to its setting from when the current video was last loaded or reloaded.
This is a group of sliders and NOT the
MAIN SECTION program's "TOOLS" drop down menu.

This section is always visible, regardless of the TOOLS

other feature section check boxes. Most video
clarification work will occur within this section. Apply TOOLS settings (0=no)
These first few sliders act as master controls. A value of zero (0) disables all features in this
filter group. A value of one (1) allows them.
Use / List / Override / Subtract Features (0)
Set this slider to “0” for normal functionality. Unsharpen Strength (0=off)
Set to "1" and on-screen text will list active Subtracts a local contrast Gaussian blur to
features. Use position "2" to override built-in retain the high-frequency details. If set to high,
protective restrictions. Position “3” subtracts object edging can appear overly exaggerated.
the enhanced version from the original to
display what has changed. Although the filter's name is misleading,
unsharpening not only sharpens the video,
The "subtract" setting displays how your but can provide pseudo-focus correction.
filter settings have affected your video
and is useful in confirming that critical Sharpening Strength (0=off)
details were not accidentally removed. Any value above zero (0) increases sharpness
and a negative value increases softness.
Enhancement transparency (0=none)
Any value above zero allows the original video Video Contrast Strength (0=off)
blend into the final result. Position seven A value of zero (0) turns this feature off. Any
effectively bypasses all VideoCleaner features. other value applies an ever increasing or
Changes made in the Properties section are decreasing amounts of luminosity contrast.
not affected by this slider’s position.
Color Contrast Strength (0=off)
Compare Original to Enhanced A value of zero (0) turns this feature off. Any
"OFF / Side / Atop / Sweep (0=off)" other value applies an ever increasing or
Set this slider to “0” for normal viewing. Set to decreasing amounts of color contrast.
“1” to place the original and enhanced views
side-by-side, or to “2” to have them stacked Color Saturation Strength (0=off)
vertically. If set to “3”, the original & enhanced A value of zero (0) turns this feature off. Any
views will interchange by sweeping over time. other value applies ever increasing or
decreasing color saturation of the scene.
“. Normal / Full / Both / Matrix”
Set this slider to “0” for enhanced and Suppress HotSpot Strength (0=off)
unenhanced. Set to “1” for unenhanced to be Positive values apply an ever increasing
uncropped or “2” to include both cropped and amount of hotspot suppression (reduction of
uncropped unenhanced. Set to “3” for a matrix bright or flashing lights while preserving details
that also includes the zoomed-in ACCENT and lighting levels). Negative values substitute
rectangular area if Mask mode is active. pure black to aid in histogram skewing.
Page 10 of 27
Shift Overall Hue (0=off) CURVE (lighting balance)
Any value other than zero “0” shifts the overall
color hue, amplified by the above Color Apply CURVE settings (0=no)
Saturation slider. Useful to correct any color A value of zero (0) disables all features in this
errors or to improve the detail perception of filter group. A value of one (1) allows them.
previously dark or black/white videos.
Lowest Lumins in (0)
Equalizer Strength (0=off) Sets the darkest lighting level to be retained as
A positive value applies an increasingly intense being unique with zero (0) representing pure
illumination correction without the risk of black and 255 representing pure white. If set to
blowout, with negative values using a video high, darker details may become clipped.
negative. Strong anti-banding (interpolation of
luminosity transitions between adjacent pixels) Gamma Multiplier (1)
and the full luminosity range are always used. A value of one (1) leaves the video untouched.
Higher values skew the brightness distribution
Backlight / Off / Histogram (0) upward, while lower values do the opposite,
A value of zero (0) turns this feature off. A without luminosity blowout or clipping.
negative value applies automatic back-lighting
correction while a positive value applies an Highest Lumins in (255)
automatic color histogram equalization. Sets the brightest lighting level to be retained
as being unique with zero (0) representing pure
Deblur / Off / Denoise (0=Off) black and 255 representing pure white. If set
A value of zero (0) turns this feature off. A too low, brighter details may become clipped.
negative value applies lens deblur. A positive
value applies denoising based upon the noise Data bit depth (default=8)
sizes: 1= Large, 2=Small, 3=Dirt. Luminosity ranges from 0 to 255 using 8 data
bits. Lowering the value of this slider posterizes
Review these filter changes as they can using few data bits, allocated over 32-bit RGB.
over-compensate or distort subtle details.

NOTE: If using the Denoise filter responds

Stabilize Strength (0=off)
with "Feature not available", the solution is
A value of zero (0) turns this feature off. Any
to locate the Windows™ VideoCleaner
other value applies ever increasing stabilization
shortcut folder and then RIGHT click on the
option named "VideoCleaner fix" to select
Focus Correction (0=off)
"Run as administrator". This will copy two
Any value above zero (0) optically refocuses
required files into the Windows file directory.
every pixel of every frame. The available range
Once complete, this fix solution will never
is up to twenty tenths of one pixel radius, using
need to be repeated on the same computer.
a finite impulse response (FIR) Wiener filtering.

Deblock Model (0=off)

Set above “0” to find a model to repair or soften NOTE: The Backlight, Denoise and Focus
the square tiling artifacts typically found in features are math intensive and may require
over-compressed videos. If they exist, iFrames long time periods to process and reprocess,
and Color data is automatically referenced. especially when used in combination.
Instead, try using one or two of these filters,
Deblock Strength (0=lowest) save the resulting file, and then close
Higher values strengthen the attack on any VideoCleaner. Reopen that saved video file
blocking artifacts. Increase until just prior to in a new VideoCleaner session to continue
causing any detectable losses in scene details. where you left off to apply additional filters.

