When the standalone is called from an external browser or digital asset manager, Topaz Studio 2 version 2.3.1 opens in plugin mode. After making changes in the image in TS2, clicking the Accept icon OVERWRITES the original image. Thus, TS2 is a DESTRUCTIVE photo editor when run this way.
For users who manage their images and begin a workflow in a browser or DAM, it is now impractical to use TS2 without an external editor-host with layers. This behavior should be changed, IMHO.
This approach works fine with Finder in Mac, but not necessarily with browsers/DAMs. If there is an associated sidecar file, dragging from the browser/DAM will often try to drag both files, impacting the behavior of the Topaz app.
I’ve just been bitten by this known issue; it definitely surprised me as my understanding was that Topaz (in whatever form) is non-destructive (as advertised); although the stated workaround “works,” it’s not at all convenient in workflow terms. FWIW I’m using Topaz 2 with Photo Mechanic 6.
Would it be possible to make Topaz edits non-destructive by default regardless of where an image is opened from, with a preferences option to allow destructive in-place edits (if users desire that)? As it is, users now have to mentally track where each image is opened from in order to ensure that they don’t accidentally OVERWRITE their own images, which is not something anybody wants to do. Topaz is great, but we should root out and destroy this specter of destructive editing wherever we find it, if at all possible.
This is only possible by saving a Project File (*.ts2) from Studio 2. Project Files are proprietary to Topaz Studio so cannot be opened by other applications.
