Ed
Chu wrote:
This article was in PetaPixel: Why Topaz Labs DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI Blew My Mind
Has anyone experience with Topaz, and in particular, these features ?
Ed, I use Denoise, Sharpen, and Gigapixel on a regular basis. In conjunction with PSCC and Lightroom.
For reasons I cannot understand I lost my previous version of Denoise AI when trying to download the new version. I was never able to get it back. I have been using the original first version ever since.
I have Adjust AI but I do not use it that often.
I have Denoise and Gigapixel, but not Sharpen. I absolutely LOVE Gigapixel. I had been saving processed images in the size required for our camera club competitions. Bought a new house and wanted to now print many of those images. Gigapixel to the rescue. It was very easy to use and the printed images came out wonderful.
Curmudgeon wrote:
I use both. DeNoise is part of my standard work flow and Sharpen AI has saved more than one of my iffy photos.
I found that topaz products work very well on my iffy pics also. I have also gone back and reworked a lot of my old favorite pics using topaz products. Topaz products work very well even on my holder pics.
These are 2 of the best filters you can buy. I use Topaz Denoise AI and Sharpen AI a lot. Denoise is great for noisy photos where you had to use high ISO. Sharpen AI has saved photos that normally I would have thrown out - those photos just a little out of focus. I also love gigapixel but don't use it as often.
TOPAZ SHARPEN AI.
I use it on almost every image.
Make sure you SIZE your image/file before applying the sharpening so it works on the largest image you create.
I keep the setting around 50-57 and it works great. Even when the image out of the camera is sharp, this helps.
anything over 70 hits the image too hard (my opinion) and over 90 it looks TOO SHARPENED.
You can always add sharpening once all other adjustments are done, but don't go over 35 with that.
DeNoise and Sharpen are amazing programs. Agree with everyone else who has commented. I use Affinity and they work as a plug in there as well. If you Youtube Topaz products, there are several people there who have 15% discounts on Topaz products using the code they give you. I have used them and they work even if the software you're purchasing is on sale from Topaz. Good luck, you will love the products.
I use Denoise and love it . I use it as a stand alone
lamiaceae wrote:
Soon we will on UHH be discussing do photographs really need photographers. I won't be because I will be long gone by then and still mastering my cameras and skills.
I hear this argument often. Back in school I used to process film. I used chemistry, time, aperture, and various physical tricks to achieve my vision; not to mention my choice of film. Today these techniques have been made more accessible and a whole lot better for the environment due to advances in technology, i.e. the computer and software. The world's best photographers have always processed their own film, and today their data, because they have a vision they are trying to preserve and convey to the viewer. That remains. The whole "out of the can" argument is absolute rubbish. Digital cameras are running software and adjusting everything for you based on an algorithm written by someone else... and I'm not referring to aperture and shutter speed. I'm referring to hue, saturation, sharpness, etc. Shooting RAW and making these adjustments yourself is the only way to achieve your own personal vision, if you choose to have one. It also requires an entirely different skill set, just as it did back in the film days. The ability to remove noise using Topaz Labs product is nothing short of amazing and would equate to having film with an ASA sensitivity of 2000 or more while producing a grain equivalent to ASA 50. I fail to see how that equates to this tired old argument. Fine brushes, paints, and canvas do not make a better artist. A novice would produce nothing better with them any more than someone who can't play the guitar would be able to suddenly do so because they purchase the best guitar and effects pedals on earth. No, the talent of the artist is still required. Mastering a camera is so much the easy part. It's fully mechanical and requires no talent at all, just a bit of time to develop a basic skill. Composition, color balance, lighting, use of leading lines, etc.... that is where the talent lies. The tools of manipulation do not require less of it. They in fact, require more.
Topaz AI is great, but it is verrrrrry slow on my computer. Nothing else works well when I am using it.
I have no user problems unless I Topaz is doing it's thing after I have made my adjustments.
so, exactly how does that relate to the usage of TOPAZ SHARPEN AI?
Technology and digital capabilities are always evolving and improving, and using them and understanding them is part of the process of creating a final image.
WHATEVER helps the photographer achieve their final goal in creating an image is just a tool in that process.
I've never been asked " so, exactly What filters and adjustments did you use..and why and when...". And, if I ever was asked I would simply reply 'who cares...do you like the image or not?"
I use only Topaz products for post processing.
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