Photo AI reloads previous version of image after image changed

Photo AI Bugs and Issues
1

I use Photoshop Elements 2023 to (1) “heal” edges of scanned slides and remove dust & debris not already automatically removed by scanning software, and (2) adjust color, levels, contrast etc. This image is then loaded into Photo AI for enhancing the image (since these are old, often out-of-focus slides, this is primarily upscaling, removing noise (VERY important), and slightly recovering faces. As an aside, with the prominent grain in these slides, Sharpening usually makes the image much worse.

Typically, I find that Photo AI initially does not do a good job on some aspect of the image, and so I close it and return to Photoshop Elements to tweak the original Photoshop image. The tweaked result is then saved to overwrite the previous file (and so retains the same name and location as the previous version of the file). Even though the previous file has been either discarded to trash or overwritten, Photo AI loads this previous image, NOT the new tweaked image. However, if I close Photo AI and then re-start, it loads the tweaked image as expected. I’m assuming that Photo AI retains the “Recent” images as a cached file and not as the actual location of the file. While this may allow more rapid access to recent images, the cache file (if that is what it is) does not appear to be emptied when “Recent” images are "Cleared, because clearing the recent images does not prevent re-loading of the previous image and not the tweaked image. This even happens when you drag the tweaked image from its disc location into Photo AI (if it has not been re-started).

To prevent this, you need to close Photo AI and restart it. I’ve actually taken to clearing “Recent” and then closing and re-starting the program and that fixes the issue.

Steps to reproduce issue:

This is consistent behavior and only happens when reloading a tweaked image with the same name as the initial image, AND which is located in the same place. If the name changes from Image1 to Image1a, Photo AI appears to recognize that this is a different image.

Topaz Photo AI [v2.3.1] on Windows

2

Please follow the steps below to reset your Photoshop Elements plugin.

  1. Close Photoshop Elements fully.
  2. Run the Topaz Photo AI installer again. Get a new one from the downloads page: Topaz Labs Downloads
  3. Open Photoshop Elements and check the Filter > Topaz Labs > Topaz Photo AI plugin again.

Let me know if those steps get it working again.

Topaz Labs Documentation | Topaz Photo AI | Plugin | Photoshop & Photoshop Elements

3

Hi John

I’m actually not using Topaz as a plug-in, rather as a separate program. Both programs are running independently at the same time, but I save the APS-E image to a file (without closing APS-E, so I can save the prior editing steps in case I need to back up), and then load the file from disc into Topaz. If Photo Ai does not produce the results I want, I close the file in Topaz (including Clearing the Recent Files in the upper right box) and return to further edit the open image in APS-E, again saving the modified file to disc when finished. Since if I just “Save” the file (not “Save As” with a new name), the modified file will have the same file name as the previous version. That’s where I think Topaz Photo AI gets confused: Even though the file has been modified, and has a different save time, the name and location are the same.

As I said previously, closing Photo AI and restarting it causes Photo AI to load the current version stored on the disc. This behavior seems consistent with Photo AI caching the previous files and looking to the cache first, rather than going to the actual disc location to load the latest version of the file.

Mike

The problem occurs when I go back to