I have heard talk from various sources about Topaz software for processing your photo's. Just looked it up on the net but there seems to be many differant variations.
Which is the best variation to get to replace Photo shop.
Not entirely, Topaz is now pushing their new Topaz Studio which is a stand alone tool that includes some cut down form of all their plugins, which together give most of the tools that photographers commonly go to Photoshop for, and they have said they will be progressively adding missing features as part of Topaz studio.Thank you all for your replies. I had obviously got the wrong idea about Topaz.
Not entirely, Topaz is now pushing their new Topaz Studio which is a stand alone tool that includes some cut down form of all their plugins, which together give most of the tools that photographers commonly go to Photoshop for, and they have said they will be progressively adding missing features as part of Topaz studio.
Topaz Studio with basic capability is free, so you can download and try it. You then pay for more advanced capability as you feel the need.
Topaz studio also works as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom, and it seems that the current Topaz plugins will probably fade away, as Topaz have said that the multiple plug in approach was impossible for them to manage. It was also confusing for the user.
It's still all a bit complicated at the moment, with some features in Topaz studio more powerful than the plugins, and some plugins more powerful than the equivalent Topaz studio capability. But, you can also run all the original Photoshop Plugins as Plugins for topaz studio.
I would ignore the original plugins, and download the free Topaz studio, and use that as a starting point to give it a try and learn what its capable of.
Cheers,
Graham
All the original Topaz plugins will work within Studio (obviousy you have to purchase them.)It's still all a bit complicated at the moment, with some features in Topaz studio more powerful than the plugins, and some plugins more powerful than the equivalent Topaz studio capability. But, you can also run all the original Photoshop Plugins as Plugins for topaz studio.
Graham
All the original Topaz plugins will work within Studio (obviousy you have to purchase them.)
I think you did make it clear, I just didn't read the second line carefully enough.Indeed, I should have made that clear.
But the big change since that post is that the latest update to the Detail plugin only applies to the Topaz Studio version and the stand alone plugin (if that makes sense) will not get these updates. Which for me further supports the idea that the stand alone plugins will fade away.
If what you say is right, it looks like if I want the latest edition of Detail I'll need to download Studio, although I can't see any other reason to use it.
I'll have to check my Detail plug-in to see if there's an upgrade, since it's one of the Topaz programs that I use regularly.
Think I will just stick to using my Topaz plugins, as tried to download the studio and it will not let me register it at all.
I just changed my password 4 times and Still topaz studio wont have it, so I give up with the studio. They are good to take the money for plugins that are good, but then screw up on studio.
Trouble is it doesn't work. Just crashes CS6 whether I open it direct or via LR.
Studio simply won't work with my Dell Core i5 laptop because it doesn't have the required OpenGL (IIRC) version and cannot be upgraded, which is a shame.
I've just been through the help pages on Topaz site.
Looks like Studio will only work with the latest most up to date hardware.
I'm, anything but an expert but it looks like if your machine is much more than 12 months old then you are stuffed, as am I!!!
As you might expect, but Topaz studio is still running fine on my 6 year old MacI own a couple of individually bought plug ins going back a few years. They still work fine.
I own a couple of individually bought plug ins going back a few years. They still work fine.
I had no trouble with this, but I know others did and its seems to be related to your existing Topaz account needing to have the same log in details as your Topaz studio account. These also need to be the same for you to get the free upgrades in Studio based on your existing Plugin License.
Lots stuff in support forum and faqs on this, but I haven't really paid attention as this aspect just worked for me, and I had other problems to deal with :-(
I am sure Topaz have been tearing their hair out over all the issues this switch to studio has caused, but as they have said that the current Plugin set up is unsustainable, I assume they are being forced to accept it as a necessary evil.
I can login great to my Topaz account, it just wont have it for trying the studio. Keeps coming up wrong email.
Enter your user name, NOT your email address.I can login great to my Topaz account, it just wont have it for trying the studio. Keeps coming up wrong email.
Did you watch the video I gave the link to?
I admit I haven't, but as I remember (and I might be wrong) you need a Topaz account AND a Topaz studio account and if you want to get the free upgrades to Topaz Studio (based on owning existing plugins) both accounts need to have the same user name and password. That was why I asked if you were sure all "three" user names and passwords matched.
I know, its horribly confusing :-(
Ah! It's all coming back to me now.
It's been a while since I visited the Topaz site and initially I had the same (lack of) log in problem that others are experiencing..
Then I remembered, although it's asking for an email address, if you've already registered on the site, what it wants is your USER name, not your email.
Once I entered my user name, it logged me in just fine and I see a list of all my plug-ins plus a link to "Go to Topaz Studio Account" (which I haven't actually tried yet.)
Enter your user name, NOT your email address.
I have watched the video a few times in the past and even tried to get help from the topaz lot, and have done all the above, but still no chance and still waiting for a reply from them, wont hold my breath though as it was ages ago. I will just leave it as can`t be bothered to waist my time with it.
An interesting development, that I can't explain.
I've just seen that an icon has been created on my desktop. When I open that up I get the Studio to open and I can work with it.
I've still not been able to open it up from either LR or CS6.
Very odd. It seems to have downloaded as a stand alone product, and not as a plug in.
Think I'll ask them.
According to their install guides, you should close Lightroom/Photoshop, install Studio and it should then appear in the "Edit in" menu of LR or the "Filter" menu of PS, so there doesn't seem to be any distinction between using it as a stand alone or as a plug in.An interesting development, that I can't explain.
I've just seen that an icon has been created on my desktop. When I open that up I get the Studio to open and I can work with it.
I've still not been able to open it up from either LR or CS6.
Very odd. It seems to have downloaded as a stand alone product, and not as a plug in.
Think I'll ask them.