How to remove a logo?

[fkuebler]

Somewhere I read how to use Avidemux for removing a logo from the video track (something like using filter option "Mplayer Delogo"). But when I tried, there was no such possibility.

Is this a feature only available for the Windows version of Avidemux? Or do I have to do something special for configuring my MacOS Avidemux?

Or otherwise, can somebody be so kind to point me to the best logo removal software for MacOS? Thanks.

[mean]

You dont have the mplayer delogo filter ?

[fkuebler]

You dont have the mplayer delogo filter ?

Oh, my bad!

Obviously yesterday was too late for me, so I overlooked this filter. Sorry for the false alarm.

I'll test it out.

[fkuebler]

...
I'll test it out.

Works very well and efficient, both visually, ease of use, and computing time (15 min for 10 min 1080p on 2.7 GHz Core i7).

Other laymen like me may stumble upon a similar mis-usage as I did initially, so let me explain:

In the main window I had set the video to copy, as always for editing, and activated the delogo filter from Menu / Video / Filters (you find the delogo under "Sharpness"). But depending on whether I first did a preview or pressed immediately "Close" before the Avidemux conversion, Avidemux either crashed or did dimply nothing with respect to delogo-ing.

The right way is not to set video to copy, but to something suitable (for my x264-handbraked mp4 this was "Mpeg4 AVC x264"), and then use the "Filters" button 2 lines below.

Beautiful!

[Jan Gruuthuse]

As you indicate:
Video Filters do only work while re-encoding the Video. You are modifying the picture.
Same goes for Audio if you apply Audio Filter you need to re-encode the audio.

[douche]

I found out a nice twist yesterday:
It bothered me that sometimes when you don't have a 'compact' logo (for example something like a '+') you have to blur a whole rectangle around it which results in more changed space than needed.
Now I found out that you can use the delogo-filter twice !
In the example mentioned above, I use one deluge-filter like this: '-' and a second one in this form: 'I'.
This preserves more original picture-information.

... just to let you know. Maybe I was the last who didn't   

[alexwilmac]

I know this is an old thread but I think I may continue it, asking if there is really no way to apply de Delogo filter without having to re-encode but just copying.
@admins and @developers: I find also really strange the filters' sectione where de Delogo is placed. I believe it has not much to do with Sharpness but more to other transformations...
Thanks

[szlldm]

if there is really no way to apply de Delogo filter without having to re-encode but just copying.

Copying roughly means pass through frames unchanged. It is not a lack of functionality, that filtering is not possible in copy mode, but a consequence of fundamental technical properties.

[Who]

Note there are now two delogo filters, I forget what the second one is called but it appears in the list just before to original. That one lets you use a black and white mask to specify the areas you want to preserve and the ones you want to blur.  I usually take a snapshot of a frame that contains the logo (preferably the logo alone on a black background if possible) and load it into GIMP (any photo editor would probably work).  The idea is then to select everything EXCEPT the logo and paint it pure black (#000000), then invert the selection (so now the logo is selected) and expand it by one pixel (so you don't leave artifacts of the logo at the edges) and paint it pure white (#FFFFFF), then save that and use it as your mask.  You can use the preview mode to adjust the two sliders to best eliminate the logo, often if it's a small one you don't need to move either of them but if it's a big honking rectangle or square then you may need to adjust the sliders to get what you think is the best result.  I find that even though that filter is a little harder to set up than the original delogo filter (because you have to create the mask in an external image editing program) it works much better, particularly in scenes where the original filter causes unwanted pixelation that draws the eye right to the removed logo, rather than letting it focus on the rest of the video area.