Just released: Topaz Sharpen AI 2.1.0

[plugsnpixels]

Topaz just released Sharpen AI 2.1.0. Here are the details:

Changelog:

Various fixes and improvements taken from the latest DeNoise AI release
– Includes fixes to save dialog
Various UI design changes
– Masking button moved to file list when not in Photoshop plugin mode
– Masking button in Photoshop mode changed slightly to differentiate it from other buttons
– Zoom options have been made smaller to accommodate the new slider
– Right panel controls have been redesigned slightly
– Add grain moved to new post processing section
– Slight color changes throughout the application
Improved response time while drawing a mask

Fixes:

Fixed models sometimes not loading correctly
Fixed save dialog getting frozen
Fixed some instances where the initial mask would invert incorrectly
Fixed mask not deleting properly if initial mask entry is cancelled
Fixed navigation panel box going out of bounds on certain size changes
Fixed completed flag sticking even after changes are made
Fixed closing images not bringing up a warning prompt in some instances
Fixed bug in Intel CPU detection
Fixed navigation panel keeping the previous image loaded when no image is selected
Fixed grain not showing up in the file list when auto settings was on
– Grain should now save correctly in batch mode with auto

Additions:

Added new auto-detect mask functionality for generating base masks
– Can detect 20 different types of subjects including people, cars, planes, and various animals.
Added new auto detection for which mode to use
– Works like auto-detect settings, but for which mode to use on an image
Added tutorial for basic workflow introduction
Added fit view mode and arbitrary zoom levels
– Keep in mind this will degrade performance if zooming out on large images. More to see is more to process.
– Minimum zoom level is the minimum of either the fit zoom level or 50%. For example, if your fit zoom level is 75% the minimum is 50%. If your fit zoom level is 20%, then that is the minimum.
Added cancel button when coming in from Photoshop
Added status differentiation between the initialization and generating preview phases of processing
– This should more accurately reflect the actual time to process in general, as the initialization phase can take quite a while on some systems
Added proper mouse over cursors for various components
– Yes/No toggles, Mode selection, Original button

Changes:

Changed batch processing so it now only saves images that are currently selected in the file list
– In order to get the old functionality, you must select all before saving
Changed the default selection when importing multiple files to just the first image
Changed the default model to Stabilize
Changed how auto is shown in the file list
Changed product tour
– Now shows cards overviewing various features
Changed right panel to disable itself when no files are selected
Changed save button to switch between “Save Image” and “Start Batch Processing” based on how many images are selected rather than how many images are loaded
Changed close image warning check so that it will only as if an image hasn’t been saved yet
Changed how images are removed from list when saved coming from Lightroom
– All images that are completed are now removed from the list. This is due to a LR limitation where we are only able to load and save from the image they provide. Removing the image prevents sharpening the same image twice when processing in batch mode.
Changed wording on masking buttons depending on if this is the first or second time entering the masking interface for an image
– Should be “Apply Mask” and “Delete Mask” if the image has no mask, and “Update Mask” and “Undo Changes” if there is a mask already
Changed the file list to just list the initials of the controls in order to save space
Changed wording of the Suppress Noise slider to Noise Suppression to make “N” more intuitive in file list
Changed default suffix to “-SAI” instead of “-sharpen” due to confusion with the Sharpen model

[plugsnpixels]

Topaz just announced sale pricing for Sharpen AI and the Utility Bundle through 8/7. A double-discount is available.

https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=135697.0

[earlybird]

The last time I tried Sharpen AI, which was a few days ago, it introduced synthesized artifacts that looked like pixel art diagonal lines.

The last time I tried Denoise AI, which was a few days ago, it made the photo appear as if it had run through Sharpen AI rather than Denoise AI. I tried multiple times with both the sharpen parameter and the recover detail parameter set to "0" and could not believe what I was seeing. I gave up.

I feel as if Topaz dev has lost its direction and is trying to make tools that do things I don't know I need.

I still use Denoise 6, Clarity, and Detail quite a bit, and I have become reluctant to waste my time with their latest ungrades.

[plugsnpixels]

See my blog for my own examples using all of the Topaz software (usually the beta versions when doing my examples in advance!) and you will see very good results, even with crap old photos from 2006.

Over on the NikonCafe forum you can see where member GonzoBernelli was complaining about "puking" crashes of Sharpen-! I offered to try his huuuuge image on my own computer, and it was perfectly fine (see page 2 of that thread).

So let's talk about your computer, and I'm also offering to try a sample image of yours on my own system so we can narrow down the problem.

[earlybird]

Here are two up-sized crops of a distant landscape photographed through last week's excessively hot and turbulent air.

Sharpen AI synthesized a weird cross hatch pattern and infested the image with it.

Focus Magic simply made the detail a little less blurry.

I don't want to have to inspect every photo I use Sharpen AI on to see if it embedded unexpected artifacts in my images, but it has yet to earn my trust, and has tried my patience.