Page 11 of 27
FORENSIC (iFrame can be slow) (only some colors were definable): 1=black, 2=maroon, 3=brown, 4=red,
5=darkgreen, 6=darkoliveGreen, 7=sienna, 8=chocolate, 9=forestgreen, 10=olivedrab,
11=darkgoldenrod, 12=goldenrod, 13=limegreen, 14=chartreuse, 15=yellowgreen, 16=gold,
17=midnightblue, 21=darkslateGray, 22=dimgray, 24=tomato, 25=seagreen, 27=darkkhaki,
Apply FORENSIC settings (0=no) 28=sandybrown, 29=springgreen, 33=darkblue, 34=indigo, 35=dark magenta, 36=deeppink,
A value of zero (0) disables all features in this 40=palevioletred, 41=lightseagreen, 42=cadetblue, 43=dark gray, 44=tan, 45=medium
springgreen, 46=mediumaquamarine, 47=lightgreen, 48=khaki, 49=mediumblue, 51=blue
filter group. A value of one (1) allows them. violet, 52=fuchsia, 54=slateblue, 55=medium purple, 56=orchid, 57=dodgerblue,
58=cornflowerblue, 60=plum, 61=darkturquoise, 62=turquoise, 63=lightblue, 64=white

Edge: Sobel / Off / Canny (0=off)

Frame Averaging Radius (0=off)
A negative value applies Sobel Edge filtering
Any value above zero (0) blends that number
(dual axis quadratic mean of masked and
of preceding and following frames together into
dominantly weighted pixels): a value of (-1)
a lower noise version, applied to all frames.
uses just the Luma channel, (-2) uses just the
Chroma channels, and (-3) uses all channels.
Increasing positive values apply Canny edge
ANALYSIS and Information
filtering in an ever higher hysteresis range for
the relevant gradient threshold magnitudes.
Apply ANALYSIS settings (0=no)
A value of zero (0) disables all features in this
__Sobel/Canny value (0=default)
filter group. A value of one (1) allows them.
If using Sobel mode, each increase in the
slider’s value above zero (0) reduces the edge
Extract (Off / Noise / DCT / Motion)
mask saturation limit by an additional 10%. If
A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
using Canny mode, higher values reduce the
value of one (1) subtracts a Gaussian blur
applied Gaussian blur ("9" disables blurring).
(leaves an amplified noise profile), two (2)
isolates the DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform)
Edge Filtering Mode (0=off)
AC component (Curves or Equalizer improves
Any value above zero (0) emphasizes edges
results view-ability), and three (3) generates
using these algorithms:
motion vectors (this can be a slow process).
1=Inverse spatial differentials
2=Spatial differentials
Test (Off / PseudoColors / VELA)
3=Differentials
A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
4='Y' channel of spatial differentials
value of one (1) assigns a random color palette
5='Y' channel intensities
to highlight subtle color differentials to detect
6='U' channel intensities
clipping or masked content (add the Channels-
7='V' channel intensities
Grayscale slider to test temperature). A value
8=Suppress colored pixels
of two (2) performs VELA (to detect cropping or
content addition, removal or relocation. Read
Isolate: Motion / iFrame (0=off)
page #19 of this guide for more instructions).
A value of one (1) suppresses all pixels which
remain unchanged in the preceding and
MinMax Range (0=off)
following 25 frames to supress static objects. A
Any value above zero (0) displays the
value of two (2) removes any detectable non-
luminosity clipping distance from pure black
iFrames. This process is slow, so save the
and white, shown as blue and red respectively.
resulting file, and re-open that new file in
Clipping is inconsistent with an authentic video.
VideoCleaner to apply additional filters.
File information (0=off)
RGBamplifier Strength (0=off)
A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. One
This value sets the strength to emphasize each
(1) displays the luminance waveform, two (2)
pixel's deviation from its average RGB among
displays a color allocation Vectorscope, and
the preceding and following 25 video frames.
three (3) displays the file's summary Metadata.
(see "Mediainfo.txt' in the video's file folder for
__RGBamplifier Color Limit (0=none)
a more comprehensive list of file Metadata).
Restricts the affected color range as follows:
Page 12 of 27
 PROPERTIES SECTION
CORE Settings DUPlicate frame removal

Apply CORE settings (0=no) Duplicate Removal Strength (0=off)

A value of zero (0) disables all features in this This setting is the percentage of difference
filter group. A value of one (1) allows them. (threshold) between successive frames for
each frame to be considered unique. This
Volume (0=ignore 1=mute) feature is activated by any value above zero. A
A value of zero (0) leaves the audio alone, one value of 0.1 will work for most videos.
(1) mutes the audio, and higher values amplify
audio. Be aware that VideoCleaner does not NOTE: Duplicate frame removal is a
play audio. The user will need to press F6 to critical first step, and is always the first
export and hear the audio using VirtualDub. filter applied to any video, regardless of
any other active VideoCleaner filters.
FPS Speed seconds (0=same)
FPS Millisec (add to above)
A value of zero (0) for both sliders leaves the Auto-adjust Framerate (0=no)
playback speed as-is. Otherwise, the value of A value of zero (0) retains the current frame
both sliders are added together to set a new rate so that, if duplicate frames were removed,
playback frame rate. For example, 29 seconds the resulting video will play in less time and
and 973 milliseconds results in a 29.973 may appear to be sped up. A value of one (1)
frames-per-second video playback frame rate. adjusts the playback frame rate so that the
resulting video retains its original duration,
NOTE: Some computer configurations albeit with fewer video frames to display.
have issues playing videos with non-
standard frame rates, especially videos
NOTE: Duplicate frame removal can be
playing under one frame-per-second.
very time consuming and is re-invoked
with each subsequent VideoCleaner
Starting Frame thousands (0) settings change. It is recommended that
Starting Frame (add to above) you perform duplicate frame removal by
The first slider set the number of frames (in itself, save the resulting video and close
thousands) and the other slider value is added. VideoCleaner. Re-launch VideoCleaner
For example, if the thousands is set to 2 and to reopen that saved video to apply any
the second slider is set to 100, then the first remaining filters that may be required.
2100 frames of the input video will be ignored.

Keep Frames thousands (0=all)

Keep Frames (add to above)
The first slider set the number of frames (in
thousands) and the other slider value is added.
For example, if the thousands is set to 2 and
the second slider is set to 100, then only 2100
frames of the input video will be retained.

Off / Reverse / Loop / Append (0=off)

Setting "1" reverses the direction of playback,
so the last frame becomes the first. Setting “2”
loops the video ten times. Setting “3” appends
so the original video is prior to the enhanced.
Page 13 of 27
FIELDS Horizontal alignment (0=off)
A value of zero (0) leaves the video untouched.
FIELDS: Off / Overlay / Apply (0=off) A positive value shifts the fields from the
A value of zero (0) disables all features in this center, with even fields moving rightward. A
filter group. A value of one (1) Displays an negative value shifts in the other direction.
overlay to assist the user with the "Horizontal Higher values will invoke a greater shift.
alignment" slider {vertical lines will become
thinner as the alignment improves}. A value of Retain Which Fields (All / Even / Odd)
two (2) applies normal Fields functionality. A value of zero (0) leaves the video untouched.
When a set of fields is blurrier than the other,
Fields: off / Separate / Swap (0) one (1) retains only the even numbered fields,
Each frame of an interlaced video is composed while two (2) retains the odd numbered fields.
of two interlaced fields, thus representing two
independent moments in time in one image. A Restore Original Size (0=no)
value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A A value of zero (0) leaves the video untouched.
value of one (1) separates ("deinterlaces") the A value of one (1) will use bicubic resizing to
fields, thus creating a half height video with restore the deinterlaced video's height back to
twice as many frames. A value of two (2) works its original size prior to the field filter changes.
the same way, but swaps the field pair order.

Hint: Use the keyboard's right-left arrow keys ANGLE

to advance through the video and, if the
movement seems to oddly jerk forward- Apply ANGLE settings (0=no)
backward, try setting this slider to two "2". A value of zero (0) disables all features in this
filter group. A value of one (1) allows the user
to modify the viewing angle.
Nudge Fields (Off / Up / Down)
A value of zero (0) leaves the video untouched. Turn: Off / Right / Left (0)
A value of one (1) nudges the even numbered A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
fields, of the now deinterlaced frames (requires value of one (1) turns the video 90-degrees
the prior slider), upward a half-pixel. A value of clockwise and a value of two (2) turns the
two (2) will nudge them half a pixel downward. video 90-degrees counter-clockwise.

Use this slider if the video slightly alternates Flip This Video (0=no)
up/down as you use the computer right-left A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
arrow keys to advance through the video. value of one (1) flips the video horizontally.
This can be required when a video Codec
incorrectly determines the video's left edge.
Nudge Fields (Off / Left / Right)
A value of zero (0) leaves the video untouched. Rotate Video Angle (0)
A value of one (1) will shift the even numbered Any value above zero (0) rotates the video
fields, of the now de-interlaced frames, leftward clockwise by that value's number of degrees.
one-half pixel. A value of two (2) will shift the The video is cropped to retain the video's
even numbered fields rightward half a pixel. dimensions. A value of "180" degrees can be
used with the "Flip" filter to create a vertical flip.
NOTE: Sub-pixel nudging, when required,
improves final enhancement results, but its Add Rotation Borders (0=no)
interpolation can impact Photogrammetry and A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
Videogrammetry measurement accuracies. value of one (1) adds borders so the rotated
video remains fully visible without rescaling.

Page 14 of 27
CROP RESIZE

Apply CROP settings (0=no) Off / Neighbor / Cubic / SR (0=off)

A value of zero (0) disables all features in this A value of zero (0) disables this filter group,
filter group. A value of one (1) allows the user while any other value resizes (in multiples of
to zoom in by cropping the viewable scene, four pixels for optimal playback compatibility).
rounded to the nearest multiple of four pixels A value of one (1) magnifies using nearest
for maximum playback compatibility. neighbor {best for forensic measurements), A
value of two (2) applies bicubic interpolation
Crop by Percentage (0) resizing, and a value of three (3) applies
A value of zero (0) means that cropping is by SuperResolution {usually best for upsizing},
the following values number of pixels. A value
of (1) changes each value to behave as a Aspect: Off / Preserve / Common (0)
percentage of the video's original dimensions. A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
value of one (1) automatically adjusts the
From Left (0) video's height, based upon the selected width,
A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. Any that best preserves the video's aspect ratio. A
other value trims away the designated portion value of two (2) lets VideoCleaner select the
of the left edge of the video. closest common video size relative to the
user's selected New width and New height.
The next three sliders behave the same as the
above slider, but from their respective edges: New Width (0=same)
From Right (0) A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. Any
From Top (0) other value resizes to the closest valid value.
From Bottom (0)
New Height (0=same)
A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. Any
HINT: Cropping has an immediate other value resizes to the closest valid value.
exponential improvement on VideoCleaner's
filter processing time. A popular trick is to
activate cropping to show just the critical CHANNELS selector
scene, test and apply all of the required
VideoCleaner filters, and then deactivate Apply CHANNELS settings (0=no)
cropping as the last step before saving the A value of zero (0) disables all features in this
video results. This will significantly improve filter group. A value of one (1) allows them.
your overall workflow efficiency.
Due to the way videos are saved, defects may
prominently exist in one color channel, which
can be disabled using the next three sliders:
NOTE: The included SuperResolution mode Turn Red OFF (0=no)
is fully functional, but applies a demo mode Turn Green OFF (0=no)
watermarked as thin diagonal lines. You are Turn Blue OFF (0=no)
under no obligation to use SuperResolution
or purchase a license from Infognition. This Off / Gray / Negative/ Both (0)
enhancement feature is offered solely A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
because it produces extremely clear results. value of one (1) converts the scene to
monochrome, two (2) inverts all active color
Visit HERE to read more or to purchase a channels, and three (3) applies both filters.
license. Click HERE after purchasing a
license to remove the demo watermark.

Page 15 of 27
 SPECIALTY FEATURES SECTION
DESEQUENCE VIEW Perspective changer

Apply DESEQUENCE settings (0=no) Apply VIEW settings (0=no)

A value of zero (0) disables all features in this A value of one (1) changes the video's viewing
filter group. A value of one (1) allows the user perspective, maintaining bicubic frame sizing.
to remove broken or inconsistent frames,
including those from a sequenced video. Lens Curve (0=off)
NOT INTENDED FOR PANNING VIDEOS. A positive value corrects fish-eye distortion. A
negative value corrects barrel lens distortion.
Frame to use as the reference
Set this to the first frame that shows the scene Top Left (X) 0=default
that you wish to retain. The range is 0 to 99. A non-zero value selects a different top left
corner along the horizontal (X) axis by the
Retention strength (15=default) value's percentage of total pixels.
If set too low, desired frames may be missed. If
set too high, bad frames may be retained. "15" Top Left (Y) 0=default
is a good starting point for surveillance videos. Same functionality as above, but referencing
the top left corner's vertical (Y) coordinate.

VHS Toolbox These next six sliders work in a similar manner

on their respective corner’s coordinates.
Apply VHS settings (0=no) Top Right (X) 100
A value of zero (0) disables in this filter group Top Right (Y) 0
while one (1) applies the active features. These Bottom Right (X) 100
filters are effective with digitized VHS tapes, Bottom Right (Y) 100
without any benefit to other types of videos. Bottom Left (X) 0
Bottom Left (Y) 100
Repair Chroma Lines (0=no)
A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. A
value of (1) applies automatic Chroma repair COLORize section
and applies line strength.
Apply Colorize settings (0=no)
Lines Strength (0=off) A value of one (1) will apply color corrections
Any value above zero (0) sets the strength of as defined by the other sliders in this group.
line repair. Requires “Repair Chrima”
Filter Strength (10)
Jitter Size (0=off) Sets the colorizing strength.
Any value above zero (0) sets the strength of
scene jitter correction. Low Tones Strength (10)
Determines the strength of also applying
Threshold (0=off) colorization upon the low energy pixel values.
Any value above zero (0) sets the sensitivity
threshold required to incur scene correction. For the next sliders, a positive value applies
that color while a negative value reduces it.
Synch Signal Width (0=off) Add/Subtract Red (0)
A value of zero (0) leaves the video alone. Any Add/Subtract Green (0)
value above zero (0) proportionally shifts the Add/Subtract Blue (0)
video synch horizontally.
Page 16 of 27
 FINALIZING FEATURES
MARGIN lightens outside the highlighted outer area
The margin(s) becomes active when either the while a negative value darkens that area.
“Annotations Header” or “Waveform Footer”
sliders are set above zero (0). Percent from_Top (0)
Percent from_Bottom (0)
Annotations Header Size (0=none) Percent from_Left (0)
A value of two (2) creates a video header, Percent from_Right (0)
equal to 25% of the file height, and then forces Any value above (0) defines the percentage,
all annotations (Text, numbered frames, and away from the relevant video border, that is to
Timestamp) proportionally into that header. be ignored by the features of this filter group.
Use a setting of one (1) to half this height.

Waveform Footer - Intensity (0=off) TEXT Annotate

Any value above zero creates a video footer
that displays an audio volume waveform. The Apply TEXT settings (0=no)
vertical height of the waveform is adjusted by A value of one (1) annotates the video with the
this slider’s value. Stereo audio is visually exact text saved in VideoCleaner’s options,
averaged into a mono representation. which is defined by pressing the "F2" key, else
the default annotation wording of "Target".

ACCENT an area Insert keywords into F2 text to include special

information. Keywords are not case sensitive,
Apply ACCENT settings (0=no) but must be formatted as (#keyword). e.g.:
Highlights the user defined region and/or the File (#File) opened on (#Day) at (#Time)
residual region. A value of one (1) will apply all displays the word “File”, then the current file’s
active features within this filter group. A red name, the words “opened on”, then the day of
border will appear until highlighting or pixilation the week, then “at”, and then the current time.
has a non-zero value. This can help placement
and serves as its own type of accenting style. The available keywords are
Folder Folder holding the image/video file
Use an Oval (0=rectangle) File Name of the image/video file
A value of (1) changes the affected region’s Size Size of the file measured in bytes
shape from a rectangle into an oval. Width Width of the scene in pixels
Height Height of the scene in pixels
Highlight Inner (0=neutral) Aspect Width to height ratio of scene
A positive value lightens inside the selected Day Current day of the week
region while negative values darken it. Date Current date as month/day/year
Time Current time in 24-hour format
Mask / Off / Pixilation (0=off) Duration Total playing time of the file
Slider only affects the inner highlighted region. Framerate Play speed in frames per second
Values above (0) apply increasing pixelation. A Frames Total number of file frames
value of (-1) mask enhancements to this region User User as defined by F2 key text
and, when used with COMPARE’s Matrix mode Line Forces each line break
and the inner region is a rectangle, that region Logo Inserts a logo image, if one exists.
enlarges to become its own Matrix quadrant. Must be named “LOGO.PNG” in
the C:\VideoCleaner\Support folder, places
Highlight Outer (0=neutral) at the left edge of the text, and is not affected
The default value is zero (0). A positive value by the size, angle or color TEXT format sliders

Page 17 of 27
Relative Size (0=smallest) Percent from_Top (0)
The larger the value, the larger the relative size The value defines the percentage from the top
of the text annotation. Depending on the size of edge to place the timestamp. The default is
the target video, the default value of zero (0) zero (0) the top edge of the video.
may make the text too small to be seen.
Percent_from_Left (50)
Percent From Top (50) This slider sets the timestamp’s percentage
Percentage from the video’s top edge to show distance from the left edge. The default is fifty
the annotation. Default of fifty (50) is midway. (50), which approximates midway. As the value
approaches 99, you will effectively hide the
Percent From Left (0) fractional seconds portion of the timestamp.
Percentage from the video’s left edge to show
the annotation. Default of zero (0) is left edge. Relative_Size (4=medium)
The larger the value, the larger the relative size
Text Color (0=white) of the text timestamp, relative to the size of the
Each value uses a different annotation font target video. The default value is four (4).
color and transparency to ensure the text is
visible over nearly any video colors. The Starting Hours (0)
default value of zero (0) shows white text. Starting Minutes (0)
Starting Seconds (0)
Angle (0=horizontal) These slider values determine what timestamp
A positive value rotates annotation clockwise, is to be displayed upon the first video frame (in
while a negative rotates it counter-clockwise. 24-hour format). The timestamp increments
upon subsequent frames at the video’s frame
rate (adjustable in the PROPERTIES filter
NUMBER Frame Numbers group within the CORE section).

