Topaz labs and M1 MacBook
Dec 3, 2021 13:28:21 #
I am a little frustrated and somewhat confused. I just purchased the 16" M1 Max, with 24 GPU, 32Gb RAM and 1TB SSD. I moved over from a 2014 MacBook. I have my external drives which are USB 3.0 on a hub that can connect to the new laptop via USB-C. When I run Topaz DeNoise etc. it is running almost as slow as it was before. I've seen videos of folks on Youtube where Topaz updates almost immediately. What am I doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh and I did install Rosetta.
Dec 3, 2021 14:18:32 #
From Topaz' web site:
"Big Sur and Monterey:
DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, Gigapixel AI, Mask AI, Adjust AI, and Studio 2 are currently compatible with and supported on Big Sur and Monterey. These apps are not yet M1 native, but will automatically run through your Rosetta 2 emulator if you have are using an M1 device.
Jpeg to Raw AI currently does not function on MacOS Big Sur or Monterey.
Apple Silicon/M1:
M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max chips have been tested with Video Enhance AI, Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, and Gigapixel AI.
Plugins for DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI are M1 native and will work natively with Photoshop 22.3 and above, which are M1 native Photoshop versions. Our other plugins will not show up on Photoshop 22.3 or higher unless you run Photoshop through Rosetta 2.
To manually force Photoshop to run through Rosetta 2, right-click your Photoshop application icon, select the Get Info menu option, and look for the "Run with Rosetta 2" checkbox in the Get Info panel. If you use the suite of Topaz applications as Photoshop plugins, you will have the smoothest plugin experience on an M1 device by keeping Photoshop running through Rosetta 2 for the time being regardless of which version of Photoshop you are using."
(Bill commenting here)
In other words, these people have limited resources or consider the Mac to be a secondary platform. Nearly every other software company in the mainstream imaging business has updated their code for Apple Silicon.
You might find this site useful: https://isapplesiliconready.com
Beyond that, I'd comment that you may improve overall performance by improving your interface speed. Download a copy of Black Magic Design's Disk Speed Test. This will allow you to compare your internal SSD speeds with that of all of your attached drives. The M1 series of processors benefits greatly from fast SSD storage connected via Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, or USB4. If you're running old spinning platter hard drives, or using slower interfaces, or using USB-C cables meant for USB 3.2 or slower standards, all bets are off.
"Big Sur and Monterey:
DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, Gigapixel AI, Mask AI, Adjust AI, and Studio 2 are currently compatible with and supported on Big Sur and Monterey. These apps are not yet M1 native, but will automatically run through your Rosetta 2 emulator if you have are using an M1 device.
Jpeg to Raw AI currently does not function on MacOS Big Sur or Monterey.
Apple Silicon/M1:
M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max chips have been tested with Video Enhance AI, Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, and Gigapixel AI.
Plugins for DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI are M1 native and will work natively with Photoshop 22.3 and above, which are M1 native Photoshop versions. Our other plugins will not show up on Photoshop 22.3 or higher unless you run Photoshop through Rosetta 2.
To manually force Photoshop to run through Rosetta 2, right-click your Photoshop application icon, select the Get Info menu option, and look for the "Run with Rosetta 2" checkbox in the Get Info panel. If you use the suite of Topaz applications as Photoshop plugins, you will have the smoothest plugin experience on an M1 device by keeping Photoshop running through Rosetta 2 for the time being regardless of which version of Photoshop you are using."
(Bill commenting here)
In other words, these people have limited resources or consider the Mac to be a secondary platform. Nearly every other software company in the mainstream imaging business has updated their code for Apple Silicon.
You might find this site useful: https://isapplesiliconready.com
Beyond that, I'd comment that you may improve overall performance by improving your interface speed. Download a copy of Black Magic Design's Disk Speed Test. This will allow you to compare your internal SSD speeds with that of all of your attached drives. The M1 series of processors benefits greatly from fast SSD storage connected via Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, or USB4. If you're running old spinning platter hard drives, or using slower interfaces, or using USB-C cables meant for USB 3.2 or slower standards, all bets are off.
Dec 3, 2021 14:50:29 #
burkphoto wrote:
From Topaz' web site: br br "Big Sur and Mon... (show quote)
The real issue is the continued arrogance of Apple, which requires software to be recompiled at a not inconsiderable expense to suit new hardware. For a platform that only comprises 40% of US users.
