Studio 2 Standalone RAW Images Desaturated

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.

@AiDon,

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.

When I open my. Nef files “Nikon” image are all blurry.

If you read the thread it says that RAW images are NOT supported, the RAW processing is a work in progress.

well if you read their last advertisement for topaz Studio 2 “quote” improved raw handling capabilities, what’s up with that!

It probably is improved to what it was.

i believe LibRAW v0.17 is still being used.

Upload a copy to a file sharing site such as DropBox and I will have a look for you, but if you are talking about later versions z6/z7 they wont be supported.

LibRaw v0.17 was released I believe in August 2015 and there have been a number of releases since then.

I know it wouldn’t be a two minute exercise to update Studio 2 to a more current LibRaw version, but without support for some 4 years worth of new camera models Studio 2 can hardly be taken seriously for processing RAW images.

It isn’t ever a 2 minute exercise and it is something that is in progress and I am no longer sure about the version being used because 0.19 doesn’t support the Sony A73 which was released in Feb 2018 but here is a demosaiced image in Studio v2.3.1:

I can only assume it has been updated to the LibRaw 201910 snapshot so it is then the latest possible but still doesn’t support CR3 or any of the later Nikons.

I also should add that improved support may be just around the corner because Fast RAW Viewer supports CR3 and the later Nikon.

Does anyone know if Topaz PLANS to make Studio 2 do proper RAW conversion? I keep reading about people using 2 or 3 programs in their workflow. This may be fine for you pros, but the rest of us have other lives. I will only but into TOPAZ if I can eventually do my whole workflow here.