Showing how well Topaz Sharpen AI - Stabilize Mode can fix an image.
Aug 21, 2020 17:18:33 #
The following test image shows just how well Sharpen AI - Stabilize Mode can figure out movement and repair the image. This is an unopened Hibiscus flower and I took this shot hand held resulting in some movement.
First image is the whole image (after Sharpen AI - Stabilize mode applied) so you can see the whole image.
Next is a screen shot from Sharpen AI showing the slider far to the right showing up close the movement that needs to be fixed.
And the next shot is with the slider moved about half way showing corrected on the right and uncorrected on the left.
Finally, one more with the slider farther to the left showing most of the image corrected.
Adding one more:
The last image is a nearby open flower where Stabilize Mode was used again to improve the results. Zoom in all the way and see the end result.
First image is the whole image (after Sharpen AI - Stabilize mode applied) so you can see the whole image.
Next is a screen shot from Sharpen AI showing the slider far to the right showing up close the movement that needs to be fixed.
And the next shot is with the slider moved about half way showing corrected on the right and uncorrected on the left.
Finally, one more with the slider farther to the left showing most of the image corrected.
Adding one more:
The last image is a nearby open flower where Stabilize Mode was used again to improve the results. Zoom in all the way and see the end result.
Aug 22, 2020 09:46:22 #
tcthome
Loc: NJ
Thanks for posting. Helps for those shots you can'tget again or couldn't tell they where out of focus untill you seen them blown up on the computer.
Aug 22, 2020 10:38:00 #
Thanks for posting! I use this all of the time and appreciate the stabilize option when needed. However, I do notice artifacts when zoomed in. Not so much in full screen image. Has anyone found what helps this? Or price we pay.....I've tried the auto mode and then also adjusting how much it sharpens.
Aug 22, 2020 11:02:17 #
In-lightened wrote:
Thanks for posting! I use this all of the time and appreciate the stabilize option when needed. However, I do notice artifacts when zoomed in. Not so much in full screen image. Has anyone found what helps this? Or price we pay.....I've tried the auto mode and then also adjusting how much it sharpens.
I read an article about the "stabilize" mode in which the suggestion was made that the auto setting might give the best results. I've been trying it. I think they're right. In the auto setting, I see that the sliders are usually at less than 1/2 way. Somehow it "knows" how much adjustment to do.
Aug 22, 2020 13:03:44 #
It would be interesting to see a comparison between this mistake and a properly executed shot.
Aug 22, 2020 14:54:03 #
If the ultimate in sharpening is your quest, check out the latest version (5) of Focus Magic. Their web site has a set of images comparing an image processed with Focus Magic, Blurity!, Photoshop (unsharp mask) and Topaz Infocus.
Aug 22, 2020 16:55:42 #
Gourmand wrote:
If the ultimate in sharpening is your quest, check out the latest version (5) of Focus Magic. Their web site has a set of images comparing an image processed with Focus Magic, Blurity!, Photoshop (unsharp mask) and Topaz Infocus.
I have Focus Magic. I don't find that it is as good as Sharpen AI.
For shake, Focus Magic required the user to figure out the shake direction and to then try to cancel out that shake by moving a certain number of pixels. The result can show lots of leftover artifacts.
Aug 23, 2020 00:13:38 #
I just updated both Denoise AI and Sharpen AI tonight. With Denoise AI it appears that the suggested settings I auto mode are more accurate. Sharpen AI has a new feature that even suggests which mode to use. I don’t always agree but it gives a good starting point.
Aug 23, 2020 01:31:13 #
RWR
Loc: La Mesa, CA
Winslowe wrote:
It would be interesting to see a comparison between this mistake and a properly executed shot.
I’m not sure you could tell the difference. The illustrations given here reinforce my opinion of digital imaging - the more one knows about artificial manipulation in post, the less one needs to know about photography.
Aug 23, 2020 01:51:03 #
Gourmand wrote:
If the ultimate in sharpening is your quest, check out the latest version (5) of Focus Magic. Their web site has a set of images comparing an image processed with Focus Magic, Blurity!, Photoshop (unsharp mask) and Topaz Infocus.
It may well beat out Topaz InFocus, but that doesn’t compare to Sharpen AI.
Aug 23, 2020 04:23:52 #
I got Sharpen AI a few weeks ago and I cannot speak highly enough about it.
I know some folks frown on post-processing and all that, but I truly do not care. I try to produce the best images I can For the Viewer--not to prove how good a photographer I am. The final image is all that matters to me, however I get there.
