An automated workflow that transforms AI-generated stills into cinematic 4 K motion.

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🧠 Overview

Pictomotion Pipeline is a modular, repeatable system for converting AI-generated images into high-resolution looping videos.
It brings together Midjourney, Upscayl, and FFmpeg with optional NVIDIA GPU acceleration, enabling anyone to turn still frames into cinematic motion sequences.

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🧩 Core Workflow

Stage	Tool	Description
1️⃣ Image Creation	Midjourney	Generate still or short looping motion concepts.
2️⃣ Frame Export	DaVinci Resolve / Kdenlive	Export video as PNG frame sequences.
3️⃣ Upscaling	Upscayl	Apply AI upscaling to each frame (2× – 4×).
4️⃣ Recombine	FFmpeg	Merge frames into a 4 K video with optional GPU acceleration.
5️⃣ Mastering	DaVinci / Kdenlive	Add music, color grade, or effects (optional).

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💻 Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Windows 11 / Linux Mint 21+	Windows 11
GPU	NVIDIA RTX 20-series +	RTX 3070 or higher
Disk Space	20 GB free	50 GB+ for image sequences
Software	Midjourney, Upscayl, FFmpeg, DaVinci Resolve or Kdenlive	Latest versions

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⚙️ Installation & Setup

1️⃣ Install FFmpeg (Full GPU Build)

1. Download from https://www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/

2. Extract to

   C:\ffmpeg\
   

3. Add to system PATH:
   C:\ffmpeg\bin

4. Verify:

   ffmpeg -version
   

2️⃣ Install Upscayl

• Download the desktop version from https://upscayl.org
• Launch and choose:
  • Input: frame folder
  • Output: upscaled folder
  • Model: General Photo
  • Scale: 3×
  • Click Upscayl All Images

3️⃣ Prepare Frame Sequence

• Export PNG frames from DaVinci Resolve or Kdenlive:

  C:\Projects\Pictomotion\frames\
  

  Example filenames:

  Timeline_86400.png
  Timeline_86401.png
  Timeline_86402.png
  

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🚀 Usage

pictomotion_pipeline.bat

Drop this batch file in your frame folder.

@echo off
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion

set FRAMERATE=30
set OUTPUT_MP4=output_4k_video.mp4
set OUTPUT_PRORES=output_4k_prores.mov

echo =====================================
echo  🎬 Pictomotion Pipeline - Frame Recombine
echo =====================================
choice /c 12 /m "Choose render mode (1=GPU, 2=CPU): "
if errorlevel 2 set MODE=CPU
if errorlevel 1 set MODE=GPU

for %%F in (*.png) do (
    set FIRST_FILE=%%~nF
    goto FoundFirst
)
:FoundFirst
if "%FIRST_FILE%"=="" (
    echo ❌ No PNG files found!
    pause
    exit /b
)

for /f "tokens=1,2 delims=_" %%A in ("%FIRST_FILE%") do (
    set PREFIX=%%A_
    set NUM=%%B
)
for /f "tokens=* delims=0" %%A in ("%NUM%") do set START=%%A

if "%MODE%"=="GPU" (
    ffmpeg -framerate %FRAMERATE% -start_number %START% -i "%PREFIX%%%05d.png" ^
    -vf scale=3840:2160 -c:v hevc_nvenc -preset slow -b:v 20M -pix_fmt yuv420p %OUTPUT_MP4%
) else (
    ffmpeg -framerate %FRAMERATE% -start_number %START% -i "%PREFIX%%%05d.png" ^
    -vf scale=3840:2160 -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow %OUTPUT_MP4%
)

ffmpeg -framerate %FRAMERATE% -start_number %START% -i "%PREFIX%%%05d.png" ^
-vf scale=3840:2160 -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 3 %OUTPUT_PRORES%
pause

🟩 GPU Mode → Fast, HEVC (H.265) encoding with RTX
🟦 CPU Mode → Slower but universal, uses x264

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📁 Folder Structure

C:\Projects\Pictomotion\
 ├─ frames\
 │   ├─ Timeline_86400.png
 │   └─ ...
 ├─ frames_upscaled\
 │   ├─ Timeline_86400.png
 │   └─ ...
 ├─ recombine_auto_detect_gpu_toggle.bat
 ├─ output_4k_video.mp4
 └─ output_4k_prores.mov

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🧰 Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Fix
“Width exceeds 4096”	8 K frames with H.264	Use HEVC NVENC or scale to 4 K
“No capable devices found”	Outdated NVIDIA drivers	Update GeForce drivers
Wrong FFmpeg version	PATH misordered	Move C:\ffmpeg\bin to top of PATH
Flicker in output	Frame variance from AI upscaling	Run -vf deflicker or RIFE/Video2X post-process

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🧠 Optional Enhancements

• Add background music or grade in DaVinci/Kdenlive.
• Use Topaz Video AI for temporal upscaling.
• Automate batch runs with Cronicle or Portainer.
• Integrate with Trilium Notes as a reusable template doc.

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🏁 Output Summary

🎬 output_4k_video.mp4 – HEVC H.265 4 K video (GPU or CPU)
🎞️ output_4k_prores.mov – Editing-quality master

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🔖 Project Meta

Field	Value
Project Name	Pictomotion Pipeline
Category	AI / Video Processing
Author	Europium Lab
Version	v1.0
License	MIT (Open Source)
Keywords	Midjourney, Upscayl, FFmpeg, AI Video, GPU Rendering