(Bug): Render Output Looks Low Quality

[ApplicationCoding]

Make sure to follow our issue report guidelines

• [X] I'm using the latest version of Natron (not required but recommended)
• [X] I've restarted Natron and the issue persists
• [X] I've run Natron via the command line and the issue persists
• [X] I've followed the contributing guidelines to the best of my understanding
• [X] My issue is not on the issue tracker or in a pull request already (go search for it and dig around a little bit!)
• [X] This bug is reproducible

Natron version

Natron 2.4.3

Operating system

Windows 10 21H2 (OS Build 19044.1682)

System specs

RAM: 8GB CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz GPU: Intel(R) HD Graphics

Did you install Natron using the official installer?

• [X] Yes, I used the official installer
• [ ] No, I installed from a binary archive
• [ ] No, I compiled Natron from sources
• [ ] No, I installed Natron via another method

Custom installation path

No response

What were you trying to do?

I was compositing a particular short project. The project settings were set to 25fps and 720p. The complete workflow was totally fine.

What did you expect to happen? What happened instead?

Project Download Link: https://mega.nz/file/47gU1JwI#H5dusVJC3EjEJuMjvqWy8XHkidQGEKdlcZavUKhe9cs

As usual, I expected the render to look just fine. But, it was not the quality I expected. I don't know what this is called but please refer to the attached image. Notice the image with pink crystal. There's a cloud in front of it and you may notice the quality of it.

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

1. Download the attached project link
2. Open it
3. Render the writer

Additional details

No response

[Shrinks99]

Looks like a compression / bit depth issue. This can happen with H264 when rendering things with low detail over black — you can see similar compression artifacts in the black windows on the top left part of the frame. Try a different compression codec like Prores:4:2:2, increasing your bitrate, or writing out an EXR or TIFF frame sequence (the best option).

At first glance this does not appear to be a bug with Natron. Additionally, the forum is probably a better place for these types of questions in the future! :)

[ApplicationCoding]

Looks like a compression / bit depth issue. This can happen with H264 when rendering things with low detail over black — you can see similar compression artifacts in the black windows on the top left part of the frame. Try a different compression codec like Prores:4:2:2, increasing your bitrate, or writing out an EXR or TIFF frame sequence (the best option).

At first glance this does not appear to be a bug with Natron. Additionally, the forum is probably a better place for these types of questions in the future! :)

Thanks! I'll take your suggestion!