Topaz Sharpen AI - [BEST sharpening software or is it?]

Is Topaz Sharpen AI the best sharpening software?
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[RTFM]

Thanks Peter, I tried the trial for 30 days and was very impressed so will be purchasing it. I have already bought De-Noise which works really well. As you said it’s pretty slow, especially on older computers. You need a high spec computer with a good GPU to make it process faster.

[ridealongwithrandy]

I setup Denoise AI, and Sharpen AI as an external editor in Lightroom, and can choose it from lightroom in the edit pull down menu.

[SergioFrydmanRoberg]

Sou do Brasil.Gostei do seu vídeo e do seu canal!

[cornishblue]

I think all the Topaz solutions are good, and if you buy as a package, excellent value. You do have to be patient, as I am using a 12 month old MacBook Pro and it does take a while to resolve photos. But I find all of the different programmes really good. And the customer support is spot on 👍

[sctm]

I have landscape photos where the recovered shadow detail is not sharp. Im hoping this tool will help

[hpeterh]

I made good experience fixing motion blur. I took an image handheld at 1/20 s and 560mm (Olympus 100-400+mc14)
There was some camera shake motion blur - not too much thanks to image stabilization - and Topaz automatically recognized and fixed it.
I think the secret is, *the image should not have previous sharpening.* If the previous sharpening created artifacts, then sharpen AI tries to sharpen these.
I developed in DXO and turned the lens sharpen option in DXO off and sharpened the result in Topaz sharpen AI.
The result was flawless. Also the motion blur option is faster than the other options. It removes chromatic aberration and noise too.

[ianyorke]

CPU plateaued several years ago. Software is increasingly using the power of the GPU, if you have one, to speed up processing particularly for AI, eg DXO-Photolab DeepPrime. When specifying a computer it is now wise to include a decent GPU if you can afford it. I use Topaz, DXO etc with a desktop that includes a Nvidia 2070 and previews, processing etc is totally acceptable.

[rudolfabelin]

Hi Peter!
Do you know what CPU and GPU you used in your test?

[BobShrader]

Thanks for this, Peter. Topaz Sharpen AI includes a masking function, allowing you to target the corrections. Even though it's slow, Sharpen AI is the best sharpening tool I've tried. One annoying feature of these new Topaz AI apps: When running them, there's often a popup for an update download -- sometimes in the middle of an important project. Following complaints, Topaz seems to have added an option to limit the frequency of the updates.

[mhaagmans]

One reason to use this software you didn't mention Peter (and it's the most important one for me) is images that have to be cropped heavily due to distance to subject. I am a bird photographer. And then there is our puny (by today's standards) sensor. Have you tried DxO? It's got good reviews. Thanks and keep up the good work. --Martin

[romainprovost]

Do you test ON1 Portrait Ai 2021 or Topaz Jpeg to raw ? Thanks :)

[MrHasherd]

Thanks Peter, more good reporting. Does it work with jpeg files.

[romainprovost]

For me Topaz Sharpen do the same as Denoise AI (it reduces noise but also applies sharpness).

[Swaggerlot]

I paused your vid and downloaded. Yes it is a bit slow, both to download and use. I'll do more testing, but on one image it performed no better that Olympus Workspace desharpen mask. However, I'll have to look at it closer as its not a Microsoft Paint hah ha!

[AnandaSim]

I Sharpen AI - yes agree it makes improving out of focus or motion blur / camera shake very easy for anyone, does not require high Photoshop skills. And also agree, it is superb for social media, I don't print so I have not tested. With regard speed, a computer with a separate GPU (I have a notebook with a low range nVidia GPU) dramatically improves performance compared to a computer with only Intel GPU.

[rhiwderinraytube]

Hi Peter
All Topaz software is SLOW. Gigapixel typically takes 3 minutes per photo! It is all a matter of whether you think the software is worth the price of adjusting a poor photo.

[blindsouris]

When I hear AI I load my old gun... :-) What percent of amateurs are printing big? Even printing at home?

[Fitzrovialitter]

Sharpen AI or Sharpen BS? I think the latter.