RELEASED TODAY: Topaz Photo AI 1.5.2 (SALE ENDS TODAY, 8/18)

[plugsnpixels]

Photo AI just reached version 1.2.2 in its aggressive weekly update schedule (with the following changes since v1.2.1).

The current $40 off sale ends TODAY.

•Apple Photos should now save RAW files with better colors than before
•Metadata should now be copied from sidecar XMP files if one is found
•Changed default Face Recovery value to 80 instead of 100
•Locked position of opposing sides when moving crop handles
•Baseline Exposure value is now read from DNG files and used when possible
•Updated “Up To Date” dialog
•Removed exiftool executables since they are no longer required
•Fixed Help > Give Feedback URL

Attached image was done in v1.2.1 just before 1.2.2 was released. 4X enhancement of a 2007 lo-res digital image:

[plugsnpixels]

v1.2.3
Released February 23, 2023

Changes since 1.2.2:

•Added compression slider on PNG exports
•Added support for opening files with extensions jif, jfi, jfif, and jpe
•Lightroom Plug-In should now copy Rating and Keyword metadata correctly
•Fixed files with non-ASCII filenames and folder paths not saving metadata on Windows
– Anyone who turned on the beta UTF8 region setting as a workaround can safely disable it
•Fixed issue with face refinement being blurry
•Fixed issue where Enhance slider values were reset automatically
•Fixed open image shortcut not being disabled correctly while in plugin mode
•Fixed not being able to flip a custom crop ratio more than once
•Fixed aspect ratio not changing the first time after unlocked custom aspect ratio was selected
•Fixed crop not preserving correctly after flipping the ratio
•Fixed crop aspect ratio going out of bounds in some instances
•Fixed crop box moving erratically when dragging trackpad along sides
•Fixed some issues with installer on Ventura not being able to write to the Home directory
•Fixed issue where “dllhost” would show up as a host editor on Windows
•Updated ExifTool to 12.56

[plugsnpixels]

v1.2.4

Released March 2, 2023


Changes since 1.2.3:

•Added basic masking brush
– Switch between AI brush and the basic brush while in refine mode with the “b” hotkey, or use the toggle on the right panel
•Added opacity slider to mask overlay color selection
•Added support for more DNG types (HDR, Monochrome)
•Fixed scroll bar on right panel being too large in certain cases
•Navigator will no longer hide the old mask when generating an updated mask
•Fixed crop being able to go out of bounds when unlocked
•Fixed issue where dragging crop boundaries against an edge quickly would extend opposite side’s bounds
•JPEG quality value will reset to 95 on next save if left under 30
•Windows installer should now handle symlink errors
•Minor UI tweaks
– Sliders can now be incremented with arrow keys when the text field is selected
– Added app icon to the title bar area
– Made icon smaller on activation screen
– Added feedback button to title bar when no updates available
– Added more links under the Help menu

[plugsnpixels]

v1.2.5

Released March 9, 2023

Changes since 1.2.4:

This week has various masking tweaks as well as some other minor fixes and changes. In the background there is still a lot of work happening surrounding RAW color and metadata but it may take a few releases to show up.

•Mask refinement mode now force single image view mode
•Masking brush can now go down to 1 pixel
•Fixed issue where masking off the edge of an image would not fully draw the stroke
•Windows shortcut should now support drag & drop of files
– Note: This removes the auto-repair functionality in order to support drag & drop
•Fixed logic for when increase and decrease shortcuts for masking brush are enabled
•Fixed the update download progress bar staying open until the app is closed
•The minimum saved JPEG quality between sessions is now 50 instead of 30
•Added more detailed error when file fails to save due to name length

[plugsnpixels]

v1.2.6
Released March 10, 2023

Changes since 1.2.5:

•Fixed images with unicode characters in the output path not saving on Windows
•Fixed width of update indicator when there are 2 or more updates available
•Fixed Demo button not showing up in trial/expired license mode

[plugsnpixels]

v1.2.7

Released March 16, 2023

Changes since 1.2.6:

