Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Digital Image Processing => Topic started by: earlybird on December 27, 2015, 08:34:39 am
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Hi,
I am taking some time to try some trial demos this week and have begun with Topaz Clarity. It seems as if it is designed to distract you with the all-in-one-stop parameters that are available but I am trying to focus on just the 4 contrast sliders as all the other functions seem to duplicate standard Photoshop adjustments that I already use routinely. I don't think I am fond of the one-stop, do it all packaging but I assume that is the only practical way to entertain a preset collection enthusiast while providing numerous one click results that are markedly varied.
Having said that, the 4 contrast sliders seem very interesting and I am enjoying experimenting with them, but I also think I am recognizing a general tendency to arrive at the same combination of proportioned adjustments and so now I am wondering if a one slider "Clarity" function, such as found in Adobe Camera RAW, incorporates the same ideas and has simplified a similar relativity into a single function.
For example; I find that I am repeatedly increasing the micro contrast up until I notice a change, increasing the low contrast setting upwards a little less than the micro, and pulling the high contrast down a bit. It seems as if the proportioned relationship I am describing between the four sliders might already be coded into a single input control.
I realize that many people may prefer other parameter setting combos but I can not help but suspect that I might use this new plugin for several months only to realize that it is a slow moving and complex front end for a function that is easily available as a simple parameter adjustment in my Adobe software.
I am wondering about the opinions of people who have used it extensively. Have you have found that the 4 contrast parameters offer useful control that you can not command from standard Adobe features? Are the four contrast controls truly useful or is this plugin just a wall of slider candy?
Thank you.
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I'm new to "Clarity" by Topaz Labs as well. I bought it as an addition to my toolkit that includes Nik tools and those from MacPhun.
For me, these kinds of tools are just tools in the belt. Do they do things that I can't do in PS? No. Do they save me a LOT of time? Yes! Does it reduce the chance of halos when I do it in PS? Yes. Do I think it does more than "Clarity" in Lightroom? Yes. It also helps me see some possibilities in a photo that I may not have thought about.
Do I use it on all my photos? Nope.
For me, the presets in tools like "Clarify" are just starting points. The previews are a quick way to see where the photo might go. So far, I'm tweaking the settings for contrast for each image and using the masking tools to refine the results by localizing them.
I do find the 4 contrast sliders useful? Yes. I don't see them replaced by a single parameter adjustment in PS or Lr. For some images might a single parameter adjustment suffice for you and your photos? Perhaps. That's up to you and what you want to do with the photo.
The only gripe I have so far is that the Topaz tools strip away some of the EXIF data. Looking through their support forums I find it's something they've been aware of for a few years now but haven't fixed. It has to do with the fact that the damage is done by a library they use from another source.
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Hi,
I am taking some time to try some trial demos this week and have begun with Topaz Clarity. It seems as if it is designed to distract you with the all-in-one-stop parameters that are available but I am trying to focus on just the 4 contrast sliders as all the other functions seem to duplicate standard Photoshop adjustments that I already use routinely. I don't think I am fond of the one-stop, do it all packaging but I assume that is the only practical way to entertain a preset collection enthusiast while providing numerous one click results that are markedly varied.
Having said that, the 4 contrast sliders seem very interesting and I am enjoying experimenting with them, but I also think I am recognizing a general tendency to arrive at the same combination of proportioned adjustments and so now I am wondering if a one slider "Clarity" function, such as found in Adobe Camera RAW, incorporates the same ideas and has simplified a similar relativity into a single function.
Hi,
Topaz Clarity is awesome, and very much unlike the function in LR/Photoshop with the same name. The reason you might arrive at similar slider settings each time, may have to do with your subjects, and your personal taste/style. That's why there are presets, you can create your own, as a quick start requiring only minimal additional tweaking.
I find that different subjects, and even different areas in a single image, can benefit from different settings.
For example; I find that I am repeatedly increasing the micro contrast up until I notice a change, increasing the low contrast setting upwards a little less than the micro, and pulling the high contrast down a bit. It seems as if the proportioned relationship I am describing between the four sliders might already be coded into a single input control.
Well, that's what the presets are for, a one click control, as a starting point. But for some other subject matter you might want to reduce the microcontrast (to avoid a dirty looking surface or to avoid accentuating skin pores) and maybe boost the overall contrast, and another image might require a more lowered general contrast, or open up the Darks a bit more than usual.
