@richie666 - Thanks for the feedback! We didn’t ask you to stay on a prior version, it was something we suggested since you mentioned not wanting to update continously/find out there is bugs. The important part was to check for Releases notes on what can benefit your workflow, then update when you can. Up to you to update or not. The 2 week cycle of new features and fixes will remain but we appreciate the feedback!
The new version works fine for a lot of users. When you can write in details on what these issues you have are and we can take a look!
I understand your pain and frustration.
However, don’t you think that expecting an app with a two-week update cycle which almost every time includes new features and state of the art AI models to be free of bugs? These models are getting bigger and bigger and push existing hardware to the limit, with the added complexity of different platforms and (often older) architectures. It’s just impossible to have all these variables adequately tested during the beta phase.
So, that’s why I suggested you follow more conservative update tactics.
Here is I hope a constructive suggestion. I think that in order to continue with development and release as you have done for the last few years (I have experience with Photo AI, Gigapixel AI, Sharpen AI, and Denoise AI going back several years over many, many releases – therefore I clearly see the pattern) and at the same time make it easier for many people to make informed decisions about whether to install a new version you should make a small change to your release notes when you release a new version. For years this is the style of your release notes:
Cool new feature A
Feature B now much faster
Bug X fixed
Naturally, with those release notes everyone wants to update!
I think it would be helpful if you changed the notes to be more of this form where you provide very important info that we need to make an informed decision (note the bold parts which are new):
Cool new feature A (not thoroughly tested though so your supported computer may not actually work)
Feature B now much faster (not thoroughly tested though so your supported computer may not actually work)
Bug X fixed
Feature C that worked before is now broken
Bug Y that finally got fixed a release or two ago is now back again
Bug Z reported by beta testers of this release was not fixed
IMO, if you make these changes to your release notes everyone will be better able to decide when to update. Some people are running a business where time is important and also time is money so for them it is much more critical to avoid disasters. But even for the rest of us it would be very welcome to have better disclosure. Thank you!
Good advice to have Topaz be as specific as possible, not only about new or improved features but also about possible gremlins or limitations.
In terms of known problems, these already indicated under ‘Known issues’ at the bottom of the release notes. Most other bugs only become known as users report them.
The problem is that there are so many different PC configurations out there that it is impossible for them all to be tested prior to release. In the Mac world it’s probably a bit easier, which is one reason why I have been a Mac user since 1988. All I can say is that the more PC people who sign up as beta testers, the more likely these issues are to be resolved, or partially resolved prior to the release of each new version.
And, a top bullet to be added to your proposed list of how to structure release announcements (when relevant):
This release is just a Patch for those with x, y, z problem occurring on a, b, c types of systems.
Versus having to guess and read the thread of comments to figure out who it helped. Very straightforward with that addition to know if we should use the release.
Yes, I do actually expect a final beta-tested version to work as advertised. The legitimate place for discovering bugs and sorting them out is the beta version, NOT the full release version.
Why can’t Topaz get that?
If you can’t achieve that with a 2-week release cycle, you might consider lengthening the cycle. It’s not rocket science.
Following more conservative tactics often doesn’t help because an annoying bug which hasn’t been fixed in my current version is fixed in the new version but is accompanied by a fresh new bug! It’s a merry-go-round of frustrations.
Great! Someone else gets it!
Topaz’s approach to software development is beyond my comprehension. I completely accept that even in the best software a bug will occasionally surface and be fixed in the next minor update.
However, the place for debugging software is in the beta version, not the full release.
Some people are trying to run a business and rely on software being reliable on release.
Topaz, however, locks its customers into a state of eternal beta, where both the beta version and the full version are full of bugs, new features that don’t work, and fixes that may or may not have fixed a previous fix.
Again, you are missing the point. It’s not about me.
It’s about a company that thinks it’s OK to use its customers as guinea pigs or unpaid developers to fix software which should still be in beta.
You might feel like a guinea pig in Topaz’ hands but I do not. I don’t make myself dependent on unrealistic expectations about what the company does or should do. I like what it offers and if/when its offerings are no longer to my liking or of use I’ll say goodbye. Bugs are part of almost all software I use (such as, the Affinity suite).
Again, that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand where you’re coming from. Sure, I feel/felt frustrated sometimes (for instance when Preserve Text produced awful results for quite a long time) but I try to find my way around it (e.g, rolling back to an earlier version) or move on.
So, I come in peace and only offer you a different way of looking at the situation. To be sure, you’re entitled to your point of view and I respect that.
There is a function that does not work correctly. When I want to save edits as a new preset, after I have made a custom shared selection on the edited image, this shared selection is not saved in the preset, i.e. if I close Photo AI and then open it the next day, on the same image, the custom selection partition disappears. To be more explicit, I start with a rough image. In the first step, I make multiple selections for denoise. In the 2nd step I make another multiple custom selection for sharp, etc. I use “save edits as a new preset” and attach a name. The next day, when I upload the same image, the saved preset does not contain my selections (which I saved yesterday) for each action described above.
The complementary selection function does not work, i.e. if for an action I make a selection on the rough image and afterward I want to select the complementary (to the entire image) of this selection this does not work, although it is very useful.
Regarding points 1 and 2, it would have been simpler and absolutely useful to save only the custom selections as reusable objects.
Well, I am a multiple winner of international astrophotography contests, and these points above, 1-2 and 3 are very important to me. Thank you and I hope to receive an answer.
Hello Gabriel! For the Preset, that would be expected behavior. A Preset is only to save a set of enhancements, to apply on other files, it is not to save a session or a save mask. If you have to leave and close Photo AI, make sure the session saved toggle is on in Edit > Preferences > Resume Session Automatically to be on “Always” instead of “Ask on Close” - Then close your session and when you reopen it, it will resume your session as you left it. The Presets are not to use here and are for a complete different use.
@jeff.hodgson and @eabel2006 The preview size choices were removed in Super Focus v2 since the previews are much faster. The only reason there was preview choices in v1 is because the version was much slower. You still get to preview in v2, depending on the size of the image, the preview square might be close to the whole image preview. Go over the area you want to preview and click, the preview will generate! You can see in Dakota’s screenshots that Super Focus v2 does not have the preview size choices anymore. - Let me know how it goes generating the preview! You can also toggle to v1 if that is what you prefer!
I don’t think expecting software to work properly is an unrealistic expectation.
If I ran my business on the basis that ‘shit happens, too bad, we’ll get around to fixing it sometime but in the meantime you can get by on using the product you wanted to upgrade’, I wouldn’t have a business.
I offer you that as a different way of looking at the situation…
My name is Gabriel Corban.