Apply NUMBER settings (0=no) Apply Frame Offset (0=none)

A value of one (1) places an incrementally VideoCleaner’s timestamp counts in
increasing frame number along the left edge. milliseconds and sometimes a video clip does
The number size is relative to the video’s size. not begin exactly on the second. Any value
above zero will increment the starting
Percent From Top_(0) timestamp by that many frames worth of
This value defines the percentage from the top timing. For example, at a setting of nine, the
edge to place the frame numbers. The default first frame of a video set to play at ten frames-
is zero (0), the top left corner of the video. per-second will have a timestamp of
00:00:00.900 and the next frame timestamp
Starting Number (0) will be 00:00:01.000 and so on.
The value is the starting frame number to be
used (useful if the current video is a brief ---------------------------------------------------------------
continuous portion from a much longer video).
FINAL ColorSpace

Add a TIMEstamp Convert to YUV (0=no)

VideoCleaner works in RGB colorspace. If this
Timestamps are preceded by a tilde to denote slider is set to one (1), the final colorspace is
that this time is approximate. changed to YUV, which significantly reduces
Apply TIMEstamp settings (0=no) the saved file size. It is common practice that, if
A value of zero (0) disables this filter group. A the originating video began in YUV colorspace,
value of one (1) displays an incrementally the resulting enhanced video is saved in YUV.
increasing timestamp on each video frame.
Page 18 of 27
 FORENSIC AUTHENTICATION AND TAMPER TESTING (explained)
Performing and understanding Noise, Motion, DCT, PseudoColors, VELA and Min/Max analysis

Surveillance video is saved with destructive (lossy) compression, which results in compression error
artifacts, and is perceived as high-energy moving noise. The continual absence or inconsistency of
"noise", "motion vectors”, and "DCT" (Discrete Cosine Transform) high-energy at any portion of a
video is a strong indicator of post-production editing or subjective blurring at that portion of the scene.

PseudoColor, converts subtle pixel intensity differentials into extreme color shifts, making it easier to
detect content cloning and intensity clipping, which will appear as identical colors. VELA (Video Error
Level Analysis) depicts content cropping or alterations tampered content as inconsistent brightness
and/or color, when compared to other scene details of similar contrast. Contrast or luminosity skewing
(e.g. excessive darkness/brightness) is depicted as blue/red respectively by the Min/Max test.

WHAT YOU MUST DO FOR VELA IN VIDEOCLEANER

VELA testing requires that a re-compressed version of the test video already exist. First, be sure that
the XVID codec is installed (there is an "Install - XVID Codec" shortcut in the VideoCleaner shortcut
folder). This installation only needs to be done once, but there is no harm in repeating this step if you
are unsure. The XVID Codec installation is fast with only a momentary on-screen message.

Open your video using VideoCleaner and, without applying any sliders, press F6 to transfer the video
to VirtualDub, but don’t close VideoCleaner. In VirtualDub, press CTRL-P and select the XVID Codec,
and now to the right you will see a "Configure" button (select that and in the third box down labeled
"Target quantizer" enter the number "8", select OK to save your settings), and click OK to commit the
XVID Codec. Now press F7 to save the video. Save the video in with the same folder and name as
the file being tested, but add “.VELA.AVI” to the file name. VideoCleaner will guide you to do this if
you forget. Close VirtualDub once the file saving process is complete.

In VideoCleaner, move the "Apply ANALYSIS settings" slider to the right to activate this feature group
and then move the "Test" slider to its rightmost position to activate VELA testing. Be aware that any
saved VideoCleaner.avi file will be automatically deleted the next time the VideoCleaner program is
re-started. As such, be sure to save or review your VELA results before closing VideoCleaner.

NOTES: Lossy compression or a skilled manipulator can affect testing results. Test results should be treated as
compelling evidence and not as a definitive conclusion. Prior training and understanding of test results is expected.
VideoCleaner analysis tests are based upon prior peer reviewed and public domain research: NOISE (Niabot,
Djembayz, and Waithamai), MOTION (Laurent de Soras and pavelsx2), DCT (N. Ahmed, T. Natarajan, and K.R.
Rao), Pseudo Colors (Dschwen, and Aimcotest), VELA (kaʁstn, George Chernilevsky, Dr. Neal Krawetz, and Doug
Carner), and MinMax (Anil. K. Jain, Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing, Prentice Hall, 1989 pp.240).

HEX EDITOR - VIRTUALDUB

VirtualDub includes a basic hex editor (located under the Tools menu) that display's hidden metadata.

This example denotes that the loaded image file

was last saved using Microsoft's Windows
Photo Viewer.

Page 19 of 27
TUTORIAL (Enhancing sample files)

The "VideoCleaner" folder on the user's computer includes a sub-folder named "Samples" which has
several practice files. Each file is listed below along with the recommended enhancement steps to
apply. Remember that, video enhancement is somewhat subjective. The quality of your vision and
computer monitor will affect your perceived results. You are encouraged to experiment with different
VideoCleaner features and settings. As with all skills, practice improves performance.

For these tutorials, it is recommended that the user install the Xvid Codec and Lagareth Codec, both
of which are listed as links in the VideoCleaner program shortcut menu on their computer.

First, use the desktop icon to launch the VideoCleaner program. When VideoCleaner loads, the user
then presses their computer's "F5" key (or CTRL-O) to load the desired file to work with.

Dark.jpg
Open the image file named "Dark" (or "Dark.jpg" depending on the computer’s configuration). It is so
dark that it is almost impossible to see anything, so first activate the TOOLS filter group by moving
the slider named "Apply TOOLS settings" rightward.

This is a very dark scene, so move the “Backlight / Off / Histogram” slider rightward to position 1
(histogram) to expand the lighting and color levels. Since the text appears faint, move the Video
contrast Strength slider rightward to about "14" to emphasize the luminosity differentials between
adjacent pixels (dots of resolution). Now you can add additional improvements by moving the
UnSharpen or Deblur sliders all the way rightward to improve image clarity.

NOTE: The Deblur filter can take minutes or even hours to process a video (which is why you should
always test it without applying any other filters when working with high-resolution videos. Since
"Dark.jpg" is just an image (a one frame video), the Deblur results will apply nearly instantaneously.

Turn ON the FORENSIC filter group (by moving Apply Forensic settings slider to the right) and set
Sobel to position "2". This filter will automatically locate and emphasize edges. Since position 2 is for
Chroma, and the image is nearly black/white, the resulting image takes on a greenish hue. To remove
the color, you need only turn ON the CHANNELS filter group and move the Off/ Gray / Negative /
Both slider Rightward to position “1”. Although, the green version may appear clearer due to the way
that our eyes work.

Now let's save the finished image by holding the computer keyboard’s CTRL key down while then
pressing the letter "S". Alternatively, the user can press their computer keyboard's "F6" key to send
this image into VirtualDub, where it can be saved in a wider range of image (FILE --> EXPORT -->
IMAGE SEQUENCE) or video file formats.

Page 20 of 27
XVID.avi
The "XVID.avi" video demonstrates an extremely dark video from a stationary camera. For this video,
you will need to have previously installed the XVID Codec. If this was never done, there is an
installation shortcut in the VideoCleaner program shortcut folder to take care of that now.

