I fully agree! So far for me Mask AI is a pain in the neck…unbearably slow ( as Photoshop plugin)
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I had the same problem as you. Then someone in this forum suggested kindly to unlock the layers in Photoshop. I did so and my processed photos are saved in Photoshop as it happened with the old Remask. Unfortunately Mask AI takes ages to do what Remask 5 did instantaneously. So far I think it’s a real deception
I expect that depends on the image chosen and how you use the app, among other factors. With the example I showed earlier Remask, which I’ve had for years, produced a much poorer result and was no quicker than Mask AI, which clearly I’ve only had a short time. They both took just over a minute, with very different results.
Just use a blue background for this picture (#000cff, like me on this post: Mask AI - #20 ), not transparent, and you will see the Mask AI problems.
This Link Shows what replaced Classic Plugins.
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Sorry but thus far I am not wildly impressed with Mask AI. I think I will stick with ReMask 5 for the time being.
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I agree with StuGordon. Remask 5 gives similar results in less time. Also, Mask AI does not seem to export a layer mask, just a cut-out. In my opinion, this is the first Topaz app that is a disappointment.
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Ok. I have been a remask user since the beginning. Mask AI does a very good job, but maybe I have a setting wrong but what comes back to photoshop is the cutout, not with a mask layer. I always liked getting the layer so I can fine tune if I had to.
If I am not missing something, looks like I have to make sure I am done in AI.
Thoughts?
Yes, what is coming back into the Ps layer now from the Mask AI plugin is a cutout on a transparency.
What I have been doing is duplicating that MAI transparency layer (to preserve it) then on that 2nd, duplicated layer I go to the Layer > Layer Mask > Layer from Transparency to create my own BW mask. That process will put a white background behind your cutout. So that’s why I suggest duplicating the MAI output. You can then move the BW mask you’ve created down to the MAI transparency layer and discard the layer you used to create the layer mask.
Easy, eh? But doable.
Perhaps you’d like to add a suggestion to the Topaz Products > Product Features portion of this Discussion Board system (see top of page to find) that Topaz develop the ability for output from the MAI plugin to include both a transparency (aka, cutout) and a std layer mask (BW) that can be further refined in a host software program…
4 posts were split to a new topic: Enhance PS integration for Maks AI, Automate Layer & Mask Creation
See my note below
Hi, to have a Layer Mask returned simply duplicate your layer so it isn’t locked, add a blank mask (white) and then click on the layer, not the mask, and invoke Mask AI and it will return a reusable mask that can be reedited in Mask AI or PS like this:
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And I thought it was only me that that could not see the value of A1compared to ReMask5.
1/ An image opens in the red cutout which makes it hard to blue edge if subject and background is similar, or is there a way to open in original and edge in blue
2/ After you compute I can’t find the original image to view along with the masked image.
3/ After A1 computes and then I look to do some refining, every time I lift my finger I have to wait another 30 odd seconds to recompute. Why can’t it wait until I ask it to recompute.
4/ You should try computing whisper blonde hair on a light background, hopeless.
Hi Naih,
I’m not a developer so can’t speak to the design approach. But I can answer some of your questions about where to find different features you mention:
1- Clicking on the Reset Icon (it’s a swirly arrow) on the upper right of the interface gives you the choice to reset to Compute (the whole image turns blue), Keep (the whole image turns green) or Cut (the whole image turns red. So you can pick whatever you think gives you the best base to try to make a mask.
2- After you hit Compute if you click on the 2-up icon at the top center-ish area of the Mask AI workspace 2 large boxes will appear in your workspace. The large box to the left will either display your Tri-Map or your Original Image. There are smaller icons above the large box you can click on to show whichever view is easier for you to work with (original image or trimap). Same goes for the large box to the right in the dual view. There’s a small icon above that box. If you click on it you can choose the view you’d like to see in the righthand box (Keep, Cut, Mask).
3- You probably have the product set to Auto-Update (over on the right side of the workspace in the same area as the large Compute Mask button. If you click so that the little box next to the words Auto Update is empty then nothing will happen until you press Compute Mask again.
4- I will keep my thoughts to myself on this… as I’ve submitted my thoughts to the developers on such things that I’ve experienced too.
I believe that somewhere on the Topaz site (not in the product itself) is a user guide. But I don’t have the link to that handy right now. Perhaps go to the Topaz Labs website and do a search on “Mask AI User Guide” to see what you can find… Ah ha! I found it:
I went back in and marked up a couple Mask AI views to show what I’ve described:
Good luck!
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I must say I find the AI mode to be awesome, here is a scan and the resulting first cut mask after tracing the edges:
No tri-map so you can see the original:
Hi Footmaker ,
I love you , well not quite. I did do a quick look for the user guide before hand but with no luck. I admit I only started to look at A1 yesterday. If I have a problem it would seem to narrow down to were edges tend to be similar colors as the background. Other than that people and well defined edges work like a breeze.
I shall try all your suggestions. Many thanks
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Ah. That sounds like a very workable solution. I’ll try that.
Many thanks for that.
Martin
Agreed.
I tried the new MaskAI with high hopes. It is nothing special. I think Topaz has a lot of work to do to make this a useful professional level product. Thankfully I ran the trial before I purchased… maybe next time, Topaz?
If you need some test product images to train your AI, get in touch with me.
I do professional masking of thousands of products onto clean white backgrounds, so was hoping MaskAI would be a big step up from ReMask which I never use because it’s literally faster for me to cut out even the most complex objects by hand with the pen tool (and other tricks) as Dannagy says above.
I’ve done hundreds of other super complex masking tasks over the years testing so many different methods (masking lots of trees on different skies or backgrounds of other trees or hair on slightly blurry portraits) and again, there are other tricks I know for creating clean masks that work way better and faster than ReMask or any other masking tool on the market (I’ve beta tested a couple products over the years). So as a massive fan of Topaz products (with exception of ReMask) I am confident they will come out with a major update to MaskAI - one that works - sometime in the near future… my money’s burning a hole in my pocket!
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I don’t know if this is the correct forum, but I have a question about Mask AI: I am trying to use it on my laptop – a Microsoft – with 313 GB of free space, yet I cannot get it to save and it seems to freeze. Is it possible that I don’t have enough free space? Or is my processor not good enough? Where can I find out this information?
You will find the system requirements here:
