Topazlabs…..which one?

mulch

mulch

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Edit My Images
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Please excuse me for my lack of knowledge about these things called software, but here goes. I was looking at the Topaz website with the view of buying a ‘cleaning’ hack, then I see they advertise 3 types, which to my few brain cells, all do the same job! - DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI……each at $79.99.
Any help in choosing will be appreciated.
 
AFAIK there are four basic products in the Topaz AI range - I only have Denoise AI, though

Denoise - removes noise (and can do a little sharpening as part of that)
Gigapixel - enlarges images (adds pixels, increases resolution to allow you to print bigger or get away with radical cropping)
Sharpen - sharpens and recovers detail by guessing what an in focus image should look like, but doesn't actually increase the number of pixels in a file. Its party trick is recovering shots that are actually out of focus.

No surprises based on the names :)

Photo AI is relatively new and does all of the above in one application, which would certainly be more convenient.

However it does so with less control than each of the dedicated apps - I saw this video that walks you the differences a couple of weeks ago and found it useful.

View: https://youtu.be/SMgGRDx8wGY

I'm still on the fence about Photo AI as a result. I know with Denoise that I need the level of control that it gives me. YMMV.

For my purposes, Denoise is occasionally very useful when I have noise that Lightroom cannot easily deal with. I keep eyeing Gigapixel as it looks fantastic, but I find it hard to justify the cost for the very rare occasions I would really need it. Lightroom's scaler is generally 'good enough' for me. Most sharpening I can deal with well enough elsewhere and broadly I try not to take pictures that are poorly focused! :-D

Add all that up and Photo AI doesn't look terribly compelling, so I shall probably stick with just Denoise AI.
 
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Those three packages do completely different jobs.

Denoise is for removing noise.
Gigapixel is for enlarging images.
Sharpen AI is for sharpening images.

So chose the package that deals with the issue you're having.

IMHO if you don't understand what each of these packages actually do it begs the question do you actually need it or have you been caught up in some marketing guff that promises to polish your turds (no offence meant here. We all shoot turds now and then).
 
Thanks all, more researching to be done.

The reason for the question was following a visit to their website. Each of the ones I listed did say they improve the image and detail etc. I understand the Gigapixel is for enlarging, particularly if printing, but it does also state it upscales and enhances images.
In my case, I just want to clean up the detail. I use OM Workspace, which I’m not over impressed with that aspect of the processing

I probably will head towards the sharpening package.
 
:plus1: with all the above.......

But to add....all Topaz software has free trials.

Newer Photo AI will only install on more up to date PCs.....unlike my 13 year old one :LOL:
 
You can buy the whole package at $199.

As I already have an old copy of DenoiseAi I can buy the PhotoAi set for $138 which works out to £116 at today's exchange rate.

But DenoiseAi is all I'd probably need to be honest.
 
FWIW

There has been indications/chatter that future developments will be concentrated on Photo AI with the other Topaz individual programs being 'left behind' and discontinued?

Though, as their business model is based on a yearly license......the ones we(?) own now will still serve us well but just fall behind in regard to updates & improvements.

PS with my (soon to be?) new PC build Topaz Photo AI will install so I will see how that performs as an option for me?
 
mulch said:
Thanks all, more researching to be done.

The reason for the question was following a visit to their website. Each of the ones I listed did say they improve the image and detail etc. I understand the Gigapixel is for enlarging, particularly if printing, but it does also state it upscales and enhances images.
In my case, I just want to clean up the detail. I use OM Workspace, which I’m not over impressed with that aspect of the processing

I probably will head towards the sharpening package.
Click to expand...

Denoise also sharpens. I have sharpen and denoise, I only ever use denoise, I use it to sharpen my raw files (the amount you sharpen is adjustable) at the end of processing. I find ”sharpen” looks artificial and if a file needs that much sharpening it’s for the bin anyway
 
ecoleman said:
Those three packages do completely different jobs.

Denoise is for removing noise.
Gigapixel is for enlarging images.
Sharpen AI is for sharpening images.

So chose the package that deals with the issue you're having.

IMHO if you don't understand what each of these packages actually do it begs the question do you actually need it or have you been caught up in some marketing guff that promises to polish your turds (no offence meant here. We all shoot turds now and then).
Click to expand...


Denoise also sharpens. Each mode (standard, clear, & the other 2) has some basic adjustment about how much denoising and sharpening you want the software to do on any particular image. But I wouldn't say its particularly effective at sharpening.
 
Hi, note that no-one has mentioned that Topaz Photo AI is at this time not a completed software to many weekly adjustments being made , read the opinions on the Topaz forum pages. I use on most images that need it Topaz DeNoise AI.
 
I'm currently investigating noise reduction and sharpening software and comparing them to what I can achieve with LR. I started today and my fist forays have been into the free trials of DXO and On1 Nonoise AI, I have yet to download TOPAZ and I'm not sure I will as the other two seem quite adequate for my needs and I have no wish to over-complicate things.

The problem is, even if I decide on a software package, the next thing to decide is: do I really need it at all? I have managed without this sort of stuff for fifty years and I wonder why I need it now.

Let me answer. I was watching a Youtube video on wildlife photography and the most important thing is to keep up the shutter speed if I want to still the wings of birds and the way to do this is to shoot at high ISOs and this is where this stuff comes in. I tried the software on pictures I've shot at under 1600 ISO and TBH the difference was negligible and certainly wouldn't be worth the price. Once the ISO gets above 6400 (on my D810) things get a bit more tricky and when shooting at 12800 help is definitely needed.

