The best thing about discovering that you were wrong about something is the moment where you discover what's right! Thanks for sharing that moment with us. Much appreciated!

At least you are humble and honest enough to admit you were wrong sir. You get a pass in my book!...but know that what you say goes with me and a lot more people....👍

Topaz has been on my list of things to get around to, and this video convinced me to finally make it happen. I used your code and got the bundle. And now I have to revisit all the old photos I've taken to see if I can salvage any good compositions that I had rejected because they were too soft or out of focus. I'm both excited and overwhelmed by that. :D Thanks for making great video, Matt.

Just made my best buy---Topaz Denoise AI--- Shot a wedding yesterday, in a dark church and it was fairly dark at the party...Camera ISO between 3600-12800 (no flash was allowed) TopazDeNoise AI really saved me on this shoot for a fraction of the payment

Welcome to the club, Matt 😀 For me Denoise and Sharpen AI have become an essential part of my wildlife workflow long ago. Without them, my keeper rate would be significantly lower because I don't like to post noisy or blurry images. I'm shooting Olympus, mostly with focal lengths of 820/1200mm (full frame equiv) so camera shake is a major issue here, despite of image stabilization. Topaz plugins work like magic, it's just like a major cam + lens upgrade in terms of IQ. BTW, Dave Kelly - the Joy of Editing is a great source for in-depth tipps and tricks for Topaz. He has a video that shows how to use both Denoise and Sharpen on the same photo to get maximum results.

On a real estate photo of a three story bay house that I edited yesterday the exterior first floor of a full house shot was very noisy in the darker recessed open areas below the house. After editing, I sent it over to Denoise AI and the results were literally stunning, even on auto. The Gigapixel AI gives you very good results when you have to do a major crop and need some more resolution. Sharpen AI is simply a game changer for some photos. I have become a solid proponent of the Topaz AI softwares.

Hoi Matt, From the Netherlands: This video is exact wat I have experiment in the last weeks. I was not very happy with my photo’s I made with my Canon 7Dmk2. I bought the Canon R7 and I was still not happy with the results (noise and sharpnes). Now I discovered Topaz tools and WOW. I’am very happy with the kwality. Also older pixtures are now as I hopen to make them, Sharp and no Noise. Thans to the Topaz tools Sharpening and Denoise. Greetings Rob Stevens

A real craftsman/woman does not fall in love with their tools, but is always looking for better ones. Good for you! Besides my current photos the Topaz sharpen and noise tools have rescued lots of early digital images and scores of scans of prints and slides taken decades ago. Folks should be patient while learning these apps. It is not difficult at all, but for me it took awhile to really develop some finesse in using these new tools.

NR has improved greatly outside of what Lightroom has to offer. LR's noise reduction can be "good" but some of these products (I feel) are a tad bit better in some instances, especially when it comes to high ISO images (like those that exhibit a lot of luminance noise), and the biggest difference is detail retention when applying higher amounts of NR. Again, LR does a decent job, but if you have to push the NR slider higher (like past 40 or 50) you start to lose detail. Some of these other programs and plug-ins (I use DXO PhotoLab's built-in DeempPrime myself) do wonders for high ISO images, and retain more detail than LR would have. So there are some better options, and it's helpful to have one or two extra plug-ins in the toolbox for certain things. If it's light noise, then I just stay in LR most times because it's OK if I can keep NR reasonable (say under 30 on the NR sliders) but if I have to go higher, I tend to send it over to DXO to take care of (or I will start with DXO and then send a DNG back and finish up RAW processing that way). (I had DeNoise from Topaz but felt DXO was better when someone suggested I try their DeepPrime technology and so I don't use DeNoise for noise reduction anymore; plus I had some issues early on when the Nikon Z cameras were relased that it couldn't read uncompressed RAW although that has been fixed I think, along with random issues reading TIF files generated by Topaz, in LR Classic).

Thank you Matt. Nothing wrong with being wrong; a lot right about saying so. I took your advice, gave Topaz Sharpen a whirl and bought it. It is pretty amazing.