Besides that, there is a huge quality difference in this Topaz plugin when compared to the alternatives. One of the reasons, besides being halo free, is the IntelliColor technology that preserves natural looking color when the contrast is changed. Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_YAavRntPo) is a video to show the difference, on a different plugin but using the same technology as in TL Clarity.
I am wondering about the opinions of people who have used it extensively. Have you have found that the 4 contrast parameters offer useful control that you can not command from standard Adobe features?
Yes, very useful.
Are the four contrast controls truly useful or is this plugin just a wall of slider candy?
Very useful, and not slider candy at all. Just analyze your images, and identify different regions (e.g. clouds, skin, water surface, fog (reduce or accentuate), etc. ), and make specific presets for that.
Cheers,
Bart
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I'm a big fan of Topaz Clarity (and Detail), but do have a slight grudge. I used Topaz Adjust sparingly until Clarity came out. Have not used Adjust since.
After much testing and experience I find I use only 4 of the adjustment sliders: Micro Contrast, Low Contrast, Black Level, and White Level. I don't find much use for Medium and High Contrast, or the Midtones adjustment. I have a preset that sets Micro and Low Contrast both to 0.30, Black Level to 0.10, and White Level to -0.10.
Some of their tutorials encourage using negative values for Medium or High contrast to offset the effects of the Micro and Low contrast, but I find using the Black and White Levels a better way. About 80% of the time I go with just my preset. But when highlights or shadows get pushed too far I compensate with Black and White Level adjustments.
Often times, however, I find the shadows get lost or just don't benefit from the effect. In those cases I mask them off back in Photoshop, usually with a luminosity mask.
In the past, I used a variety of Photoshop-only techniques. Some complicated techniques combining high pass filtering, luminosity masks, linear or hard light blend modes. These could be made simple with actions, but almost always left some bad artifacts that had to be searched and destroyed. Google "Calvin Hollywood Freaky Details" for an example.
But Topaz Clarity easily beat all those techniques, and never leaves nasty artifacts. I also find it far superior to the "Clarity" adjustment in Adobe Camera Raw (LR).
My grudge with Topaz is over their relatively poor quality control. They tend to release software before it's ready for prime time. Look at their own user forums for a long list of problems on new versions. And most of their problems come from the 3rd party common code libraries they use.
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Thank you for the informative answers.
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RedCrown,
I created your preset from your description. I like it a lot. Do you mind if I post the exported xml file in the same place I put my build of the dcamprof software?
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Presets are free, do what you want with them.
Another gripe I have with Topaz is that they don't change their version numbers when they make minor bug fixes. For example, when they first released Remask5 it was version 5.0.1. There were at least 2 bug fixes in the first 2 weeks, yet it is still version 5.0.1.
So even if you let the software check for updates, it may report no updates when, in fact, there is a newer version.
Also, they have a history of messing up update installs when you install "over the top". Always best to unstall compeltely and then re-install.
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I agree with Bart that it's a very useful plugin. But when was the last time Topaz did any kind of work on improving Clarity? Sadly, it's as if they've abandoned all development on it. It's a real shame. I hope they can release some improvements. One I'd love to see is a warning when shadows are blocked or highlights blown.
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I hope they can release some improvements. One I'd love to see is a warning when shadows are blocked or highlights blown.
Yes, I've also sent them my (short) list of feature enhancements, and clipping indicators were one of them. An Apply button would be a nice addition as well, so one can target several separate/masked image regions in sequence with different settings. Saving the mask could also be useful.
A nice little trick that's already possible with TP Clarity's HSL controls may be useful for the removal of colored fringing. One adds a color aware masking on those color fringes while masking out the correction on other parts of the image (click the reveal mode and reset the mask to black, then sample and paint on the fringes) and then target the colored (e.g. purple) fringes with the HSL tool to shift Hue / Desaturate, and or change Lightness of those fringes, and the Color Aware masking is very helpful for that, and the HSL controls have their own mask. I have created a preset that sets the HSL sliders to a slider combination that is useful to me, and all I have to do is select the preset and paint the mask.
Cheers,
Bart
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I am wondering about the opinions of people who have used it extensively. Have you have found that the 4 contrast parameters offer useful control that you can not command from standard Adobe features?
