jim720 Loc: Colorado

Any pro/con comments from users on the Topaz tools? Any favorites or ones that disappoint?

thanks

joe west Loc: Taylor, Michigan

Topaz software suite , i like them all
i have both 4 and 5, there greattttttttttttttttttttt.

Elle Loc: Long Island, NY

I have them all (5) as well as the New FXLibrary which is a stand alone app that lets you pull any of the Topaz other apps in at will. Absolutely the best bang for the buck I've spent yet. If you go to one of their webinars, you get a discount code and one the Bundles is the way to go.

mel Loc: Jacksonville, Florida

About a year ago, I picked up a Topaz suite for $80.00. Topaz give free upgrades so if you can find them with an installation code, you can get a good deal.

mel Loc: Jacksonville, Florida

That was on Ebay, by the way.

profpb Loc: Venice, Florida

With the free-standing TopazFX stand alone running their filters, editing is almost complete except for just a very view actions in more expensive software.

My workflow is LR4, TopazFX, and then either PSE10, Capture NX2 or CS6.

Topaz is creative, correcting and simple and now includes layers.

beinbalance Loc: Catskill, NY, US

Oh, now this is a topic can relate to. Topaz in my opinion is one of the best image enhancement programs out there. They're fun, easy and non destructive. There a great company to work with, a lot of free updates, easy to use, intuitive work flow with NO "where do I go from here?"nonsense. There FX plug-n
(in PS CS3) works like a charm, especially with layers. . Their noise reduction, sharpening, B&W effects, Dejpeg, Infoucus, Details, Lens Effect, Adjust 5 (top of the line), ReMask (kills the competition, very easy to mask complicated subjects)), Clean, Star Effects, Simplicity just to name a few are in my 15 years of working in digital imaging can not be beat on any level and all this with out clearing out your retirement funds. One more final point, they have a 30 day free trial.

cherylpeters Loc: Kentucky

I would love a Topaz ring ;)

andrew.haysom Loc: Melbourne, Australia

I am another very satisfied Topaz Suite user. I think that Denoise is one of the best noise reduction tools and I love Adjust too.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Looking at their site, I see that they have a "Plug-in Bundle" for $300 for 10 programs, and individual plug-ins for $30-$60. That seems rather pricey, considering that fact that you need PS or LR to use these plug-ins. What do you mean by a suite?

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Jerryc41, You can use the new photofxlab or PSE-7,,, Topaz will work most any PS Plugin compatible program. PS Plugin is a rather generic term.

"Host applications or plugin hosts are graphics applications that are capable of running plugins. Many commercial graphics applications support Photoshop-compatible plugins — Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro,[8] Photoshop Elements, PhotoImpact, Corel PhotoPaint, and Adobe Fireworks are the most renowned ones. There are several dozens more plugin hosts, including little known products like Chasys Draw IES, free editors like GIMP (with certain add-ons) and viewers like IrfanView.[9] Much support is limited to the Microsoft Windows platform and .8bf filter plugins"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoshop_plugin

Jerry, I am a man who has two zippers on his money pouch and a code lock on the inner one!!! I run 2 year behind on most programs and buy low... yep... tight wad!!,BUT, after I bought Adjust 4, I was hooked, wow MAGIC! I upgraded to Bundle,,, then as new were introduced I kept up... when lens effects was introduced, I was not impressed, but then decided to buy on faith of upgrades... I love Topaz seminars, they run smooth, the lady is very human. And of course you get the discount. As an intro, I got my photoFXlab for $29 just a little $50 discount from the $79 price,,, gotta love those folks. Sometimes I think they are a non-profit philanthropic organization.... upgrade without a charge? what not is this world... just in the Topaz World.

Summary, for a tightwad to shake loose for a bundle, he has to think it is the greatest thing since grandma's apple pie.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Thanks for the info. I'll look for their seminars and demos.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

The suite is all their individual products in one bundle. Their new thing just launched a few months ago is like having somewhere to host all their stuff that came in the bundle if you don't have something like Photoshop to work from as a host.

It is all excellent stuff, their pricing is very affordable compared to all the others, and they still give you free upgrades, not just for the first year like some or all the others do, but for life. Well at this point in time it has always been for life.

oldtool2 Loc: South Jersey

I use two of the Topaz plug-ins, Adjust 5 and DeNoise 5. I bought both seperatly, not as a suite. This is because of money issues being retired. They were bought as needed.

I have looked at the suite but it contained plug-ins that I have no need for. They do make an excellent product. I would recommend doing their 30 day trial first. Many of their products do have overlapping features.

Jim D

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Everything's a compromise. Get a discount on the Bundle, with programs I might never use, or spend even more over the years buying individual modules.