What is REALLY needed is the ability to brush mask. I have found the auto mask to be quite poor at, e.g. masking birds in trees. It's also not clear how to denoise the whole photo but sharpen just the subject. I guess I'll be sticking with the individual products for a while.
Thanks Jim. I'm slightly disappointed there is no brush for the subject selection, I hope they will add that. Also I don't know whether the lack of different models will work. I often test different models both in SharpenAI and DeNoiseAI. The Auto-detection there doesn’t always suggest the best model.
Thanks Sven and yes this is v1 essentially, so hopefully they add a brush and more models to choose from etc over time - it's certainly a promising move in what I consider the right direction!
@@JimNix from their FAQ: However, the long term goal is to have Topaz Photo AI replace all of the functionality of the individual apps. I just think people are now paying for 2 years until Photo AI is on the same level as the individual apps.
Your comment at the end about moving between different programs got me thinking. I use the 3 Topaz products, Luminars AI & Neo, Lr & Ps. I’m never sure what order I should be doing what in, or what gives the best results. Have you, or would you consider, doing a workflow style video? You could also include the best files type to save in that avoids degradation, but is easy to swap between programs, or other tips you think may help us newbies. I’m sure others must have these basic issues which can often be frustrating & time wasting. Like with most things, searching the Internet becomes confusing with conflicting advice. Perhaps others may also have input where your hugely informative content could help flesh out our knowledge & enjoyment of photo editing. Btw, I love saturation too & dig your edits! Thanks for all you contribute to the community.
Thanks Shannon, I appreciate it. Here is my general workflow, although it can vary at times: denoise first, esp if it is really noisy. If using Topaz, save as DNG so you preserve the best file type. Then edit in Luminar as needed (I never really use LR or PS so I skip those in this example). Then sharpen and enlarge before finishing and or printing. That's the basic idea. Hope it helps and I can look into a workflow video although most of the time I go start to finish in a single app, which is easier these days bc so many apps have great denoise (Luminar, On1 and of course Topaz) and other utilities. thanks
@@JimNix Cheers for the comprehensive reply, much appreciated. If you have the time, could you clarify that the .dng file extension is better than TIFF?
@@shannonpage6741 sure no worries. I think everyone would say that DNG, being a raw file format, is better than TIFF. I would likely say that too. BUT, I am not sure my tired old eyes can see the difference to be totally frank. Maybe with a keen eye and the desire to seriously pixel peep you could tell, but it's rare that it's noticeable to me.
Jim and other Topaz owners - note that if you already own the component pieces (e.g. Image Quality Bundle), they give you Photo AI for free, just check your account (under Bundle & Legacy Upgrades). I've always thought that these image upgrade functions should function as a single unit, and I suspect that some of it is already going on in the background of the individual apps, so this is a natural evolution of that. For example, you don't want to upscale or sharpen noise, the results are awful, and the prior AI seemed aware of that, but this could be an even better approach. Can't wait to try it... especially since it cost me nothing! Jim, thank you as always for a clear and quick intro to it, you're a great resource for lots of things!
No, the Topaz Software is very specialised on what it does and it's usually doing a great job with that. Much better than the DeNoise AI Addon by Skylum, in my opinion.
It does not. They have an older product known at Studio which does all that, but it has not been updated in maybe 2 years so not sure if it has a future or not.
Thanks Jim. I have all of the Topaz products and so, apparently, I get this for free. I have also just bought ON1 PR 2023. I don't think this brings anything extra that 0N1 2023 doesn't do and, of course ON1 has wonderful masking tools. But, if it is free to me, it will be worth doing a quality comparison.
Thanks Alan and yes the new On1 is very solid and agree this does not offer anything more but the convenience of having it in one place for those non-On1 users is great. And of course the results on photos look great too.
@@TC_Conner I just found out I don't get it for free as mine are over 12 months old. I can get it for $100 if I renew the contract for the three programs. But I shall not be buying it.
So far it does not allow one to truly alter setting manually after the fact. It keeps NR for example set too high and you can't back off on it as you can with DeNoise AI. They have a ways to get before they'd get this right.
