High quality image filtering playground!

[maru]

Hi!

We have just added new image filtering option to Corona:
https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php?topic=22529.msg146930#msg146930
Daily builds info and download: https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/5000570015
It is available in Render Setup > System.

We would be super grateful if you could experiment with this option in your scenes (simple tests, wip, production - anything) and share your results here. We need any feedback: image quality, rendering time, how it works with high quality denoising... anything you spot.

So far our tests confirm that it helps in situations such as:
-Fine patterns, which are mixed with noise (patterns are easier to see)
-GI noise in general
-DOF, especially when there are bright spots blurred by the DOF
-Sharp edges of bright objects
-Moire patterns

I am attaching some simple test images below.

More on the helpdesk:
https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/12000056115
https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/12000056143

NOTE: currently it cannot be used together with the AI denoisers!

[Tanakov]

Looks promising! Will have to test this out: )

[romullus]

I didn't have much time to play with it, but from what i saw so far, i'm very impressed. But please, please make it compatible with real time denoiser - i can't live without it :/

One thing i noticed, it looks that HQ filtering doesn't like refractive materials, to be more specific, not filtering itself, but its combination with denoising. Look how much denoising has smeared the pixels behind refractive lens in render with HQ filtering.

[Noah45]

Had to re check my denoiser activation, to be sure it was on w/o Hi-quaity filtering. Hi-quality filtering makes a noticeably significant difference in most situations.

critical, not obvious edit: 'Hi-quality filtering'

[Njen]

This thread is not about HQ denoising, but HQ image filtering.

And I can't wait to test this out tonight!

[Njen]

i rendered the same frame with the HQ Image filter turned on in the newest build, compared to the same frame from the previous build and i experienced longer render times with the new HQ image filter on: 42 minutes vs 1 hour 54 minutes. But I do think the quality is a little better though. But sadly, at this time, not better enough to warrant using it because of the increase in render time, it seems.

[lycium]

Hi, if it's possible could you maybe send the scene for testing? Such slowdowns should not happen and I'd like to track it down :) Thanks!

[Ondra]

i rendered the same frame with the HQ Image filter turned on in the newest build, compared to the same frame from the previous build and i experienced longer render times with the new HQ image filter on: 42 minutes vs 1 hour 54 minutes. But I do think the quality is a little better though. But sadly, at this time, not better enough to warrant using it because of the increase in render time, it seems.

did you use uhd cache?

[Ludvik Koutny]

Supposedly the new filtering can change the adaptive noise level, so if you have used noise level to stop your rendering, then that could explain such a big difference. Other than that, I think you've rendered your images way too clean to spot a difference. The best way to compare results is to set a time limit, not a noise limit or pass limit. You want to see how different the images look after the exact same duration of rendering.

[Nekrobul]

With ai denoising =D

5hrs on twin x5650

Obvious artifacts at dof areas.

[Feodor]

I apologize did not notice this entry.
Some kind of weird quality "Use high quality filtering"
So it should be?

[romullus]

With ai denoising =D

5hrs on twin x5650

Obvious artifacts at dof areas.

High quality filtering does not work with AI denoisers, you should get warning message about that. If you rendered with one of AI denoisers enabled, then HQ filtering was automatically disabled.

[Feodor]

With ai denoising =D

5hrs on twin x5650

Obvious artifacts at dof areas.

High quality filtering does not work with AI denoisers, you should get warning message about that. If you rendered with one of AI denoisers enabled, then HQ filtering was automatically disabled.

Before the test, I read this information. Denoise is disabled
Maybe I do not understand something, but when I click on this parameter, it only gets worse.
It becomes noticeably more noise and stops working with him, denoise

[romullus]

Feodor, i was refering to Nekrobul's post. As for your results, are you comparing tent filtering with denoiser versus high quality filtering with no denoiser?

[Nekrobul]

With ai denoising =D

5hrs on twin x5650

Obvious artifacts at dof areas.

High quality filtering does not work with AI denoisers, you should get warning message about that. If you rendered with one of AI denoisers enabled, then HQ filtering was automatically disabled.

Yes, i think i misunderstood controls. Will run another test in this scene.