Anime4K-GUI

Anime4K-GUI

This application is designed to enhance the resolution of anime videos using the Anime4K shaders by bloc97, with the ability to save the upscaled version to disk. It offers a straightforward and user-friendly graphical interface, eliminating the need for command-line interactions. Under the hood, the application leverages the power of FFMPEG to handle video processing seamlessly.

Unlike the original Anime4K project, this application allows you to save the enhanced anime as higher-quality video files rather than real-time preview.

Table of Contents

• Features
• System Requirements
• Usage
• Troubleshooting
• Building ang FFMPEG Distribution
• Limitations
• Special Thanks
• Contribute

Features

• Anime upscaling using the Anime4K shaders.
• Saving upscaled videos to disk rather than real-time preview.
• User-friendly graphical interface for easy operation; no command-line usage is required.
• Compatibility with Windows, Linux and macOS (ARM)
• Support for various video formats: MP4, AVI, and MKV (both input and output).
• Hardware acceleration with NVIDIA (CUDA + NVENC), AMD (OpenCL + AMF).
• Support for most popular video encoders: H.264, H.265, AV1 and FFV1
• HDR compatibility
• Quick and hassle-free installation.

Requirements and Compatibility

Requirements

Application requires relatively powerful GPU such as a GTX 970 or newer models. For older hardware, the application will still function, but upscaling may require significantly more time.

You may need some knowledge about various Anime4K shaders modes and codecs properties:

• Anime4K documentation

Codecs compatibility table

	NVIDIA	AMD	Intel	CPU	Apple M
H.264	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅
H.265	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅
AV1	⚠️	⚠️	❌	✅	❌

Hardware accelerated AV1 for NVIDIA and AMD is supported only on RTX 4000+ and RX 7000+ series

Usage

Follow these steps to use the Anime4K-GUI:

1. Download the Latest Release

   • Visit the Releases section on the GitHub repository.
   • Download the latest release zip file.
   • Unzip the downloaded archive and start the application.

2. Add Your Anime

   • Drag and drop your input videos into the application's window.

3. Select Upscaling Settings

   • Target settings: Output file resolution - keep in mind to select a resolution with an aspect ratio corresponding with input files. Keep in mind that some 4:3 anime may be saved in a 16:9 ratio with included black bars.
   • Shaders mode: Shaders used for upscaling. Each has some positive and negative effects and should be used in different cases. Please read Anime4K documentation before use.
   • Encoder: Encoder used for encoding output file. GPU accelerated encoders are much faster than CPU based in most cases AV1 is best pick as it provides the best quality. AV1 with GPU acceleration is compatible only RTX 4000/RX 7000 and newer GPUs. For older GPUs you can use CPU based AV1 encoder
   • Constant Rate Factor (for CPU based encoders) and Constant Quality (for GPU based encoders)- Methods for controlling the output file's bitrate. The lower the value, the better the quality, but the larger the output file.
   • Output format: Format for the output file. Pick MP4 for best support on most devices, MKV for the best compatibility with more complicated files (e.g. multiple streams or subtitles).
   • CPU threads: How many of CPU threads FFMPEG will use. You may limit it to make your system more responsive wile using CPU based encoder.
   • Debug mode: show more detailed logs, useful for troubleshooting and debugging

4. Upscale the Video

   • Click the "Start" button to begin the upscaling process.
   • Be patient. You can check speed and current time progress per file in bottom corner.
   • Output files will be saved in the input file's directory with "_upscaled" suffix in the name.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues while using the application, please consult the Issues section on the GitHub repository to check for solutions or report problems. To get more detailed logs enable Debug Mode in settings and restart application. Firstly try using CPU-based encoding. For some reason GPU acceleration may not work correctly with your graphics card. Due to limited access to hardware, most tests were done with NVIDIA graphics cards; compatibility with other GPUs may be worse. If you have compatibility problems with your GPU, please create an issue with application logs and your computer's specifications. Issues regarding low output quality will be instantly closed. Problems like that are related to the original Anime4K shaders - I can recommend trying other shaders mode settings.

Limitations

• Videos with subtitles streams are supported only with MKV output format, otherwise subtitles will be removed from output file.
• HDR videos are supported only with AV1 output codec
• Linux support is work in progress - for now works only with CPU and NVENC codecs. AMD (VAAPI) is not supported yet.

Building and FFmpeg Distribution

FFmpeg distribution

Due to GitHub file size limits, FFmpeg binaries cannot be included in this repository.

• Windows
  Download a GPL FFmpeg build from: https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds

  Then place the following files in: resources/ffmpeg/windows Required files:

  • ffmpeg.exe
  • ffprobe.exe

• Linux
  Install FFmpeg using your distribution’s package manager. Before using it, ensure that the build includes libplacebo.

• macOS
  Prebuilt FFmpeg binaries are provided in this repository. Homebrew packages are not used because they do not include libplacebo.

Build Requirements

The following tools are required to build the project:

• CMake (version 3.20 or newer)
• Python (required for generating assets pack)
• C++ compiler:
  • Linux: gcc
  • macOS: clang (via Xcode Command Line Tools)
  • Windows: MSVC

Building the project

Configure and build:

mkdir build
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build

Special Thanks

• bloc97 for Anime4K shaders.
• ocornut for Dear ImGui
• BtbN for automated FFMPEG builds.

Contribute

Contributions are welcome! If you'd like to improve the application or report issues, please create a Pull Request.