Studio 2 - Can't save Looks anywhere!

I am having an extremely frustrating problem–I can’t save Looks ANYWHERE. The process seems to be simple, and I was able to save a couple when I first installed the software a few months ago, but am no longer able to do so. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling several times, and have changed the location where user-created content is saved, and have made sure to delete all old files set up in previous installations, but nothing seems to work. Topaz creates the necessary folders (Looks, Filters, Textures), but does not save anything into them.

I am using Windows 10 Home version, 10.0.19041 Build 19041. I used the old Topaz Studio successfully in the past, and was able to save modified Presets with no problem (though the program ran very slowly).

I feel like there must be some major thing that’s going wrong here that should be easy to see, but I have no idea what it is. I have written to customer service and got one unhelpful reply a few weeks ago, and none yet to my most recent request. Seriously, the program is not very useful if I can’t save Presets or Looks or anything. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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Yes, but it also creates another set of folders called My Looks, My Filters and My Textures, and your creations will be stored in those. On my Windows 10 PC those folders are stored in C:\Documents\Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Studio 2 (I have no idea why the installer chose that location).

Yes, I’m sorry–I was imprecise in identifying the folder names. Those are the names of the folders I have, there’s just nothing in them even after I try to save a Look. And, I am able to specify different locations for those folders if I want, but no matter where they are, nothing seems to save to them.

I had similar confusion on where my saved stuff was winding up. I checked my Documents file on both C and D drives and found some older things on the C drive. Decided to experiment, creating a new Look in Studio 2 and saving it. Closed out the app, reopening it and the saved Look appeared. However it did not appear in either the C: or D: Document folders. I went back and followed the path of the file to track it down. D:\Users\Name\Documents\Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Studio 2\Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Studio 2\My Looks Note the duplication of Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Studio2 in the path. This duplication of file folders does not show up in the File Explorer files unless the complete path shown is followed.

I saw this strange set of extra folder levels when Topaz used the Documents filepath, too. But whether I used that filepath or another one I specified on installation, the Looks I try to save do not appear there (or anywhere) when I save them, and then I can’t find them to open up when I use Topaz again.

I am really perplexed by this. I can understand Topaz saving in some unexpected location, but why doesn’t it seem to be saving at all? I mean, when I search for a file with the name of a Look I tried to save, it does not appear on my computer anywhere.

I just found the solution–I use Bitdefender antivirus software, and it has a function it calls “Safe Files” in which it keeps applications from changing files–and it was keeping Topaz from saving files in the My Looks folder. I’ll post a new thread about this so anyone else who has the problem might see it more easily.

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Try what I did. Create a “Look” with a unique name and save it. see if it appears in Studio 2 My Looks. If it does, its been saved somewhere. Use your system search for the unique name and follow its path, level by level. If you were to go directly to where you think it should be, at least in Windows 10, that second set of Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Studio2\My Looks folders where it has been saved is not visible. Going through the User file path , the second Topaz LLC folder appears and leads to where the new Look is saved.

My problem was that Looks were not being saved at all–Bitdefender antivirus software was preventing it. When I changed a setting in Bitdefender so Topaz was allowed to make changes to folders, I was able to save Looks with no problem.

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FYI Looks, Filters & Textures for Studio 2 are in the following areas …

  • Your copies are kept in: “…\Documents\Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Studio 2”
  • Application copies come from: “DiskID:\ProgramData\Topaz Labs LLC\Topaz Studio 2”

The Documents entry is your copy of Filters, Looks and Textures, both locations are updated and the program works from ProgramData.