# Action Surface Filtering Basics **URL:** \ **Category:** Tips and Tricks\ **Tags:** filtering, surface, ewa, action\ **Created:** [August 18, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91 "2020-08-18T16:48:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![randy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/randy/32/6122_2.png) [@randy](https://forum.logik.tv/u/randy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/1 "2020-08-18T16:48:55Z")
Filtering Basics in Action, covering Linear, Anisotropic, and Elliptical Weighted Average (EWA) Filtering algorithms in Action. tldr: Linear: when there is no animation, integer-based animation only Anisotropic: when there are heavily rotated surfaces in your scene EWA: when you there is scaling, tracking, stabilizing, anything with lots of sub pixel animation [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/8l7hdxzsshmmtns/filtering\_in\_action\_logik.mp4?dl=0](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/8l7hdxzsshmmtns/filtering_in_action_logik.mp4?dl=0) ---
**Author:** ![andy\_dill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/andy_dill/32/15475_2.png) [@andy\_dill](https://forum.logik.tv/u/andy_dill)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/2 "2020-08-18T17:37:58Z")
“I see juniors and even some mids get wrong.” Haha. It’s cool man, we ALL get this wrong. I’ll start using anisotropic now; I always thought that EWA was the goto for heavy x/y rotation. Thank you for the video. ---
**Author:** ![randy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/randy/32/6122_2.png) [@randy](https://forum.logik.tv/u/randy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/3 "2020-08-18T17:48:57Z")
Its this kinda stuff that made me wish stuff was labeled for what it should be used for, not for what it was. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jaminpaul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jaminpaul](https://forum.logik.tv/u/jaminpaul)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/4 "2020-09-01T17:35:07Z")
There’s that old-by-now FXPHD you did going over this that I think ultimately made me too lazy to memorize the proper use of them instinctually. I’d always have to Refer Back To My Notes. Thanks for the refresher! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![randy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/randy/32/6122_2.png) [@randy](https://forum.logik.tv/u/randy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/5 "2020-09-01T17:52:55Z")
Jambo! On the 1st of Tha Month no less!!! ---
**Author:** ![Sinan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/sinan/32/155_2.png) [@Sinan](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Sinan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/6 "2020-09-01T20:40:41Z")
“I see juniors and even some **midgets** wrong.” Haha. Been working too long I guess… ---
**Author:** ![randy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/randy/32/6122_2.png) [@randy](https://forum.logik.tv/u/randy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/7 "2020-09-17T14:13:49Z")
4 posts were split to a new topic: [Blend Modes Hacks](https://forum.logik.tv/t/blend-modes-hacks/769) ---
**Author:** ![TimC](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/timc/32/11881_2.png) [@TimC](https://forum.logik.tv/u/TimC)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 4:27am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/10 "2020-09-09T04:27:11Z")
Hey @randy how do these relate to the filtering options we have in the Timeline resize node? I was always curious why we have one set of filtering option there and a completely different set in action. thanks for the video, good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![randy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/randy/32/6122_2.png) [@randy](https://forum.logik.tv/u/randy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/12 "2020-09-17T13:40:26Z")
That’s a good question @TimC. I suspect that the timeline resizes are different than the Action ones because Action is a 3D environment and has to take textured polygons into consideration, whereas, the Timeline doesn’t. Or does it? On the surface they do do similar things, but, under the hood there’s probaby a good reason for it. ---
**Author:** ![cnoellert](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/cnoellert/32/559_2.png) [@cnoellert](https://forum.logik.tv/u/cnoellert)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 12:04am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/14 "2021-05-04T00:04:29Z")
…or that filtering would change based on the transformation matrix per-automatique to always give the best result (as an option). ---
**Author:** ![andy\_dill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/andy_dill/32/15475_2.png) [@andy\_dill](https://forum.logik.tv/u/andy_dill)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/15 "2021-05-04T01:06:09Z")
The ones like Lanczos and Gaussian? ---
**Author:** ![digitalbanshee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/digitalbanshee/32/1160_2.png) [@digitalbanshee](https://forum.logik.tv/u/digitalbanshee)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 6:51pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/16 "2021-10-05T18:51:41Z")
I often use this system to cleanup: stabilize in action sequential paint negate the stabilize comp this cleanup back over the plate But the grain/image goes soft. I’ve got the action surface rendering with EWA on both ends, so what am I missing? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![randy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/randy/32/6122_2.png) [@randy](https://forum.logik.tv/u/randy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/17 "2021-10-05T18:58:41Z")
It’s always going to introduce _some_ softening. I’m sure you are denoising. A little sharpen in the middle via L\_Ash is helpful as well. And either Adding the grain back in or regraining if the original grain is broken. The Surface Filtering is less about keeping surfaces sharp. It’s more about making a patch/track/translation/surface with no b.s. pixels that you can post process easily. If you look carefully, stabilizing set to nearest/or linear introduces a digital gate weave as the pixels move approach and leave integers. ---
**Author:** ![digitalbanshee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/digitalbanshee/32/1160_2.png) [@digitalbanshee](https://forum.logik.tv/u/digitalbanshee)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/18 "2021-10-05T19:18:48Z")
ooh never used L\_Ash - thanks for the tip! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_miller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@Tim\_miller](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Tim_miller)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/19 "2023-08-18T20:43:28Z")
I just did a perspective grid stabilize using Anisotropic paint and then Unstabilize with anisotropic and there was no loss in detail and no blurriness. In Difference matte boosting to 10,000 there was no difference between before and after!!! So from now on, I will always use Anisotropic for Perspective grid stab unstab procedure. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_miller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@Tim\_miller](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Tim_miller)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/20 "2023-08-18T20:44:29Z")
> [@digitalbanshee](#): > > I often use this system to cleanup: > > stabilize in action > sequential paint > negate the stabilize > comp this cleanup back over the plate > > But the grain/image goes soft. I’ve got the action surface rendering with EWA on both ends, so what am I missing? > > Thanks! TRY ANISOTROPIC next time. With perspective grid it works great!! ---
**Author:** ![Peter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/278dde/32.png) [@Peter](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Peter)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/21 "2023-08-19T14:46:50Z")
> [@digitalbanshee](#): > > I often use this system to cleanup: > > stabilize in action > sequential paint > negate the stabilize > comp this cleanup back over the plate > > But the grain/image goes soft. I’ve got the action surface rendering with EWA on both ends, so what am I missing? > > Thanks! one option for 1 point xy stabilizing: the Desktop Stabilizer with Oversampling turned on should help maintain grain detail. ![oversampling](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/thedepartmentofexternalservices/original/2X/5/5db67fa26137de1d27d76ace9187c77a43744f00.png) ---
**Author:** ![johnag](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/johnag/32/573_2.png) [@johnag](https://forum.logik.tv/u/johnag)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 9:30am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/action-surface-filtering-basics/91/22 "2023-08-22T09:30:35Z")
Not in front of the box at the moment but I seem to recall that if your viewport is set to live or the other your image will display soft but not affect the render.