4K වුන පරණ චිත්‍රපටි වලට ඉහළ තැනක්

AI-assisted 4K restoration of classic films shines at 26th SIFF

Various classic films restored with AI assistance in 4K resolution have shined at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), attracting flocks of viewers to recall their youthful memories more clearly.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the 4K restoration at the SIIF, and many 4K restored films have been screened as world premieres, such as the Swordsmen, a 1990 film based on the The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by famous Chinese martial arts novelist Louis Cha Leung-yung, more widely known by his pen name Jin Yong.

The development and application of AI technology in the past several years has greatly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of film restoration, according to film restorers.

"At first, the main restoration process was based on 2K resolution, because the actual computing power at that time was not enough to meet the current 4K standard, and it might take half a year to a year [to restore]. Now we can complete a 4K movie restoration in about a month. Today, whether through the current software and hardware, or through the AI technology, we can realize a brand new restoration in quality and color, giving everyone a fresh and immersive experience," said Wang Zheng, a restorer at China Film Archive.

Industry insiders also said that the AI technology can reduce the repetitive work of traditional restorers and quickly solve common problems such as clarity, smoothness, and color distortion of old films, however, human artistic aesthetics still plays a key role.

"This cutting-edge technology can improve the effect of our restoration, such as clarity and fluency, but people play a dominant role in it. For example, whether our adjustment of the artistic effect of restoration conforms to subjective aesthetics and the emotional intention of the creator, we play a decisive role," said Zhang Kexin, an multimedia laboratory algorithm engineer at Volcano Engine, an enterprise service platform under Chinese tech giant ByteDance.

The film festival also held various forums at its science fiction film week, focusing on how AI technology reshapes the film industry, as well as its application and future prospects in the film industry.

"We are beginning to try to apply or learn to apply. The new generation of creators must start learning from now on. This learning is to adapt to the AI era that we may face. Let these new technologies be applied to our practices as soon as possible to promote this change," said Wang Hongwei, chairman of the science fiction film working committee of the China Film Association.

The film festival, featuring 461 films from around the world in over 1,600 showings across Shanghai, will run from June 14 to 23.

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