What do you guys use from Topaz: DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI or both?
Best,
Mike
Best,
Mike
Denoise AI or Sharpen or both?
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I have used both over the last 2-3 months, so my experience is limited.
If I needed to choose only one of them, I would choose DeNoise AI, and I would miss it if it was no longer available.
If I needed to choose only one of them, I would choose DeNoise AI, and I would miss it if it was no longer available.
Robin
Well-known member
I may be an oddball here but I use Topaz Ai denoise on auto, then compliment it with Neat Image. Seems to work V well.
Both and gigapixel is pretty amazing when heavy cropping
I use both and for the right image they're pretty impressive tools. DeNoise AI is very good for high ISO and low light images and Sharpen AI is very good for dealing with moderate motion blur.
Just know that both take a lot of computing resources and aren't particularly fast even with a good graphics processor (GPU) and a lot of RAM. IOW, if you're working with an older computer or very big files (e.g. D850, Z7) then expect each image to take a couple of minutes or more to process with the Topaz tools.
Just tried DeNoise AI out - wow, really works much better than my doctoring in LR!
LR Noise filtering, my older image:
DeNoise AI newly processed
LR Noise filtering, my older image:
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DeNoise AI newly processed
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gbodave
Active member
Denoise AI because it also has a sharpening function.
FB101
Well-known member
I have both but probably use DeNoise AI > 90% of the time and Sharpening 10%. I am not a fan of some of the artifacts introduced by the stabilization and focus modules in some cases (not always, when they work it's almost like magic but I find them really hit or miss) - the straight sharpening module works fine but after applying DeNoise AI first, I can actually get to a result I prefer in LR over Sharpening AI
I use both as well. I always use DeNoise - if needed - immediately after adjusting highlights, shadows, whites and blacks in Lightroom. I only use Sharpen if needed towards the end of any processing, and find that the Stabilize mode often works the best.
I use DeNoise AI a bunch and Sharpen AI every now and then. DeNoise has a sharpen slider and Sharpen has a noise slider. They can both be processor intensive applications, on my i5 laptop DeNoise might take up to a minute to process an image from my Z6, my fast GPU equipped desktop might take less than 10 seconds. I will at times use DeNoise in auto mode and batch process several hundred files in auto mode when doing sporting events and it works very well for that purpose.
Topaz has a 1 month trial, so give them both a try and see which one works best for you.
Topaz has a 1 month trial, so give them both a try and see which one works best for you.
I have the whole package and think it is worth it. But, DeNoise is a 100% Must Have! It is truly amazing. Yes, Lightroom can do the same thing, but in my experience not as well, and NOT as easily for most of us.
I have been using GigaPixel AI to take old digital images from small .jpgs to 6 MB .jpegs and then converting them via .jpg to RAW and the results so far have been truly amazing.
I was shooting Tundra Swans at a very high auto ISO this evening (lots of noise!) and they are coming out great after DeNoise. I'll post some later.
I have been using GigaPixel AI to take old digital images from small .jpgs to 6 MB .jpegs and then converting them via .jpg to RAW and the results so far have been truly amazing.
I was shooting Tundra Swans at a very high auto ISO this evening (lots of noise!) and they are coming out great after DeNoise. I'll post some later.
Andy Work
Well-known member
I use both. Sometimes one works better than the other on certain photos.
I don't use either, but I'm now realizing I should. I have that NIK Define 2 - which is ancient
pochito
Active member
I know, a llittle off-topic... FWIW
I tested both AI Denoise and PL4 Deep Prime and am more satisfied with PL4 results.
I shoot only RAW, a must for Deep Prime.
Among other things I apply denoising first thing in my workflow. And optical corrections.
And also in my WF any sharpening comes somewhere afterwards.
As for AI Sharpen, I use it from PS on a different layer, in order to have more control, I'm wary of letting the program decide by itself only and I am more comfortable with the control mechanisms in PS than those from Topaz.
Now and then the program has crashed when I did some careless tweaking while it was computing
Just my two cents
I tested both AI Denoise and PL4 Deep Prime and am more satisfied with PL4 results.
I shoot only RAW, a must for Deep Prime.
Among other things I apply denoising first thing in my workflow. And optical corrections.
And also in my WF any sharpening comes somewhere afterwards.
As for AI Sharpen, I use it from PS on a different layer, in order to have more control, I'm wary of letting the program decide by itself only and I am more comfortable with the control mechanisms in PS than those from Topaz.
Now and then the program has crashed when I did some careless tweaking while it was computing
Just my two cents
Marcus Slade
Active member
I have been using both the last few months and pleased with the results. A couple of quick suggestions: for Denoise, consider setting up the comparison view with four panels of Original, Denoise, AI Clear and Low Light. These are the four modes and they can produce strikingly different results, depending on the nature of the shot you've pulled in. Digital artifacts may become more strident with some modes but it allows you to see which mode produces the most desirable results. FWIW, I have found Low Light and the main Denoise modes to be particularly effective.
Similarly, with Sharpen AI set up a four-way comparison view for each of Original, Stabilize, Focus and Sharpen with a 50%or 100% zoom factor on the focal area of interest in your frame to examine which mode is most desirable for your given picture. In my experience so far I have found each of Focus and Sharpen to produce the best results. I have had a couple of frames where Stabilize has been the mode of choice but its use has resulted in more digital artifacts appearing in the frame which, in turn, need to be further cleaned up.
Lastly here, though I tend to use Denoise more, but will also combine with Sharpen , I have found using Denoise first and then passing that corrected image through Sharpen AI produces better results. I suspect the logic is as simple as "don't sharpen the noise". Experimentation, trial and error will be needed but again, I'm finding these tools to be of tremendous value.
Similarly, with Sharpen AI set up a four-way comparison view for each of Original, Stabilize, Focus and Sharpen with a 50%or 100% zoom factor on the focal area of interest in your frame to examine which mode is most desirable for your given picture. In my experience so far I have found each of Focus and Sharpen to produce the best results. I have had a couple of frames where Stabilize has been the mode of choice but its use has resulted in more digital artifacts appearing in the frame which, in turn, need to be further cleaned up.
Lastly here, though I tend to use Denoise more, but will also combine with Sharpen , I have found using Denoise first and then passing that corrected image through Sharpen AI produces better results. I suspect the logic is as simple as "don't sharpen the noise". Experimentation, trial and error will be needed but again, I'm finding these tools to be of tremendous value.
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Yellowboard
Well-known member
I use Denoise AI when needed and I recently tried Sharpen with the 30 day free trial. I probably processed 200+ images through Sharpen and, for my eyes, it didn't add a lot to what I get with just Denoise AI. So I didn't purchase Sharpen but I think that Denoise is one of the best (after LR) processing apps there is.
I am starting to learn to use DeNoise and am more and more excited how well it works. I will rework over some of my older best images again, especially the low light ones I have. After DeNoise I have tried unsharp mask in PS but will also try Sharpen AI next. It is almost like having a new generation camera using this new software. Thank you for all of your input.
SNEDDERS6666
Active member
DeNoise AI has been a revelation to me for about the last five or six months. Amazing results most of the time.
arbitrage
Well-known member
I use DeNoise on every image. I've used Sharpen probably five times in the past year. I only use Sharpen for images that otherwise are unique but have just a bit of motion blur and are worth trying to rescue with Sharpen Stabilize setting. But for any properly focused shot I only use DeNoise.
I should note that I actually use the AI Clear tab of DeNoise and not DeNoise AI. I just prefer what AI Clear does over DNAI.
I should note that I actually use the AI Clear tab of DeNoise and not DeNoise AI. I just prefer what AI Clear does over DNAI.
Can you explain the difference?
Download the trial of the software before you buy and make sure it runs on your computer if you have any concerns about your computer's speed or graphic card.
I recently bought a new Dell desktop (tower) with an Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-10900 CPU @ 2.80GHz 2.81 GHz, 32 GB of RAM, and the NVIDA GeForce RTX 2060 and DeNoise flys with that! It also works on my HP laptop but not nearly as fast!
DeNoise also has a sharpening option, which seems to work well.
I recently bought a new Dell desktop (tower) with an Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-10900 CPU @ 2.80GHz 2.81 GHz, 32 GB of RAM, and the NVIDA GeForce RTX 2060 and DeNoise flys with that! It also works on my HP laptop but not nearly as fast!
DeNoise also has a sharpening option, which seems to work well.
James C.
Active member
I have DeNoise Ai, Sharpen AI, JPEG-to-RAW AI, Gigapixel AI, and (recently) Mask AI. I have used Sharpen and DeNoise for almost a year now and I would say that I use DeNoise about 85-90% of the time and Sharpen the other 10-15%. I really like that Topaz Labs has had several updates of both in the past year, and each update seems to make the programs a little better.
As mentioned by others here, Sharpen has some deNoise features, and DeNoise has some sharpening features. Since I photograph primarily birds, and Birds-in-Flight (BIF) with a D500 & Nikkor 200-500mm lens, I find that noise is the biggest issue. Especially at this time of year when we have fewer hours of daylight and I tend to shoot closer to "roosting" time in the mid-to late afternoon. Also, in the past 2 months, we've had a lot of cloudy days here in NJ which also cuts down on the light. Although I have my D500's maximum ISO set for 8,000 (deliberately to minimize noise) I still often want to "smooth out" the shot and DeNoise AI does a beautiful job!
DeNoise has 3 "Ai modes": DeNoise AI, AI Clear, and Low Light. Generally, I preview my photo using each and see which one looks best, and then do fine-tuning with the "Remove Noise" and "Enhance Sharpness" controls. Most times, this gives me the type of image that I'm looking for.
I have a growing appreciation for Sharpen Ai now, especially with distant birds, small songbirds, and BIF. Its 3 "AI Modes" are "Sharpen," Stabilize," and "Focus." I was amazed when I first started trying Stabilize and Focus modes. Initially, you might think that Sharpen is all that you need, but when I tried each, one after the other, I found that more often than not, it was Focus or Stabilize that my image REALLY needed! (And since I do all of my shooting handheld, these two modes are VERY useful.) Similar to DeNoise AI, there is a "Noise Suppression" and "Sharpness" control for fine-tuning, and some other controls that I haven't tried yet.
