When I open a RAW image (Sony A77ii) in the standalone version it looks dark and partially desaturated. A JPEG of the same image looks fine and there is no problem if I open the image from Photoshop using the Topaz Studio 2 plugin.
It is a known issue being worked on but in the meantime just add a “S” Curve to the image of you are opening a RAW file in the standalone.
All my RAW images have this issue (ORF & NEF) TS2 is now unusable using RAW files. Probably the best workaround that I’ve found is to open your RAW in another photo editor and save it as a TIFF file. Now open the TIFF in TS2 and it should render correctly.
Topaz what a disgrace: having to open a RAW file in a competing program to get it to work in TS2.
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They are not unusable, just need to edit as you would in any other application. Add a S tone curve as the linear conversion by TS2 gives a better shadow and highlight recovery.
AiDon,
Yes, well that does apply with Studio 1, and maybe it did apply with earlier versions of Studio 2, but with 2.1.1 it would take a lot more than an S curve to fix the color cast.
This is a comparison of a .ARW raw photo from a Sony SLT-A57 camera as it opens in Studio 1 and Studio 2. Note the pronounced colour cast
My apologies I take back all I have said as I have just tested CR2, ARW, RAF and they all have a magenta color cast which is not worth the trouble to remove as it seems to be getting the color temp (white balance) wrong.
Hopefully you guys that use Studio 2 to do your RAW conversions have raised a Support Request at the main website for Topaz Labs.
Actually AiDon I don’t use either Studio 1 or 2 for raw conversions.
The raw photos I do take are with a Sony SLT-A57 camera, and I do the raw conversion in Sony Imaging Edge.
I only spotted the color cast in Studio 2 today and haven’t so far raised a support request, but will try to find the time to do that tomorrow. 
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Support Request #195808 has been raised re the color cast issue
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I finally updated Topaz Studio to 2.1.1 and importing my Sony RAW image into it (stand alone) is very dark and de-saturated, very different from the previous version. This makes using looks and making new ones useless since the original should not looks so bad. Below is the image before correction. I have requested a link back to the previous version.
I started a post on this some time back (I believe you commented in it) - the last version to not suffer from this problem was 2.0.13:
Paul, I didn’t have the problem with the previous version of Studio 2 which I think was 2.0.13 (I didn’t write it down). 1.14.5 is Studio One which I still have.
Yes you’re right - I already corrected my error - apparently at the same time you were posting!
I’ve had a response to my Support Request.
Topaz’s Eric Lowery said “There is no faulty update or a manufacturing error and it’s not a new issue. I don’t know why it suddenly started to show on your computer, but it’s not new or something that was broken in an update. Studio 2 was built from the ground up separately from Studio 1 and in the future will interact differently with raw files than Studio 1. At the moment, I must stress that Studio 2 does not technically support raw files and we do not consider it to be a raw editor, though we do expect a more seamless raw editing capability in the future…”
He suggested converting my Sony SLT-A57 raw files to TIFF in another RAW editor prior to doing any work on them in Studio 2, which of course does get around the issue.
Hmm - I’d dispute the “not new” part. Nobody had it up to 2.1.13, but now everybody does.
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The point has been raised before and has also been said that Studio 2 is not yet a RAW converter:
" At the moment, I must stress that Studio 2 does not technically support raw files and we do not consider it to be a raw editor"
When I raised a support request on October 8 (after you and I discussed the issue Don) I got a very different response:
“We’re aware of this issue and are looking into ways of resolving it. It’s mostly due to the metadata contained in RAW files. I don’t have any further information on it at the moment, but rest assured that we are taking steps toward remedying this!”
This isn’t the same flat raw file issue mentioned in your two quotes, and which has been around since the launch of the original Studio.
I raised a support request on 10/24 and, to date, no response from Topaz. I fully understand that Studio 2 isn’t a raw converter, like Capture One, for example, but IMO to be a viable image editor in today’s market you need to, at least, be able to open any modern raw file. Personally, I liked the fact that Studio 2 opened a raw file with a linear response curve and muted colors because this application is very beneficial with certain images. I could apply just the right curve to bring life back into the image, then make color adjustments, as needed. With v2.1.1, everything is so OFF that it’s impossible to fix. Please…please…can we just go back to how raw used to work? Speaking of that, does anyone know how to downgrade to a prior version?
Firstly Topaz have stated that although you can open RAW files in Studio they are simply NOT supported at this point in time. This is being worked on and will be updated when possible.
Secondly I don’t recommend downgrading but rather using Studio 1 if you wish to open RAW images. But if you want to downgrade just raise a support request at the main website and Support should be able to help you.
Yes, I’m fully aware that Topaz has stated that Studio does not support raw files, but I liked the starting point I got before the current version of Studio 2. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just use other programs to do the raw conversion and finish up in Studio. Hopefully, some future version of Studio will return to the way it was or provide real raw support.
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There was a major shift in the way RAW photos are displayed between 2.0.13 and the present version so something changed. I would think Topaz could easily see this. This means that if you want to start with a RAW picture and use a look, it will not produce the same results as the 2.0.13 version did. It is best to develop RAW in another program and use Studio 2 as a plugin.