I’ve been using Denoise AI for a little over a year now and have been really amazed at not only how well it gets rid of the noise, but also with the extra sharpening it adds. I recently downloaded and am evaluating Sharpen AI, and so far the jury is still out on that one. But I share your enthusiasm for Denoise for sure!

You convinced me, just paid for mine!

Thanks Matt. The advantage of the specialty softwares over Photoshop is that they analyze the photo at the pixel by pixel level. Adjustments are made in thousands of locations in the photo. You just can't do that with Photoshop. I truly think that these programs bring out more detail from the raw file that the raw editor failed to convert. Now also the new AI programs (still glitchy, but improving) work to add detail that is missing by creating it. It is an interesting time to be a photographer.

Great video Matt. I've always done about 50/50 wildlife & landscape. A couple of years back I saw Anthony Morganti saying how good Topaz DeNoise AI was, but it wasn't until I saw one of our best bird photographers (Georgina Steytler) here in Australia talking about it that I decided to give it a go, and it's definitely been a game-changer for me too. Having said that, I usually set an upper ISO limit of 4500 on my Nikon D7500 - beyond this, images can sometimes look a little 'plastic'. Haven't tried the AI Sharpening yet but I might have to now!

Great video. I agree with your assessments and love Topaz Sharpening - been a photo saver on many occasions. However, when it comes to the noise reduction / elimination I was less impressed by the Topaz solution and recently started to use the DxO Pure RAW with the "DeepPrime" tool. I think this does a much better job and has really blown me away with how effective it is. Well worth you reviewing this tool as well.

Welcome to the Topaz family. I'm also part of the DXO family because for some of my images I need to compare if DX0 Prime or Topaz will give me the result I'm trying to get. A nice thing about both products is that I can run the raw files through them first and then post process. I like having the option of doing it before or after post processing.

Excellent tutorial. Not too much, not too little, just right! I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Topaz's software and they are REALLY on the ball when you it's comes to customer service.

Wow! Excellent results, and a real flip for these products!

Thanks for sharing your opinion on Topaz DeNoise AI. I have been purchased the entire Topaz package and have been using it since you posted this video. It does a great job of getting rid of the noise without compromising detail.

Thanks for this video, I have been using Topaz DeNoise for about a year and though I haven't really gotten a good workflow yet, I have found it to be very useful for increasing my keeper rate after any photo walk or event.

Don't worry we have all sinned and come short of the glory of Topaz Labs (starting using them Spring of last year)

I have been using Topaz Denoise but recently switched from ON1 to DXO Photolab 4 and find that DXO Deep Prime results are better than Topaz Denoise and it's much faster.

I agree, Topaz spanks Adobe in this arena. Sharpen AI has blown my mind many times and Gigapixel AI is amazing too. I haven't used DeNoise but definitely will when the need arises.

Is there a preferred process order? Sharpen vs DeNoise. Thanks for all your help.

Good video, Matt. One thing to note is that Sharpen AI will sometimes leave strange artifacts in odd places in the photo. Fortunately, the masking feature will permit removal of sharpening in these areas..

Have had exactly the same experience with DeNoise you describe. The results - especially given the simplicity - is pretty amazing

Thanks Matt. Same basic story for me, started with landscape and now 50/50 landscape and wildlife (primarily birds in flight). Started using Topaz three years or so ago and have never looked back. I also use Gigapixel AI to upsize tight crops, worth the time and effort based on my results. FYI I shoot with a Nikon D850 w Nikon 200-500 lens. Thanks always for sharing, much appreciated.

The new DXO Pure RAW tool which was introduced two days back with deep prime also works really good on raw images.

Apology accepted, Matt ;) I was using Topaz DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI up until DxO released PhotoLab 4 with DeepPRIME noise reduction. I’ve consistently had better results with DxO since then. I always had an issue with funky grid like artifacts on low light, high ISO images with DeNoise AI. Now DxO have released PureRAW the process is even easier.