I should add that when using "Sharpen" mode you need to be aware and careful of the "Jaggies" that can occur in what would normally be smooth, straight lines; and also the white halo that I have noticed that can start to appear around objects if you sharpen too much!
Previewing each modes' results, I find to be very quick (i.e., about 3 seconds), BUT I have a 2019, 27" iMac with a 3.6 GHz i9 (8-core) processor, 24 GB RAM, a Radeon Pro Vega 48 graphics card with 8 GB of VRAM, and a 2 TB SSD. If you have a computer with lower specs, as mentioned above, you will probably have to wait longer to see each mode's preview results.
BOTTOM LINE: Topaz DeNoise AI AND Sharpen AI are two software tools that I think EVERY photographer should have in their toolbox!
As mentioned by others here, Sharpen has some deNoise features, and DeNoise has some sharpening features. Since I photograph primarily birds, and Birds-in-Flight (BIF) with a D500 & Nikkor 200-500mm lens, I find that noise is the biggest issue. Especially at this time of year when we have fewer hours of daylight and I tend to shoot closer to "roosting" time in the mid-to late afternoon. Also, in the past 2 months, we've had a lot of cloudy days here in NJ which also cuts down on the light. Although I have my D500's maximum ISO set for 8,000 (deliberately to minimize noise) I still often want to "smooth out" the shot and DeNoise AI does a beautiful job!
DeNoise has 3 "Ai modes": DeNoise AI, AI Clear, and Low Light. Generally, I preview my photo using each and see which one looks best, and then do fine-tuning with the "Remove Noise" and "Enhance Sharpness" controls. Most times, this gives me the type of image that I'm looking for.
I have a growing appreciation for Sharpen Ai now, especially with distant birds, small songbirds, and BIF. Its 3 "AI Modes" are "Sharpen," Stabilize," and "Focus." I was amazed when I first started trying Stabilize and Focus modes. Initially, you might think that Sharpen is all that you need, but when I tried each, one after the other, I found that more often than not, it was Focus or Stabilize that my image REALLY needed! (And since I do all of my shooting handheld, these two modes are VERY useful.) Similar to DeNoise AI, there is a "Noise Suppression" and "Sharpness" control for fine-tuning, and some other controls that I haven't tried yet.
I should add that when using "Sharpen" mode you need to be aware and careful of the "Jaggies" that can occur in what would normally be smooth, straight lines; and also the white halo that I have noticed that can start to appear around objects if you sharpen too much!
Previewing each modes' results, I find to be very quick (i.e., about 3 seconds), BUT I have a 2019, 27" iMac with a 3.6 GHz i9 (8-core) processor, 24 GB RAM, a Radeon Pro Vega 48 graphics card with 8 GB of VRAM, and a 2 TB SSD. If you have a computer with lower specs, as mentioned above, you will probably have to wait longer to see each mode's preview results.
BOTTOM LINE: Topaz DeNoise AI AND Sharpen AI are two software tools that I think EVERY photographer should have in their toolbox!
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I have both but use DeNoise by far the most. I find the sharpenAI app to be somewhat useful but honestly, a tiny bit of sharpening goes a very long way and it is really easy to overdo it with this app. If the image is out of focus, has motion blur or is not acceptable due to either focus or motion issues, the app isn't going to salvage it to a "printable" kind of use. If you have that photo in the middle of a dark forest of Sasquatch riding a unicorn chatting with a leprechaun then maybe it may make it so you could share it.
On the other hand, I find the DeNoise tool to be quite useful. Just my personal experiences and preferences. Others may have wildly different experiences.
On the other hand, I find the DeNoise tool to be quite useful. Just my personal experiences and preferences. Others may have wildly different experiences.
Not A Speck Of Cereal
Well-known member
I use both. I do not use the sharpening on DeNoise (but I usually keep it at "1" without turning on Night mode). In night scenes, I use a touch of color noise reduction and it works nicely. The thing to watch in DeNoise is loosing / mushing-up of shadow details. Be sure to preview there and don't be afraid to take the settings down a notch (then preview highlights again to find out that you still have more than enough noise reduction).
I use Sharpen AI for but never use the noise reduction in that. And I almost never use the Stabilize / Focus modes, they they have come in handy on the rare occasion.
Chris
I use Sharpen AI for but never use the noise reduction in that. And I almost never use the Stabilize / Focus modes, they they have come in handy on the rare occasion.
Chris
I am primarily a bird photographer. As @Steve taught me in his noise reduction using LR and PS videos I first try to eliminate the need to use NR in camera. I find the texture slider more useful for me than the clarity slider for basic sharpening then most of the time need to use nothing more than the Light Room masking slider in the sharpening section of the detail panel. If I need to go beyond that I use about 24 luminance noise reduction and then crank up the detail to about 86 (I have a preset put together for that). I have Topaz DeNoise AI and have used it less than 6 times and only on important to me images that needed more de noise help the auto worked well with some fine tuning as mentioned by others. I did try the Topaz Sharpen DI but just did not find that I got beyond what I could do with LR for my purposes.