I’ve been using Topaz Photo AI for a few months now and recently started experimenting with Gigapixel AI for upscaling certain images. However, I’m a little unsure about the optimal workflow when combining these two tools.
My typical process involves first running the image through Photo AI for sharpening and noise reduction, and then using Gigapixel AI to upscale. I’m getting decent results, but I wonder if I might be missing something or if the order of operations could be better.
Here are a couple of specific questions I have:
Processing Order: Should sharpening and noise reduction always be done before upscaling? Or is there ever a benefit to upscaling first?
Settings Balance: Are there any recommended Photo AI settings to make the image more “friendly” for upscaling later in Gigapixel AI? I sometimes notice slight artifacts that seem to get exaggerated post-upscale.
Image Quality vs. Time: I’m working with high-resolution RAW files, and the processing time can be significant. Are there any tips for balancing quality and processing time without sacrificing results?
I primarily work with landscapes and portraits, so any suggestions or shared golang course experiences in these genres would be incredibly helpful!
Both Photo AI and Gigapixel AI have excellent upscaling capabilities, but your workflow is mostly about personal preference and the desired results.
Regarding your questions:
1. Processing Order:
It’s generally recommended to perform sharpening and noise reduction before upscaling. The reason is that reducing noise and sharpening first ensures that you’re starting with a clean, detailed image, which helps prevent artifacts from becoming exaggerated during the upscaling process. Upscaling first can sometimes amplify noise or distort details, which is why it’s better to get the image as optimized as possible before enlarging it.
2. Settings Balance:
When using Photo AI, setting noise reduction to a level that’s appropriate for your image, and applying sharpening afterward, should help give you the best foundation for Gigapixel AI. For most landscapes and portraits, applying moderate noise reduction and sharpening, without overdoing it, should help maintain the quality post-upscale.
3. Image Quality vs. Time:
When working with high-resolution RAW files, balancing quality and time can be tricky. For landscapes, focus on adjusting sharpness and noise reduction for finer details, but for portraits, it may help to use more conservative settings for noise reduction to avoid smoothing out too much detail. As for processing time, reducing the output size in Gigapixel (if you don’t need an extremely large image) can help speed up processing without sacrificing too much image quality.
If you have any additional questions feel free to ask here or you can send in an email to our team at help@topazlabs.com
I’m not sure why you just wouldn’t upscale in Photo AI. That way you don’t have to worry about the order of things–all things seem to work together in an integrated way. It seems to work well, especially for photos that you want to be realistic. I haven’t found that Gigapixel adds much, if anything. Maybe you have? And that would be interesting to hear.
It’s not necessarily to think is it better to use one application over the other.
Topaz Gigapixel and Photo AI upscaling are regarded as the Industry Standard.
It makes sense for Topaz to offer Gigapixel as a standalone program because, not everyone wants the versatility of Photo AI with it’s Sharpening, DeNoiseing and Upscaling capabilities.
Some people much prefer to apply their own method of sharpening and denoising and more over, prefer to apply Gigapixel’s Upscaling at the beginning or the end of the workflow.
Hence, the price difference.
Photo AI is an all singing all dancing Photo Enhancing Application with a built-in Autopilot
Gigapixel is a dedicated application with some extra abilities for those who want a little bit more control when it comes to Upscaling.
Without trying to repeat myself, I prefer to have both applications because, I like the ease of use that Photo AI has to offer and extra upscaling control I get with Gigapixel.
