'Update' costs for AI applications - comment

I was pleased with AI Sharp to be offered a price reduction as I already had Sharpen.
However they didnt offer one when I had deJpg and got AI jpg to RAW- even though the former is now being discontinued in favour of the latter.
One thing i have liked about Topaz is that all future updates are included when you buy. I am concerned this is shifting with the AI versions. Yes, different technology but aimed at the same thing as the ones we have. This could quickly get very costly if they continue to release AI versions of what we have.as a new product.
I purchased the new AI Sharp at the discounts offered for upgrade and newly released. In Aussie terms this was still AUD $58 for a version of what I already had.
I went to open a ticket for this and standalones still arent one of the choices to connect on there.

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JPEG to RAW is nothing like deJPEG, deJPEG only works as a plugin and only works as removing JPEG artifacts and enhances image clarity.

You can see what JPEG to RAW does here ā€¦

Sharpen AI is also not the same as the Sharpen Adjustment as Sharpen AI addresses out of focus images, image shake and general softness caused by lenses etc.

Again here is a blog article by the architect on Sharpen AI ā€¦

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Choose Studio and then under Standalone applications within Studio you can select from there.

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Thanks. However why wind up deJpg then?
Perhaps it needed a different name like AI Focus.
Comment still stands though - sharpening is still sharpening even if there are some added tweaks. Also the fact there was a discount for those with Sharpen Pro, does advertise it as somewhat similar.

That you would need to ask Topaz Labs.

I must admit that even I havenā€™t used DeJPEG since DeNoise and there are no longer any cameras that produce Low quality JPEGs which to show 8x8 blocks of discontinuous color. This is what DeJpeg fixes and I did use it on early JPEGs from Sony video cameras, but I havenā€™t used it in years.

I purchased the entire Topax portfolio, PhotoFXLab that included InFocus. I see those who purchased the standalone get a 100% coupon to upgrade to Sharpen AI. I get a coupon for $20 because I purchased it in a package. Really??? Am I less of valued customer because I took a big bite of Topaz Labs products?

I cannot be alone unless I was the only Topaz customer that purchased the ā€œeverythingā€ package.

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Did you raise a support request to ask about that?

This is a user to user forum, I have noticed there is a $20 discount for buying now, an extra discount of $20 if you own the Sharpen Adjustment in Studio but I didnā€™t see anything about inFocus having a lessor discount as part of a bundle.

Indeed I have raised the question and when received, I will gladly post the reply here on the forum. As stated, I cannot be the only one who was not afforded the free upgrade because we bought the whole Topaz bundle.

Roger

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Yeah, Iā€™ve spent over $500 on their products in the past year. Bought the Collection (which includes InFocus), AI Gigapixel, AI Clear, and JPEG to RAW AI. They didnā€™t even send me a coupon. They just figured Iā€™d buy AI Sharpen at the intro price with everyone else. Not happy.

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I can tell you now that Topaz do not do things like that. I understand that you are upset that you havenā€™t received an email yet but give them time.

In the meantime simply download, install and use the 30 day trial while you are waiting.

You can also raise a help request if you are anxious about it.

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I was confused as well because I received the discount offer - while I own InFocus. I already installed the trial version of AI Sharpen, then found back the 2 mails about the free upgrade (link in the first one did not work). That allowed me to go to the purchase process (you have to click a coupon button to get to zero cost), and that worked slow but fine. Back in the trial app you can refresh your owner status and then itā€™s ok. I really appreciate this !

As I do not even own the full collection, Iā€™m sure youā€™ll get the free upgrade. More good news is that although my graphic card is borderline not supported, things seem to work as intended. Getting AI Sharpen to produce useful results is another story. If I apply it to an image I already processed, things get ugly fast. Applying it at the start of the flow feels wrong - as you want sharpening to be adapted to the output medium. Time will tell.

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Hi,

Remember this is not traditional Sharpening as it ā€˜sharpensā€™ soft images, improves the focus on images that are out of focus and can also correct camera shake. You can apply it at either end of your process but donā€™t apply traditional sharpening before using Sharpen AI.

I created a help request for this a few days ago, but they havenā€™t bothered to reply.

Did get an automated reply?

Have you checked your account recently and looked under Couponā€™s?

If you did then it is in the queue and you will get a reply as soon as you get to the top. They do say that normally it thanks a minimum of 48 hours.

Did you download and install the 30 day trial during the wait?

I received an automatic reply a week ago and nothing more. Coupon value of $20 is till listed even though I purchased In Focus. Must be a bigger issue than I thought because the fix is so easy for Topaz to do.

if you have a look on Facebook on the Topaz Sharpen AI group support do acknowledge there is a problem and they are working to fix it.

The coupon value of $20 would relate to you owning Sharpen in Studio ā€¦ a refund of what you paid for it offered as a extra discount. Just wait or add to the post on Facebook, you have a 30 day trial you can use anyway.

I submitted a help request over the weekend and they addressed it today. Topaz upgraded me to AI Sharpen.


James Adler (Topaz)

Mar 6, 4:21 PM CST

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for contacting Topaz Labs!
I believe there was a misunderstanding. Sharpen AI is an upgrade to Infocus and since you own Infocus you receive Sharpen AI for free.

I have already added Sharpen AI to your account linked to your email address.

You should see Sharpen AI in your My Products Page.


ā€¦Also, I had purchased InFocus as part of a Collectionā€¦

@AiDon, the available 30 day trial thing is not a good excuse for not fixing the continued licensing issues with Topaz products and their ever changing ā€œtechnologyā€ platforms. Bad licensing check planning on their part cannot be excused with ā€œbut you have a 30 day trial periodā€.

I have paid (heavily) for every Topaz product over time, across all plugins, Studio products, and now suddenly stand-alone socalled ā€œAIā€ products (a very abused term if there ever was one, BTW).
As such, as I also own both InFocus and all previous Sharpen products, I submitted a support incident (# 167794) a week ago to get Sharpen AI off trial status. Still no response to that incident at all.

These types of incidents could be fixed/closed in seconds. A simple review of the products already owned to confirm the upgrade eligibility, and then either add the replacing product directly to the account or add a ā€œfree upgradeā€ coupon to the available coupons list.

Instead these issues repeat and hang around, hoping that as many people as possible magically forget their ā€œfree upgradeā€ and instead pay again without realizing it.

It belongs to the story, that ALL incidents I have in the Topaz help database relates to licensing issues and Topazā€™s systems loosing track of which products I own for various reasons. To the tune of me the last time having to pass back years-old original invoices and licensing keys to Topaz, just to prove that I already own products that suddenly pop up and claim I no longer own them.

They need to fix their licensing issues. These are not cheap products in any way. Heck, my subscription to the full, entire suite of Adobe products has cost me less.

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Was there anywhere in this thread that it was said it was an excuse? The 30 day trial, with no limitations, is available to get you started while you are waiting for your support request to be addressed.

That is total rubbish, what companies do that?

That isnā€™t a comparison as the products are totally different and subscription to all apps is US$600 per year and to all apps + stock is US$980 per year.