Thursday, August 5, 2010

AutoSegmenting Guide


More people on Viikii are trying out autosegmenting for their channel so I thought I make a guide about it based on my experience. Just a note, I’m going to assume that you have already read Pomi’s tutorial so please do then come back and read this guide: http://www.viikii.net/my/page/Pom45I#TOPIC/527
I think the most important thing in learning how to handle a new software is knowing how it works and what each setting does. That way you can then manipulate the settings to your own benefits.  So I’m going to introduce the important settings to you in this step by step guide. These steps do not have to be in order unless noted and if you already know some the settings mentioned then feel free to skip that step.
Step 1: Crop Settings
The crop settings help create a box for the detection of the subtitles. The program will only detect the subtitles that appear in that box. The crop settings are responsible for the height of the box. The TOP settings tell far down the picture the top of the box is going to be. The BOTTOM settings tell how far up the bottom of the box is going to be.
In the example above, the top of the box is 88% down the picture and the bottom is 10% up the picture. The less the top percentage, the higher up the top will be. Same with the bottom percentage. The less it is, the lower the bottom will be. You can see the preview of the box below the crop settings. If the subtitles are half on the picture and half on a black background such as the one above, then you need to have the top to be in the middle of the subtitle so that the box will only have the subtitles on the black background and not on the picture. If your subtitles are completely on a black background, then just have the top and bottom touch the top and bottom of the subtitles. If your subtitles are completely on the picture, then it could be a bit more complicated. My policy with this is that less is definitely more. You want the top and bottom to be as close as possible (decreasing the height of the box), focusing on the center of the subtitles. That will help decrease the number of false subtitles.
If there are ads that appear under the subtitles, then you have to make sure that it does not enter the detection box.

If you scroll down on the software, you will see something like below:

You can also change the crop settings down there by changing the numbers in the red box. If you follow the purple arrow, you’ll see the actual outline of the detection box and the subtitles. The green arrow points to another outline of the detection box, the "Colored Blocks". Each of those green rectangles represents a “word” of the subtitle. The redish rectangle is the first word in the line of subtitle. You know that is detecting the subtitle right when you see that it’s a red rectangle follow by a series of green rectangles like above. Any imperfections to that will equal to errors in the script. The reason you would want to manipulate the settings is to get that very result.
If your crop settings are too low (which means that your detection box is too big), then you will see imperfections like below.

Remember, always strive for this: 

For the purpose of this guide, I’m going to call the red and green boxes “Colored Blocks” and the above “Ideal Colored Blocks”
Step 2: Block Settings
There are four block settings that you need to know: Value, Count, Size, and CenterW.  Remember a “block” is a “word” of the subtitle. 

You can change the settings in the two purple circles above. “Block Value” is what the difference between pixels of the subtitles and the pixels of the background needs to be to detects the subtitle. The best way to find the best “Block Value” for your subtitles is to watch what happens to the “Colored Blocks” when you changed it.  Stick with the value that will give you the “Ideal Colored Blocks.”
“Block Count” is how many blocks (words) there needs to be in a subtitle line for the software to detect it. I find that “1” is the best number to use based on my experience.
“CenterW” is how much weight the software should put on a center subtitle. It will help in detecting one word subtitles.
“Block Size” is the size of the detection box. Crop settings let you manipulate the top and bottom of the box while “Block Size” lets you manipulate the left and right. Unlike the crop settings, there are really no rules for the “Block Size” as long as it contains the subtitles. However, if you have ads appearing on the sides:

Then you have to make sure it doesn’t get in the detection box.
This is a DON’T

This is a DO

The reason that you don’t want the ad to be included in the detection box is because the software will detect it as a false subtitle even when there are none, like below:

Step3: Drop Values
Drop Values are the settings that I’m most unfamiliar with. From my basic knowledge, drop values detect the subtitle from within the detection box, based on the subtitles color. If the subtitle color is white then all of the drop values (RGB) should be the same.

You can change the settings in the two purple circles. You can see the changes in the detection box when the drop values when the RGB are not equal. You should change the settings based on your own subtitles. Watch the “Colored Blocks” to determine the best values. Same with the Y-Diff settings. Watch the “Colored Blocks” as you change the setting for the “Ideal Colored Blocks.”
As for the rest of the settings such as “Tracking Changes,” I’m not very familiar with therefore I basically left it alone.
Conclusion
This guide is completely based on my own experience. Like I said before, you need to experiment a lot to get the right setting for your video. My recommendation is to save each setting as Test-1, Test-2, etc. Then named the subtitle script it provides with the same title. That way you’ll know which setting is best when you upload the script and use that setting in the future. The process of testing the settings will take a lot of time but it will be worth it when you get the right one.
If you have any more questions, feel free to pm me on Viikii. I’ll try my best to help :)
BTW, this counts as my first solo post on this blog ;)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

BB Creams Review by Lilia

Hey guys. Lilia here. So this is my first solo post on this site. I've been thinking about what to write about since I'm not exactly the best at putting words together (unlike our writer, blanc, here^^). That's why I've decided to combine my two favorite topics, beauty and Asian drama, and write about it. So if you are a true Asian Drama addict then you should know about, or at least heard of BB Creams. If you haven't then you need to get your hands on more dramas, especially Korean ones!