Great results. I'm on an older PS (cannot use Topaz), one thing I do is use oilpaint at low settings (0.5 to 1 on the top two settings, and zero shine) followed by sharpening, and repeat. This can move the noise in the direction of the grain/structure in the image. It is useful if used in moderation, but probably cannot compete with the Topaz results.

Thanks Matt! Good info! The technology moves so fast today. I got my first IBM compatible computer at work I think about 1984. 640K of RAM and a 10mb hard drive with a color monitor and I loved it. It was perfect for Lotus 123. We have come a long way! More to come!

Glad to see that I am not the only one having focus problems with wild life.

Tried it. It did a good job in landscapes, super sharp, no artifacts or hallos. And it cleans up noise very well too.

I love photographing Osprey, but hand holding the camera(heavy) most often left me disappointed with the photos. Met a random fellow photographer on the beach who recommended Topaz. Really pleased with the results. Thanks for the info here. I kind of felt like I was ‘cheating’, but my photos are only for me,so I want them as good as I can get. 😉

Yes, I agree! Topas does a very, very good job! I tried so much DeNoise programs. But Topas Denoise is a game changer for me.

Hard to admit when you're "wrong" but we all learn from new experiences! Thanks for the update, Matt!

For noise reduction you now need to try DXO-Photolab Elite. The DeepPrime noise reduction beats Topaz denoise, I have both, and works on the raw file during demosaicing. DXO applies capture sharpening variably across the frame to match the lens sharpness characteristics, ie less sharpening in centre compared to edges. You can even use your LR dcp colour profile if you like. Send the lens corrected, capture sharpened and denoised DNG to LR/PS for final editing.

I have been using Topaz products for a long time . You should also try Topaz Gigapixel Ai on your crops .Also ..to get the best out of Denoise Ai and Sharpen Ai turn off all sharpening and noise reduction in Lightroom or ACR before using the Topaz products . Anthony Morganti has great advice on using the Topaz products as does Dave Kelly

Good to hear your results. I’ve started using it too!

Thank You. I have seen several proclaim the benefit of Topaz DeNoise. Never committed to that until now. I had a suite of Topaz products years ago. The denoise they had then did suit me. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Matt! I appreciate your honesty. I have been using both Sharpen AI and Denoise AI for the last year for my wildlife photography. I agree the results are amazing.

Thanks Matt. I was 100% where you were before you tried DeNoise (transition to wildlife, high ISO noise and trying to justify my LR/Ps workflow etc - I can hear myself going through the self same questioning 😂). Plus for me, my 8 year old iMac wasn’t up to handling some of the newer AI technologies anyway. However, having just upgraded my Mac, watching your video again was very timely. I can now start to look at the options out there and, still wanting to maintain the simplest possible workflow, the question for me now is which one to go for?

We all do mistakes, but the way we solve them is really not up to everyone. Your work is outstanding as your character. Cheers

I was on the fence about Topaz. I will do their trial period and see how it might improve a few of my images. Thanks for your honesty and review.

So glad you found my secret weapons. (although it seems everyone is now lol) I have found DeNoise to be amazing at denoise and ok at sharpening. Sometimes it over sharpens the image. Sharpen AI is simply amazing at recovering what would be a lost image and it just OK at denoise. I was using DeNoise for sometime and stumbled upon Sharpen when I took some company headshots and one group image. The girl in the back left never stopped moving. Not one image was clear of her and I didn't catch it before I left so I couldn't even photoshop her head in. I downloaded SharpenAI and masked her, as noone else needed it, and boom she was fine. If you zoomed in 1:1 and knew what to look for you could see some work was done to her but it sure saved my ass on that shot. I've since used it on a few wildlife shots that I just missed the settings for one reason or another and I'm just blown away with what it can pull out of it's hat. I haven't figured out which is best to use first if I need great denoise and great sharpening done. Still experimenting on that.

