HS Harry Smallwood

Image & Video / all software

In development · early access

Frame Guard

Measure what processing cost

Every export, conversion or enhancement risks losing detail. Frame Guard compares the copy with the original and gives you an objective number for what was lost, with a chart showing exactly where in the clip it happened.

Request early access Ask for a demo
Frame Guard from start to finish: a copy made for sharing scored with VMAF, SSIM and PSNR, a “lossless” conversion checked frame by frame, and the report. Synthetic test clips, real runs shown sped up.

The problem it solves

“It looks the same to me” isn't a good answer when someone asks whether your export changed the footage. Frame Guard runs the industry-standard measures and turns the results into something you can explain.

Who it's for: Forensic video units checking exports, conversions and enhancements before footage is relied on.

What it does

  • Three standard measures. VMAF, SSIM and PSNR, with minimum, maximum and average for each.
  • Where it dropped. Per-frame charts across the whole clip, because one bad stretch can hide in a good average.
  • Frame hashes. Every decoded frame of both files hashed with SHA-256 and lined up, plus every stream's packets, so a conversion sold as lossless can be proved bit-for-bit or shown to have changed, down to the frame.
  • Enhancement-aware. Choose the VMAF model that isn't fooled by sharpening, or the 4K model.
  • Handles mismatched sizes. The original is scaled to match the copy automatically.
  • Side-by-side details. Both files' technical details shown together.
  • Reports. Single-page HTML, A4 PDF, or JSON with the raw numbers.

See it work

what to click, and what you get

01 · Choose files

The original, and the copy made from it.

Choose the reference and the copy to check. Each is read by ffprobe the moment it's chosen, and Metadata shows both files' container and streams side by side.

  1. Compare quality scores and frame hashes, in one run.
  2. The reference the original the copy was made from.
  3. The distorted video the copy: converted, re-encoded, shared or processed.
  4. Metadata both files' codecs, sizes, frame rates and audio, side by side.

02 · Score quality

How much did the copy lose?

VMAF, SSIM and PSNR in one FFmpeg pass. A copy squeezed for sharing scores 66.86 on average, but the chart shows the busy section falling to around 40 and a scene change to 11.

  1. Tick the metrics VMAF, SSIM, PSNR and frame hashes, any or all.
  2. Choose the VMAF model standard, no enhancement gain, or 4K viewing.
  3. Run comparison the average, worst and best frame for every score.
  4. Hover the chart to read the score of any frame.

03 · Check a lossless claim

“Lossless”, says the converter. Check every frame.

Every decoded frame of both files is hashed and lined up. Here the audio decodes identically, but 25 of the 550 frames don't: the frame map shows where, and the table gives each frame's SHA-256 in both files.

  1. Compare frame hashes from Home, with the converted copy chosen.
  2. Run comparison a verdict in plain words, stream by stream.
  3. Click the frame map to jump to the frames that aren't the same.

04 · Report

Everything it found, and how to repeat it.

The scores and charts, the frame hash verdict for every stream, the exact FFmpeg commands and both files' metadata, with your case details.

  1. View report or save it as PDF or HTML, export JSON, or every frame's hash as CSV.

At a glance

Platform
Windows 10 and 11
Requires
FFmpeg 5.0+ with VMAF support
Outputs
HTML, PDF, JSON report
Works offline
Yes. Footage never leaves the machine
Pricing
From £295, then £75 a year

Good to know

  • Higher always means closer to the original: VMAF runs 0 to 100, SSIM up to 1, PSNR in decibels.
  • Subsampling scores every few frames for a quick check on long clips.

Frame Guard is in development

It isn't on general sale yet. Request early access to use it on your own material before release, report what works and what doesn't, and help shape the finished version. Early-access users get launch pricing locked in.

Planned pricing and licensing →

Single workstation

£295

then £75 a year from year two

Unit licence

£1,200

then £300 a year from year two

Planned launch prices, excluding VAT. A unit licence covers every workstation in one force's forensic unit.

  • Try it before release on your own material
  • Direct line to the developer for feedback
  • Launch pricing locked in for early-access users
Request early access Ask for a demo

Other software

all software →

See all the software