Ebsynth

EbSynth is VFX software that propagates hand painted or edited keyframes across a video, used for rotoscoping, retouching, colorizing and turning performances into animation. It relies on texture synthesis rather than generative AI, runs in the browser, and offers a free tier plus paid Pro and local Studio plans.

EbSynth is VFX software built around a simple premise: an artist paints or edits a small number of frames, and the software transfers that work across the rest of the shot. The homepage frames it as a tool for retouching, rotoscoping and stylization. In practice that covers turning a live performance into hand drawn animation, applying digital makeup or colorizing footage without manual tracking, and adding painterly texture to line art so a single well painted keyframe replaces a hundred rushed ones. The engine behind it is not a generative model. EbSynth states plainly that the propagation of keyframes does not use AI: it is a texture synthesis algorithm that reads only the supplied video and keyframes, with no external training data involved. An optional Generate Image feature does exist for creating keyframes with AI. That distinction matters for artists and studios who need reproducible, footage derived output rather than something synthesised from a model's priors. The free browser version runs in Chrome, where the company recommends a dedicated graphics card for heavier projects. The practical workflow rewards planning. Keyframes should land on frames that show the most content and clear poses rather than the middle of a movement, and the shapes in a keyframe need to line up with the video or stretchy, ripple like artifacts appear. Shots that move independently, such as background, face and eyes, are best split across separate video tracks. The company also advises soft diffuse lighting, textured clothing and higher frame rates for fast motion, because propagation quality depends on optical flow from a guiding video. EbSynth sits in a different lane from generative video tools. It is closer to a compositing utility for animators, VFX artists and independent filmmakers who want stylistic control without hand rotoscoping every frame. Projects stay on the local computer, with video and keyframes uploaded temporarily for rendering and deleted once results return. The Studio tier moves processing to a Windows desktop app for teams whose footage cannot leave their own machines.