Great introduction to the product Jim. I've been tempted by the Topaz suite but to buy all the tools it's quite expensive and complex workflow. Bringing a simplified version of them integrated into a single tool looks like a smart idea. Running this and saving it as DNG before starting work with a normal raw editor looks like a good option. I might wait till the big sale season in November though and see how it stacks against the other options from Skylum, DxO/Nik and On1. Things are moving quickly in AI tools!
Great video! I think the product is potentially great. However, I purchased Gigabit AI and tried to enlarge an outdoor RAW photo of a large area shot in RAW on a Sony A7 III and export ed to DNG and the files will not open on my 2019 iMAC with the latest updates, outside of TOPAZ. I spoke with a great customer service rep and his conclusion was that Apple wasn't recognizing the format of RAW photos taken on a SONY A7 III, which seems very odd. I hope we can find a solution.
Huh that is weird and surely there are a LOT of those cameras out in the wild. I hope they fix that too. Seems really odd to me. I have the A7R3 and it works fine.
Great video, really enjoy your channel. I think eventually they are on their way to an all in one editing suite such as Luminar, keep up the great videos.
Nice overview, Jim! I wish it had masking so you could paint in any missed masks. Would be nice, though, to have this one app instead of going to Denoise and Sharpen apps separately.
Thanks Geoff and yes a brush mask for cleanup would be nice, but it's only v1 so hopefully we get that sometime. But for sure, it's great to go to one place for these adjustments instead of a lot of round trips. Thanks for watching!
Have you done much batch processing? I just did a batch of about 40. I am not a fan of the way the clips at the bottom shift right to the selection. Just makes it hard to keep track. I also wish the gigapixel was selectable right away rather than during or after analysis. Slows the process. Have you found a way to, say, change ALL clips to 2x or apply 15% nr to ALL clips at once? Amazing program but waiting for it to render previews of all inputs each time any adjustment is made and having to do this dozens of times is really work for a computer to be doing. I appreciate the video. I learned a few things from it so thanks :)
Hi Galin and thanks for watching. No, I never batch process simply because of the things that I shoot (landscapes, cityscapes mostly) so it's not part of my workflow. So I have not been experimenting with best practices for that, sorry. Since this is just v1 of the product, I do expect more developments in it and things to get matured, etc. So hopefully that ends up helping with batch jobs too. Thanks.
@@JimNix Thank you for the reply. Some of my before and afters are pretty mind blowing with this. I was tasked with grabbing stills…but I’m a videographer with a cinema camera which means grain like crazy oh and no auto focus. This software kicked my delivery up a notch :)
I like it, Right now i am experiencing how my workflow should be either i use it before dxo or go dxo then photo then luminar or have photo ai go last what do you think Jim
I think it depends on what you are using DXO for. It has great noise reduction already, so if it's a noisy image then you could do that there, along with other base edits. Then Luminar for creative/color stuff, and finally Photo AI for sharpening and enlargement. That should work. Thanks.
Good review Jim. I really like this all in one version vs the individual apps for quick clean-ups. I shoot a lot of drone photos that always have some movement and noise. This does a great job of cleaning them up quickly. If I was looking to blow a photo up for a wall hanger, I would use the individual apps. I also tried this on a few scanned images of 40 year old photos, and it did an amazing job sharpening them, especially on the peoples faces. It is a good piece of software now, can't wait to see where they take it.
Thanks for the overview Jim! Is that a new microphone you're using? Your voice comes through much deeper and louder; I even had to turn the volume down with my earbuds. 😆 This product looks interesting. I was hoping it would incorporate more "normal" editing tools, like in Topaz Studio 2. But since I have all their AI products already, I'll download this and give it a try.
Thanks Carl and same mic as before but a little adjustment here and there (new camera and angle, some new soundproofing etc). Sorry you had to turn me down. I'm trying not to scream LOL. Yes I hope they build a true all in one like Studio but with all their tools baked in. That would be simply amazing I think. Thanks for watching!
Hi there and thanks, and I am pretty sure this is free if you already own the image quality bundle apps (Denoise, Sharpen, Gigapixel). Best bet is to look in your Topaz account as the product may be there for you. If not contact their support team I guess. Thanks.
@@JimNix I did it and today I also received an email asking me to download the software. Haven't had time yet to check it out but I will. And I want to thank you for your help every single time. Regards.