I've got both, but I just use "auto" for every photo because I'm not really sure what each slider is actually doing. Could you do a tutorial about DeNoise and Sharpen to help demystify it a bit? And do you use both on the same photo or just pick one?

Just bought it using your code, thanks Matt! Boy you were right, outstanding plug-in. I’ve already been using Topaz Denoise Ai for a while and love it too.

Trialled both the Topaz DeNoise AI and sharpen. Eventually purchased the DeNoise as I shoot a lot of sports in low light and it is certainly a game changer!

Thanks Matt. I also use Topaz. I’m selective with my use of their sharpen ai. It sometimes works but often creates it’s own funky artifacts. I saw that effect on the anhingas in the example you used. Still, it’s sometimes very handy.

I did an evaluation on these myself and was very impressed. I decided to make the purchase using your code. Unfortunately there is no longer anyway to enter the code and I had to pay full prices.

Matt. Have you discovered a Topaz workflow for the best results? 1.) ISO noise, hand held and major crop. Which order? DeNoise, Sharpen and then Gigapixel? ISO noise and hand held: DeNoise and then Sharpen? Thanks Mike

Thank you very much, Matt. I don't do too much wildlife photography, but I'm a happy user of some Topaz plugins sice one year ago or so. It's always nice to know that an expert like you is happy with Topaz too.

I've been debating on getting these you have now helped me decide, thanks Matt

I agree. I’ve been using Topaz for a couple of years. In my opinion, worth every penny. I only use it for a small percentage of my photos but the results are worth it because I end up with photos I am proud to share. And Topaz keeps improving its software.

Just came across your vlog while trying to decide on Topaz Noise vs Sharpening as in which one to buy. Which one do you think I should buy? Also, want to commend you on the succinct and logical way in which you explain things. Well done and you now have another follower.

I agree 100%. I just discovered Topaz about six months ago.

I ran the Trail version on just a couple of problem images with RAW inside LR-CC and JPG stand-alone, and I'm sold. Thanks Matt, I'm not usually a fan of plug-ins but this is slick and easy.

Welcome to the world of TopazDenoiseAI. It's an amazing program that has saved many many of my images from the trash heap. I also tried SharpenAI and while it does work well, I decided not to buy it. I feel the sharpening offered by the DeNoise program is quite good so it's the only Topaz product I use. Because I'm usually shooting in low light and high ISO I use it on almost every image.

It is the same story with GigaPixel. Topaz makes great tools and I use them. Good presentation. I do tend to monitor your comments.

Thanks for the vid. I concur. The results from DeNoise and Sharpen AI can be exceptionally good. It seems DeNoise is more consistent as Sharpen AI is good but not magic with some blurry images. Morganti sold me on it. :-)

Hi Matt, I have been using Topaz DeNoise ai and Sharpen Ai since they came out and I am still amazed each time I have to use them, also no other company responds as quickly to bugs and continuously updates their software so regularly.

Thanks so much.... wow what a difference using Topaz

Matt, I also have used Topaz Ai. S and D. Love them both; you verify my 👍 of Topaz. Thanks

This is why, I appreciate your way. Honest and humble.. I’m not going to jump over it coz I use another one and I’m still landscaper but I like the video.

I came to the same conclusion regarding Topaz AI. I’d tried using it a couple years ago but found the results made my photos look painterly. But now with the recent improvements, I’m a fan.

That's actually incredible.

