BEST Software to Fix Blurry Photos? Top 6 Compared!

What’s the best tool to fix blurry photos? In this video, we compare the top 6 software and platforms to sharpen extremely blurry portraits and photos. From old noisy images to recovering out-of-focus areas, we will test it all. We‘ll also discuss which one is the best and learn a Photoshop trick to colorize black and white images. I hope this video helps. Thanks so much for watching :)

► TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:39 Topaz Photo AI
02:43 Remini
04:35 Fotor
05:44 Luminar Neo
07:19 On1 NoNoise AI
08:00 Canva
09:09 The Main Comparison
09:53 Image 1 - Noisy Old Photo
11:42 Image 2 - Slight Portrait Blur
14:43 Image 3 - Missed Focus Portrait
16:03 Colorizing the Photo
16:19 Which is the Best?

► SOFTWARE AND TOOLS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

► RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE & CREATIVE RESOURCES:

► DOWNLOADS:

► LET'S CONNECT:

[ninjatogo]

In Topaz, you can use the Photo Enhance tool with a 1X scale to let the application apply an upscale and then downscale it back to the original resolution. This lets the application draw additional details during the upscale, but squash them down to improve the appearance of fine detail like skin pores and fabric. It's like a little touch of extra seasoning to the edit.

[CoolhandLukeSkywalkr]

In a world of bs YouTubers, this guy is helpful and polite. Breathe of fresh air. Personally, I use Topez along with many other programs to edit photos.

[Seafox]

This is very interesting and helpful! The trouble is with the apparently 'better' processors they are actually just replacing facial parts with AI derived 'cut and paste's from a database - presumably 'morphing' the shapes into place driven by whatever key lines the algorithm can pull out of the original image. So whilst the result is pleasing to the eye (generally) the result is an impression or likeness only of the original. The real proof of how good these algorithms are is in how they treat non-structured areas of an image, for example the areas that appear abstracted to the human eye - like the blurry transition of hair to the background in the 1st photo. The AI models failed on the detailed jewellery for the same reason - essentially not able to workout the three-dimensionality of the abstracted textures. If it was a 2d surface texture not in perspective they (the AIs) would probably be able to replace with a closer facsimile. So it would seem the job of a good photo-retoucher is still secure for high-end commercial work.

[patrickmcsweeney]

I have found the Photo Restoration filter in Photoshop Beta can be very effective, especially if the photo has scratches or creases. Topaz is outstanding for facial recovery. In some photos I recover the faces in Topaz Photo AI and then process in the PS Restoration filter, turning off the recover faces slider. The combination can have great results. Batch processing in Topaz has been a great addition to the software.

[georgp]

I would love to see a test where you take a sharp imagine, blur it (or decrease the resolution) and then try to restore it. So we can compare how close it looks to the original "ground truth". When I tried to upscale faces of people that I know, a lot of these tools created something that doesn't look like these people at all. Just because the image looks sharp and high quality, doesn't mean anything. Obviously the software has to invent detail at some point, but some tools do a better job at this than others.

[bujjibabu]

No doubt this is one of the best videos you have ever made. This video is useful for everyone. 🙏Thanks and hope to make another video like this.

[segercliffhanger]

For me, it's the same. Topaz is a professional tool. I use it often. It has its quirks. But generally, it understands what you're getting at. So, it will not produce teeth(?!) out of nowhere. Spooky and silly. So yeah, I completely concur with you and how you approach these AI's. Fotor, by the way, is a great tip for deep-restoration. Really happy with that find :). Tnx!

[premierdesignsolutionsllc]

I use Topaz and I'm absolutely satisfied with it (after I upgraded my computer... replaced the graphic card and with that also the PSU and now it works perfectly)

[BURTBROWN]

I'm a HUGE fan of Topaz and this comparison is excellent.Yes, Remini did an excellent job in some areas of the images, but pretty much fell down in others. Maybe future versions will improve that. The price of Remini might be fine for Pros who do a lot of retouching for big bucks, but for a little guy like me... IT'S LOL!!!

[rrijnders]

with Topaz you have to check what selection it made for "faces" and "subject" to see what it will act on (sharpen, noise removal). You can adjust those selections, as well for better results.

[BrianJHall-wlbf]

Thank you - I have learned so much from you - never long-winded BS - just to the point. Also, on your tutorials you give us the reasons - the foundations why you do something. You have made me a pro in portrait editing! Thanks again!

[mtnrconcept]

You are the best youtuber of all. Really sweet, good tips, smiling, and speak really well !

[alno]

Holy shit, you're almost at 5m subscribers. And look at your sweet studio!
I remember when you were so much smaller but I suppose everyone can appreciate your efforts.
Good for you!

[sadepennbrook]

Your videos keep my anxiety down for whatever reason.

[eirikopedal]

Topaz sometimes performs better in their other apps for this. Topaz Denoise or Topaz Gigapixel. I hope Photo AI versions in the future will improve on skin texture. What I love about Photo AI is the speed and easy user interface. The full Topaz package has been so useful for me. The Video Ai is great also

[xsleep]

In 2022 I edited some old photos with Remini. It did okay but since they seem to replace features, especially the eyes, with AI generated images I ended up with some photos where the person was not recognizable as that person. Last summer I started using Topaz Photo (after being impressed with Topaz Video). The results seem more natural. Since Remini just deals with the face it sometimes looks like the subject is wearing a mask.

[phojoegraphy]

Thank you for your hard work. Very interesting comparison. It looks like different approaches - everything but Topaz is perhaps using a generative AI to make what it thinks is there and matching it as best as possible to the original whereas Topaz is trying to work with the pixels it has in the original image.

[ArnaudMEURET]

These “defects” (noise and blur) look unnatural. Did you in fact start from quality photos and degrade them artificially? In which case I’d say it gives an unrealistic edge to the algorithms. Next time use actually worn out or bad photos.

[peacenloveforall]

I have not tried topaz in a while. I will try it again. Remini is my favourite. I mostly use it as final touch. What I do like is you can take the final touch and if it is too much you can simply lower the opacity to get just the right amount. All that said, I don't like the price because I don't use it enough to justify the high cost, so I will work it using the phone version, then mail it to my desktop. lol

[alejandrortorres]

I'm gonna have to go with Topaz overall, but yeah, maybe combining with Fotar. I agree. Thanks for a very useful comparison.