I’ve been trying on another picture and have managed to save and re-open it.
Thanks for your suggestions!
1 Like
Not sure what your point is. I’m well aware that Mask AI isn’t problem free - and I didn’t say it was. I posted my image simply as an example of something that the Pen Tool is no use for in response to your assertion that the Pen Tool is unbeatable for precision and is therefore the only usable tool for “professionals”. It no doubt is the best for precision cutouts - but it’s pretty useless for selecting objects with soft edges, fur, feathers, flyaway hair etc. Or even sharp but intricate fine detail as in my example. Nothing to do with “professional” versus “amateur” - it’s to do with the detail required. Not all “professional” work requires scalpel-like precision - and the Pen Tool won’t help in those cases where it doesn’t.
@PaulM, for hair cutting (and hair-like objects), Mask AI is a good tool, it is not perfect but it is better than others wich I have found until now. But only that!
It should be kept in mind, however, that an image cannot contain ONLY PEOPLE and that even if in an image there are people we want to cut, there may be something else in the image and we would like to keep! And those objects that we want to keep in the image, can have straight lines! And in the area of straight lines, Mask AI does not cut correctly!
Regarding the automatic identification of the subject: the “Select subject” function in Photoshop works 100 times better, without having to claim “artificial intelligence”! In this sense, I expected the automatic selection in Mask AI to work better than the usual “Select subject” in Photoshop …
The original image (randomly downloaded from internet): https://i.imgur.com/A1pNKvH.jpg
And the paradox is this: The “Select subject” function is just one of the hundreds of functions/tools available in Photosop, while Mask AI is a program specially designed ONLY for such things (object identification and cutting)!!! As a result, I expected a dedicated program for such cuts (like Mask AI), to work better than a banal function in Photoshop …
1 Like
Hi,
I agree on what you say about “auto detect objects” not working proper yet.
We have reported this during beta testing and I’m sure the developers are working on it!
We also noticed that humans, animals and faces are less problematic then: landscapes with a clear noticeable horizon, all kind of objects (like your flower) that you can easily recognize as a separate part to include or exclude.
Think you need a partly hybride (AI + common sense programming like in Photoshop or Affinity Photo, contrast differences detection) design to make it work.
Regards,
David
1 Like
As a software developer myself, I can say this is not how software development works. If it were perfect, there would be no need for updates/releases/further development. Software development is constant development and innovation.
All the great CEOs say that if you wait for perfection you will never get to market. It’s not possible.
That said, MaskAI, as I stated earlier, is a beta-level product at best and was clearly pushed to market a bit too quickly. IMHO
I’m just trying to be fair to Topaz here. I understand their reasoning as a fellow software dev. and designer myself. I fully expect they will continue to improve/develop this software. I’m guessing the backlash they have received now for MaskAI will give them serious pause before releasing a low-beta-level product for sale in the future.
1 Like
Before I retired I was also a software developer/engineer/architect and @FletcHR is absolutely correct. Software is the single most complex logical structure that humans have ever created and there are always going to be issues. Most complex software has at least hundreds of thousands of possible paths, and complex software has millions of them. It is just not possible to test them all and any attempt to do so results in no release at. There are market windows that must be met and failing to do so dooms software to failure.
Every time a new OS is updated or released or OS drivers are updated or attached devices are updated the conditions for the software change and developers are scrambling to catch up. I once saw a project decide that they were not going to release until the software passed all of the proper tests. The project had an 18 month schedule and, after 3 years it had still not been released. They updated and re-wrote or redesigned the software every time there was a new OS release or update and, after 3 years the company closed the project and fired the developers.
It does no good to release something like US tax software April 16th since taxes are due on the 15th.
1 Like
Mine Crashes on Cat photo.
FletchHR, I used to be a beta tester for Topaz. Releasing to the public in the old days was tested and perfected and released. I have not been a beta tester for a long time now, but even in the last days, I was such, products were released before they were ready. These days, I do not update, because I know there will be so many updates because of such an early release, that my registry will suffer.
1 Like
I just watched Joel Wolfson’s webinar
Joel Wolfson’s Mask AI webinar.
Now that I have instruction on how to use the software, I see it’s benefits.
I wish Topaz would have released better documentation before releasing the software.
However, if Topaz released adequate documentation when they release the product, there would be less confusion and dissatifaction. That was my problem. I couldn’t figure out how to effectively use Mask AI until I watched the webinar. A simple workflow outline would have been enough to give me a general direction as to how to proceed.
There is a user guide available from the help menu … this is the section about tools:
1 Like
I did A Mask in PhotoShop Steps Similat to Joel But Used my Cat Photo .It Seems it Has Problems With the Paws.
I have been using topaz products PhotoPlusx6. I understand about being perfect .PhotoShop is the standard.Subject detection Is different.PhotoShop selects .It looks like compute could be refined.One of the hardest to mask is hair and fur and similar colors.The Test is precision (edges).
What is the URL link for the YouTube video?
Hi Photomaker,
Once again many thanks for you advise.
Can I put one more question please? Attached is an original and a a final image named creative. I have tried to emulate the creative using the same image and using A1 but with no luck. The metal work is not bad but not sharp like the creative image which was done in PS
. I also notice I get the blue sky showing at the bottom of the dish but in general just does not emulate the creative version as attached. Anything you can advise please would be appreciated.
Many thanks
Hi Naih,
That type of mesh or tight openwork object with color behind it will be challenging for you to remove the color from in the current version of Mask AI (pronounced - “A” “eye” (the capital letter “i” - like in Artificial Intelligence).
I would expect that more work will be done on the software to improve that capability, because a lot of us users would like it. At this point I can’t really give you better tips for how to handle that… Select Color Range (or perhaps a Channel Selection) in Ps CC would likely be your best bet for now - unless you have other tricks for selecting that in Ps!
If you’re going to be putting a creative dish construction of your own against a long exposure starry sky (real or faked) it will be more forgiving of some residual color you might have remaining from your original masked dish photo than if you were to put it, for instance, against an orange-y sunset background.
Everything is negotiable… certainly s/w trials.
Here is a sample image provided by someone on the DPreview Retouching forum
First, here is a Mask AI result and against a light background the cutout looks ok
But against a dark background it is unusable
With Foreground recovery cranked all the way up you get a better result but still not really usable
You have to switch to Remask AI with its tools to get a usable result
Unfortunately this is true for a lot of the published examples I have seen from Mask AI. Looks fine against a light background but not so much against a dark background. The developers need to provide better tools to deal with these halos.
4 Likes
Gormless… I don’t think so… FACTS :
Fact: – Remask is a Masking program made by Topaz Labs Using Trimap Technology and Tools
Fact: – Mask AI is a Masking program made by Topaz Labs Using Trimap Technology and Tools
1 Like