•Added preferences panel that replaces scattered settings around the app
– Includes Autopilot settings and various general settings
•Added new optional settings in preferences
– Additional control over which faces are auto-selected
– Added ability to change default Face Recovery strength
– Added a toggle for closing images once they are saved
•Lightroom Plug-In now copies over additional metadata
– Now copies label, title, caption, gps, and altitude tags
•Added bit depth options for PNG
– Preserving file type while saving a PNG will use same bit depth as original
•Switched to using Huffman compression for PNG
•Updated lensfun definitions
•Remove requirement of installing Vulkan on Windows
•App now cleans up old installers on Mac
•Changed error prompt when the current version isn’t owned
•Changed “Cancel Processing” button to be red so it doesn’t visually merge with the “Close Window” button
•Toggling Face Recovery resets to Autopilot suggested faces instead of selecting all
•Fixed Wacom tablet not releasing preview after panning
– Note: You may need to update your Wacom drivers if the issue is still persisting in 1.2.7
•Fixed crop going out of bounds when XMP crop wasn’t between 0 and 1
•Fixed temp files staying around when a save error occurs
•Fixed TensorRT models being slow on certain machines
•Fixed some Autopilot preferences not applying to already open images
•Fixed Autopilot settings sometimes not applying correctly due to auto-upscaling
•Fixed Hasselblad X1D not using the correct camera profile
•Fixed Autopilot progress going backwards sometimes
•Fixed View menu zoom options being enabled when no image is open

[plugsnpixels]

v1.2.8
Released March 23, 2023

Changes since 1.2.7:

•Removed “Help Improve Autopilot” preference
. Turning the preference on will no longer upload in any version of Photo AI
•Fixed 100+ cameras not mapping to correct camera profiles
. There is still work being done to update the profiles themselves
•Loosened check on monitor colorspace conversion so more monitor colorspaces should look correct
•Copy additional metadata when using the Lightroom Plug-In Extras flow
•Currently selected preferences tab now persists within the active session
•Added Open Recents option in File menu
•Fixed scrolling the file list view with trackpad on Windows only being able to scroll right
•Changed minimum value of Face Recovery slider to 1
•Fixed some update snoozing issues
•Small UI/wording tweaks
: Welcome screen now mentions that you can drop folders
. Preferences panel now has Cancel/Save buttons
. Cursor now shows as waiting when manually checking for updates
. Added tooltip to Original View toggle
. Fixed a layout bug where update information would have lots of extra spacing
. Replaced the sub-menu on the left side of file list to be a collapsible toggle

Known issues:
•HDR or Monochrome DNGs which previously did not open may have issues when saving as a DNG
. To get around this you can save as JPEG, PNG, or TIFF which shouldn’t have the same color issues

This update came out the same day an elderly relative sent me an iPhone snap of an old family photo hanging on the wall... As someone who prefers to scan originals in hi-res, this was painful, so I ran it through Photo AI to recover the faces (after fixing the geometry in Photoshop).

[govindvkumar]

Sharing My Review on Topaz Photo AI with Before/ After Images for different types of images like High-Noise, Medium Noise, Soft focus, Motion Blur, JPEG, & Raw.
Check out - Topaz Photo AI Review

[plugsnpixels]

v1.2.9
Released March 30, 2023

Changes since 1.2.8:

•Reworked camera profiles and added ~100 new profiles
– If there are still issues with your specific RAW files please let us know
•Preferences panel will now save its active tab between sessions
•Changed cursor when waiting to check for updates
•Space bar will now properly toggle the original button’s state
•Added shortcut for Close All Images (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + W)
•Fixed minor memory leak when saving images
•Fixed maximize button taking 2 clicks to change window state on Windows when taskbar auto-hide was enabled
•Fixed downscaling being disabled due to Autopilot suggestions
•Fixed dialogs closing when clicking on their background
•Fixed issue where folders with dots in them would not save on Windows
•Fixed app not being able to save images while working offline

Known issues:

HDR or Monochrome DNGs which previously did not open may have issues when saving as a DNG
– To get around this you can save as JPEG, PNG, or TIFF which shouldn’t have the same color issues

"This week we have updated and added several camera profiles. This should help various cameras that previously would not load correctly (e.g., very dark/bright compared to original and/or desaturated). Overall around 100 profiles were added, many of which were for various mobile devices.