Load the "XVID.avi" video, which is located in the “Samples” folder of “VideoCleaner” on your
computer's C drive. As you play or scroll (right arrow key of your computer keyboard) through this
video you will likely see nothing except darkness. We can fix this by turning ON the TOOLS filter
group (by moving the slider named "Apply TOOLS settings" rightward), and then move the
“Backlight / Off / Histogram” rightward to position 1 (histogram). Now scrolling through the video we
can see a license plate, but each frame is not very readable due to the extreme pixilation noise.

Since this noise is random, we can average the video frames to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. To
do this, turn ON the FORENSIC filter group (by moving the slider named "Apply FORENSIC
settings" rightward), and then move the "Frame Averaging Radius" slider to its rightmost position,
"50". Immediately the random noise is suppressed. Since this setting averages the prior and
successive 50 frames, viewing frame number 50 (midway into the video) will maximize the effect.

Applying additional VideoCleaner settings will further improve the end results. For example, just
turning setting the Deblock Model to “1” (located in the TOOLS filter group) will apply a subtle effect
that leads to a slightly clearer image.

You can also move the "Video Contrast Strength" slider, located in the TOOLS filter group, to a
position of "10" to further gain additional subtle improvements, and move "Color Contrast Strength"
to a position of "5" to give the image a more visually pleasing appearance. That is the power of
having access to such an extensive enhancement toolbox within in VideoCleaner.

Now let's save the finished result by holding down the CTRL key and then pressing the letter "S",
which lets you save the current image in the location and format of your choosing. Alternatively, press
the F6 key to send the video to VirtualDub. Within VirtualDub, press the "F7" key to save your
enhanced video. If you hold the CTRL and press the P key (or "Compression" option under "Video"
menu) before pressing F7 Save, you can select a compression codec that will reduce the file size.

There is a slider named Deactivate all enhancements located above the Tools filter group. Move
that slider to the right to see what the image looked like prior to the applied enhancements.
Alternatively, you can use the transparency slider (the second to last VideoCleaner slider) to blend
the before and after versions. You can also use the OFF / Side / Atop / Sweep slider located near
the top to compare the before and after results.

Page 21 of 27
Noise.avi
Open the "Noise" video file. We can see that there is a lot of distracting noise in the Red and Green
color channels. Before we turn off color channels, we will need to ensure that the luminosity levels will
remain balanced. Turn ON the TOOLS section (by moving the slider named "Apply TOOLS
settings" rightward) and “Backlight / Off / Histogram” rightward to position 1 (histogram).

Move down several filter groups to locate and turn ON the Channels filter group (Apply CHANNELS
settings) and within that group turn OFF (move the slider rightward) both the Red and Green
channels, leaving a blue channel image. In this same filter group, move the Off/ Gray / Negative /
Both slider Rightward to position “1”. The image should appear much clearer but you can clearly see
that it is upside down.

In the Properties section is the ANGLE filter group. Turn this group on (Move the Apply ANGLE
settings slider rightward) and then change the Rotate video angle to a setting of "180". The image
is right side up, but we can see that it includes a noise pattern from having been a scanned image.
Change the rotation value to "181" and notice how the resulting interpolation reduces that pattern
effect.

We can further improve the the signal-to-noise ratio by adjusting the image's resolution using the
RESIZE filter group. Turn ON that group (also in the Properties section) and activate Preserve
General Aspect Ratio and adjust the New Width to "800". Like the angle change, here too we are
using interpolation to suppress the distracting noise from the image details.

At the top of all the sliders, mouse click a check mark to activate the Toggle "Specialty" Section and
be patient while the new feature group loads. Turn ON the COLORize feature group and set Filter
strength to "12", Low tones strength to "9", Add/Subtract red to "4", Add/Subtract green to "-2",
Add/Subtract blue to "4". These settings help restore a more natural color to the resulting image.

We can use the ACCENT filter group to define an area for highlighting (set the Use an oval to "1",
Highlight inner to "9", Highlight outer remains at "0", percent from_top to "60", percent
from_bottom to "24", percent from_left to "33, and percent from_right to "37"). Use the TEXT filter
group to place the word "Target" on the image (set the Relative size to "6", Percent from top to "55",
Percent from left to "27", Text color to "4", and Angle to "-18"). The actual text word (defaults to
"Target") and is changed using your computer keyboard’s F2 key.

Optionally, go to the LENS Fish Eye Barrel Correction section and use the top slider to turn this
filter group ON. Now play with the settings to see their effect. You can also try the VIEW section to
change the perspective (set the Top left (x) to "2" and Top right (y) to "4", with all other settings
remaining at their default).

You may wish to experiment with additional effects to see if the final results can be further improved.

Page 22 of 27
DCT.jpg
In nearly all circumstances, videos and images are compressed in a lossy manner, meaning that
details are discarded and error artifacts are introduced, while the perceived visual accuracy is
generally preserved. Each successive resave introduces additional compression errors. As such,
post-production manipulations will show different error artifacts from the remaining untouched scene.

Open the "DCT" image file (located in the C:\VideoCleaner\Samples folder) to see one of our forensic
lab stations. The picture appears normal, but it has been manipulated. Turn ON the ANALYSIS filter
section (by moving the slider named "Apply ANALYSIS settings" rightward) and then move the
"Extract (off/Noise/DCT/Motion)" slider to position number 2 to use the DCT (Discrete Cosine
Transform) filter feature. DCT reduces the variable differential from the scene's energy level, and this
is how most image and video files are compressed. In VideoCleaner, the DCT filter only displays the
variable component, which is where most compression errors reside. As such, once the DCT filter is
applied, the resulting scene may appear strange and quite dark.

Turn ON the TOOLS section (by moving the slider named "Apply TOOLS settings" rightward) and
then move the "Equalizer Strength" slider to its rightmost position to enhance the brightness
differentials. Notice that the area above the three chairs is devoid of noise, as are the three desktop
monitors. These are the altered portions of the scene. If you would like a more pleasant view, set the
"Enhancement Transparency" (the second to last slider in VideoCleaner) to about “4” to blend the
before and after results. In practice, DCT is highly effective at detecting in-painting, which is the most
common type of video manipulation.