I use Affinity Photo. RAW photos go into the Develop persona first where changes are permanent. I might do simple changes, crop and move into the Photo Persona, similar to PS. Before I make any changes I submit my photo to the Filters/plugins, be it Sharpen or Denoise Ai. I photograph BIFs. Both filters allow masking. It usually detects and masks the bird. You can ADD or Remove details with edge awareness. You can mask other areas that you want sharpened. Apply the mask. Select what kind of sharpening you want. I usually start with Sharpen, Automatic. The program "speeds along' because you have limited the areas to enhance. When I do not mask, the fans in my video card go into overdrive. If I am satisfied, then I select apply and wait. If you had selected the Heron in your photo, everything else would have stayed untouched. I have a photo of 2 white ibises perched together. DOF at F/8 did not bring the farthest Ibis in focus. I did a regular Sharpen Ai and the ibis in front was tack sharp. I duplicated that sharpened photo and submitted to Sharpen Ai, I masked the distal Ibis and the program did it's magic. Both Ibises were very sharp. Some people say that you need the whole photo so that the program has more data to help along. As far as I know Ai just deals with your subject. No extraneous data that does not involve your subject is necessary. One of the great things with this software is that you can improve your subject and leave the background alone. BTW DeNoise is sometimes better than Sharpen Ai. This program has improved my photography tremendously. My Sigma C 150-600 is soft at the long end, 660 mm. No more! Thanks for the video Matt. Perhaps we will run into each other in our beautiful Tampa Bay.

Wow crazy good surprising results. Good stuff Matt

Topaz denoise is very good. I have used sharpen and it's alright. Best to nail focus in camera though

Awesome video Matt. I too have resisted getting Topaz for the same reason--belief that LR and PS would/should get you to the same place...but clearly doesn't. What I do have is the NIK bundle, so before jumping in with Topaz I need to check out the additional tools I already have (but seldom use). And thanks again for the nudge--and the great comparisons you showed! Jon

Have been using Denoise and Sharpen Al for about a year now and have never looked back. Have also recently invested in Gigapixel Al.

Glad to see you've found how good they are.

I’m using Topaz and it’s amazing! It works for Aps-c like switching to full frame - one can pump up ISO at least for 2 stops still having usable picture at the end

No prob, Matt. I too have made 1 or 2 mistakes in life....ok, maybe 3. What's your take on Topaz Photo AI? I dig it, but DxO PL6 blows 'em all away on darker high iso pix. Waiting for that smooth iso 100 sun to come out here in Washington...respect, fam.

I have used both Denoise and Sharpen for several months and like them a lot

You may be due for another revelation about the limitations of Adobe products. When I got my Canon 90D, I found that Canon's software, DPP4, does a much better job of opening raw files including diffraction correction, color processing, and noise reduction/sharpening. I would think Topaz would do better with NR/sharpening but DPP4 does quite well with just the default settings. I do not know if this pertains to Sony, Nikon or other brands but for Canon I have given up on Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom. It was easy to incorporate DPP4 in my workflow and the results are definitely worth it.

Welcome to Team Topaz Matt. I have been using Topaz products for years and have loved them. The new Denoise AI is out of this world awesome and I use it on all my wildlife images.

I really appreciate this video. Your admission and then public acceptance of the available technology to improve your results is refreshing. Im going to go back and look at some "borderline" shots. Ive got Topaz DeNoise and don't even use it. I'm going to get Sharpen and try it out. Thanks

As a wildlife photographer shooting Canon 1DX mkiii with a 20.1 MP sensor I also use Gigapixel AI for when I need to print large images for clients. Both DeNoise AI and Gigapixel AI they are awesome for wildlife photographers. Typically, I try to keep my gigapixel to 4X or under and carefully check for artefacts. May purchase the sharpen AI after seeing this.

Thanks for the tips! I love both Topaz DeNoise and Sharpen. But prepare to have your mind blown again, Matt, because DxO PureRAW is superb. PureRAW does a better job every time on noise than Topaz DeNoise (less blur/smudge, cleaner, sharper, more convincing), has a simpler workflow, and outputs a nice DNG to work on in Lightroom, Capture One, etc. (instead of the Topaz-recommended TIFF). Don't worry, you can still add that extra sharpness magic with Topaz Sharpen.

Welcome to the party. Topaz has saved some of my early photos. Glad I didn't delete them.

