AI Clear in Studio 2 unacceptable quality

[david-45099]

With the release of Studio 2, we now have 3 separate versions of AI Clear. AI Clear in Studio Classic, AI Clear in Denoise AI and AI Clear in Studio 2. All three versions have exactly the same controls, but each version produces very different results when the file is brought back into a host programme.

Each of these examples is a 100% crop from the same image processed using Medium Remove Noise, Low Enhance Sharpness and no Recover Detail in each of the Topaz products.

The version in Studio 2 produces very soft results with staircasing on diagonals. It actually looks very low resolution:

AI Clear in Studio Classic produces somewhat oversharpened images which often (usually) need to be softened:

While AI Clear in Denoise AI produces the most acceptable results:

Methodology:

• The image was opened in Affinity Photo on a Windows 10 PC. The Background layer was duplicated three times and renamed as per the product it was to be processed in.
• Each layer was then selected in turn and sent to the respective Topz product. where Medium Remove Noise, Low Enhance Sharpness and zero Recover Details was used to process the image.
• Finally, in the host program, a selection was made at 100% magnification for each of the layers. Those selected copies are shown above.

[AiDon]

Please raise a technical support request at the Topaz Labs website and supply the relevant details and the test image if you can

[email26]

There is another report elsewhere in the Forum saying that use of Photoshop plugin results in soft images, perhaps it is the plugin rather than AI Clear that is the issue?

I just did a test on a Mac sending an image from ON1 to Topaz Studio 2 and applying AI Clear. I then created two layers in On1 from the returned Tiff and another Tiff created via Denoise AI or AI Clear in Studio 1 (can’t remember which). No change in what I was seeing when I changed the opacity of top layer up and down, and when changed the blending mode to difference, no differences were displayed.

[Artisan-West]

I just ran a test and agree with David. While AI Clear runs much faster in Studio 2 it produces worse results. I tested with an ISO 6400 file running in Affinity Photo using the plugins (Studio 2, Studio 1 and Denoise AI) I then ran the same image in Studio 2 stand alone. the Stand alone version produced results a little degraded but close to the other two.
Denoise AI, AI Clear:

Studio 2 plugin:

Studio 2 Stand Alone: