Hello Topaz and everyone,
I posted this personal Review of Topaz Labs in their DPReview Retouching forum in an attempt to address what I perceived to be some misapprehensions there in relation to Photo AI, BLOOM and Gigapixel AI as well as Topaz in general. When drafting this review I always had the intention to cross-post here for comment and discussion but it’s been a bump road and slower than I hoped getting here. Also I’ve not had time to re-personalize my approach for an exclusively Topaz user audience - so it comes only in a DPR version.
I’m sure some (many?) Topaz Community (T-Com) members are like me also members of DPReview (DPR) but for those who are not perhaps just a brief personal view of what we share and how we may be different.
My guess is that DPR members are probably a bit older than most T-Com members and they tend to come with decades of Photoshop experience and very photographic backgrounds. Within DPR there is a small group with very firmly entrenched opinions embracing traditional Ansel Adams principles who (to exaggerate just a wee bit) have grudgingly accepted color photos and digital cameras, but when they dream it’s about darkrooms and dodging and burning with cardboard cutouts not Star Wars and creativity.
OK seriously now, DPR does have a lot of members who fully embrace all the latest technologies and techniques for photo retouching, enhancing, sharpening, denoising etc etc but I think it’s fair to say that the word enlarging appears more frequently in their posts than upscaling - is that a reasonable comment ?
Some of the most outstanding work posted in DPR is done on fairly old computers with Photoshop v5 and even v3 using long and painstaking paintbrush and smudge painting techniques on many layers to produce fantastic results. To those guys - many thanks.
Now for T-Com members, my guess is that they are generally younger and many have never owned or used a film camera (sad for them). I believe there are more members here who have considerable experience of video and computer games and certainly more experience of working with video content and the leading edge of AI computing. I think in general T-Com members are more adventurous and more likely to have a creative background and going forward want to explore each and every tool for even greater creativity rather more than polishing their use of last year’s software.
I emphasize that everything here is my personal viewpoint - I would be very interested in any comments and other opinions anyone may have. I would also welcome comments on any factual errors but not on specific costs because even Topaz cannot get them right and be consistent, so I feel entitled to a general indemnity because I only copied costs from Topaz online pages.
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A SUMMARY
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In DPR Mr John Guild replied quote “I don’t have time to read it all so it had my staff quickly summaries it.” - this is his staff’s very useful summary - for which I am indebted! 
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** “Topaz Labs premonition – spider hairs on my neck tingling – or crazy paranoia?”:**
A retired expat in rural Thailand reflects on the current and future direction of Topaz Labs, particularly concerned about the shift from traditional desktop software to cloud-based, subscription-only models.
Key Points:
- Longtime Topaz user and beta tester expresses growing frustration with bugs, poor usability, and inconsistent quality in newer versions of Topaz Photo AI and Gigapixel AI.
- Criticizes Topaz’s move away from lifetime licenses and toward subscription-based cloud services, which introduce ongoing costs and limit local control.
- Highlights the increasing cost of cloud rendering, especially for video—potentially hundreds or thousands of dollars for upscale jobs.
- Notes that Topaz recently launched Bloom, a new AI tool that only runs in the cloud with no local install option, signaling a broader shift in business strategy.
- Warns this trend mirrors the wider tech industry: cloud, subscription, pay-per-use models replacing standalone software.
- Ends on a nostalgic, cautionary note, likening future users of locally run Topaz software to old-school Photoshop 5 holdouts.
Tone: Wistful, skeptical, informed, slightly humorous. The author isn’t outright paranoid—but concerned about profit-driven shifts that prioritize monetization over user control and product stability.
My own note I’m always up for a Chat…
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The full article:
A WIDE-RANGING REVIEW OF TOPAZ LABS - WARNING LONG POST
Topaz Labs premonition - spider hairs on my neck tingling - or crazy paranoia ?
(Contains no review or details for phone or tablet products)
This is a long and maybe sometimes rambling post on Topaz Labs from the perspective of Eeyore, currently retired in rural Thailand.
Straight-up I acknowledge that it isn’t focused on retouching - so if it’s not likely to be your cup of tea please just skip to the next post.
If on the other hand you do read this and have any similar feelings I would be very happy to hear your opinions.