I have used the tools in LR but they are not as up to the job as dedicated packages are.

Of course now I have to ask myself how often do I really need to shoot at 12800 ISO? The answer is, hardly ever (up until now, actually never). So we come to price. DXO Pure RAW 3 is £115 whereas On1 is currently a smidge over £51.

I think for something I kinda want but really don't need then fifty quid is probably enough.

I'll continue to research as I've only taken a couple of high ISO pictures today, in the rain and the murk -- and of a sparrow of all things, not the photographic subject of which dreams are made!
 
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AI sharpening/NR seems to be the new fad like HDR was years ago... I am seeing so many images with heavy AI/sharpening artifacts on social media that it's almost hard to find a natural looking image anymore.

I own all of the Topaz products; I find them moderately useful in certain situations, but I don't typically use them for most images.
 
sk66 said:
AI sharpening/NR seems to be the new fad like HDR was years ago... I am seeing so many images with heavy AI/sharpening artifacts on social media that it's almost hard to find a natural looking image anymore.

I own all of the Topaz products; I find them moderately useful in certain situations, but I don't typically use them for most images.
Click to expand...
Yes I know what you mean, I’m especially seeing a lot of macro/close ups taken with a phone camera that are way over sharpened but some look ok so it must be people are overdoing it afterwards with software
 
I don't like sharpening much, but I do like reducing noise.
 
As far as I'm aware, you need to have purchased the other 3 products to be able to use Topaz AI.

It basically calls on the libraries of these packages for the final result.

Whether they are building it in to a single package ? who knows ?

Dougie.
 
ShinySideUp said:
I'm currently investigating noise reduction and sharpening software and comparing them to what I can achieve with LR. I started today and my fist forays have been into the free trials of DXO and On1 Nonoise AI, I have yet to download TOPAZ and I'm not sure I will as the other two seem quite adequate for my needs and I have no wish to over-complicate things.

The problem is, even if I decide on a software package, the next thing to decide is: do I really need it at all? I have managed without this sort of stuff for fifty years and I wonder why I need it now.

Let me answer. I was watching a Youtube video on wildlife photography and the most important thing is to keep up the shutter speed if I want to still the wings of birds and the way to do this is to shoot at high ISOs and this is where this stuff comes in. I tried the software on pictures I've shot at under 1600 ISO and TBH the difference was negligible and certainly wouldn't be worth the price. Once the ISO gets above 6400 (on my D810) things get a bit more tricky and when shooting at 12800 help is definitely needed.

I have used the tools in LR but they are not as up to the job as dedicated packages are.

Of course now I have to ask myself how often do I really need to shoot at 12800 ISO? The answer is, hardly ever (up until now, actually never). So we come to price. DXO Pure RAW 3 is £115 whereas On1 is currently a smidge over £51.

I think for something I kinda want but really don't need then fifty quid is probably enough.

I'll continue to research as I've only taken a couple of high ISO pictures today, in the rain and the murk -- and of a sparrow of all things, not the photographic subject of which dreams are made!
Click to expand...


Speaking personally I find that the denoise/sharpening abilities of DXO are invaluable in all sorts of situations. I use Olympus m4/3 kit so that *might* have a bearing on it, and maybe my abilities with a long lens are not that good, but even at ISO 1000 I notice a lot of difference. I don't know if you ever scan old 35 mm slides but one of these packages can clean the scans up very nicely, and I even occasionally use it on landscapes when LR only makes a hash of them.

I don't have any experience of On1.

If you search online for Robin Whalley he has some useful stuff on the various software packages, and there's *loads* of youtube videos about them.
 
ShinySideUp said:
I'm currently investigating noise reduction and sharpening software and comparing them to what I can achieve with LR. I started today and my fist forays have been into the free trials of DXO and On1 Nonoise AI, I have yet to download TOPAZ and I'm not sure I will as the other two seem quite adequate for my needs and I have no wish to over-complicate things.

The problem is, even if I decide on a software package, the next thing to decide is: do I really need it at all? I have managed without this sort of stuff for fifty years and I wonder why I need it now.

Let me answer. I was watching a Youtube video on wildlife photography and the most important thing is to keep up the shutter speed if I want to still the wings of birds and the way to do this is to shoot at high ISOs and this is where this stuff comes in. I tried the software on pictures I've shot at under 1600 ISO and TBH the difference was negligible and certainly wouldn't be worth the price. Once the ISO gets above 6400 (on my D810) things get a bit more tricky and when shooting at 12800 help is definitely needed.

I have used the tools in LR but they are not as up to the job as dedicated packages are.

Of course now I have to ask myself how often do I really need to shoot at 12800 ISO? The answer is, hardly ever (up until now, actually never). So we come to price. DXO Pure RAW 3 is £115 whereas On1 is currently a smidge over £51.

I think for something I kinda want but really don't need then fifty quid is probably enough.

I'll continue to research as I've only taken a couple of high ISO pictures today, in the rain and the murk -- and of a sparrow of all things, not the photographic subject of which dreams are made!
Click to expand...
Hi, Just try On1 Photo Raw 2023 first as I have found over the years that as they upgrade the software it uses more and more resources on the computer, I had an i5 and a 1060 card and it struggled to run there software smoothly. Russ.
 
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