"Along with profile there were several annoyances fixed, like not being able to save images while offline, not being able to downscale, and more."
_______________

This week's example shows a 1995-era medium format negative scanned on a flatbed transparency scanner at 9600ppi. The faces shown are from the back of the group!

[plugsnpixels]

STARTING TODAY through 4/21:

Topaz is offering $40 off the latest Photo AI release, 1.2.10

Update info:

v1.2.10

Released April 6, 2023

Changes since 1.2.9:

•Sharpen strength recommendation is now based on subject if it exists
•Minimize detail and clarity slider recommendations when both Denoise and Sharpen are recommended
•Remove plugins when uninstalling on Windows
•Fixed Sony camera profiles for DSC-RX10M4 and DSC-RX100M7
•Fixed various Samsung Galaxy phone camera profile mappings (S20 to S23 series, excluding S20+ and S23)
•Fixed 2 channel grayscale image with alpha crashing the program
•Fixed some small slider increments/decrements not registering
•Fixed login flow creating files in the home directory on Mac

[plugsnpixels]

Topaz is offering $40 off the latest Photo AI release, 1.3.0 through 4/21

v1.3.0

Released April 13, 2023


Changes since 1.2.10:

•Updated Motion & Lens blur models to new generalized Strong Sharpen model with less artifacts and greater slider sensitivity
•Thumbnails for all file types should now be displayed
•Updated ExifTool from 12.56 to 12.60
•Fixed not recommending Sharpen when blur was low, but preferences included low
•Sharpen now has minimum recommended slider values when enabled when Autopilot is on
•Autopilot will now enable Remove Noise and/or Sharpen when noise or blur is high even if Upscaling is on
•Fixed thumbnail tooltip showing values below their normal range
•Fixed exporting not working after a certain large amount of images
•Fixed various file size estimate issues
•Fixed hiding the file list making the app think it was not in batch mode
•Fixed issues with some text having poor margins
•Added ability to double click slider to reset to Autopilot value
•Added menu items for My Products under Account

[plugsnpixels]

It's Thursday so we are getting another build of Photo AI (details at end), so I want to remind everyone that Topaz is offering $40 off the latest Photo AI release through tomorrow, 4/21.



v1.3.1
Released April 20, 2023

"This week we have made a few small improvements to the Standard Enhance model. This should help fix various issues like occasional blurriness in bright regions, make it more robust to JPEG compression, and have more natural faces. Alongside this we have made some other improvements around the app including increasing thumbnail generation performance, updating close warning dialog logic, updated tooltips on thumbnails, and standardized some menu items, text, and buttons."

Changes since 1.3.0:

Improved Standard Enhance model
– Fixed blurriness that can occasionally happen in bright highlighted regions
– More robust to strong JPEG compression
– More natural faces
Added preference for enabling legacy Sharpen models
– Can be found under General tab in Preferences
Improved thumbnail hover tooltip
Changed logic for showing close image warning
Changed “Technical Support” Help menu item to “Support”, changed to link to our new Docs platform
Standardized done button when refining mask, selecting faces, or cropping
Added error message when dragging and dropping unsupported files
Fixed some large images not generating thumbnails
Fixed trackpad scrolling behavior in the update dialog
Fixed inconsistent capitalization of “RAW”
Fixed BMP not being importable from open dialog on Windows
Fixed blank space in export dialog caused by scrolling while exporting

[plugsnpixels]

"This week we have major changes surrounding the AI Engine. This is the portion of the app that runs the various filters and models. Specifically, there should now be various improvements to loading speed and stability in various circumstances as well as caching of preview tiles now which should make the preview experience better on slower machines. A list of various changes related to the engine can be found below. In order to support adding the engine we did have to temporarily pull back some of the straightening additions we made last week due to conflicts. We are looking into adding these back in better form later down the road.