Hi, Jim. Another great job. Your tutorials are very informative and a pleasure to view! If you have time, I have a question. Currently I use Topaz Studio 2 as my primary raw editor (vs Photoshop or ACR or any other tool). I enjoy that I can access DeNoise, Sharpen, and Gigapixel as plugins to Topaz Studio 2. Do you know if this new tool, Photo AI, can also be set up as a plugin in Topaz Studio 2? Thanks again for your great work.
Thanks Rad I appreciate that. I do not see Photo AI via Studio - only Adjust, Denoise, Sharpen and Mask AI. I also do not see a way to add it, although admittedly I have not used Studio much since there have been no updates to it in a long time and I fear it is getting abandoned. But it's a nice product and I hope that is not the case. So I am not sure if it can be added or not, sorry.
@@TotallyRadImages yep happy to try and help. Since it sounds like you already have all 3 plugins from the image quality bundle, you get Photo AI free. So maybe download it from your account and see if there is a way to install it as a plugin to Studio?
great tutorial Jim,i still have the old topaz studio 2 program wich has a lot of filters,no AI tough,i also bought 4 different AI products some time ago,adjust,sharpen,denoise and gigapixel,then they changed their way of updating their products by way of paying extra money i never updated again,nor did i buy a new product of that company,its in fact a yearly subscription,and i hate subscriptions,no adobe for me,or anything else with a subscription,otherwise,theu have great working programs,cheers Jim
Well, I guess they had to come up with a more sustainable business model. Note that Topaz's model is not exactly a "subscription". Adobe's is a subscription: when you stop paying, the products stop working. With Topaz, if don't pay the yearly maintenance, your products continue to work. You just won't get updates or upgrades.
@@Centauri27 hi Carl,yes,adobe is a pure subscription company,thats why many people have gone over to affinity,just like me,they have 3 great programs,no AI tough,i also have luminar neo,thet has AI for a lot of actions,they work with seats,i think i have enough programs laying around for what i do with them,anyway,cheers mate
Thanks for this review Jim. It is very useful to have all their individual apps in one. As you've said, it saves so much time over going in and out of each of the apps. Not sure if this should be done before or after other adjustments are made in say in LR etc though. It does look as though a refinement brush for the masks would take it a stage further. As someone else has stated, if you've got all their other products this comes free. Checked on my account and it's there in my products.
Thanks Ken and yep it's free for a lot of folks, which is great. I look forward to seeing how this one will morph over time, should be interesting. Thanks!
The individual apps give you more control but this is great for an all in one, and I suspect this will get better over time too and get more controls in it.
@@JimNix Who do you think all of these new photo AI software editing programs are directed at? Me, a pro hobbyist? Her, a pro photographer? Him, an average enthusiast photographer? You, a TH-cam Content Creator? Or D, all of the above? Have a great weekend!
@@TC_Conner haha good question and I think it depends but generally speaking they are good for everyone. They automate mundane or complex tasks so we can edit more quickly and accurately. So I think that is good for all of us, regardless of skill level etc. Have a nice weekend as well!
@@JimNix What specific photo editing software was the first to include artificial intelligence and do you think they are keeping up with the pack? It seems like we are being bombarded with new AI photo editing tools and software which is kind of dizzying when it comes to choosing what works best. 🤯 Even with good comparison videos like yours!
@@TC_Conner hmm I am not sure what product first started using AI but Denoise AI from Topaz was certainly early on with it. Also Luminar (maybe v4) had some AI stuff in it too. I would say Topaz or Skylum were among the earliest, and for sure they are both keeping up with it. Skylum keeps adding more stuff, which is great. And now On1 is getting more into AI and it is working well for them too. So we are spoiled for choice for sure!
Do I miss out on anything important if I buy Photo AI instead of the bundle. It sounds much more convenient with one tool. In Topaz' FAQ they mention that the stand-alone tools offer much more control. I was wondering what they were? They state that they eventually will add all that the other tools offer. I'm not really sure which one to buy. I'm leaning towards Photo AI because of the convenience. Great video by the way!