Yes, definitely. This plug-in has capabilities that simply aren't built into ACR's Clarity slider. I also find the hue/sat/lum sliders extremely useful in conjunction with the sliders for contrast dynamics and tone levels. ACR provides similar color sliders, but it is very useful to have them combined with the contrast and tone adjustments.
Clarity and Detail are the only two Topaz plug-ins I use with PS CS6, because of this sort of multi-level flexibility.
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The Topaz Triumvirate:
-ReMask
-Detail
-Clarity
:)
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The Topaz Triumvirate:
-ReMask
-Detail
-Clarity
:)
+1
I use these 3 plugins also quite frequently, in addition to Denoise and occasionally even Impression.
I find them all very useful and definitely time saving.
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I like using Clarity but I wonder about Topaz dedication to improvement. The product was released in March 2013 and its still version 1.0.0, Surely there have been bugs reported and features requested.
Anyone had any insights into Topaz as a company??
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I like using Clarity but I wonder about Topaz dedication to improvement. The product was released in March 2013 and its still version 1.0.0, Surely there have been bugs reported and features requested.
Anyone had any insights into Topaz as a company??
Their free updates for life policy probably makes it more financially attractive to create new plugins than update old ones. Plus they are a small plugin company maintaining a relatively large stable of software.
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I like using Clarity but I wonder about Topaz dedication to improvement. The product was released in March 2013 and its still version 1.0.0, Surely there have been bugs reported and features requested.
Anyone had any insights into Topaz as a company??
It ain't broke, so I hope they don't "fix" it!
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I like it and use it, but color management in the plug-in preview is broke (http://www2.topazlabs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14244).
Jack
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It ain't broke, so I hope they don't "fix" it!
I don't like that it strips off certain EXIF data entries. In my mind, that's broken and needs a fix.
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I like it and use it, but color management in the plug-in preview is broke (http://www2.topazlabs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14244).
Jack
That's a problem with Topaz Adjust used with PSP. It isn't about Topaz Clarity used with Photoshop, which is what I'm using.
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Please keep in mind that not all of us use Topaz solely in Photoshop. Some of us also use it from Lightroom where things get a little more convoluted since we have to use Topaz Fusion Express 2. Kind of clunky compared to Nik and MacPhun.
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That's a problem with Topaz Adjust used with PSP. It isn't about Topaz Clarity used with Photoshop, which is what I'm using.
Hi Peano,
Unless they fixed it in the last couple of years I am afraid it is a problem with Clarity 1.0.0 and Photoshop as well, as can be seen in my exchange with Topaz support posted above (http://www2.topazlabs.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13282&d=1372886594). Of course you may not notice it if you don't use color spaces like Adobe RGB.
(http://www2.topazlabs.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13282&d=1372886594)
Jack
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I use wide gamut monitor and no problem here, uninstall and download the plug-in again.
Topaz update the plug-ins but do not change the version number...
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I use wide gamut monitor and no problem here, uninstall and download the plug-in again.
Topaz update the plug-ins but do not change the version number...
That's correct, but although perhaps confusing, they do show the build date in the 'About' menu option of the plugin settings. Don't know if I have the latest, but I've attached what my current version (for Windows) shows.
Cheers,
Bart
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I went ahead and bought a license for Clarity.
I am still not sure if it is useful for the "natural" look I am interested in. My early impression is that Topaz Clarity may be better suited to making stuff look less natural and more stylized with a contemporary desaturated color cast look.
It is certainly not simply increasing a bit of the mid range contrast the way the "clarity" slider in Adobe Camera RAW does. The intellicolor feature seems interesting and learning about it has helped me understand why the Topaz Clarity contrast sliders have such a dramatic *add or remove black* effect with little saturation response.
I find that using the clarity parameter in Adobe Camera RAW is helpful and I was hoping to find something very similar for use at later stages in a Photoshop processing. I don't think I have found what I was hoping for yet.
The Topaz Clarity processing seems clunky and slow so it seems impossible to slide through a range of adjustment while looking for a sweet spot. It feels more like hunt and peck or set and wait, but I remain interested in exploring the ability to work with the different contrast sliders. It probably works better with smaller files than I am using.
The other thing that I find less than ideal is the lengthy menu of sliders whereby small adjustments that I have made get hidden from view. I think I'd like to be able to see all or most of the sliders at once and would gladly trade the display area on the left which is for preset lists for a double column of sliders in the right margin so I could see all the parameters at once.
