In an era before advanced technology, the performances of magicians during the Qing Dynasty were truly mesmerizing.
It can be said that we are currently witnessing a time when AI (Artificial Intelligence) is making significant leaps in both technology and application. In the film industry alone, AI serves as an effective tool for restoring images. It has indeed helped save a considerable amount of time and effort, while still achieving exceptionally high-quality results.
Not limited to static images, AI can now also seamlessly process old video footage without any difficulty. Recently, Chinese experts utilized AI to restore a video filmed nearly 120 years ago featuring a magician from the Qing Dynasty.
Chinese experts restored a video of a magician nearly 120 years ago. (Image: Sohu).
To restore color to these century-old black-and-white films, experts combined several AI tools and machine learning techniques. With this new AI technology, multiple requirements for improving video quality can be addressed simultaneously. For instance, noise reduction, resolution enhancement, contrast adjustment, colorization, and frame addition can all be executed at once.
The process of restoring this video using AI is incredibly time-consuming. Experts must find and provide suitable sample images to create a database. From this data, AI can select colors and images to incorporate into the restoration process, ensuring the final product is of the highest quality.
In the video, we can see a magician appearing on stage as swiftly as a gust of wind. He holds an umbrella and a fan in his hands. The magician walks back and forth on stage several times and begins to “transform” into two chairs.
The magician transforms the umbrella into two chairs. (Image: Sohu)
Afterward, the magician closes the umbrella and tosses it aside. He picks up the fan from the ground and transforms it into another umbrella.
However, the final trick is so impressive that David Copperfield would be envious. This is when the magician waves his umbrella, and instantly, two lanterns transform into a dog. He cradles it in his arms and pets it twice before the dog magically turns into a woman. Surprising, isn’t it?
Yet, this is not the best part; the climax of the performance is still to come. The magician transforms into another person, and together they bring out two paper boxes and place them on the two chairs. A woman is invited to sit in the chair on the left side of the screen, shielded by one of the boxes. When the magician steps out from the left box, the woman has already switched to the seat on the opposite side.
The magician instantly turns the dog into a girl. (Image: Sohu)
To heighten the drama, they decide to unwrap the paper covering the two boxes. This time, the woman is invited to sit in the chair on the right side of the screen. After just a few gestures from the magician, the girl gradually fades away and teleports to the chair on the left side of the screen.
In the final act, the magician decides to “go big.” He wraps the woman in a large cloth. After covering her, something strange occurs: the girl disappears, and a flock of chickens and a man jump out from under the cloth.
It can be said that over 100 years ago, when techniques and technology were not as developed, the performances of magicians from the Qing Dynasty were immensely satisfying to the audience’s visual experience.
We invite you to enjoy some color-restored clips from the video below.
The performances of magicians from the Qing Dynasty are truly a feast for the eyes. (Source: Sohu).