Hi Eddie and yes the FAQ indicates that Photo AI will eventually replace the other tools. The other ones do have more tools but it seems obvious that Photo AI will grow over time and get better. That said, it's already really good out of the box. So I would buy this instead, personally. It works quite well and is certainly more convenient. thanks
@@JimNix Thanks! I was thinking about getting the bundle because Photo AI is free if you have it, right? It's a bit more money but then I have access to all versions.
@@xeroeddie yes it's free for bundle owners. I just suggested Photo AI since it's cheaper and appears to be the future direction for the product, but if you don't mind the extra cost and having to learn 3 extra tools (which isn't hard honestly) then for sure the bundle works great.
@@JimNix Thanks, yeah I also think that Photo AI is what I mostly want. I will think about it. They have a 30 day return policy so I could try out the software and see for myself. 🙂
@@xeroeddie true. I lean towards Photo AI personally, unless you find the results aren't satisfactory. But an all in one is something I am a big fan of. Saves time and is easier to get to grips with, easier to use, etc. Plus it's cheaper too. But do what makes most sense for you of course.
Hi Jim,thanks for all the videos, I pay alot of money for the Topaz bundle and now they put all the applications in one and they want us to buy the same thing? The same happens with Luminar I have got all the applications from the beginning and now asking to pay all this money for. This is how they reward loyal customers. I like your videos very much. Peter.
Hi Peter and thanks for watching If you already own Denoise AI, Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI (what they call the image quality bundle) then THIS IS FREE for you. You do not need to buy this product if you own those others already. Just check in your Topaz account and you should be able to download it. Thanks.
@@JimNix Not true for all cases. I already have an older version of Denoise AI, Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI and it won't let me download from my account unless I pay the yearly fees for the software upgrades.
Jim, I've been very disappointed with Topaz Ai. I've been very happy with Denoise Ai, Sharpen Ai and Gigapixel Ai when used separately, but my results with Photo AI have been perplexingly unacceptable. When I've called it up from Lightroom to edit RAW images from my Olympus e-M1 Mk 3, it has consistently changed not just the sharpness and noise levels but also the exposure level and color balance, and produced results that are not only darker but which have quite inaccurate and downright ugly color. Topaz needs to fix this in the non-beta version.
Hi Joe and sorry to hear that. Do you think there is something about the Olympus raw files that it isn't reading properly? Hopefully you can get a response from their support team on that. I have not seen that with raw images from my Sony cameras.
The masking is awful for bird photography, it has a hard time detecting the subject. Until they add brushes this product is quite frankly useless to me. I've had weird results where it masks a face and only sharpens part of it as well.
Hi Kevin and thanks for sharing. I do think it needs a brush but my results have been pretty good overall. Certainly it can (and will) get better. But for v1 of the tool it seems pretty good to me, most of the time. Thanks.
What is REALLY needed is the ability to brush mask. I have found the auto mask to be quite poor at, e.g. masking birds in trees. It's also not clear how to denoise the whole photo but sharpen just the subject. I guess I'll be sticking with the individual products for a while.
Thanks Jim. I'm slightly disappointed there is no brush for the subject selection, I hope they will add that. Also I don't know whether the lack of different models will work. I often test different models both in SharpenAI and DeNoiseAI. The Auto-detection there doesn’t always suggest the best model.
Thanks Sven and yes this is v1 essentially, so hopefully they add a brush and more models to choose from etc over time - it's certainly a promising move in what I consider the right direction!
@@JimNix from their FAQ:
However, the long term goal is to have Topaz Photo AI replace all of the functionality of the individual apps.
I just think people are now paying for 2 years until Photo AI is on the same level as the individual apps.
@@Sven-R yes thanks for pointing that out, and good to know
Agree with you for a simple way to use the all softwares in a single place. A good complement to LR and PS results.
thanks Patrick and yes simplicity is a win for sure!
Great Job Jim! Thank you!
thanks for watching Ashley!
Your comment at the end about moving between different programs got me thinking.
I use the 3 Topaz products, Luminars AI & Neo, Lr & Ps.
I’m never sure what order I should be doing what in, or what gives the best results.
Have you, or would you consider, doing a workflow style video?
You could also include the best files type to save in that avoids degradation, but is easy to swap between programs, or other tips you think may help us newbies.