DCT.jpg (the suspicious scene you are given) The original unaltered image

VideoCleaner's DCT and VELA are powerful

tests for common types of visual manipulations.
However, extreme post-production compression
and sophisticated tamper methods can prevent
manipulation detection. As such, a lack of
tamper detection is not proof of file authenticity.

The VideoCleaner DCT test results depicting the manipulations (wall picture and desktop monitors).
Page 23 of 27
 REFERENCES
Legend
A. Anil. K. Jain, Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing, Prentice Hall, 1989
(isbn:0133325784)
B. Marcus Weise & Diana Weynand, How Video Works, 2nd edition, Focal Press, 2007
(isbn:0240809335)
C. Vlado Damjanovski, CCTV Networking and Digital Technology, 2nd edition, Elsevier
Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005 (isbn:0750678003)
D. Bernard Grob & Charles E. Herndon, Basic Television and Video Systems, 6th edition,
McGraw-Hill, 1999 (isbn:0071163093)
E. Nosratinia, Enhancement of JPEG-Compressed images by re-application of JPEG, Journal of
VLSI Signal Processing, vol. 27, 2007 (issn:0922-5773)
F. J. Canny, A Computational Approach to Edge Detection, in IEEE Transactions on Pattern
Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 8, no. 6, 1986 (issn: 0162-8828)
G. S.Murali, Govindraj B. Chittapur, Prabhakara H.S, & Basavaraj S. Anami, IJCSA vol. 2, no.6,
2012 "Comparison And Analysis of Photo Image Forgery Detection Techniques"
H. Advances in Visual Computing: 7th International Symposium ISVC 2011 Las Vegas, NV "A
Non-intrusive Method for Copy-Move Forgery Detection"
I. Hitesh C Patel and Mohit M Patel, IJCA (0975-8887) Volume 111, No. 15, 2015
"An Improvement of Forgery Video Detection Technique using Error Level Analysis"
J. W. Wang, J. Dong, and T. Tan, Digital Watermarking: 9th International Workshop, IWDW 2010
Seoul, Korea Section 3: "Tampered Region Localization of Digital Color Images"

Feature References (in order of their appearance within VideoCleaner)

Subtract......................... A. pp. 240 ...................... B. pp. 57 ............ C. pp. 47 .................D. pp. 241
Unsharpen/Sharpen ...... A. pp. 249
Video Contrast .............. A. pp. 49, 51, 120, 235... ........................... ................................D. pp. 51
Color Contrast/Saturate A. pp. 235, 262............... ........................... ................................D. pp. 51
Suppress Hotspot ......... A. pp. 240 ...................... ........................... C. pp. 202 ...............D. pp. 82
Equalizer/Histogram ...... A. pp 241-244, 344, 396 B. pp. 268
Backlight Compensation A. pp. 234-241 ............... ........................... ................................D. pp. 86
Stabilize ........................ A. pp. 81 ........................ B. pp. 268
Denoise ......................... A. pp. 273
Deblur Lens................... A. pp. 322 ...................... ........................... C. pp. 58
Focus Correction........... A. pp. 276-284
Deblock ......................... ....................................... ........................... ................................E. pp. 69-79
Curve ............................ A. pp. 240 ...................... ........................... C. pp. 202 ...............D. pp. 82
Canny Edge Filtering .... ....................................... ........................... ................................F. all
Sobel Edge Filtering ...... A. pp. 347-357
Edge Filtering ................ A. pp. 71 & 234-241 ...... B. pp. 57 ............ C. pp. 47 .................D. pp. 241
Isolate Motion................ A. pp. 522 ...................... B. pp. 167
Isolate iFrames ............. A. pp. 485 ...................... B. pp.166
RGBamplifier................. A. pp. 234-241 ............... ........................... C. pp. 197
Frame Averaging .......... A. pp. 234-241 ............... ........................... C. pp. 197
Page 24 of 27
Analysis......................... (see the bottom of page #20 of this guide)
DCT ............................ ....................................... ........................... G. pp. 45-46 ............J. 125-127
PseudoColors ............. ....................................... ........................... H. pp. 522-523
VELA ........................... ....................................... ........................... I. pp. 26-28.............J. 123-125
Metadata ....................... ....................................... B. pp. 147
Framerate ..................... A. pp. 521 ...................... B. pp. 127 .......... ................................D. pp. 41
Trim ............................... ....................................... B. pp. 218
Duplicate Removal ........ A. pp. 521
Fields ............................ A. pp. 81 ........................ B. pp. 19, 126 .... C. pp. 112, 265 .......D. pp. 45
Angle ............................. A. pp. 255, 320
Crop .............................. A. pp. 253
Resize ........................... A. pp. 255 ...................... B. pp. 123, 145 .. C. pp. 205, 479 .......D. pp. 51
Channels ....................... A. pp. 234-241
Grayscale ...................... A. pp. 71
Negative ........................ A. pp. 238
Desequence .................. A. pp. 521
Chroma ......................... A. pp. 65 ........................ B. pp. 257 .......... C. pp. 241
Jitter/Ghost.................... A. pp. 81, 93 .................. B. pp. 268
Synch ............................ A. pp. 81 ........................ B. pp. 26 ............ ................................D. pp. 44
Lens Fish Eye / Barrel ... A. pp. 320
Perspective ................... A. pp. 320
Colorize ......................... A. pp. 234-241 ............... B. pp. 57 ............ C. pp. 48 .................D. pp. 52
Annotate........................ ....................................... B. pp. 223 .......... ................................D. pp. 479
Frame Number .............. A. pp. 521 ...................... ........................... ................................D. pp. 479
Color space ................... A. pp. 60, 73 .................. B. pp. 109 .......... C. pp. 172 ...............D. pp. 329
Transparency (Dubbing) ....................................... ........................... ................................D. pp. 368

SCIENCE, MATH and CODE (continued reading)

Additional and optional components (AviSynth, CamStudio, Codecs, Lagarith, VirtualDub, xvid)
Color and luminosity (AutoGain, Histogram Adjust, Histogram Equalize, RgbAmplifier)
Edge detection and analysis (Canny, Sobel, VELA, DCT)
Opening a file (DGDecode, Direct Show Source, ffms2, MPEG2Dec3, Rawsource)
Perspective filters (DeBarrel, Rotate)
Sharpening filters (LSFmod, Unsharp, Sharpen)
Spatial noise filters (Chroma Shift, Remove Grain, SmoothD2, Vague Denoiser)
Specialty tools (3dFourier, Debanding, Dejitter, Deshaker, Subtitler, VideoCleaner)
Support tools (ExpLabo, GScript, MaskTools, Mvtools, Mvtools2, Nnedi2, RT_Stats)
Temporal noise filters (3d, Degrain, Denoise, RemoveDirt, Smoother, Wavlet)
Demo license filters (SuperResolution) {purchase a license here and activate it here}*

