They are constantly updating Photo AI but they seem to have stopped providing updates for their other products? I really don’t use Photo AI so is there any reason to continue yearly subscription for their other software like DeNoise or Sharpen? It seems those programs are losing ground to competitors?
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To respond to your topic line question, the answer is simply (and unfortunately) yes.
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I would also like to understand this, I have all the separate packages, Sharpen / Denoise / Gigapixel etc and also have Photo Ai.
Just want to understand if I should be using Photo AI from now on and leaving the others.
Just that If the other packages are not updating they will get left behind and based on old models.
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Is Photo AI replacing the other 3 AI products? I just upgraded and updated all my software, are you telling me I didn’t need to renew Denoise, gigapixel and sharpen and could have just purchased Photo AI?
I’ve never used Photo AI before, and when I upgraded, to me anyway, it kind of looked like the “image bundle” is all 4 products, but now I’m thinking PhotoAI does averything and the other 3 are redundant, is this correct?
I’m going to be pretty annoyed if I just paid for something I don’t need.
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Yes, AFAIK all 3 ai products will no longer be updated. They have been rolled into photo ai and that is possibly the only product to be updated in the future.
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I haven’t used my bundled products in a while and am getting ready to upgrade. Sorry to be redundant but you’re saying that Topaz AI now takes the place of Gigapixel AI and all the other ones? It has basically all the denoise, sharpening, and pixel upgrading capabilities of all the individual programs all rolled into one? Do you find that the one program does these individual actions as well or better than the individual programs used to do? Thanks!
TopazLabs is not responding… I would like to know why Gigapixel allows for a one-year update renewal if it is no longer being updated?
Does PhotoAI contain new updates for upscaling, or have they stopped with Gigapixel?
Gigapixel is superior to PhotoAI in many cases. Why is it being discontinued?
Thanks.
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Gigapixel Topaz said will be updated soon. Does not mean much, going by some other updates that make it worse.
PAI is being updated all time, usually once a week, there is a new version.
Let’s hope, I have PAI and Gigapixel. I’ve been waiting for the updates that I paid for a year ago, but only PAI gets updated.
I updated DeNoise a few months ago, they advertised updates for a year, then I found out there would be no more updates. Misleading advertising.
Anyway I found some better software for Noise.
Sharpen AI is very slow, works well on problem images but for normal images, others are just as good and so much faster.
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I didn’t renew my Topaz package, instead I took that money and went back to Adobe LR and PS. With the new updates to LR, its performance has caught up to what Topaz since they stopped updates. I don’t use Photo AI at all and used DeNoise and Sharpening as plug-ins in Affinity Photo.
Yes I use plug-ins in Photoshop. I got PAI free but struggling to get it to work for me. Probably won’t be doing anymore Topaz upgrades.
Sadly, I’ve stumbled through all this, too. It’s certainly no way to build a loyal base of happy customers. Topaz could have been more up-front about how the separate apps were all destined to be replaced by Photo AI.
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The should replace everything with Photo AI and everything is fine… 
Mostly i only use Gigapixel for insta360 panoramas and upgraded it to Gigapixel 7 in December (Christmas sale).
They said it will be released in January. It is January and there are no details about the release, what´s new, etc. So i paid for one month and haven’t received anything yet.
That´s not the way to have happy customers…
Seems like Gigapixel will remain standalone. But I am in the same boat. Confused… Actually looking for an alternative for Sharpen AI. Because it looks like Gigapixel will remain in my workflow. Let’s see if it still exists when my renewal comes up in June. I doubt it tbh…
I mean, what really bugs me, is the time I am wasting on either researching new tools, or testing Photo AI vs. standalone. Time nobody is paying for. And that’s the main difference between a pro and a hobbyist. I like to dabble. But not because a company decided to discontinue a well tetsted workflow. Off course we can remain on the legacy versions. Until…
I really think that they could have moved all three plugins into Photo AI and give existing customers a good deal and we’d be running our RAW files through Photo AI and save the result, to continue editing in other apps.
But from what I see, even the comparison quad view is gone for DeNoise and Sharpening inside Photo AI. (EDIT: that’s fake news, sorry… And the manual adjustment sliders seem to be somewhat limited.)
Plus, I got from support: “There might be AI models available in Gigapixel in the future, which won’t be in the Photo AI version, and vice versa…”, which is not raising my confidence level to a point where I will go for this at all anymore. At least not without a intense testing phase…
And that’s what brings me to the following conclusion. Because what makes a pro a pro, besides being paid hourly, is that the pro will adjust an automated preset and bend the software’s knee, to get the desired result. Not accept an AI decision.
This move by Topaz Labs really seems to be aiming at ACDSee and On 1. crowd. I mean, look at how fast DeNoising in LR took over… They realized that Adobe has the means to implement those technologies, at a much higher level, in a heartbeat. Ok, they nickel and dime us to do so. But imho Adobe released good updates the last two years. Not talking about the “add a light tower to my image” AI-twiddle buttons. Real colorimetric adjustment tools that were looooooong over due. And the masking in LR is very very useful for high volume photography. It’s the closest thing to going to Photoshop and using luminosity masks at least!
So yeah, those small companies build tools, make a good reputation, get sold to an investment firm, they see 10 million hobbyists vs. 1 million professionals and the rest is history.
Pitiful that they did not do the obvious. Throw all well know plugins under one hood, leave the exact same workflow, just DeNoising, Sharpening and up-scaling in RAW, in on go! Give us a discount and try to grow a customer base for the standalone “mini-Photoshop” a la ON 1. Two crowds with one product.
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What makes you think they are competitors for PS? And the same question about any product that has layers implemented. Pixel based processors can call the products using layers.
The DeNoising, Sharpening and Upscale is all in Photo AI (under one hood) along with a Remove (local not internet based) where you can remove/replace objects, Color adjustment and Exposure adjustment. But all are AI based.
Photoshop is a start to finish app.
Topaz Labs tools were plugins to Photoshop.
Now Topaz Labs is offering start to finish editing.
Hence, if only partially, Topaz Photo AI is thereby a Mini-Photoshop. Average Joe will not use Photoshop, but get 80% of the result using Photo AI. Which, at the end of the day, will lead to more investment towards service, on the side of Topaz Labs as a business, not professional tool for a fine art print workflow.
Don’t get me wrong. Topazs tools are central to my editing. I still call it magic. That’s why I become vocal. I really really got used to them over the past years and invested a lot of time learning them.
While I dig the non cloud based removal tool, I am using Topaz tools because they give me previews and let me tweak the settings, not a result and an “OK” button.
And full disclaimer, I did update my knowledge about Photo AI since I posted… I admit my information level was outdated. Because my dismissal was partially based on seeing Gigapixel implemented with “good weather”, “nice weather” and “awesome weather” buttons, without individual parameters… Now I reinstalled Windows and wanted to download the latest Topaz tools. So I was taken by surprise to read that 66% of the Topaz Tools were not going to get updated and that I should spend more money to get the latest version back, which has less customization options… Off course the fact about the current discount, did not lower the pressure to find out if I should install the ones I own, or update to Photo AI…
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I don’t think so.
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