And the best thing about the Topaz apps is what we'll soon see from Adobe. Seems Adobe knows they have to keep up or be left behind, so they are now responsive to competition. Think about the sky replacement response to Skylum and the upscaling response to Topaz's Gigapixel AI. Both processes were available in Ps -- I used them before either of the other apps came out -- but they were cumbersome and difficult. By the end of this year, Photoshop will release an update with an automated sharpen process to compete with Topaz's Sharpen AI, and the next Lightroom will include improved denoise. Will they be as good? We'll see. Even Sharpen AI isn't perfect. It can create horrendous, image-ruining artifacts in some scenes, particularly cityscapes and architectural with artificial lines. Thanks for a nice video demonstration, Matt.

Matt, thanks for this video. I recently purchased a high megapixel camera which are known to pick up more noise. I was an the edge as to when to get Topaz DeNoise and Sharpen, but you have prompted me to go forth.

Thanks Matt, I have been using Topaz Denoise for years, I have found nothing close. The jury is still out on Topaz Sharpen.

Very happy you jumped aboard .Topaz is good been using it for years. I also use DXO but that's for another discussion.

It’s too bad their customer service is AWFUL. I bought a license at a conference, it never worked - wrote them, opened a support ticket; ZERO response. But here’s the problem, they have no way to contact them otherwise.

Hi Dear Matt. I bought both Topaz Denoinze and Topaz Sharpening. They are amazing. They are built on AI and I use both a lot, when necessary. It worth, for me the price, which is not low at all.

I use Topaz AI and Sharpen all the time. For me, they are awesome, and I use auto over 90% of the time. On top of that I throw in Luminar AI in between. Opinions will vary, but I love them. FYI, still use Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 for black and white. Like Matt said, give them a try. Only costs time.

Try DXO pure raw...DXO Prime noise reduction is a smidge better.

I had my doubts but your opinion matters on this topic

I shoot Sony rx 10 Mark 4 and I utilize topazes package, sharp,giga,Denoise. And I have to say it really helps me look like a pro most of the time. Love to move to full frame one day but with gigapix no need.

Awesome ! ! I've been wondering about Topaz for a while thinking it was just commercial hype. I've got some spectacular night shots with my EVO II Pro that suffer from luminance noise and just need a little help. Thanks for this demo ! !

I have been using Topaz denoise software and it is indeed really good....I agree with you on this. But i have been careful to avoid over sharpening using the software as one can really get carried away ....

I'm probably not the first to recommend you try Dxo, either Photolab 4 with ther Deep prime or (just released) their Pure Raw (more of a quick fix - same denoise engine I suppose). Just started using it today 👍

What do you sacrifice, or have to look for in the image after you run the Topaz DeNoise or Sharpen. Like, just as an example, do you loose color and have to bump vibrance or saturation. Most edits in Lightroom or Photoshop seem to have a negative effect on some other value that you need to tweak back and forth between and get a good balance. Are there any here?

I use DeNoise all the time. I don't use Sharpen quite as much. I find it can do some funny looking things to my photos.

And if you do the noise reduction in DxO PhotoLab4 using DeepPrime, it will be even more convincing. Then send it to Topaz Sharpen if necessary.

SOLD!

1 - the fact this wasn't critical with your landscape work doesn't mean this problem of getting rid of noise does not exist. At best, it simply means it wasn't driving YOU nuts. 2 - the description of LR/PS solution simply leaves me shuddering 3 - I've been sampling/trying out several dozen post programs, covering a range of different things - I'm quite used to "grain" (I've been shooting analogue since the early 1950s!) and accept some digi-noise as "the new grain" - but there are limits! 4 - like everyone else, I've struggled with digi-noise on some shots - too many, actually That's all background. Now, I have to say, I think Topaz DeNoise is just brilliant. The first three photos I fed through it were beyond redemption - till T DN hit them. And now, they're just fine. And no, it wasn't "difficult" - or "tedious. I don't think there's any comparison between this program and Adobe's methods of dealing with noise. Plus one. Be careful what you wish for. A lot of de-noise programs do "work" - but you lose some of your gains, elsewhere. Less noise, but sharpness suffers.

I love Topaz products. Been a loyal customer of theirs since i bought their suite at photoshop world in like 2005 or something... Have the original cd still, lol..