Topaz problem

[albytastic]

I have often recommended Topaz Labs JPEG to RAW because I found it an incredible piece of software, especially when removing noise.
But their latest update is a TOTAL DISASTER!
They have replaced the noise reduction with 2 buttons, one claiming to reduce JPEG artefacts and the other to reduce blur.
The resulting program is now virtually USELESS!
Noise is exactly the same as if I didn't use it and the 2 buttons seem to have no effect at all.
So if you were considering buying this (now) piece of junk - DON'T!
If I seem to be slightly p***sed off you are right - I am - it was a lovely program - now a waste of disk space!
I will also be asking for my money back as it is no longer fit for purpose in my opinion!

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

...

[PeterAit]

I have often recommended Topaz Labs JPEG to RAW because I found it an incredible piece of software, especially when removing noise.
But their latest update is a TOTAL DISASTER!
They have replaced the noise reduction with 2 buttons, one claiming to reduce JPEG artefacts and the other to reduce blur.
The resulting program is now virtually USELESS!
Noise is exactly the same as if I didn't use it and the 2 buttons seem to have no effect at all.
So if you were considering buying this (now) piece of junk - DON'T!
If I seem to be slightly p***sed off you are right - I am - it was a lovely program - now a waste of disk space!
I will also be asking for my money back as it is no longer fit for purpose in my opinion!

So keep using the old version.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

[...]
Noise is exactly the same as if I didn't use it and the 2 buttons seem to have no effect at all.
[...]

Hi,

That doesn't sound right, they do have an effect when I use them.

Maybe try reinstalling, and see if that makes a difference, or file a service request and allow the folks a Topaz to try to diagnose your issue?

Cheers,
Bart

[kers]

I have often recommended Topaz Labs JPEG to RAW because I found it an incredible piece of software, especially when removing noise.
But their latest update is a TOTAL DISASTER!
They have replaced the noise reduction with 2 buttons, one claiming to reduce JPEG artefacts and the other to reduce blur.
The resulting program is now virtually USELESS!
Noise is exactly the same as if I didn't use it and the 2 buttons seem to have no effect at all.
So if you were considering buying this (now) piece of junk - DON'T!
If I seem to be slightly p***sed off you are right - I am - it was a lovely program - now a waste of disk space!
I will also be asking for my money back as it is no longer fit for purpose in my opinion!

It seems more that you got F***P by a piece of software: Never let that happen! it is only 1s and 0s badly ordered, nothing more.

[albytastic]

...

Yeah great advice - an Uzi with a full magazine is far more effective!

[albytastic]

Hi,

That doesn't sound right, they do have an effect when I use them.

Maybe try reinstalling, and see if that makes a difference, or file a service request and allow the folks a Topaz to try to diagnose your issue?

Cheers,
Bart

I tried re-installing but no effect - and the Topaz Forum is worse than useless, can't even work out how to start a new thread.

The NR system was on of the main reasons I bought it and the way it recovered lost detail was incredible - now useless.

It worked perfectly before the update but now no good at all - in fact worse than useless because I wasted money buying it!

[arobinson7547]

I'm with Peter and Pieter,


I would be VERY happy, I found something that worked for me and just go back to the previous version. Because 'new' doesn't necessarily mean better. (It could just be 'different' or worse)


I 'just' recently upgraded to Acrobat DC because from version X1, because it was a nightmare upgrade for me.. Now using DC, in it's current and much more mature state, I love it to death. But it took YEARS before the current DC version was useful for my needs.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I tried re-installing but no effect - and the Topaz Forum is worse than useless, can't even work out how to start a new thread.

The NR system was on of the main reasons I bought it and the way it recovered lost detail was incredible - now useless.

"JPEG to Raw AI"is not a noise reduction application. It aims at recovering detail and color from compression artifacts, and it can add some sharpness without amplifying remaining lossy compression artifacts, if sharpness got compromised along the way.

It sounds like you would require Topaz Denoise AI instead, because that application is designed to reduce noise, and sharpen some of the blur that that process may have introduced. It's a free upgrade if you already owned a prior Denoise plugin license.

Cheers,
Bart

[Chris Kern]

"JPEG to Raw AI"is not a noise reduction application. It aims at recovering detail and color from compression artifacts, and it can add some sharpness without amplifying remaining lossy compression artifacts, if sharpness got compromised along the way.

I just looked at the description of this product on the Topaz website.  I had some difficulty parsing the marketing language, but obviously "JPEG to Raw" is just a marketing slogan: you can't uncook an egg.  I presume what that means is that this product rebuilds an image from a JPEG original based on a machine-learning dataset, then packages it as a linear DNG.  Is that correct?

[faberryman]

I just looked at the description of this product on the Topaz website.  I had some difficulty parsing the marketing language, but obviously "JPEG to Raw" is just a marketing slogan: you can't uncook an egg.  I presume what that means is that this product rebuilds an image from a JPEG original based on a machine-learning dataset, then packages it as a linear DNG.  Is that correct?

I'm not sure about the "rebuilding" part. Massaging the images to ameliorate compression artifacts might be a better description. The resulting image is placed in a DNG wrapper, which of course does not make it a RAW.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I just looked at the description of this product on the Topaz website.  I had some difficulty parsing the marketing language, but obviously "JPEG to Raw" is just a marketing slogan: you can't uncook an egg.  I presume what that means is that this product rebuilds an image from a JPEG original based on a machine-learning dataset, then packages it as a linear DNG.  Is that correct?

Close. It uses a Machine Learning model that was trained on image pairs, a Raw quality demosaic versus a JPEG lossy compressed version of the same image (at various levels of compression). That model then attempts to reverse the process based on the compromised JPEG as input. Of course, that won't create a Raw, but it aims at something that comes close (like after demosaicing). It can wrap it in a DNG container for easy integration in one's Raw workflow.

Cheers,
Bart

[digitaldog]

I just looked at the description of this product on the Topaz website.  I had some difficulty parsing the marketing language, but obviously "JPEG to Raw" is just a marketing slogan: you can't uncook an egg.  I presume what that means is that this product rebuilds an image from a JPEG original based on a machine-learning dataset, then packages it as a linear DNG.  Is that correct?

It's utter marketing rubbish but we've been over this in the past. Some think it's fine to basically utterly lie to people who don't know better. Other's think it's a sign this company has to resort to making up utter marketing rubbish to sell a product. Other's still see the need to defend it, rather than on the merits of what it can do.
The product can't and doesn't convert a JPEG to raw.
The product can't and doesn't allow a JPEG to be edited as if it were a raw.
Those are lies.
The product can improve a JPEG. Great. Just state that.

[leuallen]

It sounds like you would require Topaz Denoise AI instead,

Just tried this program and it blew me away. Works great on 4/3 6400 ISO images. Great results and easy to use. New so all features of Topaz software are not there yet. If you need noise reduction check it out.

Larry

[albytastic]

Just tried this program and it blew me away. Works great on 4/3 6400 ISO images. Great results and easy to use. New so all features of Topaz software are not there yet. If you need noise reduction check it out.

Larry

What I was getting at is that up until the latest upgrade of JPEG to RAW it actually DID reduce noise and extremely well - there was a single button for noise and blur reduction and when set to high it not only reduced noise vastly but also really increased the detail in my photos.

That was one of the reasons I bought the program because it worked so well - now it's totally useless to do the very things it used to do.

And I've tried de-noise and it does work but why should I now pay because Topaz Labs crippled their own program - seems to me to be a total con job!

And how long before they do the same for de-noise to take the suckers for even more money?

I certainly don't trust any company who does that!

[Paul2660]

I learned the hard way on a different program from Topaz.  Don't allow updates, until you have heard from others if the updates could have a negative effect.  There is no way to get a previous version to reinstall.  They update the downloader to the most current version and what you download to your PC or Mac, is just a tiny piece of software that runs out to their server to get the actual download.

Paul C

[albytastic]

I learned the hard way on a different program from Topaz.  Don't allow updates, until you have heard from others if the updates could have a negative effect.  There is no way to get a previous version to reinstall.  They update the downloader to the most current version and what you download to your PC or Mac, is just a tiny piece of software that runs out to their server to get the actual download.

Paul C

Which is exactly what happened to me!

It looks as if they de-coupled both the NR and increasing detail part of it because it now runs much faster then before and the size of the download is several hundreds of megs less.

And de-noise now does that part of the program.

A bunch of total con merchants just trying to screw customers who actually bought their products.

Absolutely disgusted with their methods!

 

[Redcrown]

Andrew, be careful, you might run out of "utters."

[digitaldog]

Andrew, be careful, you might run out of "utters."

I'll convert them to raw <g>.

[albytastic]

Topaz has now offered to refund me all the money I spent on their products so that's something I guess.
But still doesn't make up for the fact that I now have no product that comes anywhere near what this program could do.
I tried de-noise but that doesn't support batch processing which JPEG to RAW did.
So as far as I'm concerned a  brilliant program totally ruined by crooks trying to squeeze the last penny out of their customers.
So I am still more than pi***d off especially since I also spent £140.00 ($160+) to upgrade the GPU on one of my Z800s to run their programs.