I’m sure others must have these basic issues which can often be frustrating & time wasting. Like with most things, searching the Internet becomes confusing with conflicting advice.
Perhaps others may also have input where your hugely informative content could help flesh out our knowledge & enjoyment of photo editing.
Btw, I love saturation too & dig your edits! Thanks for all you contribute to the community.
Thanks Shannon, I appreciate it. Here is my general workflow, although it can vary at times: denoise first, esp if it is really noisy. If using Topaz, save as DNG so you preserve the best file type. Then edit in Luminar as needed (I never really use LR or PS so I skip those in this example). Then sharpen and enlarge before finishing and or printing. That's the basic idea. Hope it helps and I can look into a workflow video although most of the time I go start to finish in a single app, which is easier these days bc so many apps have great denoise (Luminar, On1 and of course Topaz) and other utilities. thanks
@@JimNix Cheers for the comprehensive reply, much appreciated. If you have the time, could you clarify that the .dng file extension is better than TIFF?
@@shannonpage6741 sure no worries. I think everyone would say that DNG, being a raw file format, is better than TIFF. I would likely say that too. BUT, I am not sure my tired old eyes can see the difference to be totally frank. Maybe with a keen eye and the desire to seriously pixel peep you could tell, but it's rare that it's noticeable to me.
@@JimNix Completely understand the ageing eyes comment! Appreciate your time, once again. 🙏🏼
@@shannonpage6741 I think the TIF file size is much larger than DNG.
Jim and other Topaz owners - note that if you already own the component pieces (e.g. Image Quality Bundle), they give you Photo AI for free, just check your account (under Bundle & Legacy Upgrades). I've always thought that these image upgrade functions should function as a single unit, and I suspect that some of it is already going on in the background of the individual apps, so this is a natural evolution of that. For example, you don't want to upscale or sharpen noise, the results are awful, and the prior AI seemed aware of that, but this could be an even better approach. Can't wait to try it... especially since it cost me nothing! Jim, thank you as always for a clear and quick intro to it, you're a great resource for lots of things!
Just checked - they sent me an email about this 3 hours ago, but I saw this video first. Check your email!!
Yes, got it free via an email.
So Topaz Photo AI doesn't allow for basic adjustments? ie.. exposure, color adjustments, vignette, etc...
No, the Topaz Software is very specialised on what it does and it's usually doing a great job with that. Much better than the DeNoise AI Addon by Skylum, in my opinion.
It does not. They have an older product known at Studio which does all that, but it has not been updated in maybe 2 years so not sure if it has a future or not.
Thanks Jim. I have all of the Topaz products and so, apparently, I get this for free. I have also just bought ON1 PR 2023. I don't think this brings anything extra that 0N1 2023 doesn't do and, of course ON1 has wonderful masking tools. But, if it is free to me, it will be worth doing a quality comparison.
Thanks Alan and yes the new On1 is very solid and agree this does not offer anything more but the convenience of having it in one place for those non-On1 users is great. And of course the results on photos look great too.
Sounds like me and you are in the same boat Alan. 😎
@@TC_Conner I just found out I don't get it for free as mine are over 12 months old. I can get it for $100 if I renew the contract for the three programs. But I shall not be buying it.
So far it does not allow one to truly alter setting manually after the fact. It keeps NR for example set too high and you can't back off on it as you can with DeNoise AI. They have a ways to get before they'd get this right.
Great introduction to the product Jim. I've been tempted by the Topaz suite but to buy all the tools it's quite expensive and complex workflow. Bringing a simplified version of them integrated into a single tool looks like a smart idea. Running this and saving it as DNG before starting work with a normal raw editor looks like a good option. I might wait till the big sale season in November though and see how it stacks against the other options from Skylum, DxO/Nik and On1. Things are moving quickly in AI tools!
thanks for watching Alan and yes the multiple tools/roundtrips has been my hangup with Topaz but this is certainly a good move in the right direction!
Great video! I think the product is potentially great. However, I purchased Gigabit AI and tried to enlarge an outdoor RAW photo of a large area shot in RAW on a Sony A7 III and export ed to DNG and the files will not open on my 2019 iMAC with the latest updates, outside of TOPAZ. I spoke with a great customer service rep and his conclusion was that Apple wasn't recognizing the format of RAW photos taken on a SONY A7 III, which seems very odd. I hope we can find a solution.
