Upscaling anime video
Animation is flat colour, clean lines and held drawings. The right model keeps all three intact; the wrong one paints texture over them.
Prepare the source
- NTSC DVDs are often telecined: 23.976 fps drawings spread across 29.97 interlaced frames. Inverse-telecine first, with FFmpeg’s
fieldmatch,decimate, to get clean progressive frames. - PAL DVDs are usually sped-up progressive 25 fps; no IVTC needed.
- Streaming rips are progressive but compressed; look for banding in gradients and blocking in dark scenes.
Models that suit animation
| Option | Use for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| realesr-animevideov3 | Offline upscaling | A small, fast Real-ESRGAN model for anime video, in the open-source Real-ESRGAN project |
| Anime4K | Real-time playback | Open-source GLSL shaders for players such as mpv; doesn’t create a file |
| General photo models | Avoid | Add grain and texture to flat colour |
| Creative diffusion upscalers | Experiments | Can redraw lines and shading; inconsistent frame to frame |
Export without banding
Animation’s smooth gradients are the first thing to band. Export 10-bit HEVC or AV1 (yuv420p10le), even from an 8-bit source. The extra precision hides banding introduced by the upscaler’s smoothing. See codecs for upscaled video.
What to check
- Line thickness stays consistent and lines don’t shimmer between frames.
- Flat areas stay flat, with no mottling.
- Text and credits stay legible and straight.
- No halos around dark outlines (ringing).
FAQ
What is the best upscaler for anime video?
Models trained on animation: Real-ESRGAN’s realesr-animevideov3 for offline upscaling, Anime4K shaders for real-time playback in players such as mpv, and anime presets in desktop apps. General photo models tend to add texture to flat colour.
Why does my anime upscale have jagged, “combed” lines?
The source is probably telecined or interlaced, as many NTSC DVDs are. Use inverse telecine (FFmpeg: fieldmatch,decimate) to recover the original 23.976 fps progressive frames before upscaling.
Should I interpolate anime to 60 fps?
Usually not. Anime is often animated on twos or threes (one drawing held for 2–3 frames), and interpolation turns held drawings and smear frames into wobbly morphs.