At times it seems like using it is more of an exercise in exploring change as a diversion rather than as a vehicle to get to where I want to go. I guess the easiest way to describe how I feel is that I would be just as happy to pay for a simple algorithm as some people are happy to pay for a complex stack of them.
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That's correct, but although perhaps confusing, they do show the build date in the 'About' menu option of the plugin settings. Don't know if I have the latest, but I've attached what my current version (for Windows) shows.
Same here...
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For the Mac....
Topaz Clarity reports that I'm running the latest version and no updates are available.
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Topaz update the plug-ins but do not change the version number...
If that's true then the development staff at Topaz are not very professional in their approach. How they heck do they support their products if this is true?
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I went ahead and bought a license for Clarity.
I am still not sure if it is useful for the "natural" look I am interested in. My early impression is that Topaz Clarity may be better suited to making stuff look less natural and more stylized with a contemporary desaturated color cast look.
It is certainly not simply increasing a bit of the mid range contrast the way the "clarity" slider in Adobe Camera RAW does. The intellicolor feature seems interesting and learning about it has helped me understand why the Topaz Clarity contrast sliders have such a dramatic *add or remove black* effect with little saturation response.
I find that using the clarity parameter in Adobe Camera RAW is helpful and I was hoping to find something very similar for use at later stages in a Photoshop processing. I don't think I have found what I was hoping for yet.
The Topaz Clarity processing seems clunky and slow so it seems impossible to slide through a range of adjustment while looking for a sweet spot. It feels more like hunt and peck or set and wait, but I remain interested in exploring the ability to work with the different contrast sliders. It probably works better with smaller files than I am using.
The other thing that I find less than ideal is the lengthy menu of sliders whereby small adjustments that I have made get hidden from view. I think I'd like to be able to see all or most of the sliders at once and would gladly trade the display area on the left which is for preset lists for a double column of sliders in the right margin so I could see all the parameters at once.
At times it seems like using it is more of an exercise in exploring change as a diversion rather than as a vehicle to get to where I want to go. I guess the easiest way to describe how I feel is that I would be just as happy to pay for a simple algorithm as some people are happy to pay for a complex stack of them.
Try going to the General presets and clicking on the Microcontrast Boost 1 and detuning from there. That usually works well for me.
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Topaz obviously provides updates for Clarity. If you're worried about whether your version is the latest, just check for updates.
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I went ahead and bought a license for Clarity.
Hi,
Well, you were just in time for their discount, so you're set for any future updates and version upgrades which will be free. Obviously, if and when there will be an update or upgrade depends on the popularity of the plugin, and whether a feature upgrade will offer them enough pay back for the R&D investment. They are a normal commercial company, with the possible exception of their business model. Free updates/upgrades for life, means they need to produce new plugins regularly, or upgrade existing ones, if they want to fund their organisation with new customers joining in.
Luckily, their new plugins are really adding a lot of workflow benefits, and several existing plugins are apparently so popular that they are relatively frequently upgraded with real new functionality and user interface improvements. So it's not like they are milking an existing product to death.
I am still not sure if it is useful for the "natural" look I am interested in. My early impression is that Topaz Clarity may be better suited to making stuff look less natural and more stylized with a contemporary desaturated color cast look.
"Less natural" depends on how one uses the plugin, and based on which preprocessing it has to do its thing. It's not a desaturated color cast look, it just doesn't create a color cast like other products do. On top of that it allows to adjust Hue/Saturation/Luminance, and even do that locally (with intelligent masks).
It is certainly not simply increasing a bit of the mid range contrast the way the "clarity" slider in Adobe Camera RAW does. The intellicolor feature seems interesting and learning about it has helped me understand why the Topaz Clarity contrast sliders have such a dramatic *add or remove black* effect with little saturation response.
Intellicolor as a technology is hugely important to give the user control over all aspects of contrast. Separating luminance from chromaticity is something that more plugin makers should offer, and only few do.
I find that using the clarity parameter in Adobe Camera RAW is helpful and I was hoping to find something very similar for use at later stages in a Photoshop processing. I don't think I have found what I was hoping for yet.
The Topaz Clarity processing seems clunky and slow so it seems impossible to slide through a range of adjustment while looking for a sweet spot. It feels more like hunt and peck or set and wait, but I remain interested in exploring the ability to work with the different contrast sliders. It probably works better with smaller files than I am using.