Huh that is weird and surely there are a LOT of those cameras out in the wild. I hope they fix that too. Seems really odd to me. I have the A7R3 and it works fine.
Jim, have you enlarged a RAW photo in Gigabit AI, exported as DNG and opened on MAC in Preview or PHOTOS?
Great video, really enjoy your channel. I think eventually they are on their way to an all in one editing suite such as Luminar, keep up the great videos.
thanks much David, I appreciate it and yes I am hopeful they wrap all their cool apps into a unified app, that would be amazing for us all - thanks!
Nice overview, Jim! I wish it had masking so you could paint in any missed masks. Would be nice, though, to have this one app instead of going to Denoise and Sharpen apps separately.
Thanks Geoff and yes a brush mask for cleanup would be nice, but it's only v1 so hopefully we get that sometime. But for sure, it's great to go to one place for these adjustments instead of a lot of round trips. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Jim, great review. I've been using this since the early betas and love it... so much easier.
thanks much Marc and yeah it's a massive time saver and I am super glad they are going in this direction
well done Jim
thank you Charles!
Have you done much batch processing? I just did a batch of about 40. I am not a fan of the way the clips at the bottom shift right to the selection. Just makes it hard to keep track. I also wish the gigapixel was selectable right away rather than during or after analysis. Slows the process. Have you found a way to, say, change ALL clips to 2x or apply 15% nr to ALL clips at once? Amazing program but waiting for it to render previews of all inputs each time any adjustment is made and having to do this dozens of times is really work for a computer to be doing.
I appreciate the video. I learned a few things from it so thanks :)
Hi Galin and thanks for watching. No, I never batch process simply because of the things that I shoot (landscapes, cityscapes mostly) so it's not part of my workflow. So I have not been experimenting with best practices for that, sorry. Since this is just v1 of the product, I do expect more developments in it and things to get matured, etc. So hopefully that ends up helping with batch jobs too. Thanks.
@@JimNix Thank you for the reply. Some of my before and afters are pretty mind blowing with this. I was tasked with grabbing stills…but I’m a videographer with a cinema camera which means grain like crazy oh and no auto focus. This software kicked my delivery up a notch :)
@@HikingWithCooper oh that's great news then, very cool and glad it's helping you with that
I like it, Right now i am experiencing how my workflow should be either i use it before dxo or go dxo then photo then luminar or have photo ai go last what do you think Jim
I think it depends on what you are using DXO for. It has great noise reduction already, so if it's a noisy image then you could do that there, along with other base edits. Then Luminar for creative/color stuff, and finally Photo AI for sharpening and enlargement. That should work. Thanks.
@@JimNix thank you for your perspective
@@luigibro2340 sure thing
Good review Jim. I really like this all in one version vs the individual apps for quick clean-ups. I shoot a lot of drone photos that always have some movement and noise. This does a great job of cleaning them up quickly. If I was looking to blow a photo up for a wall hanger, I would use the individual apps. I also tried this on a few scanned images of 40 year old photos, and it did an amazing job sharpening them, especially on the peoples faces. It is a good piece of software now, can't wait to see where they take it.
thanks for sharing your experiences Bill, that is good to know you are seeing great results and yes I look forward to seeing how this progresses too!
Thanks for the overview Jim! Is that a new microphone you're using? Your voice comes through much deeper and louder; I even had to turn the volume down with my earbuds. 😆 This product looks interesting. I was hoping it would incorporate more "normal" editing tools, like in Topaz Studio 2. But since I have all their AI products already, I'll download this and give it a try.
Thanks Carl and same mic as before but a little adjustment here and there (new camera and angle, some new soundproofing etc). Sorry you had to turn me down. I'm trying not to scream LOL. Yes I hope they build a true all in one like Studio but with all their tools baked in. That would be simply amazing I think. Thanks for watching!
The best of all, the three apps in one. It does a nice work, although masks need improvement !!!
Thanks Jim
yep agreed Jose, thanks for watching!
Great video as always. How can I merge the Topaz software I bought before?
