I realise that Studio 2 is the new kid on the block, and that there are significant functions that have not
yet been implemented, but there are some serious issues with the existing release. These need to be addressed in short order in order to make it a usable product.
Below are the results of some tests I ran after I noticed some behaviour that would consider unacceptable. If any of the steps I took are not how Studio 2 is intended to work, feel free to set me straight - I will retry the test cases with those intents in mind to see if the issues disappear.
Environment:
Lenovo P50 Workstation Thinkpad
Intel Core i7-6700 CPU @ 2.60GHz 2.59GHz
Intel HD Graphics 530 128MB VRAM (only drives the Laptop display)
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M 4GB VRAM (all image processing programs are config’d to use NVIDIA)
40GB RAM
1TB SSD (C:)
1TB HDD (D:)
240GB SSD (E:)
Windows 10 Pro - with latest updates
Lightroom Classic 8.3.1 Release; Camera Raw 11.3
Photoshop CC 10.0.5 Release
Raw Files:
Nikon D800E 36MP NEF
Test Procedure:
1. Open a 36MP NEF file in Studio 2
2. View a detailed area in the image at 100%
(in this case, the stump closest to the camera, centre left)
3. Apply AI Clear filter with its starting/default settings.
4. Export (in the case of standalone) or click on the Check Mark
(in the cases of plugin/filter) to save it/return to the calling program.
Test Cases:
-
Use the “Open a File” function in Studio 2 Standalone. . . . . . . . . . . . . RESULT: OK (but…)
(The issue here is that the file is brightened when it is loaded -
Studio 2 is doing some unwanted processing that I did not request.) -
Drop and drag the raw image onto Studio 2 Standalone. . . . . . . . . . . RESULT: OK (but…)
(Once again, the file is brightened when it is loaded - Studio 2
is doing the same unwanted processing as above.) -
From LR, use the “Edit in” function in LR to invoke Studio 2 plugin. . . . . .RESULT: OK (but…)
(A side issue here is that Studio 2 consistently crashes when returning
to Lightroom. It appears that the image is saved, but there is a popup
appears informing me that “Topaz Studio 2 has stopped working.”) -
From LR, use “Edit in” to open the image to Photoshop, Ctrl-J the Background
to a new editable layer, view detail area at 100% to ensure it loaded correctly,
invoke Studio 2 as a filter as follows:
Filter > Topaz Studio > Topaz Studio 2… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RESULT: FAIL
In case 4, after the image loads into Studio 2, it is rendered very fuzzy with
all details barely visible - a complete departure from all the other cases.
Note that, unlike the standalone cases, the rendered image is not brightened.
Further, once the AI Clear filter is applied, the fuzziness is amplified, with
many artefacts added. I assume the artefacts are created by AI Clear from the
pixels it thinks are the details that are to be enhanced).
One last thing you need to address quickly … the Export function DOES NOT GIVE A WARNING
if you already have a file of the same name in the folder you are saving to. For example,
let’s assume I export a finished image as Case1.tif from TS2. I then open another image, work
on it, and save it again as Case1.tif, forgetting that I already had a Case1.tif from a
previous session. That is totally unacceptable … Studio 2 needs to at a minimum give me a
warning that I already have a file with the same name as I an exporting the file to. Ideally,
TS2 should give me some options to Overwrite, Change the Name, Generate a Unique Name, or Cancel
before it destroys an existing image.
On the whole, this release of Studio 2 seems to be a fairly decent Beta Test version. I’m very glad
I did not pay for the upgrade, and I am looking forward to seeing TS2 mature as a product.
I will upload some downsized jpg’s … with any luck, you will see the issues I am reporting here.
Original Image
Case 1
Case 2
Case 3
Case 4