Here's a little overview of it (you can skip this if you are already familiar with the product):
BB Cream stands for Blemish Balm Cream. It is basically like a liquid foundation. However, it also have skin care elements. BB Creams claimed to whiten your skin, help prevent wrinkles, lighten scars, etc. Sounds like a miracle cream right? Well, not exactly. See BB Creams claimed to do all of that, but does it actually do it? Not really, not for me anyway. But what BB Cream does do is that it acts as a moisturizer along with a base and foundation. Some of them even comes SPF loaded, which is always helpful. The reason that BB Cream is so popular, especially in Korean, is that when you put it on, it looks and feels like you don't have any makeup on. And if your skin is not that bad, just a few blemishes, then you don't really need anything else, no mineral powder, nothing. Also BB Creams gives your skin this dewy look that just brightens up your whole face. So is it worth a try? Definitely!

BB Cream Brands:
There are many different brands of BB Creams and, believe it or not, you might already know some. If you're a fan of You're Beautiful (which is a must see drama and the behind the scenes DVD (with English subs) is a really must buy), then you must have seen this:



or this:




You probably wasn't paying any attention to the brand the CF is actually for in the midst of squealing about the cuteness of JSG and the hotness of that kiss (I really wouldn't blame you) but that's Etude House, one of the BB Cream more famous brands. Others include BRTC, Misha, L'egere, and Dr. Jart. I will be focusing more on Misha and L'egere since those are my favorites and the ones that I'm currently using. But let's start in order.

Etude House:
Some of you might be tempted to buy Etude House just by watching the CFs above but just hold on a minute. So, Etude House. Where just I start? I'm not saying it's not nice, because it is...on some levels.
ETUDE HOUSE BB Magic Cream 35ml (Refreshing) - for Oily Skin ETUDE HOUSE BB Magic Cream 35ml (Refreshing) - for Oily Skin
ETUDE HOUSE Precious Mineral BB Cream 60g - #1 Sheer Silky Skin SPF30/PA++ETUDE HOUSE Precious Mineral BB Cream 60g - #1 Sheer Silky Skin SPF30/PA++
ETUDE HOUSE BB Magic Cream SPF30 PA++ 35ml - for Dry SkinETUDE HOUSE BB Magic Cream SPF30 PA++ 35ml - for Dry Skin
These are the three kinds that I find available. The prices are pretty nice considering the size. The liquid feels really light, almost like lotion and it's cool and gentle on my skin. And the glow it gave me was very nice. However, the biggest problem I had with Etude House is that it doesn't seems to have the right cream for me. I have combination skin (oily and dry, per occasions) and none of their cream fits. To be fair, I haven't tried the last one (for Dry Skin) since my skin is usually more oily, but I don't think it would help. The first one didn't have enough oil control (compared to Misha), especially on my cheeks and nose. The second one (with PSH face on it) fares a bit better but in the end, it more or less did the same thing. Also, another thing I didn't like about Etude House is the minimal coverage it provided. Yes the point of BB Cream is to look as if you have no makeup on but not to this extend. It didn't really covers my imperfections (blemishes, uneven tones, etc) well even when I used more than usual (which you shouldn't do because it will give you an unnatural pale pinkish look). But if you don't really have that many imperfections (like Park Shin Hye there), then this can be the cream for you. Or if you're not lazy like me then you could use some powder after applying this on. It will still give you that dewy glow despite the different "layers." One of my friends mentioned that her usual makeup would give her the haggard cake-y look at the end of the day but when she used Etude House BB Cream with it, it would glow even after many hours. In the end, this was not the one for me but it might be the one for you.
Rating: (3/5)

BRTC:
This one I would just skip. I've tried using it for 1 day, 1! Ugh! Ok, it wasn't that bad at first. I did loved the coverage. It was great, it even covered some of my freckles (which Etude House comes nowhere to doing). However, by the end of the day, it felt like it was literally dragging my skin down. I felt horrible! Then the very next day, I had a massive breakout. I shudder even thinking about it now. My skin isn't even that sensitive! Maybe your experience will be better than mine but I cannot recommend this cream to anyone. My conscience won't let me.
Rating: (1/5)