My motivation for posting is to share my personal knowledge and opinions on Topaz with any DPR members who might be interested. I am sure some here will know more about Topaz than I do, but I think it’s fair to comment that some posts indicate that some do not know much about Topaz.
This year my mental crystal ball has experienced a few minor tremors using Topaz Labs software. During the last 3 weeks I’ve been following with much interest the "Topaz Photo AI v4 Review " thread. There has been a lot of interest and comment and I think it’s fair to say that there are not surprisingly some subtle differences between the posts in DPR and the Topaz Community Forums (T-Com).
With a foot in both camps I was very interested to investigate that further.
I’ve been a long time follower of DPR and recently an occasional contributor. My overall knowledge of all things related to retouching has improved greatly and I’m so glad DPR survived the threatened closure not so long ago. Had it disappeared it would have been a catastrophe. I would like to say thank you here to everyone for all the things I’ve learnt and the specific advice I’ve received to my questions over the years.
Through purchase and use of Topaz Labs software I’m also a member of the Topaz Community Forum (T-Com) and its Beta Tester group. T-Com sub-topics are a huge maze of knowledge and advice from which I have also learnt so much. In my opinion these two resources have many shared topics and also many different interests and objectives.
It was a struggle to describe in one sentence the differences between the two forums and I bow to ChatGBT AI for rescuing me:
Topaz Labs Community Forums tend to focus on product-specific discussions, support, and AI-powered image enhancement tools, while DPReview Retouching Forum centers on broader photo editing techniques, critique, and user feedback across various software platforms.
As an aside, I also keep one toe in Lightroom Queen Forum and another toe in Adobe !
I’ve been a Topaz user since 200? and the first versions of Clear, Clarity, Denoise, Studio etc and now using Gigapixel AI (GPAI) and Photo AI (TPAI) quite a lot. For about a year I’ve been increasingly disappointed and frustrated by what I consider to be very poor quality control and basic usability coding in GPAI & TPAI. Also for many years I regarded Topaz as being outstanding and at the pinnacle of quality for their Support Team but although still very good, it’s not as good as it was.
Currently, although there is usually a new beta release every month it quite often re-introduces older bugs that had been resolved and nearly always new ones. Yes, every new release has some WONDERFUL new features but a significant number of users complain that the new stuff is “fluff” or “bloat” and not related to core functionality. As an ex-university Senior IT Lecturer for over 10 years I’m critical of inconsistencies between Topaz products and so many faults in basic coding of fundamental Windows features and GUI presentation.
It’s fairly easy to find some online information about Topaz as a company and its mission statements. However, it’s a bit harder to break down that info looking at either a particular product or say the specific priority and allocation of effort and resources for one feature in that product. I expect that an expert could investigate filed company records and gain a good idea of the balance between research, development of new features, maintenance of existing releases, advertising and marketing and so on - but I don’t have that knowledge or skill. Somewhere online there is a basic bar chart showing the activity breakdown by departments: (but I’ve lost it)
To get into some details, just a few Topaz numbers and facts for information:
- Reported annual income - 2024 $35-45+m
- HQ - Dallas Texas
- Staff numbers - 2024 about 60~80
- (Jan 2025 announcement of 130 new additional high-tech staff - Addison Texas)
Main Products & Costs - the Topaz online info is sometimes conflicting and there are some annual as opposed to monthly payment options which can be cheaper. Costs quoted in this post are based on at least one or two Topaz web pages but may be wrong or may change - so check yourself please.
As a general comment, nowadays all Topaz main products offer additional Cloud features which have extra subscription and or pay as you go charges (some more info below) Plus there are very new “Web apps” and a “Utility Bundle” apps which you don’t (can’t) buy outright - you pay for credits to use them online.
- Photo AI $199 new - $119.88 for 12 months support
- — new version upgrades cost about 50-75% of original price depending upon content.
