Sharpen AI by Topaz

[vjbelle]

Even if AI Sharpen is speeded up, the fundamental problem is that it is still too slow if you factor in the need to experiment with different settings in the software on an image by image basis. I can wait 5 minutes for the program to apply the desired settings. I can't wait 5 minutes to experiment with various settings in each of the three modules. Using Focus Magic on high res files of 40-80 MP, I almost always use the same radius and amount settings in FM (2 and 100%). If anyone has worked out somewhat "standardized" settings for the various modules in AI Sharpen for high res files, I would love to hear about them. Perhaps AI Sharpen doesn't lend itself to "standardized" settings so well.

I also use FM (2 and 100%) most of the time but always on a separate layer so that I can adjust downward at will.  My newer setting is usually 2 and 75% for files in the 50 to 100MP range.  They don't call it Focus 'Magic' for nothing.... It still is the de facto standard.

Victor

[Paul2660]

Focus Magic is still the standard for sure.  The more sophisticated routines of Sharpen AI can produce interesting results, however as pointed out the time it takes to even refresh the preview on a Mac is basically ridiculous.  Topaz finally was able to get Gigapixel AI to run a bit faster on the Mac, but still a 5 year old windows machine can run circles around a modern Mac. 

The point about windows having 90 percent of the market, personally I don't find that believable, but even if so still many professionals working in video or photography are on a Mac. 

If I need to run the software on larger files, from a D850 or above, I have to move platforms.   

Paul C

[JaapD]

Before I made my comparisons against Sharpen AI I was convinced Focus Magic was best-in-class. Not anymore now since the latest release of Topaz Sharpen AI.
My largest complaint with Focus Magic is that it’s also sharpening on and within smooth areas (i.e. bright cloudless sky, cars, reflection in windows, etc), creating them more noisy. I miss an offset function so to speak, not applying sharpening on areas with more or less equal RGB values, something that’s available in C1 and Photoshop-USM by default. Sharpen AI leaves all smooth areas untouched, giving a much cleaner result.

So suggestion w.r.t. a next Focus Magic release: implement an offset function.

Regards,
Jaap.

[vjbelle]

If I need to run the software on larger files, from a D850 or above, I have to move platforms.   

Paul C

Not really..... why not have both?  I can't imagine not having either my PC or Mac.  They both have their place.

Victor

[hubell]

Even if AI Sharpen is speeded up, the fundamental problem is that it is still too slow if you factor in the need to experiment with different settings in the software on an image by image basis. I can wait 5 minutes for the program to apply the desired settings. I can't wait 5 minutes to experiment with various settings in each of the three modules. Using Focus Magic on high res files of 40-80 MP, I almost always use the same radius and amount settings in FM (2 and 100%). If anyone has worked out somewhat "standardized" settings for the various modules in AI Sharpen for high res files, I would love to hear about them. Perhaps AI Sharpen doesn't lend itself to "standardized" settings so well.

Well, it's still slow as molasses to try different settings with Sharpen AI, but I have now changed my mind as to whether it offers anything beyond Focus Magic. It does! I have been experimenting with several aerial photographs I took from a helicopter in Iceland with a Hasselblad X1D and a Sony A7RIII. These were quite sharp to begin with, because I used higher shutter speeds to compensate for the effects of the copter. However, using the Stabilize Module at a setting of 60%-70% Blur Reduction/0% for NR and Add Grain, the improvement in the sharpness that I was able to achieve with Sharpen AI was nothing short of amazing compared to FM. I didn't see this using the Sharpen Module, but the Stabilize Module is something else. The files are sharpened so well that the prints that I made using the Photokit Output sharpener at the default setting looked seriously oversharpened, so I have to rethink my printing workflow. I also made the prints at the native image size of around 20"x24". I haven't experimented yet to see how the files will bear up to upscaling to, say,  30"x36".

[Paul2660]

Not really..... why not have both?  I can't imagine not having either my PC or Mac.  They both have their place.

Victor

I don't disagree they both have their places, but to take 25 minutes to run a sharpening routine on a 3 part D850 pano or 5 part etc, in 16 bit is just too long, when I can take the same file to a 4 year old PC and have it run in 7 to 8 minutes. 

And when run on a MacPro, the software totally ties up the machine, grinds to a halt anything else.  For some reason only on a MacPro, where as on a 2.5 year old MacBook Pro, still takes a long time but I can work other applications.

Paul C