This sounds odd to me, since the response on my computers is almost real-time, which allows to fine-tune the sliders on the go.
The other thing that I find less than ideal is the lengthy menu of sliders whereby small adjustments that I have made get hidden from view. I think I'd like to be able to see all or most of the sliders at once and would gladly trade the display area on the left which is for preset lists for a double column of sliders in the right margin so I could see all the parameters at once.
I agree tha t at times it would be useful to have more sliders available without having to collaps/unfold sub categories, but that is typically a GUI improvement that requires a lot of thought and feedback, because it depends on one's display/font size as well. The higher the display resolution, the more sliders will fit, but not everybody has the highest display resolutions on all of their systems.
At times it seems like using it is more of an exercise in exploring change as a diversion rather than as a vehicle to get to where I want to go. I guess the easiest way to describe how I feel is that I would be just as happy to pay for a simple algorithm as some people are happy to pay for a complex stack of them.
Again, maybe depending on hardware and GPU acceleration, I do not experience any sluggishness, so I see instant feedback which helps the creative process. I doubt whether the complexity of adjusting Clarity with multiple contrast levels, and HSL controls, and separate masking for each, can be done with a simple algorithm.
Cheers,
Bart
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Hi Bart,
I'm working with files from my Canon 5DS R with a i7 equipped Win 7 laptop so I think this is why I experience the performance as sluggish. Most of my other plugins and filters seem adequately responsive with these large files on my laptop.
My desktop system is much more robust but I am rarely there to use it.
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I am still not sure if it is useful for the "natural" look I am interested in. My early impression is that Topaz Clarity may be better suited to making stuff look less natural and more stylized with a contemporary desaturated color cast look.
Clarity, like any other plug-in, is a tool. In some hands, a hammer makes everything look dented. In other hands, a hammer makes everything fit together so well, no one suspects a hammer was any part of the process.
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Yes, the sage old hammer analogies.
An oldtimer once told me that it is ok to admit that a hammer may not be the best tool for installing wood screws.
That shouldn't dissuade anyone from remaining optimistic about the possibilities.
;)
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Hi Bart,
I'm working with files from my Canon 5DS R with a i7 equipped Win 7 laptop so I think this is why I experience the performance as sluggish. Most of my other plugins and filters seem adequately responsive with these large files on my laptop.
My desktop system is much more robust but I am rarely there to use it.
One way to speed up the process with very large files (unless you are already doing so), is to change 16 bits image mode to 8 bits and ProPhoto to RBG workspace.
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Topaz obviously provides updates for Clarity. If you're worried about whether your version is the latest, just check for updates.
Well, they have the CAPABILITY of providing updates but there is NO evidence they've done so. We've all checked for updates. Other Topaz products easily identify their version number as greater than 1.0.0.
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Well, they have the CAPABILITY of providing updates but there is NO evidence they've done so.
The build date of the current version is later than the original release date of Clarity. Isn't that evidence of updating?
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I'm a fan of Topaz Clarity, but finding updates (or if updates are available) is nearly impossible. My version shows May 2013 Bart's screen shot shows Oct 2013 checking the update option shows my version is up to date. The Topaz web site doesn't provide any information about build number of date. The only way to determine if my version is the latest is to download the version from the website and install it. Something that I'm not inclined to do since my version seems to be OK and I don't have any idea about what, if anything, the more up to date? version fixes.
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The build date of the current version is later than the original release date of Clarity. Isn't that evidence of updating?
I haven't seen that. What I've seen is different build dates based on OS being used.
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Uninstalled Clarity 1.0.0, re-downloaded and re-installed Clarity 1.0.0. My build is the same as Bart's now, and unless I am doing something wrong, color management is still broke as per my 2013 communication with Topaz above. Adobe RGB image in PS in the background (top), simply opened in Clarity in the foreground (bottom, showing original image):
(http://i.imgur.com/wJ3ZQMD.png)
The difference in the blues is pretty obvious on both my calibrated sRGB and wide gamut displays.
Jack
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Very odd that you're seeing such a difference in the blues. I have the same build as Bart, so I ran a similar test, sRGB 8-bit jpeg. Here is a screen shot of how it was rendered in Photoshop CS6 (top) and Topaz Clarity. The sample points are 51x51 to get a decent average. I don't regard this difference in RBG values as significant.