- Topaz AI Pro annual for commercial use $800 for 1 seat (http link not working)
- Gigapixel AI $99 new $79 for 12 months support $64 for Auto 12 month renewal
- Gigapixel Pro $499 for 1 seat and commercial use
Topaz Video products are much more complicated to describe and have quite different features and usage costs. I’m not a video user and my knowledge is limited to occasional browsing in the Video Community Forums. Just a couple of cost figures to appreciate Topaz video income in relation to single image products:
- Video AI 7 $299 new with 12 months support
- my understanding is that you own and can continue to use Video AI 7 after an initial year of use but there may be additional usage costs and you don’t get updates without an annual support payment.
- Personal use Video AI 7 annual support cost seems to be $149.50
- Video AI Pro annual for commercial use $1099 for 1 seat
- annual renewal is mandatory for continued use and there may be extra usage (Credits) costs.
- (There is a further comment about video processing costs below under the HEALTH WARNING)
User numbers — As with many software companies the number of ACTIVE members in T- Com is considerably smaller than the number who have registered to join the Community. Topaz quote 1.9 million worldwide (?) but they do not quote a number for currently active users - obviously they cannot know how many customers might have discontinued using any particular product. It’s also worth noting that I think anyone can read the T-Com forums and post questions. You have to apply and be approved to join the Beta Tester Group.
You have to register a new product to use it but T-Com Membership is voluntary not mandatory. Not yet found a direct quote for the actual number of sales of each product.
So, the Topaz quotes for product sales and forum membership are maybe a bit fuzzy and hard to unravel.
Based on the last 5 years and current forum activity it seems that GPAI & TPAI are similar for activity with TPAI slightly ahead.
The Video Forums are almost twice as active.
Looking at T-Com product downloads the same pattern appears - almost twice as many for Video than TPAI which is just ahead of GPAI.
BUT if you purchase a Topaz product direct or from a reseller and choose not to join T-Com there seems to be no online data visible ?
All a wee bit confusing ?
Working on the basis that Video AI is twice as expensive as GPAI and … ? WAIT …
I’ve spent the last 60 years with an echo in my head of the opening welcome from my 1st year university maths lecturer: “There are lies, damn lies and Statistics (pause while laughter dies down) You will learn that you can prove absolutely anything you want with numbers and statistics”
So, you can do the math yourself if you want to prove whatever you want to prove for Topaz and its income re user numbers.
This year the opening introduction in the university Political Sciences Dept is: “There are lies, damn lies, Statistics and Donald Trump”
Sorry “off-topic” but funny and perhaps true !
Back on topic with the heading of this post.
What is causing the tremors in my crystal ball?
For 10-15 years there have been a host of software companies creating “Best Ever” products and then discarding them not so long afterwards with a newer “The Better than the Best” products. In my opinion Topaz Labs is undoubtedly in that group of companies but absolutely not the worst in the long list.
However, Topaz lost a lot of early supporters when it cancelled its initial promise of free upgrades forever and that wound still hurts.
So this week when there are a plethora of new AI and specifically so many new Photo editing/retouching AI products reaching the market; what is going on and what is the future for existing Topaz products?
(late edit: overnight while I let my draft cool, even more AI and web sub products are appearing)
NB For convenience and because on principle I never buy anything that costs $9.99, some of the numbers below have been rounded out for ease of mental arithmetic calculation - in case there is anyone able to remember that skill.
Cloud Features Fairly recently all the main Topaz Studio products introduced Cloud features which have to be paid for by either subscription or as pay as you go services. Costs for Photo and Gigapixel rendering depend on options and final image size. As a basic guide:
- one 0~1MP image uses 1 Cloud Credit
- one 4~8MP uses 4 Credits
- one 16-32MP uses 8 Credits
For more details see: Cloud Credit Pricing These are extracts from that source for purchasing monthly and PAYGo credits:
- Sub $10 for 80 cloud credits per month
- Sub $40 for 400 cloud credits per month
- Sub $200 for 3000 cloud credits per month
- OR with Pay as You Go
- $5 for 20 credits
- $80 for 400 credits
- $400 for 3000 credits
DISCLOSURE and LIABILITY (hahaha)
(I think Topaz versions of this for all new users run to 13 A4 pages of fairly small print …)
I do not receive any remuneration whatsoever if you buy any of these services as a result of reading this post. Similarly I accept no personal liability or responsibility for quoted numbers in this post or whatsoever consequences may arise.
