Topaz and Affinity Photo good enough?

primetime · Dec 30, 2022

We were looking at possibly getting both Topaz Labs (DeNoise, Gigapixel and Sharpen AI) package and Affinity Photo 2.
I hear the noise reduction and sharpening abilities in Topaz are better than Affinity Photo 2. Would getting both be the best option for just 2D photo editing? We won't be doing any video or 3D editing.

Also we are running ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 OLED 14" Laptops
Specs are Intel Core i5 11th Gen 11300H 3.1GHz Processor; 8GB DDR4 Onboard RAM; 256GB Solid State Drive; Intel Iris Xe Graphics

Will these be sufficient for the software choices above?

Strodav · Dec 30, 2022

Sorry, can't help you with Affinity Photo 2, but have the Topaz Suite and use it with the Adobe LrC and PS. The Topaz suite is excellent, but as with all tools, it has it's limitations. For my workflow, if the image is sharp and low noise, the tools provided in LrC are all that's needed. If I had to crank up the ISO and noise is an issue, then Topaz DeNoise does a very nice job, although the noise reduction tools in PS are very good as well. If just a part of the photo is noisy, like a dark background, then I find masking using layers in PS and applying noise reduction to the masked, noisy area works better than using Topaz DeNoise on the entire photo. Topaz sharpen is excellent If the focus is off a bit, or there was some subject movement, camera shake or the image is just soft, but again PS is pretty good at it as well, just a lot more trial and error using different tools in PS. With Topaz it's a good idea to try all their models for sharpening (standard, blur, out of focus, too soft) to see which one provides the best results. There were times when I thought camera shake was the issue, but, say, out of focus provided better results, so there is trial and error with Topaz as well. If you are going to need to heavily crop, then Gigapixel is well worth the money. When birding, if I can't get close enough to fill the frame, then I'll run the image though Gigapixel x2 or even x4 and then crop to get much better results.

primetime · Dec 30, 2022

Thanks again!

JoeW · Dec 30, 2022

I use AP #1 and the Topaz Suite.

First, I can't say enough about all of the Topaz options, especially if you shoot in some extreme situations where you have to jack the ISO up or get some blur because of a shutter speed that isn't optimal. I love Topaz Labs--all 3 of the programs.

Second, I'm a big fan of AP. I don't have #2--just the first version. I like that I don't pay a monthly fee. I found it quick to learn. My advice about using an alternative to AP (like Adobe) is: if you have corporate clients or have to share files then Adobe CS is the industry standard so it makes sense to use that. Or, if there is a specific Adobe app or plug-in you love. Because there just aren't nearly as many AP plug-ins. To me, those are the big advantages that would say "go with Adobe CS." If they don't apply to you, then AP and Topaz are an excellent combination.

I've found the combination of AP and Topaz to work very, very, very, very well for my purposes.

RacePhoto · Jan 6, 2023

Note on Topaz, get the demo version and try it first. Even if it's going to leave a watermark, make sure your system can handle it. I wanted to try Gigapixel AI on some old images and film scans that I considered restoring.

The CPU must also be able to handle AVX instructions.

TJMcG · Aug 4, 2023

If you're still looking at this, yes the Topaz tools will plug in to Affinity Photo and work just as they do in Photoshop. Of course, Affinity Photo is not Photoshop and will not be as great overall, but if that's what you have, get the Topaz. You will generally get better results than the built-in tools in Affinity Photo.

I also have all the Topaz stuff and use it with Photoshop, but while I have Denoise AI and Sharpen AI I never use them anymore since putting on Photo AI. Denoise and Sharpen leave awful artifacts, and are just unacceptable to me, but while Photo AI has some flaws, it is generally much, much better than either of the others and does everything in one interface. It will also enlarge a photo, so no need for Gigapixel either.