Several months ago I wrote in this blog about Topaz Video Enhance AI and how I used it on some 35+ years old video footage to make it more watchable in the present.
Topaz is currently offering a steep discount on the current version of the app, 2.3.0, through tomorrow, 7/16. Readers of this blog can use coupon “plugsnpixels” via this direct link for an additional 15% off the sale price!
Here’s a fresh look at the current version of VEAI, enlarging this old footage 2X:
What’s new in version 2.3.0
New Chronos AI model for frame rate conversion
Easily adjust motion in your clips by slowing them down by up to 2000%. Convert the frame rate of your source footage to conform to your project requirements (e.g. 23.97 fps → 30 fps) or add even smoother motion by converting to higher frame rates (e.g. 60 fps or 120 fps)
New Proteus AI model for fine-tuned enhancement control
Get even more control over the output quality of your clips with six customizable sliders. New controls help reduce halos from over-sharpening, recover lost detail due to compression, and minimize aliasing that can result in less sharp footage.
New Proteus AI model for fine-tuned enhancement control
Get even more control over the output quality of your clips with six customizable sliders. New controls help reduce halos from over-sharpening, recover lost detail due to compression, and minimize aliasing that can result in less sharp footage.
New presets manager
Save and load specific settings for the AI models you use most. Download, share, and import presets with other Video Enhance AI users.
Performance and usability improvements
Topaz has made many improvements to their AI engine for better speed and stability on across a range of hardware, as well as included several helpful usability improvements.
Release notes for version 2.3.0
Major Features
•New model: Chronos Slo-Mo / FPS Conversion. Use this model to increase your video’s framerate, or make any video slow-motion
•New model: Proteus 6-Parameter. Use this model to fine-tune deblocking, detail recovery, sharpening, noise reduction, dehaloing, and antialising
•Preset Manager: Allows you to create and switch between multiple presets, as well as download and load them
Improvements
•New tutorial: Slo-Mo & FPS Conversion
•Engine improvements for better speed and stability on a large range of hardware
•Added the ability to switch between showing frames and showing timecodes in the UI
•Processing completion time now displays in hours:minutes:seconds instead of just seconds
•Application should resize correctly at extremely small resolutions
•Estimated completion time and seconds per frame are now averaged out over 3 frames, making them slightly more stable
•Playback speed in the preview is now based on output FPS if there is one, else the input FPS
•Tutorials have been revamped to allow forward / back movement without having to explicitly click the suggested buttons
Fixes
•Fixed excessive memory usage when switching models
•Fixed a memory leak when exiting preview mode. This will have a major affect on memory use when previewing, especially when using Comparison View
•Fixed a frame-skipping issue when previewing the deinterlacing models that double the framerate
•Fixed .mp4 getting appended to .mov files when choosing a custom output location, which was causing write errors when processing
•Feedback dialog now allows click-to-close and has been added to the Mac Help menu
•Menus now have borders around them so they no longer blend into the background
•Fixed keyframing tutorial not selecting the correct model when starting the tutorial
•Grain Settings now get applied to all models when using Comparison View (previously, they would only apply to currently selected one)
•Model parameter sliders (for Theia, Proteus) now allow you to click and hold to change their values
•Comparison Preview panels should now pan correctly when the preview is rendering or looping
•When adding videos to the list when videos are already open, the first one added will now be selected
•When processing, the playback controls now disappear and are replaced with a frame counter showing how many frames have completed processing
•Removed the ability to launch the application after install, which breaks drap & drop on first launch
•Added a cap to the amount of frames that can be previewed
•Preference panel is now scrollable, and should no longer overflow at extreme resolutions
•Preference panel should now be faster to load
•Better error messaging when path is too long on Windows or an invalid video is being previewed or processed
•Application will quit processing a video that it cannot write to