I'm wondering if the difference you're seeing might be caused by the way your graphics card works with PS and Clarity. I don't know, just a possibility to consider.
Below that is a second test with a 16-bit tiff in ProPhoto RGB.
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The difference in the blues is pretty obvious on both my calibrated sRGB and wide gamut displays.
Mystery...
I do not know...
But here(Windows 10 x64) the monitor profile is Version 2 made by Argyll+dispcalGUI, both matrix and LUT works well...
Maybe yours are Version 4?
Here also in Photoshop menu Edit>Preferences>Performance>Graphics Processor Settings>Advanced Settings>Drawing Mode = Basic
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Just for the sake of completeness, here is a third test using AdobeRGB. Again, no significant color shift from PS to Clarity, just as with sRGB and ProPhoto RGB.
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Mystery...
I do not know...
But here(Windows 10 x64) the monitor profile is Version 2 made by Argyll+dispcalGUI, both matrix and LUT works well...
Maybe yours are Version 4?
The images above were opened by Windows 7 CS5 via ACR 6.7 (I think). The monitors were newly calibrated/profiled the day before by Argyll (probably 1 year old) and the latest dispcalGui (3.06) at its default settings. I am not sure what version it produces and I will not be at that computer for a few days.
Here also in Photoshop menu Edit>Preferences>Performance>Graphics Processor Settings>Advanced Settings>Drawing Mode = Basic
Don't know what drawing mode it uses. I am now on my uncalibrated/unprofiled laptop running Windows10 + CS5 and it does not show the color shift. I'll investigate further when I get back home.
Jack
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Just for the sake of completeness, here is a third test using AdobeRGB. Again, no significant color shift from PS to Clarity, just as with sRGB and ProPhoto RGB.
Thanks for your tests, Peano. Based on my post just above I think I will turn off the ICC monitor profile and investigate further once I get back home in a few days.
Jack
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Uninstalled Clarity 1.0.0, re-downloaded and re-installed Clarity 1.0.0. My build is the same as Bart's now, and unless I am doing something wrong, color management is still broke as per my 2013 communication with Topaz above. Adobe RGB image in PS in the background (top), simply opened in Clarity in the foreground (bottom, showing original image):
The difference in the blues is pretty obvious on both my calibrated sRGB and wide gamut displays.
Jack
Jack, Indeed very visible here as well. Maybe too obvious, but are all the sliders in the HSL panel zeroed when you open the image?
Another question: do you see the same difference when you toggle between the original and processed image in Topaz or is the colour effect you're seeing only there after you cycled back to Photoshop?
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Jack, Indeed very visible here as well. Maybe too obvious, but are all the sliders in the HSL panel zeroed when you open the image?
Another question: do you see the same difference when you toggle between the original and processed image in Topaz or is the colour effect you're seeing only there after you cycled back to Photoshop?
These are good questions. You might also check to see if your graphics card drivers are up to date. I know that with some other Topaz plug-ins, outdated drivers can cause problems.
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The images above were opened by Windows 7 CS5 via ACR 6.7 (I think). The monitors were newly calibrated/profiled the day before by Argyll (probably 1 year old) and the latest dispcalGui (3.06) at its default settings. I am not sure what version it produces and I will not be at that computer for a few days.
Argyll+dispcalGUI is always version 2.
Here I use the dispcalGUI LUT loader to load the profile.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4686872/Ins_icc.png)
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Question for the users of Clarity: Does using Clarity replace the need for creative sharpening?
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Question for the users of Clarity: Does using Clarity replace the need for creative sharpening?
Hi,
No, Clarity changes the local contrast ratios and only covers that part of Creative 'sharpening'. Of course at the smallest level it has an effect of apparently boosting sharpness, but for real structural detail adjustments you'd need Topaz Detail (highly recommended as well).
Clarity can help a lot with giving the subject a more '3D look' because it alters shadow and highlight regions. Detail really works on the structure of surfaces. Both do that halo free, and while preserving natural color and saturation, unlike many other applications.
Cheers,
Bart
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Bart - many thanks.
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Sorry to take this slightly off topic, after reading about Topaz applications (mainly from Bart) I took the plunge on Topaz Clarity and Topaz Detail and it's indeed a powerful combo. It's now integrated in my standard workflow and I'm very happy with the results.
I'm now asking myself if I should get Topaz InFocus as well. I learned that in the Detail module there is also a deconvolution module (Deblur) that works pretty well. It only has 2 controls (blur size and artifact suppression) and I'm guessing InFocus can do much more. But is it worth the extra 70 $?
Input, suggestions and tips are welcome.
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Sorry to take this slightly off topic, after reading about Topaz applications (mainly from Bart) I took the plunge on Topaz Clarity and Topaz Detail and it's indeed a powerful combo. It's now integrated in my standard workflow and I'm very happy with the results.
I'm now asking myself if I should get Topaz InFocus as well. I learned that in the Detail module there is also a deconvolution module (Deblur) that works pretty well. It only has 2 controls (blur size and artifact suppression) and I'm guessing InFocus can do much more. But is it worth the extra 70 $?
Hi Pieter,
It can't do all that much more, it just gives a few more possibilities to choose a type of blur to correct, with more precision and range, and has a more regular type of sharpening on top of that, all from within a single plugin. However, compared to what Detail can do with the Deblur deconvolution, the current difference is not worth the full price of InFocus, I'd say. So if one already has 'Detail', I'd not add InFocus as it is today. Maybe if they see enough market potential to upgrade it with some of the enhancements that I suggested to them, then it would become more interesting to consider, also because that usually comes with a discount for new users.
Cheers,
Bart
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Thanks Bart, very helpful.
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As a follow up to my original post and early impressions, I would like to relay that I have grown quite fond of Topaz Clarity and have been making frequent use of it.
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As a follow up to my original post and early impressions, I would like to relay that I have grown quite fond of Topaz Clarity and have been making frequent use of it.
Good to hear that. And with the increasing dynamic range capabilities of our cameras, the need for such a powerful tool increases as well. When the full dynamic range is squeezed into the output range, the image will look dull and lifeless, until we add some intelligent Clarity to it.
Cheers,
Bart
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I had downloaded the demo version some time ago but really didn't spend much time with it. After reading through this thread I decided to just pull the plug and purchase the serial#. So glad I did.... I took one of my images that I had worked on for some time with lots of dodging and burning and various layers and within about 2 minutes I had a significantly better/more appealing image that would have taken lots more time to accomplish the old way. I have numerous Topaz filters including In Focus and Detail and this is one that will get a lot of use.
Victor
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I've had the Topaz Clarity plug-in for a few months now after reading everyone's recommendations in the LuLa forums. I've got to say that it's lived up to the praise everyone gave it. It really made some elk I photographed in the fall pop out of the early dawn light in the field. Amazing.
I recently acquired Topaz Detail based on the comments here and I'm quite happy with it as well. This make it a 1-2 punch on many of my photos. The deconvolution routine has been surprisingly quite helpful on some botanical photos as well.
For anyone else contemplating these purchases you can use Trey Ratcliff's code "stuckincustoms" to get a 10% discount.
Thanks to all in this conversation!
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These two Topaz plugins are great and I use them a lot.
A related question: my current workflow is to apply them in Photoshop (coming from LR using Ctrl-E), then flatten the 16 bit ProPhoto tiff, to save space. Obviously this workflow bakes in the adjustments -- which can be a pain if you want to re-edit because you missed a vital step in the raw converter adjustments before rendering the tiff.
Is it possible to somehow not bake in the Topaz plugin results, so that one can make adjustments to the RAW file in the raw converter and then have the Topaz plugin layers dynamically update in response?
Thanks
Damon
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Is it possible to somehow not bake in the Topaz plugin results, so that one can make adjustments to the RAW file in the raw converter and then have the Topaz plugin layers dynamically update in response?
I'm not sure what you mean by 'update dynamically' but isn't the simplest way not to flatten the tiff, dupe/convert a layer to a smart object and 'Topaz' on that ?
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I'm not sure what you mean by 'update dynamically' but isn't the simplest way not to flatten the tiff, dupe/convert a layer to a smart object and 'Topaz' on that ?
Correct, whereas Lightroom is parametric, Photoshop is all about Layers (which increases file size but is very flexible). Smart objects are even larger, but they do allow to revisit earlier adjustments. Another way would be to create a preset with the file name in the Topaz Plugin, but that will not save any masks that are made in the plugin, so this is not really a solution in that case.
Cheers,
Bart