Alongside those changes we also have tons of fixes which should improve stability in various sections of the app. This includes some crashes, freezing in the CLI, preview issues, metadata issues, and more."

v1.3.3
Released May 4th, 2023

Changes since 1.3.2:

Updated AI Engine
– Implemented caching of preview tiles to make preview more responsive on slower machines
– Improved model loading speed when stacking models
– Improved Autopilot accuracy
– Fixed lens correction and crop sizes on some RAW images
– Fixed CoreML GPU selection on some Intel Macs
– Fixed some ONNX related crashing issues

Updated to OpenImageIO 2.4.11.0
– Fixes PNG metadata and color issues

Added ability to select low confidence faces manually
Removed various straightening features temporarily
App will now clean thumbnails instead of leaving them in temp directory
Capture One plugin will now send canceled event when no images are saved
Added camera profile translation for Hasselblad X1D II 50C
Mac installer should now respect system theme
Added tpai to PATH on Mac
Fixed applying crop not working via Plug-in Extras in Lightroom
Fixed image processing errors causing the CLI to freeze
Fixed incorrect tooltips being displayed when closing an image while hovering thumbnails
Fixed switching images sometimes causing previous thumbnail to be copied onto new image
Fixed potential crashes surrounding writing images with the wrong size
Fixed order of drag and drop images being backwards
Fixed non-RAW images using MakerNotes EXIF data to determine crop
Fixed XMP files being shown as non-supported (avoids annoying error message when importing RAWs by selecting all in folder)
Fixed very large non-RAW images not generating thumbnails
Fixed some files with “.DNG” extension causing a crash on exit
Fixed potential crash in thumbnail writer
Fixed image previews being shown while exporting
Fixed preview image showing dark/desaturated after finishing or canceling an export
Fixed background of image view sometimes showing as grey when using light system theme
Fixed issue with camera profiles that would prevent select ones from loading correctly

[plugsnpixels]

v1.3.4

Released May 11th, 2023

Changes since 1.3.3:
•Added new v2 non-RAW Remove Noise models
: These will eventually replace the old models.
•Added camera profile for Galaxy Note 8
•Improved messaging in various auth states
•CLI will now preserve folder structure when using --recursive and --output
•Fixed CLI not respecting enhance Autopilot options
•Fixed downscaling not working
•Fixed exposure on S22 Ultra rear wide camera
•Fixed issue where unknown cameras would be prevented from saving
•Fixed crop not being correct on some RAW images
•Fixed crop issue when XMP was rotated 90 degrees clockwise
•Fixed crop issue when XMP crop used a different tag name
•Fixed “Could not read image” error messages not having any information

[plugsnpixels]

This week includes a lot of fixes around the app. Some big ones would be that Face Recovery should now fully work compared to 1.3.4. It should no longer skip improving faces depending on where you were previewing or what scale you are at. We’ve also resolved an issue where settings were being desynced which caused login information to not be saved between app instances.

Besides those two, we’ve also improved lots of phone camera profile mappings. This includes phones like Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 Pro which would save out invalid DNGs. We’ve also added mappings for dozens of Samsung phones, so those should be better supported by default now.

v1.3.5
Released May 18th, 2023

Changes since 1.3.4:

Fixed Face Recovery no longer recovering all faces in certain situations
Fixed issues that caused the login prompt to activate every launch due to settings desync
Fixed XMP sidecar files applying to non-RAW outputs
Fixed Pixel 6 and 7 Pro camera profiles not being used
Fixed various Samsung phone camera profiles
Fixed thumbnail tooltip not properly showing Remove Noise settings
Fixed escape key not letting you escape the preferences panel
Fixed Capture One plugin install not working if Capture One’s plugin folder was missing
Fixed some AI engine related crashes when using Remove Noise’s Strong model on Windows
Fixed app freezing when manually checking for updates fails
Fixed discrepancy between Autopilot’s displayed scale and the scale shown in the Upscale settings
Updated lensfun database
Autopilot will now recommend higher Sharpen Strong values
Changed lower limit of image scaling from 0.5 to 0.2
Fixed Face Recovery not properly caching faces when switching scales

Group shot attached is from a scan of a 1996 35mm negative, first color-corrected in Radiant Photo and treated with Photo AI 1.3.5

[plugsnpixels]

The latest Photo AI release is on sale at $40 off starting today through 6/16.

