From a strictly PR POV, it may not have been a good idea to put the Starlight preview in a release build instead of limiting it to the beta and web front ends.
So here’s my shot at Starlight with an “impossible” video. Face still needs a lot of work.
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Yeah, the texture of the face looks rather rough here.
The hands are also a problem. I’d say the model needs a strength adjustment. It’d be easier to live with a little less enhancement overall.
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Totally agree! My findings so far is that it does the best in terms of reducing aliasing/moire but if tends to add contrast and make the image look too “crunchy” with oversharpening and overestoring details. I find I need to do a Proteus 2X pass on top with Dehalo at +60 to soften.
Yes, the face looks like a really old woman.
Considering similar issues with the results of the earlier versions of Photo enhancement apps (that use similar techniques) I think this could be made MUCH better if there was an additional face recovery algorithm performed after the diffusion upscale.
With PhotoAI and Gigapixel face recovery really makes a huge difference.
Oh, and in that context I’ll say it again: also a preserve text option is desperately needed.
I have recently been thinking of not renewing my Topaz Video AI license, ironic as it only just recently renewed. The reason being that the result vs render time is really not worth it. I use DR Studio with Neat Video and can clean up and enhance videos in a fraction of the time it takes Topaz, who’s results are not always great. Now with the Cloud rendering that Topaz is promoting and the price it will cost is for me the deciding factor. I have not used Topaz for some time and only wish I had made my decision before my license renewal.
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I’m seeing oversharpening/overestoring/color hue change with cranked up contrast. Is there a way the diffusion model can skip the oversharpening and contrast/color changes?
I really love u guys, keep the great work, u deserve to be the greatest company for AI enhancement.
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Guys, let’s be real here. Like I’ve said before: Topaz doesn’t prioritize consumer hardware anymore. We were the main focus—the early adopters who powered this software. Now? It’s all about the “big players.” Come on—do you really think a $200/month subscription is in the same league as what NASA, Coca-Cola, or Tesla would pay?
We helped fund and build this amazing tool from the ground up. I was there, cheering them on and celebrating every innovation. But this isn’t our Topaz anymore. Even if they release a new “local” model down the line, it’ll be a watered-down shadow of the cloud version. This isn’t just an update—it’s a corporate pivot. They’re launching a new era for Topaz… and we’re no longer part of the equation.
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Let’s face it: Topaz has little incentive to innovate quickly because they’re the only player in this niche. We’re stuck playing nice—begging for scraps(sadly linux support)—simply because there’s no alternative. No competition means slower progress, period. If another company stepped up, Topaz would have to improve faster… but until then? We’re at their mercy.
And let’s talk hardware: they’re not even optimizing models for current-gen GPUs like the 4090. Forget 5090 support—they’re leaving today’s hardware struggling while chasing enterprise cloud contracts. We funded their rise, celebrated their breakthroughs, and now? We’re sidelined.
Monopolies breed complacency. If Topaz wants loyalty, they need to prioritize the community that built them—not just chase Fortune 500 paychecks. Optimize for the 4090. Be transparent. Prove you still care. Otherwise, the moment competition emerges? This “cozy” relationship ends fast.
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welp, i feel like i got scammed lol
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The face and hands (especially the hands) really look like an alien. 
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I can also see that the feathers don’t really look like feathers anymore. It’s like a mixture with hairs.
I honestly don’t mind it looking like hairs but the oversharpening and too contrasty look is something I hope they can dial down. To each their own.
Could some from Topaz please confirm is if the loop preview is gone forever? I’d like to know as it was important to my workflow - and doubtless to many others too.
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It’s a new project that’s still very, very young. So yes, it will be improved over time.
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Yes, for now I have to do a Proteus pass with Dehalo at +60 on top of the Starlight file to help mitigate the oversharpening. It’s not ideal or not perfect but so far it helps.
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Also, another thing I’m noticing is that the movement of the feathers isn’t really consistent in it’s motion and looks to be what looks like ghosting (or blended frames) at times. I did a test with Artemis LQ and it doesn’t have that motion inconsistency, but it isn’t as good in terms of restored detail.
Rhea has never worked fine for me. It creates faces out of nowhere, turns a nose into a mouth, et cetera.
I have however been utilizing multiple layer upscaling for quite some time. My go-to is Proteus or Iris as the floor layer, then Gaia as a darkening layer. Normally 50% strength. It goes up or down depending on the video quality. I’ve also used Artemis, but at times, the Artemis upscale won’t sync frame-by-frame with the other algorithms which leaves everything a mess.
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