kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Topaz Sharpen AI is excellent, much better than anything Adobe has to offer. Of course it can only do so much before the artifacts become too obvious. There was a program called Piccure+ that was great, but no longer supported. I have a cracked version that I use all the time, which I find superior to Topaz in many situations. I could post a link to the cracked version but the crack is sometimes identified as a generic Trojan by AV software and it requires replacement of two files in PS. I do not know if it works standalone since I use it only in PS. Only for Windows. Let me know if anyone wants a link.

DaveJ Loc: NE Missouri

Answer not just about pure Sharpen programs. Topaz Sharpen is good sometimes on rescuing a bad shot. Sometimes it overdoes it, and leaves artifacts. On shots that just needed a little extra sharpening, the later versions of DeNoise did a wonderful job most of the time. A friend bugged me for months to try DXO, either PhotoLab 6 or PureRaw II.I tried it in October. If you shoot RAW, PhotoLab 6 has some amazing tools in it. I ended up buying PL 6, and I don't purchase software very often. I rarely use the Topaz products now. I might not renew my Topaz license when it expires. Do you shoot RAW or jpg?

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

Thanks Rich,curmudgeon, for your tips and comments on sharpening and denoise software. As far as sharpening and denoise software i will stick to Lightroom classic and Topaz Denoise AI . These will work well for my needs. Have a Great DAY!!

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

I second this. On1 has a very good Denoise AI app which does a better job than Topaz DeNoise in my opinion. You can just buy it as a plugin if you are use Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, or any app that supports Photoshop plugins.

Also it is a perpetual license that is fairly priced unlike what Topaz has been doing lately.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

ON1 Denoise is $69.95 and Topaz Denoise is $79.95, so they seem pretty alike to me…

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

I am using topaz denoise AI because i got it as a free upgrade from topaz denoise 5.

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

and the renewal for topaz is $99 and for On1 it will be about $40 .. plus topaz is really pushing topaz 1 which has all 3 of the apps and Not cheap

photosbytw Loc: Blue Ridge Mountains

I finally outgrew the need to sharpen just because I could. I will sharpen some images but when I do, it's because it'll make a well-shot image better. I used the NIK collection before it was free and after it was tanked by $#%&!@ Google. When DXO revived it, I upgraded. The ability to use the control points after I use Dfine plays a large role in my work process.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

I used to use Piccure+ for a number of years before the Topaz AI products arrived. And then I didn't use it any more. Not nearly as good as Topaz.

And about a year ago, I updated my computer and wasn't able to find the original install file from Piccure+, so decided that I didn't really need it.

I have wondered what happened to the software engineers who wrote Piccure+ after the owner of the company died, and the product died with him. Perhaps they are now employed with a current company that is now in the AI business?

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

In reply to a query whether this free version is temporary or not they said This is the full version. I do want to note that for our current line up of products, all of our product licenses are still for lifetime use, and you will get one year of unlimited updates. This is in reference to Topaz denoise AI which they upgraded free from topaz denoise 5. For your info.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

No - it’s a perpetual license (although you can rent it on a monthly basis like LR/PS if you prefer). There is no further charge unless you upgrade to new versions after the first year (upgrades to later versions are free during that year). You’re correct that Topaz will make you offers to purchase other products, but there are always package discounts, discounts online for 20% and periodic package discounts for Denoise, sharpen, Gigapixel and now the new Photo AI package that combines all those functions. Using all the discounts, I think I’ve spent approx $130 for all 3 packages and they added Photo AI at no charge during the first year. What I don’t know is whether the Photo AI license is perpetual or just a trial copy for the year. Like almost any SW, there are yearly upgrades which are available at a cost with discounts to licensed users, but I don’t feel the need to upgrade yearly as the existing applications work extremely well and I think the price is very reasonable for the performance.

Rick from NY Loc: Sarasota FL

Do you shoot raw in camera? (Please - this is NOT a discussion of raw v. Jpeg, so those who read this, let’s not resurrect that silliness here.) My reason for asking is that if you do shoot raw, I’m interested in how you can avoid any sharpening in post, even if they were “well shot”. If you shoot jpegs, then I understand that some might skip post sharpening, but you can get away with no post sharpening on jpegs because the original raw image was actually processed for you in camera when the jpeg output was produced.

I never argue with a fellow photographer about how he/she applies post or doesn’t, but I would mention that I shoot raw+jpeg (Nikon 850 with 2 card slots) and review the results viewing the jpegs, selecting the keepers and then processing the raw version which always includes sharpening . Nevertheless, I’ve worked often with jpegs only and have never seen a well shot jpeg that wasn’t improved more by at least some judicious sharpening in post.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I don't know, and I didn't know that he had died. The Piccure deconvolution algorithm is not as good as Topaz at actual sharpening, but it is much better at reducing some of the problems of vintage lenses, which I use a lot. I actually often use both together. I also use the sharpening feature in ON1 NoNoise, which is much more powerful than the similar feature in Topaz DeNoise AI. However ON1 can only handle minimal noise. I have all these tools and each has its uses.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

I'm not sure that I wish to enter this conversation because I'm not directly answering your question.
In my opinion, Topaz Photo AI will probably replace DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI (with Facial Recovery).
Topaz Photo AI is that good and getting better through frequent updates.
However, if you wish to use Topaz Sharpen or DeNoise just be aware that they both can be completely adjusted.
My personal preference is to use the "Sharpen" function of DeNoise AI along with the default noise reduction.
While Sharpen AI also has "Suppress Noise" and "Remove Artifacts" functions.

Now for the important part, answering your question, both DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI have a very effective "Mask" function, located in the bottom right portion of the screen next to the tiny "Trash Can".
This masking solution will help you with your problem areas without oversharpening the entire picture.

Also, CHG_CANON has some well-researched recommendations above for which he has provided links.

Best Wishes,
JimmyT Sends


Edit: I have no idea what "Topaz 1" is, however, here is a complete list/cost of current Topaz AI Products.
https://www.topazlabs.com/shop

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Topaz is amazing. It does not produce the artifacts that you see in Photoshop and it does a really good job. It has become a regular part of my workflow.