I spent a weekend shooting mountain bike racing, in low-light situations where racers would burst into sight and be gone almost before the camera could lock focus---and I couldn't pre-focus because every rider takes a slightly different line, is a slightly different size, rides in a slightly different posture, and at a slightly different speed. Most were head-on shots with riders approaching, which adds a layer of difficulty.
I got three times as many keepers with AI. About half were decent shots made much better, the other half were marginal shots which I could have salvaged with Photoshop, which AI made as good as my good shots. I was shocked at the improvement from the first couple batches (then I came to accept how good it was.)
Not sure if it is still available, but I got a 30-day free trial. People who never miss a shot obviously won't be interested, but anyone who sometimes wishes they could have caught a few more will probably be able to. It is worth checking out at least.
I hate to seem like an advertisement (I am in no way associated with or compensated by Any company right now (danged CCP virus)) but I also believe in offering earned praise. Check it out and make your own call.
I know some folks frown on post-processing and all that, but I truly do not care. I try to produce the best images I can For the Viewer--not to prove how good a photographer I am. The final image is all that matters to me, however I get there.
I spent a weekend shooting mountain bike racing, in low-light situations where racers would burst into sight and be gone almost before the camera could lock focus---and I couldn't pre-focus because every rider takes a slightly different line, is a slightly different size, rides in a slightly different posture, and at a slightly different speed. Most were head-on shots with riders approaching, which adds a layer of difficulty.
I got three times as many keepers with AI. About half were decent shots made much better, the other half were marginal shots which I could have salvaged with Photoshop, which AI made as good as my good shots. I was shocked at the improvement from the first couple batches (then I came to accept how good it was.)
Not sure if it is still available, but I got a 30-day free trial. People who never miss a shot obviously won't be interested, but anyone who sometimes wishes they could have caught a few more will probably be able to. It is worth checking out at least.
I hate to seem like an advertisement (I am in no way associated with or compensated by Any company right now (danged CCP virus)) but I also believe in offering earned praise. Check it out and make your own call.
Aug 23, 2020 13:02:00 #
RWR wrote:
I’m not sure you could tell the difference. The illustrations given here reinforce my opinion of digital imaging - the more one knows about artificial manipulation in post, the less one needs to know about photography.
Not sure I would agree with you on this one. Nothing subs for clean, crisp detail around an eye or in the feathers....but if said bird moves and your shutter speed is lower than ideal for ISO reasons, it sure does a better job than LR in cleaning up the noise and sharpening. Each and every time. And the stabilize is useful here too. Wouldn't print these images but they work.
Aug 23, 2020 13:15:27 #
I am going to use an image that I have shown before. Understand that this is not a keeper. This represents an image that is quite blurry and an attempt by Sharpen AI to undo the blurry. It almost succeeded which shows how much better it could have been on an image not quite as blurry.
First image is the original.
Second image is a crop of the original to show just how bad this shot was.
Third image shows the improvement made by Sharpen AI - Stabilize Mode. And this was processed on Sep 21, 2019. Sharpen AI has had many updates since then and maybe if I would process it again, it might turn out even better.
But remember. This is not a keeper. The results are much better than the original but not good enough that it is a good picture. But it is only meant to show that if a picture as bad as this can be improved this much, then how much better would it be on something not quite so bad. When I last showed this picture, there were some that commented that its still a bad picture. That's not the point. The point I am making is how much improvement was accomplished with an impossible image.
First image is the original.
Second image is a crop of the original to show just how bad this shot was.
Third image shows the improvement made by Sharpen AI - Stabilize Mode. And this was processed on Sep 21, 2019. Sharpen AI has had many updates since then and maybe if I would process it again, it might turn out even better.
But remember. This is not a keeper. The results are much better than the original but not good enough that it is a good picture. But it is only meant to show that if a picture as bad as this can be improved this much, then how much better would it be on something not quite so bad. When I last showed this picture, there were some that commented that its still a bad picture. That's not the point. The point I am making is how much improvement was accomplished with an impossible image.
Aug 23, 2020 13:21:38 #
I have to second in-lightened. The original image needs everything I can give it. No amount of post-production magic can add stuff which sin't there, and while AI can save some stuff which other programs I have used simply couldn't ... there is a lower limit beneath which Nothing can be done, and the better the original, the better the final image.
