dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

I've heard a lot about Topaz denoise and wonder if I should take advantage of this sale. There is also a Sony code to reduce bundle by $125... I shoot Sony a7iii. Mostly travel and landscapes, some macro. I am just a hobby photographer but do print some for myself. Would like to make bigger than 8x10 prints.

I have not made the leap to Lightroom yet. Use Luminar 4, bought Neo too but have not had time to work with it (moved recently!). (I recently bought a variable ND filter to use on a trip to Iceland, but am thinking I may not really need it so kind of regret that purchase...so hesitate to make another photography purchase that I don't really need. Am on a budget and so $150 is a lot of money to me. I know this is an expensive hobby....just trying to determine how useful the bundle would be to me. I understand "need" is very subjective! Upgrades coming soon will be free to anyone who purchases the bundle, as I understand it...)

Thanks for any insights.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

You may, if you want to "de-noise" images...

I myself don't need it (nor want it). I'm not worried about any noise that may or may not be in the image. I'm not a pixel peeper, nor do the images have to be absitively posilutely perfect.
I'm kinda a (50 year) hobbyist also.

ghbowser Loc: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

I have the Topaz "package" and do use it some on current photos. I find it most useful when working on old photos and scans or smaller sized digital pictures. Have taken some old family pictures that were scanned and turned them in wall hangers using Gigapixel and Sharpen. A lot depends on the quality you start with. Also works well on pics taken with older digital cameras.

rcorne001 Loc: Cary, NC

I have Denoise, Sharpen and Gigapixel. In terms of usage I go with Sharpen the most often, Denoise almost as much and use seldom (if ever!) Gigapixel. I shoot a lot of action events. Think indoor sports such as basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. Also outdoor events such as soccer, rodeo and softball. When shooting indoor events in poor lighting I go with Denoise a lot. Outdoor events when noise is not an issue, I go with sharpen.

Denoise does have some capability to do some sharpening and Sharpen can do some noise reduction. Sharpen has the cool to choose specific areas/subjects to apply those adjustments. Ex: If you want the background blurred, you don't want everything sharpened. You can specify just the subject and fine tune as/if needed.

When I shoot, I try to go with a shutter speed of 1/1000 so aperture and ISO vary accordingly. Sometimes ISO can get quite high (6400+) to support that approach. So those programs help me get the end result for which I aim.

If I were not shooting what I do, I would most likely not have the apps. Do keep in mind eventually you will be prompted to upgrade which can cost you additional money. BUT - you are under no obligation to upgrade and the products you purchased will continue to work for you.

So think about what you like to shoot first and foremost. Then what you think you can gain by using either product. Perhaps you don't even need all of them.

Do remember - you may download full versions and use them for 30 days, free. Then you can do your own analysis before spending hard earned money from that budget!

Good luck.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Good to know. Very helpful. Thanks.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Those applications make sense. I probably don’t need the apps. Thanks very much. Very helpful.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Sounds like I’m in a similar camp and probably don’t need it.
I know too many peepers who ‘require’ it, but don’t think I’ll buy it. Thanks.

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

I shoot nature and wildlife with a Nikon D500 and and the Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. The maximum aperture at 600mm is f/6.3 and for stationery subjects I normally set my shutter speed to 1/800 sec. So with this combo the ISO I need is pretty high in less than perfect light which can produce images with noise and even more so if I need to lighten the shadows so Topaz Denoise on many of my images has made a difference whether I delete or further process the image. I wouldn't want to be without it. But in saying that I realize all cameras and lenses are not equal. If you're shooting with a full frame camera with aperture settings of f/3.5, f/2.8 which allows for lower ISO's your need for DeNoise will not be as great as my need for it.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Thanks! I think I can wait on this purchase. I can see the difference in sample shots, certainly, but probably don’t need that precision at this point.
Everyone’s comments have helped a lot.

Hip Coyote

Sharpen helped resurrect a few of my out of focus shots. Including one favorite shot. So I found it worthwhile. As a micro 43 user I often need denoise due to limitations of the system.

Gigs? Never use it.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Yes. I appreciate this. Thanks.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I got the email too. I tried the free sample of Sharpen and improved a couple long telephoto images. I'll be spending the next week struggling with the indulgent decision of paying for a fully working copy!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I’ve found it to be a good investment. Sharpen and Denoise don’t work on every image, but when they do, it’s one of those “I’ll be damned” experiences. I don’t use Gigapixel as much, but if I were making good sized prints of heavily cropped images or scanning and enlarging old snapshots, it would be very useful. Download and try both Sharpen and Denoise and try them on some images that might otherwise be fatally flawed or not keepers (such as high ISO/noisy images) and then decide. But if you find one ap that’s useful, buying them as a package with the additional discount makes sense. The one that sold me was a shot of two people at a baptism that had a very shallow depth making one of the people not completely sharp. Sharpen AI saved the shot by instantly making them both in focus, right down to the tiny pattern on the slightly unfocused second person’s tie.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

I’m sure it is tempting! I used to do very little editing—till I saw what some other sliders can do! Lots to learn!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Never tried Luminar. I got hooked on all the sliders in Lightroom (version 4) about a dozen years ago.