SERIOUS SEVERE HEALTH WARNING (hahaha)
If you have an existing medical condition or an ounce of plain common sense do not explore any cost links for Video Cloud rendering. Ignoring this advice could be harmful.
Fainting, collapse and heart attacks are common side effects if you do.
VIDEO RENDERING on the CLOUD can lead to financial loss or bankruptcy.
Somewhere in The Video AI Forum I saw a comment that with particular settings, a Topaz VIDEO AI upscale and restore of an original 45 minute Star Wars episode would cost about $160,000 using Cloud rendering or take over 16 days on a high-end PC ($3,500~4000 cost) equipped with an RTX 5090 with 24 or 32GB VRAM (cost about $3,500 or thereabouts for the GPU)
- remember the numbers don’t matter so much because choosing different ones I can prove anything I want !
Actually, browsing the Topaz Video AI Forums for a day this week it looks as if many if not most home users render 10 second or up to 1 minute original home videos. But it’s possible for even a 1 minute video upscaled to 4K to easily cost $160 in Cloud Credits or thereabouts - quite a lot more than a pint and a pickled egg at Clarkson’s Pub or a round of fancy coffees at Starbucks.
So the point here is that this Cloud-rendering-thing is a golden dream revenue stream for Topaz compared with the zero money they get if you render a Nikon RAW photo on your home PC with a modest RTX3060 12GB VRAM GPU costing about $200-250, for unlimited use on as many photos as you have.
(late edit: I have now downloaded Video AI 7 and had a quick play in Trial mode - wow - complicated - actually very complicated !)
Nipping back to the premonition again …
This year Topaz have released individual Cloud subscription based easy to use “Web apps” for Unblur , Denoise , Faces , Lighting , Sharpen , Upscale and others .
Costs can vary for each product - each Topaz webpage gives details.
This week Topaz Labs released BLOOM - a multi-feature edit-retouch-enlarge etc tool for improving and creating AI generated images.
You make one or two feature requests and then one click for AI to render your image. No knowledge or special ability required and no opportunity for fine adjustment or finesse - one click-blink-done.
There is no option to buy this software outright and use it on your own computer - you MUST pay for and use the Topaz internet Cloud service.
They say annual billing works out cheaper than monthly subs. (Doesn’t always tally with some of the web page information)
Initial cost for Bloom - it’s Free for 10 images per month,
then $7.49 per month for unlimited number of images up to 16MP (billed annually $89.99),
or $39.99 per month for unlimited number of images up to 64+MP (billed annually $479.99)
(late edit: so billed annually saving is actually 11p more than x12 the monthly sub ?)
Straight away you can see that this business model shifting the heavy work to a cloud server (for the customer’s benefit of superior quality and speed of course - nudge -wink) is fairly quickly doubling and then more the income for an IT business compared with selling software once that that a user can run at home indefinitely.
Winding up the Review
OK, If you enjoy Morse or Midsomer Murders or The Great Train Robbery you will perhaps be ahead of me now and won’t need to check Nostradamus to see where this is headed. Subscription schemes and Cloud rendering charges are already taking over from purchasing and owning software outright and running it on your own computer. This has already happened for most of the major mainstream photo editing software products and lots of other things - music, films, news, newspapers, magazines etc etc etc.
It’s evolution, sometimes called progress ! (a cynical synonym is Profits)
So I’m not sure how long the current features, format and Human Machine Interface (HMI) of GPAI and TPAI will be supported or exactly what may replace them.
Probably voice activated instructions for features and adjustments will come very soon - some AI apps already offer that particularly, in the mobile and tablet markets.
Of course there are still Photoshop 5 and even v3 users behind their barricades wearing woolly beanies.
Anyone like to take a guess when we will see the last versions of Photo AI and Gigapixel AI that are usable entirely on own computers?
Sadly, I think it will be fairly soon and as an 80 year old I will not be attempting the transition to Cloud only software - I plan to join the PS 5 beanies and drink cocoa around a barbeque !
I’d like to know how others feel and what your 5-year and 10-year forecasts might be.
Thank you if you have read to the end and best wishes for whatever you plan on doing in the future.
(Struggling with lightening storms and power interruptions - if links don’t work please message me)