This week introduces a few model changes for Remove Noise and Sharpen. Remove Noise v2 models are now out of initial beta and will now be recommended by Autopilot. For Sharpen, the legacy models preference has been removed and the old models re-instated. We have tweaked Autopilot to recommend the Lens Blur Sharpen model in cases where we’ve found they should perform better. Likewise, Remove Noise v2 has had Autopilot updates as well.

v1.3.7
Released June 1st, 2023

Changes since 1.3.6:

Removed legacy models setting from preferences
Autopilot can now recommend the older Sharpen Lens Blur model again
Remove Noise v2 models have dropped their beta tag and are now recommended by default by Autopilot
Added Nvidia GPU models for Remove Noise v2 models
Changed close image shortcut to be Ctrl+W instead of Ctrl+F4 on Windows
Selecting Custom aspect ratio will now automatically unlock the aspect ratio while cropping
Fixed issue where only half of face would be recovered in some cases
Fixed Close Image shortcut only being able to close one image on Windows

Examples showing 4X upscale of lo-res DiffusionBee AI-generated image as well as face recovery of a vintage 1906 image, also at 4X.

[plugsnpixels]

Photo AI is on sale for $40 off through TOMORROW, June 16.

For this week we have taken the beta Remove Noise models out of beta. They will now replace the previous Normal and Strong models, and the old Strong is kept and re-labeled as Extreme.

In the background there was a large overhaul of the engine that runs the processing of images. We have not run into any new issues but if you run into strange behavior please let us know. There should not be much different for now but this allows us to more easily add stuff in the future. The main user-facing change this adds is that now exporting will use the cache if possible which should drastically speed up exports for images you’ve already previewed.

v1.3.9

Released June 15, 2023

Changes since 1.3.8:
• Remove Noise models are now out of beta.
◦ Strong is now Extreme
◦ Normal v2 and Strong v2 are now just Normal and Strong
• The app should now block the computer sleeping while process on Windows
• Uninstaller should now fully clean up all registry values on Windows
• Fixed Ctrl+W not closing the image the first time on Windows
• Mac installer will now request additional permissions to try to avoid installation issues when downloading models
• Appending model names to exported files will now include the scale information on Enhance
◦ For example, -enhance-1.5x when using scale 1.5, -enhance-1000w when using width = 1000, etc
• Fixed processing stopping when exporting runs into an error
• Added a new more specific error message if an image does not exist anymore when attempting to save

[plugsnpixels]

This week we have changed Face Recovery slightly so that it no longer also tries to enhance necks and clothing around the face. This should help in instances where collars or other clothing gets smoothed out.

We’ve also added two new preferences: One for sRGB preview fallback and one for checking low disk space. The sRGB preview fallback is disabled by default which is new behavior compared to 1.3.9. If you experience crashes when previewing you can try to enable that setting and see if it’s resolved. Keeping it disabled should help ensure your colors are accurate for your monitor. The second option for checking low disk space will check your free space available when processing. If it detects it is below certain thresholds it will give you a warning or error message. This does not stop the program in any way, but should let you know that stuff may start breaking if space gets too low. This currently does not apply to exporting due to limitations with free space checking on certain types of drives, but we hope to add this in the future.

