Short answer
Activate VanityFilter once in the app, open PowerShell, and run vanityfilter-cli.exe from the install folder with one or more videos. Each file is processed with the preset you choose and saved as a new file; originals are never replaced.
Before you start
- License: the tool uses the license activated in the app. Open VanityFilter and enter your key before the first run. If the license has expired, it exits with an error.
- Location: it installs next to the app. In a default install that is
C:\Program Files\VanityFilter\vanityfilter-cli.exe. It is not added to PATH, so use the full path in quotes or open the terminal in that folder. - Settings: start from a preset and change only what you need. Every treatment flag overrides the preset value. If you choose settings in the app, save them to a User slot or a .vfpreset file and use them here with
--preset.
Examples
One clip at the Standard preset:
& "C:\Program Files\VanityFilter\vanityfilter-cli.exe" --preset Standard "D:\Videos\interview.mp4"A whole folder to ProRes, with the mask matte and a settings file next to each output:
& "C:\Program Files\VanityFilter\vanityfilter-cli.exe" --preset "User 1" --codec prores --export-mask --sidecar --output-dir "D:\Videos\clean" (Get-ChildItem "D:\Videos\raw\*.mp4").FullNameA 30-second test before exporting the whole clip:
& "C:\Program Files\VanityFilter\vanityfilter-cli.exe" --preset Standard --shine 0.4 --blemish 0.65 --start 1:00 --end 1:30 -o "D:\Videos\test.mp4" "D:\Videos\interview.mp4"An interview with portraits in the background, treating only the main speaker:
& "C:\Program Files\VanityFilter\vanityfilter-cli.exe" --preset Standard --min-face 0.225 "D:\Videos\interview.mp4"Every flag
This is the help for version 3.1.5. Run vanityfilter-cli.exe --help to see the help for your installed version.
Input and output
| Flag | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|
inputs | file... | One or more input videos (MP4, MOV, AVI or MKV). |
-o, --output | PATH | Output path. Single input only. Default: <input>_skin_smooth.<ext>. |
--output-dir | DIR | Folder for default-named outputs. Created if missing. |
--codec | h264 | prores | h264 writes .mp4; prores writes ProRes 422 HQ .mov. Default: h264. |
--export-mask | Also export the grayscale mask matte video next to each output. | |
--sidecar | Write a settings JSON sidecar next to each output. | |
--mask-preview | Export the debug mask overlay video instead of the result. | |
--start | TIME | Export from this time, in seconds or [hh:]mm:ss (for example 90 or 1:30). |
--end | TIME | Export up to this time. Single input only. |
Preset and treatment
| Flag | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|
--preset | NAME | Starting point: Light touch, Standard, Heavy, Low-light repair, Face only, a User 1 to User 4 slot saved in the app, or a path to a .vfpreset file. Case-insensitive. |
--amount | 0..1 | Master wet/dry mix of the whole effect (Amount). |
--strength | 0..1 | Smoothing blend (Strength). |
--radius | 3..25 | Smoothing radius in pixels. |
--repair | 0..1 | Texture repair. |
--detail | 0..1 | Detail restore. |
--tolerance | 0..1 | Skin color tolerance. |
--brighten | 0..1 | Brighten: gamma lift of skin lightness. |
--shine | 0..1 | Shine removal. |
--redness | 0..1 | Reduce redness. |
--blemish | 0..1 | Blemish removal. |
Mask and faces
| Flag | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|
--feather | 3..61, odd | Mask edge blur in pixels. |
--stability | 0..0.95 | Temporal mask stability. |
--expansion | 0..1 | Face mask expansion. |
--neck | 0..1 | Neck coverage; 0 disables it. |
--forehead | 0..1 | Forehead coverage; 0 disables it. |
--primary-only | Treat only the largest or most central face (Primary face only). | |
--min-face | 0..0.5 | Ignore faces shorter than this fraction of the frame height (Ignore small faces; 0.225 equals 22.5%). |
Other
| Flag | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|
--version | Print the version and exit. | |
-h, --help | Print the full help and exit. |
What it prints and how it exits
- For each file it prints its number and name, the resolution, frame rate, duration and whether it has audio, a progress bar, and the output path when it finishes.
- If two outputs in a batch would get the same name, later ones get _2, _3 and so on. An existing output file with the same name is replaced.
- If it detects a variable frame rate, or cannot verify the timing, it prints a warning: export uses a constant frame rate, so the audio can drift. Convert that file to constant frame rate first.
- Exit code 0: every file was processed. 1: at least one file failed; the rest of the batch still runs. 2: invalid flags or a license problem; nothing is processed.
Prefer the app? The same workflow is in Smooth Skin Before You Edit. For questions, ask Vani or contact us.