Hi there and thanks, and I am pretty sure this is free if you already own the image quality bundle apps (Denoise, Sharpen, Gigapixel). Best bet is to look in your Topaz account as the product may be there for you. If not contact their support team I guess. Thanks.
Free if you have current maintenance agreement for Denoise, Sharpen and Gigapixel.
@@JimNix I did it and today I also received an email asking me to download the software. Haven't had time yet to check it out but I will. And I want to thank you for your help every single time. Regards.
@@intillanes ok great and have fun!
Great product but I can not use it in my workflow. The Photoshop plugin does not work on my MacBook Pro. I click on it and nothing happens.
that is weird, be sure and check with their support team in case they can help
Hi, Jim. Another great job. Your tutorials are very informative and a pleasure to view! If you have time, I have a question. Currently I use Topaz Studio 2 as my primary raw editor (vs Photoshop or ACR or any other tool). I enjoy that I can access DeNoise, Sharpen, and Gigapixel as plugins to Topaz Studio 2. Do you know if this new tool, Photo AI, can also be set up as a plugin in Topaz Studio 2? Thanks again for your great work.
Thanks Rad I appreciate that. I do not see Photo AI via Studio - only Adjust, Denoise, Sharpen and Mask AI. I also do not see a way to add it, although admittedly I have not used Studio much since there have been no updates to it in a long time and I fear it is getting abandoned. But it's a nice product and I hope that is not the case. So I am not sure if it can be added or not, sorry.
@@JimNix Thank you, Jim. I greatly appreciate you taking time to reply. Best, Rad
@@TotallyRadImages yep happy to try and help. Since it sounds like you already have all 3 plugins from the image quality bundle, you get Photo AI free. So maybe download it from your account and see if there is a way to install it as a plugin to Studio?
Thx Jim
thanks for watching
great tutorial Jim,i still have the old topaz studio 2 program wich has a lot of filters,no AI tough,i also bought 4 different AI products some time ago,adjust,sharpen,denoise and gigapixel,then they changed their way of updating their products by way of paying extra money
i never updated again,nor did i buy a new product of that company,its in fact a yearly subscription,and i hate subscriptions,no adobe for me,or anything else with a subscription,otherwise,theu have great working programs,cheers Jim
Well, I guess they had to come up with a more sustainable business model. Note that Topaz's model is not exactly a "subscription". Adobe's is a subscription: when you stop paying, the products stop working. With Topaz, if don't pay the yearly maintenance, your products continue to work. You just won't get updates or upgrades.
@@Centauri27 hi Carl,yes,adobe is a pure subscription company,thats why many people have gone over to affinity,just like me,they have 3 great programs,no AI tough,i also have luminar neo,thet has AI for a lot of actions,they work with seats,i think i have enough programs laying around for what i do with them,anyway,cheers mate
Thanks for this review Jim. It is very useful to have all their individual apps in one. As you've said, it saves so much time over going in and out of each of the apps. Not sure if this should be done before or after other adjustments are made in say in LR etc though. It does look as though a refinement brush for the masks would take it a stage further.
As someone else has stated, if you've got all their other products this comes free. Checked on my account and it's there in my products.
Thanks Ken and yep it's free for a lot of folks, which is great. I look forward to seeing how this one will morph over time, should be interesting. Thanks!
I wonder if Photo AI does a better job than the separate AI noise removal and AI sharpening?
The individual apps give you more control but this is great for an all in one, and I suspect this will get better over time too and get more controls in it.
@@JimNix Who do you think all of these new photo AI software editing programs are directed at? Me, a pro hobbyist? Her, a pro photographer? Him, an average enthusiast photographer? You, a TH-cam Content Creator? Or D, all of the above? Have a great weekend!
@@TC_Conner haha good question and I think it depends but generally speaking they are good for everyone. They automate mundane or complex tasks so we can edit more quickly and accurately. So I think that is good for all of us, regardless of skill level etc. Have a nice weekend as well!
@@JimNix What specific photo editing software was the first to include artificial intelligence and do you think they are keeping up with the pack? It seems like we are being bombarded with new AI photo editing tools and software which is kind of dizzying when it comes to choosing what works best. 🤯 Even with good comparison videos like yours!