There are also several other fixes as well.

v1.3.10
Released June 22nd, 2023

Changes since 1.3.9:

Face Recovery should now avoid modifying clothes
Fixed an issue that caused caching to work incorrectly
Changed preview to no longer use sRGB fallback
If you experience crashes, turn on sRGB Fallback under Preferences > General
Image reads can now be interrupted by trying to load another image
Known issue: If rapidly switching images you may still have to wait for it to catch up
Added warnings for low disk space when running models
If you experience performance issues, you can disable these checks under Preferences > General
Fixed a crash when canceling processing in certain cases
Fixed Lightroom Classic sometimes opening multiple Photo AI instances
If you still run into this let us know
Fixed a crash when initialization of models fails
Fixed “Could not run model” errors when engine cancels during processing
Note: This does not fix all cases

[plugsnpixels]

This week we have a handful of updates related to different cameras as well as some fixes for some annoying issues.
For general fixes, there should no longer be a large movement in the preview when zooming in/out for the first time. We’ve also fixed the Open Recents menu staying open after selecting an image on Windows, as well as adding an additional option to clear all recent files.

For cameras, we have added profiles for:
•Fujifilm X-S20
•Leica Q3
•Sony ZV-1M2

We have also updated profiles for:
•Canon EOS R50
•Canon EOS R8
•Google Pixel 2 XL
•Google Pixel 4a Rear Wide Camera
•Google Pixel 7a
•Nikon Z 8 (Does not fix unsupported image issues)
•Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Rear Super Telephoto Camera
•Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Rear Telephoto Camera
•Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Rear Wide Camera
•Samsung Galaxy S23+ Rear Telephoto Camera
•Samsung Galaxy S23+ Rear Wide Camera

On top of these profiles, DNG files with missing profiles should now no longer output invalid DNG files. We have additionally updated lensfun definitions to be up-to-date as of June 23rd.

v1.3.12
Released June 29, 2023

Changes since 1.3.11:

Updated lens correction files
Updated camera profile support for various cameras
Added fix for unsupported DNG files not creating valid DNGs
Added Clear Recent Files option under File > Open Recent
Renamed Detail to Refine Detail in Remove Noise and RAW Remove Noise
Fixed crop on certain RAW images
Fixed images with invalid orientation causing issues
Fixed zoom not being centered on first zoom in/out
Fixed Photoshop plugin not correctly storing settings
Fixed open recents menu staying open after selecting an image on Windows

[plugsnpixels]

This version includes a new text recovery model which can improve results of text in images, a re-design of the right panel controls, and long awaited support for Z9 High Efficiency compressed files. Improve the visual quality of text: The new Preserve Text filter specializes in making small or degraded text appear sharper and more natural than existing methods. It is also the first text enhancement AI model commercially available.

v1.4.0

Released July 6th, 2023

Note for MacOS users: The new minimum supported OS version is now 11.0 (Big Sur).

Changes since 1.3.12:

•Auth system internals changed to allow Alpha, Beta, and Release builds to use the same seat
•You may need to login again and claim seats from pre-1.4.0 versions
•Added preserve text enhancement
•Re-designed right panel
•Re-designed welcome screen
•Added support for Nikon’s High Efficiency compression
•Nikon Z9 High Efficiency compression support
•Fixes Z8 files that open incorrectly (Z8 files that use HE compression)
•When resizing the image, you may now specify pixels per inch or centimeter and how long each edge should be
•Access these options by clicking the “px” in the width or height text field. This setting will persist after closing the app.
•If inches or centimeters is selected, the resolution and resolution unit will be read from the image and written on export
•Optimized autopilot performance when re-running due to switching images or toggling upscale
•Changed font from Roboto to Inter, and updated various icons
•Right click and three dot menus should now automatically disappear if you move away from them
•Fixed Adobe Lightroom Classic Plug-In text being too big for the save button
•Fixed error when using LrC plug-in with LrC versions below 6 (noting that LrC 3.0 is still the minimum LrC version supported)
•Fixed face recovery sometimes changing the tone of the face
•Fixed CLI not allowing you to specify bit depth
•Fixed status bar sometimes indicating the wrong status when inside an edit mode
•Potential fix for toggles not updating for some users
•Updated lensfun

I find this update especially useful for enhancing genealogical-type documents, such as those found in lo-res online, as well as smoothing out text in general images.