Dec 3, 2021 15:15:11 #
Sad to hear, I love those apps and they work well with my Intel chip in the 2019 Mac
Dec 3, 2021 15:18:52 #
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
The real issue is the continued arrogance of Apple, which requires software to be recompiled at a not inconsiderable expense to suit new hardware. For a platform that only comprises 40% of US users.
Developers who play by their rules have a very easy time of it, compared with those who take undocumented shortcuts. The road map to Apple Silicon started over a decade ago. Some developers act like they first heard of it in 2020.
Progress inevitably means paradigm shifts. x86 has been around far too long to be fresh. ARM based processors are with us for the future. There are simply too many benefits to them to think otherwise.
Almost no one who has used Apple Silicon devices for a month has bad things to say about them. My M1 has exceeded my expectations. It’s not perfect, but the benefits outweigh the minor issues.
Dec 3, 2021 15:23:43 #
Speaking for myself, I have a MacBook Pro running Catalina 10.15.7.
With the latest Topaz AI sharpen release, it now takes about ten times longer to run it. The results are much poorer. Often the "sharpened" image is fuzzier than the original. I am very disappointed.
With the latest Topaz AI sharpen release, it now takes about ten times longer to run it. The results are much poorer. Often the "sharpened" image is fuzzier than the original. I am very disappointed.
Dec 3, 2021 18:33:28 #
That's good information and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know, thank you!
Dec 3, 2021 18:34:39 #
Dec 3, 2021 18:35:56 #
Yes I was hoping that this new laptop would increase my productivity by reducing update speeds but that's not the case so far, thanks, it is frustrating.
Dec 3, 2021 22:24:53 #
leonard.scotto wrote:
Yes I was hoping that this new laptop would increase my productivity by reducing update speeds but that's not the case so far, thanks, it is frustrating.
If you'll click "Quote Reply," as I did here, we will know whose comment you are responding to.
The only things the new M1 series processors speed up are the things that happen IN them. They don't do a lot for input/output operations (attached external drives, networks, printers, etc.).
The software I use is all at least Rosetta compatible, and 95% of it is now native or universal (universal means it works natively on BOTH Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The native/universal stuff flies. The Rosetta compatible apps are usually as fast or faster on the M1 machines as they ran on Intel Macs.
My only complaint is that the combination of Lightroom Classic and Negative Lab Pro plug-in eats battery power worse than any other. It works fine, but uses significant energy.
Dec 3, 2021 22:25:56 #
pmsc70d wrote:
Speaking for myself, I have a MacBook Pro running Catalina 10.15.7.
With the latest Topaz AI sharpen release, it now takes about ten times longer to run it. The results are much poorer. Often the "sharpened" image is fuzzier than the original. I am very disappointed.
With the latest Topaz AI sharpen release, it now takes about ten times longer to run it. The results are much poorer. Often the "sharpened" image is fuzzier than the original. I am very disappointed.
Is this an INTEL Mac, or an Apple Silicon Mac?
Dec 4, 2021 07:35:30 #
leonard.scotto wrote:
I am a little frustrated and somewhat confused. I just purchased the 16" M1 Max, with 24 GPU, 32Gb RAM and 1TB SSD. I moved over from a 2014 MacBook. I have my external drives which are USB 3.0 on a hub that can connect to the new laptop via USB-C. When I run Topaz DeNoise etc. it is running almost as slow as it was before. I've seen videos of folks on Youtube where Topaz updates almost immediately. What am I doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh and I did install Rosetta.
Let’s not hate Apple or Topaz. Topaz has been very straightforward regarding the delay in development of M1-compatible software. Patience is a virtue.
doclrb
PS. Let’s not trigger the Mac haters on the site. They’re vocal enough as it is, typically without cause.
Dec 4, 2021 08:23:56 #
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
The real issue is the continued arrogance of Apple, which requires software to be recompiled at a not inconsiderable expense to suit new hardware. For a platform that only comprises 40% of US users.
It isn’t arrogance at all…it is a simple matter that Intel cannot produce the chips Apple needs for die size, performance, or thermal efficiency…so they made their own SoC and include their own IP to produce SoCs that improve their products. You’re free to buy another OS if you prefer.
Software vendors are always recompiling software…it happens every time a point version is released…and while not free…it is far from a not inconsiderable expense as you put it. The vast majority of software dev cost is coding and QA…not compiling cost.
Dec 4, 2021 08:31:01 #
Although 'jpg to raw AI' doesn't work on Mac Big Sur or Monterey, you can use Gigapixel at 1:1 to make the conversion.
Dec 4, 2021 09:12:54 #
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