@@TC_Conner hmm I am not sure what product first started using AI but Denoise AI from Topaz was certainly early on with it. Also Luminar (maybe v4) had some AI stuff in it too. I would say Topaz or Skylum were among the earliest, and for sure they are both keeping up with it. Skylum keeps adding more stuff, which is great. And now On1 is getting more into AI and it is working well for them too. So we are spoiled for choice for sure!
Do I miss out on anything important if I buy Photo AI instead of the bundle. It sounds much more convenient with one tool. In Topaz' FAQ they mention that the stand-alone tools offer much more control. I was wondering what they were? They state that they eventually will add all that the other tools offer. I'm not really sure which one to buy. I'm leaning towards Photo AI because of the convenience. Great video by the way!
Hi Eddie and yes the FAQ indicates that Photo AI will eventually replace the other tools. The other ones do have more tools but it seems obvious that Photo AI will grow over time and get better. That said, it's already really good out of the box. So I would buy this instead, personally. It works quite well and is certainly more convenient. thanks
@@JimNix Thanks! I was thinking about getting the bundle because Photo AI is free if you have it, right? It's a bit more money but then I have access to all versions.
@@xeroeddie yes it's free for bundle owners. I just suggested Photo AI since it's cheaper and appears to be the future direction for the product, but if you don't mind the extra cost and having to learn 3 extra tools (which isn't hard honestly) then for sure the bundle works great.
@@JimNix Thanks, yeah I also think that Photo AI is what I mostly want. I will think about it. They have a 30 day return policy so I could try out the software and see for myself. 🙂
@@xeroeddie true. I lean towards Photo AI personally, unless you find the results aren't satisfactory. But an all in one is something I am a big fan of. Saves time and is easier to get to grips with, easier to use, etc. Plus it's cheaper too. But do what makes most sense for you of course.
I got it for free since I have the other bundle.
excellent news
Hi Jim,thanks for all the videos, I pay alot of money for the Topaz bundle and now they put all the applications in one and they want us to buy the same thing? The same happens with Luminar I have got all the applications from the beginning and now asking to pay all this money for. This is how they reward loyal customers. I like your videos very much. Peter.
Hi Peter and thanks for watching If you already own Denoise AI, Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI (what they call the image quality bundle) then THIS IS FREE for you. You do not need to buy this product if you own those others already. Just check in your Topaz account and you should be able to download it. Thanks.
@@JimNix Not true for all cases. I already have an older version of Denoise AI, Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI and it won't let me download from my account unless I pay the yearly fees for the software upgrades.
@@lucienr oh gosh you are so right, I totally forgot about the yearly upgrade plan but yeah that makes sense
Just tried it and the software put red artifacts on my image. I am disappointed.
Oh really wow, I have not seen anything like that. Maybe see if you can contact their support team and even send them the image to test?
I think photo Ai needs refinement brush.
Yes that would be helpful for sure.
Jim, I've been very disappointed with Topaz Ai. I've been very happy with Denoise Ai, Sharpen Ai and Gigapixel Ai when used separately, but my results with Photo AI have been perplexingly unacceptable. When I've called it up from Lightroom to edit RAW images from my Olympus e-M1 Mk 3, it has consistently changed not just the sharpness and noise levels but also the exposure level and color balance, and produced results that are not only darker but which have quite inaccurate and downright ugly color. Topaz needs to fix this in the non-beta version.
Hi Joe and sorry to hear that. Do you think there is something about the Olympus raw files that it isn't reading properly? Hopefully you can get a response from their support team on that. I have not seen that with raw images from my Sony cameras.
On1 photo raw covers all bases.
Yes it does, although this is a great option for folks who use Lightroom or another host.
@@JimNix Defo. Thank Jim.
The masking is awful for bird photography, it has a hard time detecting the subject. Until they add brushes this product is quite frankly useless to me. I've had weird results where it masks a face and only sharpens part of it as well.
Hi Kevin and thanks for sharing. I do think it needs a brush but my results have been pretty good overall. Certainly it can (and will) get better. But for v1 of the tool it seems pretty good to me, most of the time. Thanks.
Not good at all. The eyes are a different colour!