*The development team of VideoCleaner is not compensated in any manner for the inclusion of filters
that have a demo license. These filters do not have any advertising or tracking, are fully functional in
their demo mode, and are included solely because they deliver superior peer-reviewed results.
Page 25 of 27
VIDEOCLEANER FILTERS ARE ALWAYS APPLIED IN THIS ORDER
(regardless of the order in which the user activates the program’s sliders)
DUPLICATE, CORE, FIELDS, ANGLE, CROP, RESIZE, CHANNELS (except negative), TOOLS +
FORENSIC + ANALYSIS, CURVE, negative, DESEQuencer, VHS, VIEW, COLORIZE, MARGIN,
ACCENT, TEXT, NUMBER, TIMEstamp, FINAL, subtract, COMPARE
NOTE: There is no such thing as a perfect order to apply filters that will always work best for all videos. The order
of the VideoCleaner filters are based upon the optimized results spanning thousands of real world forensic videos.

SUPER-USER (special features)

COMPARE’s Matrix automatically substitutes the enhanced full view with a reference image (e.g.
a vehicle or person) that ends in “.matrix.jpg”. For example, if you were working on “TEST.AVI”
then the reference image must be located in the same folder, and named “TEST.AVI.matrix.jpg”.

PRIVACY
VideoCleaner is intentionally designed to operate cleanly and anonymously on the most secure
networks without causing any exposure to security threats. VideoCleaner does NOT
communicate over the Network or Internet, does NOT collect any usage information, and does
NOT include any ad-ware, beggarware, etc.. of any type. VideoCleaner installs into one folder,
does not invoke any background or scheduled Windows™ tasks, and closing the VideoCleaner
interface immediately terminates all of its processing threads. The user is in full control at every
stage of installation and usage, and all source code is included for full operational transparency.

LEGAL
VideoCleaner can be redistributed and/or modified under the terms of each component's relevant
GNU General Public License, available in the VideoCleaner Support folder. VideoCleaner is
provided "as is" without any warranties or guarantees, and its installation or usage constitutes a
unilateral unlimited release of any and all related risks, damages and liability, actual or implied.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Doug Carner donates his time as VideoCleaner’s lead programmer and support, and Forensic
Protection donates funding to keep the software and website advertising free. Neither party is
financially compensated, nor accept donations or pay, for any aspect of VideoCleaner, but gladly
accept accolades. Special thanks and appreciation are given to the invaluable development
contributions by Marc Robinson and Allen Combs. VideoCleaner would not be possible without
the peer review, user feedback and programming efforts of others. If you appreciate the features,
consider donating to the respective programmers (see the SCIENCE, MATH and CODE section
above). Users are encouraged to read the source code, create their own custom VideoCleaner
versions, participate in the free support forum, and communicate with the developers.

Page 26 of 27
 GLOSSARY (definition of terms)

 Codec - An abbreviation of the words Compression Decompression, and it defines (in computer
code) how a given video is to be saved and later reconstituted. Nearly all Codecs are lossy;
meaning that details are irreversibly discarded to reduce file size. These losses can appear as
muted brightness, an out-of-focus appearance, strange artifacts, and tiling (when the video looks
like a mosaic of tiny rectangles). VideoCleaner provides the option to save files uncompressed,
which preserves the available file details, thus creating very large file sizes. The noted defects can
be suppressed using VideoCleaner's Tools and Deblocking sliders.
 Color space - There are different standards to record visual luminosity and color values. The
color wheel is based upon RGB (Red, Green, Blue) where each value is that color's contribution to
a given pixel. If all the RGB values are zero, the pixel appears black. If all the RGB values are at
their maximum, then the pixel appears white. Television, and thus nearly all security cameras, use
a planar color space, where pixel brightness is one value, and the color values are often shared
with their neighboring pixels. YV12 is the most common planar color space used with surveillance
video. The 2nd to last VideoCleaner slider transforms the enhanced video into YV12 color space.
 Contrast - Linearly expand or contract the value difference between adjacent pixel. If the critical
details blend together, then VideoCleaner's video contrast (luminosity) and color contrast
adjustments can expand the subtle differences to make the visual details easier to recognize.
Adjust contrast with caution because, as contrast is increased, details located in the darkest or
brightest areas of the video can become clipped as they try to exceed the allowed values. Videos
that lack both very bright and very dark areas will benefit the most from contrast adjustments.
 Histogram equalization - Non-destructively increases the global contrast of the entire video by
more evenly distributing the intensity differences between adjacent and overall pixel values.
Videos that are extremely bright (e.g. details are washed out) or extremely dark (e.g. a nighttime
video with insufficient lighting) will benefit the most from this process.
 iFrames - Frames that contain the entire scene and thus are the truest to what the camera saw.
All other types of video frames are composites made by adding or subtracting pixels from the
closest iFrames. Depending on the video Codec, non-iFrames can introduce additional visual
defects. VideoCleaner's Forensic tools include an option to isolate just the iFrames.
 Interlaced - When video broadcasting was invented (over 70 years ago), images from two
consecutive but independent moments in time (called fields) where simultaneously displayed as
one frame by interlacing these fields in a vertical weaving pattern. While newer systems use
progressive systems that avoid this (e.g. 1080i for interlaced and 1080p for progressive), most
security systems still record interlaced video. When those systems use their proprietary playing
software, that software will often deinterlace (undo the interlacing) by blending both moments in
time, which creates distortion and a false set of facts. VideoCleaner's Field filters (located in the
Properties section) can non-destructively isolate, and correctly align, those interlaced fields.
 Pixel - A video or image is actually displayed as a grid of dots called pixels. Each pixel is denoted
by values that, depending on its format, may include details about luminosity (brightness), color
and transparency. VideoCleaner uses 32-bit RGBa color space to retain maximum pixel details,
and the status bar seen below the video displays the relevant values for the current image pixel
located under the computer's mouse pointer position.

Document version: May, 2019 Page 27 of 27