I’m sorry but when a commitment is made and products are sold to customers on that basis, it should be honoured. It’s obviously legally an issue too in some countries under ‘trades descriptions’.
Why has it happened? Topaz as a company seems to have expanded past its advisable size, as evidenced by “new jobs at Topaz” section. But despite this size, perhaps because of it, the product itself (not the underlying technology) has certainly deteriorated, I’m afraid to say there are many buggy releases. For example it still doesn’t work quickly on Mac OS, often stops from functioning, needing a restart often, this is not an Apple issue.
The underlying technology versus the Interface.
The underlying technology is occasionally spectacular. (whoever is in charge of this, thanks). But the interface still makes no sense visually or logically, and pays no respect or reference to other existing imaging products. The previewing is extremely slow, no ability to perform background processing or batch processing with different algornms. Functionality for the customer had been ignored in favour of a kind of “virtue signalling” interface, without basic features. One small example is zoom keyboard shortcuts. This is a small issue obviously, but it illustrates the fundamental issue you have there. No customer-focused or thoughtful decisions at all, in this area of the product.
For anyone needing to improve the output quality of poor images, it’s on balance, still a valuable product. Topaz certainly DO need to protect their product, and keep the technology locked away on the cloud, and I understand this, as its is now the sole selling-point of the software.
Pricing
I don’t like the suggested new pricing. its too expensive for a product that for most using it productively, it simply performs one task. Most people who were sold a product, deserve to have that honoured, and this is legally supportable certainly in the Uk where I live. I think a smaller fee for existing customers, they would voluntarily support. If the product gets better , not deteriorates of course.
Product decisions
Some of the product decisions have also become plainly strange. and you wonder about the experience of whoever made them. For example the auto-color correcting image of RAWS There are professionals using Topaz GigaPixel - who certainly don’t want the tonal values of their images altered in any way. The end-result is simply what an auto-curve, perhaps blended to luminosity, or Camera RAW “auto” in Photoshop can do. So it seems to be about Topaz appearing to be making ‘progress’ but actually doing something straightforward and available with a few clicks to anyone for 20 years. It’s this type of thing that’s so obviously manipulative of the less experienced customer, that makes you consider abandoning the company,
My impertinent Suggestion
You need to reward whoever it is who researchedt he new AI algorithm(s) for Topaz GigaPixel - and ‘restructure’ the hell out of interfacing and product-management decisions. Otherwise it’s only a matter of time before your entire business gets overtaken by more reasonable competitors. With new publicly available AI technology, any reasonable prediction would suggest that the future of company isn’t looking good right now.
This is a genuine help, I hope it’s seen in that way, thank you