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks for the screenshots. Can you share that particular image so I and others can play with it?

What type of camera, etc.? Maybe it has something to do specifically with its sensor type, etc.? Do you have images from different cameras to test Sharpen with?

We need to explore those variables to see if it's the software, the camera or maybe that particular image before we say "Topaz dev has lost its direction" and such blanket statements.

Like the guy on the Nikon forum – IMO it's his computer hardware, not the software, as I had no "puking" problems at all with his same exact several-hundred meg image on a consumer-grade 2007 iMac.

[earlybird]

Here are two examples of 100% scale crops comparing before and after with DeNoise AI. The image source is a focus stack that I thought I would try a Denoise process on. I ended up working with the original focus stack output.

With this photo, in a step made subsequent to making these observations and electing to not use Denoise AI, the Sharpen AI process proved effective and did not introduce any recognized artifacts, but I felt obliged to pixel peep the entire image just to make sure, which takes a lot of time.

One might be surprised to see the "detail" enhancement performed by Denoise AI. I know I was. I guess the Denoise AL machine learning model doesn't know what to do with the content, but is compelled to do something so it sharpened everything despite the "0" settings.

I found it surprising and interesting that the results I got with Denoise AI looked remarkably similar to the results I got with Sharpen AI.

When I used the sharpen process I got the results I anticipated while the nearly identical results presented by the denoise process seemed unexpected, and uninvited.

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks for the followup. Let's see what others have to say about their own experiences.

[KenS]

I just did a comparison of Sharpen AI version 1.4.4 vs the new version (July 22) 2.1.  I used the same image of leaves floating in a creek, shot with a Canon 5D2.  The leaves in the corners of the frame are not sharp, but there is a nice ripple pattern that I did not want sharpened.  With Sharpen AI vers 1.4.4, Stabilize Mode, Default Setting (54,52) the leaves are much sharper and the resultant improvement in a 24 x 36 inch print is clearly visible.  However, it was necessary to mask out the over-sharpened water ripples (perhaps some would call these “sharpening artifacts”).

Applying the new Sharpen AI version 2.1, again with the Stabilize mode Default setting resulted in an image which was very similar in sharpness when viewed at 100 pct, but had slightly LESS sharpening in the moving water ripples, so I consider this a moderate improvement over the older version.  I did not make a print for comparison.

Now for the bad news; computer crashes.  The test file I am using is over 1.1 GB because it contains pixel layers from numerous Topaz Sharpen and Topaz Detail test settings.  Each of the three times I tried the Sharpening AI 2.1 on a new layer today Photoshop hung and would not close down. I had to reboot my computer.  To get it to work on the final try, I deleted all the other test case layers leaving me with a 110 MB file.  No crash.  I am reluctant to do any further testing at this time.  In the future, for other images I will plan to process with Sharpen AI I will just duplicate the backgrd layer, i.e. with no other layers present.

BTW, I have had very good success using Topaz Denoise AI – AI Clear to both sharpen and reduce noise.  This even works for B/W and Color medium format film
For reference, my computer is a Maingear Vybe, Intel I7-7820x, 8 core 4.3 GHz, 32 GB RAM, Nvidia Quadro-p2000 graphics card.  Under any other conditions it never crashes.

[KenS]

Earlybird,
Just saw your post after I sent mine in.  As I remarked above, I have also found Denoise AI, and the AI Clear module in Denoise AI to both improve sharpness and reduce noise.  I referenced my use of film above, but found they even work well for my Canon 5Dsr files. If artifacts are a concern, AI Clear might be a better choice although I have seldom found artifacts produced by either one based on a small number of images.

[plugsnpixels]

Also try the apps in standalone form, to reduce the additional overhead of Photoshop. See if that helps the crashes. Though your computer seems pretty beefy ;-)

[Alan Klein]

Curious how this sharpening program compares to others for film scans with a flatbed scanner like an Epson V850?  Currently I use Lightroom 6 purchased version.

[plugsnpixels]

Curious how this sharpening program compares to others for film scans with a flatbed scanner like an Epson V850?  Currently I use Lightroom 6 purchased version.

Download a free demo and see! ;-)

[KenS]

"Curious how this sharpening program compares to others for film scans with a flatbed scanner like an Epson V850? "

...and don't forget to try Topaz Denoise AI and AI-Clear.  Based on Fujichrome and TMax-100 scans on a Minolta MultiPro either of these two might improve sharpness and reduce noise more than what you've been using.

[Alan Klein]

Download a free demo and see! ;-)

My usual procedure is to scan flat with no sharpening with Epsonscan and make a tiff file.  Then open the file with Lightroom and do all the adjustments there-exposure, curves, contrast, etc.   That would continue.  So how to you integrate and coordinate with Denoise?

[KenS]

I don't use Lightroom but I think this should help:

https://help.topazlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039596171-How-to-use-Topaz-Labs-as-a-plugin-to-Adobe-Lightroom-Classic

[Alan Klein]

OK Thanks.