In any case---I could not care less if people use an iPhone and a bunch of automated post-processing programs and produce great images without knowing how. it's not like there is a finite number of images out there.
As in-lightened notes, these might not be images suitable to be printed a 3 feet by two feet and hung in a gallery, but I mostly want to sell images to riders who can see their smiling (or grimacing) faces as they clear some obstacle. Given the low-light conditions, and not wanting everything to get lost in high ISO noise, and tyhe very short prep time from the times the riders appear until I have to frame, focus, and fire .... These can be tough images to capture. And in that case where I might only have one chance to shoot that rider ... it is great to have so post-prod help in case I didn't get a really good shot.
But still, .... nothing can fake a good shot. if I didn't get at least 85%, I can't get to 95% with software. Its when I get 85% and can turn out an image someone likes, as opposed to having an image about which I have to say, "I just can't use this, it doesn't meet the standard," that the software is a bonus.
Trust me, I am working every bit of everything I have learned about photography, about my gear, and about the sport when I am out there. There are no easy rides to good results---at least, not for someone with as little talent as I have. But I like knowing that if I do my best, i get a few free saves from the software.
In any case---I could not care less if people use an iPhone and a bunch of automated post-processing programs and produce great images without knowing how. it's not like there is a finite number of images out there.
As in-lightened notes, these might not be images suitable to be printed a 3 feet by two feet and hung in a gallery, but I mostly want to sell images to riders who can see their smiling (or grimacing) faces as they clear some obstacle. Given the low-light conditions, and not wanting everything to get lost in high ISO noise, and tyhe very short prep time from the times the riders appear until I have to frame, focus, and fire .... These can be tough images to capture. And in that case where I might only have one chance to shoot that rider ... it is great to have so post-prod help in case I didn't get a really good shot.
But still, .... nothing can fake a good shot. if I didn't get at least 85%, I can't get to 95% with software. Its when I get 85% and can turn out an image someone likes, as opposed to having an image about which I have to say, "I just can't use this, it doesn't meet the standard," that the software is a bonus.
Trust me, I am working every bit of everything I have learned about photography, about my gear, and about the sport when I am out there. There are no easy rides to good results---at least, not for someone with as little talent as I have. But I like knowing that if I do my best, i get a few free saves from the software.
Aug 23, 2020 13:27:42 #
I am going to show another example. This time using Topaz Denoise AI Clear. There are two complimentary programs by Topaz: Sharpen AI and Denoise AI. Some images work better with one and others work better with the other package. I find that I try them both and see which works better.
First picture is a heavy crop of a private plane flying overhead. Don't worry about the propeller. I used electronic shutter and it didn't work so well on the propeller.
Then look at the second image. Topaz Denoise AI has two modes. Denoise AI is for noisy images, which this one was not. And the other is called DeNoise AI Clear which has much weaker noise reduction, but instead tries to correct the image. In this case, Denoise AI Clear was the winner.
And just think. We are only on the first generation of the AI products. Where will this go next??? AI processing is trying to figure out what the image was supposed to look like and to make corrections to the image such that you get much better results than you could have without it.
As I think about where this might be going, I think about all the various lens distortions that we can encounter: coma, astigmatism, CA, ... . What if all these distortions could be corrected in post processing? What about if it can allow some cheap so so lens to have its images come out looking like it was some very expensive lens? I think this is where it is going. Of course, expensive lenses may have much wider apertures and mechanically operate much faster. And post processing is not going to give your more frames per second. But it certainly can improve what you do capture.
First picture is a heavy crop of a private plane flying overhead. Don't worry about the propeller. I used electronic shutter and it didn't work so well on the propeller.
Then look at the second image. Topaz Denoise AI has two modes. Denoise AI is for noisy images, which this one was not. And the other is called DeNoise AI Clear which has much weaker noise reduction, but instead tries to correct the image. In this case, Denoise AI Clear was the winner.
And just think. We are only on the first generation of the AI products. Where will this go next??? AI processing is trying to figure out what the image was supposed to look like and to make corrections to the image such that you get much better results than you could have without it.
As I think about where this might be going, I think about all the various lens distortions that we can encounter: coma, astigmatism, CA, ... . What if all these distortions could be corrected in post processing? What about if it can allow some cheap so so lens to have its images come out looking like it was some very expensive lens? I think this is where it is going. Of course, expensive lenses may have much wider apertures and mechanically operate much faster. And post processing is not going to give your more frames per second. But it certainly can improve what you do capture.
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