Topaz users need your help

[SquarePeg]

Question for others who are using Topaz Labs plug ins with Photoshop Elements or LR... Do you notice that when you use one of the filters, for example the Topaz Adjust or Lens Effects, that the preview window in the Topaz filter has a much less noisy photo than what you end up with when you apply the filter and view it back in the PSE window? Why is that? If the noise can be that easily eliminated in the filter, why can't it stay that way? Even after using the Topaz DeNoise it doesn't look as good as it did in the preview window of the other filter.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[KmH]

First, Ps Elements uses a version of Camera Raw (ACR - Adobe Camera Raw) that is majorly truncated compared Lr's Develop module, also ACR, but all of ACR.
It may be that the Topaz preview is a 16-bit depth preview while PsE is limited to 8-bit depth previews.

 

[kap55]

I use Topaz from within Photoshop on a daily basis and have never noticed the degradation that you are describing. Really think it might be a PSE problem.

 

[SquarePeg]

Hmmm, sounds like PSE could be my issue. I may have to give in and upgrade to the Adobe monthly membership. I have been putting it off since I had only recently purchased the PSE11 back when they changed over to the monthly pay model. Maybe I'll download a trial of LR and see if I have the same issue before I commit to the changeover.

 

[Desert Rose]

Or buy a standalone copy of PS.

 

[SquarePeg]

Or buy a standalone copy of PS.

That doesn't seem like the way to go these days. I'm assuming I would be out of luck for new features?

 

[Overread]

Yeah go for the subscription - the price is very reasonable and a very modest sum per month and you get photoshop and lightroom for that cost. It's also comes with every update to those two bits of software without any cost and Adobe's system is pretty good at not forcing you to update or badgering you to update (in fact I find that if I don't boot up the Creative Cloud page I don't even get any bothersome update notifications).

 

[JonA_CT]

Yeah, I can't see a reason to buy the software. $120/year subscription for software that is consistently updated pretty fair for me.

If you use Mac, Affinity Photo is an option that a lot of people like...its something like $49 and is updated for life. I used the trial, but ended up keeping LR because it does file management, and I didn't have another way to do that.

 

[Desert Rose]

New features are generally the addition to the core software of the things you could do last year with a plug-in.

 

[KmH]

Yeah go for the subscription - the price is very reasonable and a very modest sum per month and you get photoshop and lightroom for that cost. It's also comes with every update to those two bits of software without any cost and Adobe's system is pretty good at not forcing you to update or badgering you to update (in fact I find that if I don't boot up the Creative Cloud page I don't even get any bothersome update notifications).

You get Adobe Bridge too, but have to download it separately.
I have my Adobe Photography subscription set up such that it has to let me know updates are available I can get, rather than automatically updating.