Misha:
Ah, Misha. My love, Misha. The one you see right below is the exact one I"m using right now.
Missha M Perfect Cover Bb Cream SPF 42 Pa+++ 21 Light Beige 50mlMissha M Perfect Cover Bb Cream SPF 42 Pa+++ 21 Light Beige 50ml
There's 30ml selling on Amazon also. Don't buy that one. This one is 50ml (believe me, 20ml is ALOT) and the price is only a few cents more. So why do I love this cream so much? Well, first off, it has SPF protection, 42 at that. So no need for sunscreen, which in my book of laziness means one less thing I have to do, and also one less layer of "stuff" on my face. Second, it comes in two colors: light beige (#21) and natural beige (#23)
MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream No.23 Natural Beige SPF42 PA+++ (50ml)MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream No.23 Natural Beige SPF42 PA+++ (50ml)
The one I'm using is #21 Light Beige since my skin is a bit pale. Which one should you use? Well, if you have pale skin like me (think Barbie Hsu, SNSD Yoona), then go with #21. If you have darker skin (WG Yoobin, SNSD Yuri) then get #23. But in my opinion, it really doesn't matter because it blends so WELL. When I first tried it, I thought it looked a bit pale on my skin. But after a few minutes, it blended right in. Out of all the BB Creams I've tried, this one gave me the most natural look. It was like I was born with perfect skin (ha, don't I wished) instead of wearing makeup. I really don't know how they did it, but they did alright. The coverage was perfect for me. It's right in between Etude House and BRTC (I really didn't need to cover my freckles). What I love most about it is the glow it gave me, wonderful! The oil control is definitely an A+ I've used the oil sheet to test it out at the end of the day and it was definitely less than usual. The only thing I didn't like about it is the pump that it come in. It's a little hard to control the amount of cream it gave out. My advice to that would be that less is definitely more. Just put a little drop on your T-line and then spread it. It will blend out perfectly.
Rating: (4/5)

L'egere:
L'egere Water Drop Shiny Pearl BB Cream 35gL'egere Water Drop Shiny Pearl BB Cream 35g L'egere Water Drop Shiny Pearl BB Cream 35g
L'egere BB Cream MINI Combo 10gx2L'egere BB Cream MINI Combo 10gx2
Next to Misha, L'egere had got to be my next favorite BB cream. It's light and easy to blend. The tube makes it easy to control the amount I want. Its coverage is less than Misha but a lot better than Etude House. It also have a very nice fragrance, a bit peachy.I would recommend the Drop Shiny Pearl for it's what I use. It gives you a brilliant glow that lasts all day (lol, I sound like a commercial). There isn't really anything I disliked about it. It's just I don't like as much as Misha, mostly because of the coverage. If you've never tried BB Creams (or makeup in general) before I would recommend this one to you. It's light enough that you can get your skin used to BB cream and yet enough coverage and glow to make you look good. After you know how the BB cream works then you can venture out in other kinds.
Ratings (4/5)

Dr. Jart:
Dr. Jart + Silver Lable Rejuvenating Blemish Base BB Cream (Whitening) SPF35 PA++ 1.7oz/50gDr. Jart + Silver Lable Rejuvenating Blemish Base BB Cream (Whitening) SPF35 PA++ 1.7oz/50g
Dr.jart Water Fuse Most Moist Bb Cream Blue Label Spf27 50mlDr.jart Water Fuse Most Moist Bb Cream Blue Label Spf27 50ml

Dr. Jart is like BRTC without the bad side effects, well most of them anyway. It provides perfect coverage (better than Misha) and I don't break out the next day. The thing is that it's very thick so I can definitely feel it on my skin. And it does look like I'm wearing makeup, even though not a lot. I do use Dr. Jart but not as often. Only when I'm going to a party or an event where I know my picture's going to be taken or there's a cute guy present (jk ^^). I wouldn't buy the big bottles like above but just keep a bit to use when you need to.
Rating: (3/5)

What I've Recommend to Other BB Cream Users
Misha, definitely Misha.
Missha M Perfect Cover Bb Cream SPF 42 Pa+++ 21 Light Beige 50mlMissha M Perfect Cover Bb Cream SPF 42 Pa+++ 21 Light Beige 50ml
Great coverage plus natural look. It's the best of both worlds (ugh, Miley Cyrus. Why do you have to ruin that line forever?)

What I Recommend to New Users
Go with L'egere but don't buy too much. I've put the one I recommend you buy down below. It's enough for you to try without committing too much money.
L'egere Water Drop Shiny Pearl BB Cream MINI 10gL'egere Water Drop Shiny Pearl BB Cream MINI 10g
Also, I would definitely recommend buying from this seller (BB Cream Lovers on Amazon) because they give you samples of other brands (love!). For example, I got a little sample of Dr. Jart, which is perfect since I don't use it that much and a sample of Skin79, which I'm planning to try very soon.

Hope this is helpful! Please comment if you tried any of the above and your experience with it. ~Lilia


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