Soft and mushy photos, motion-blurred photos, out-of-focus photos – we’ve all got them! And sometimes we have no choice but to make use of them regardless. Thankfully, Topaz Sharpen AI exists to rescue all manner of otherwise unsalvageable images. Version 2.0.1 was just released: It’s a FREE UPDATE for current users. New users can save $20 off the regular price ($79.99>$59.99) during the time-limited launch special, PLUS an additional 15% off (see below)!
NOTE: Never pay full price for Topaz software! Don’t even settle for a sale when you can get a DOUBLE-DISCOUNT! Use this link with coupon plugsnpixels and always save 15% off the retail price of ANY Topaz product, or an additional 15% off any launch special or seasonal sale price.
Before we dive in and take a look at some real-world examples, what’s new in Sharpen AI version 2? Mainly batch processing and also the ability to mask certain areas of the image for selective application or removal of the sharpening treatment.
Now we’re ready to see Sharpen AI in action. Here’s the interface of the beta version just before the release date, with all settings set to default as launched except for magnification (which I doubled so you can see better online): Sharpen mode, Manual setting, Auto-update preview on. (Right-click to open any of these example screenshots full size in a new tab or window.)
The image in the screenshot above, as with all of the other examples in this blog post, are from about 2007, shot with a non-DLSR camera. Notice how the wood and painted areas of the flower cart “pop” as if I originally used a much better lens! I specially selected these images because these lower-tech results need the most help to be properly presentable.
The example above was a soft image of a hard subject. Now let’s look at a soft image of a soft subject! This seagull was photographed on Catalina Island at an extended zoom range with auto-focus and was a bit mushy. Sharpen AI 2 makes the result look like a totally different photo! Notice I am using the Stabilize option. You’ll want to experiment to see which mode is best for your particular image.
Let’s push Sharpen AI 2 even harder, because in this blog I don’t just “top off” an image that is quite decent to begin with – I find the worst of my own older stock photos and see what current software technology can do with them. For instance, here’s a correctly-focused photo of a decorative lamp (reduced in size and before color correction):
While preparing this blog post I discovered I took a second shot of the same lamp with a different composition – and unbeknown to me at the time, the auto-focus failed:
Had I noticed this “blooper” years ago, the image would have been deleted already. But thankfully, it still exists and we can use it to put Sharpen AI 2 to the test!
That’s a pretty amazing improvement, seriously! You can almost read the text, which was total mush in the original (compare it to the sharp original image above). Notice I once again used the Stabilize mode (which seems to work well on most images) and tweaked the sliders a bit.
NOTE: Never pay full price for Topaz software! Don’t even settle for a sale when you can get a DOUBLE-DISCOUNT! Use this link with coupon plugsnpixels and always save 15% off the retail price of ANY Topaz product, or an additional 15% off any launch special or seasonal sale price.
The only thing worse than a mushy image of a stationary seagull is a blurred capture of a flying one! Here’s a before-and-after comparison of a tight crop of another old grabshot, with incredible results. Note that I also cleaned up the noisy sky while I was at it, using the Suppress Noise slider:
Next we’ll look at selective masking, where you can control which areas of your image receive sharpening and which don’t. Here how it looks while you manually paint where your adjustments will occur (the red area is affected):
As you can see, the new Sharpen AI 2 can be a lifesaver when you’re trying to salvage older photos captured with less-than-ideal technology, or even for giving that extra edge to more modern photos. Tips from Topaz on getting started, which you’ll see upon launching the app:
New version summary:
Major Features
- Added ability to selectively mask out sharpness
- Added ability to process batches of images
- Updated AI models
Improvements
- The right panel has been redesigned to improve clarity
- Save dialog has been redesigned
- Improvements to processing speed
- Added option for default save as prefix
NOTE: Never pay full price for Topaz software! Don’t even settle for a sale when you can get a DOUBLE-DISCOUNT! Use this link with coupon plugsnpixels and always save 15% off the retail price of ANY Topaz product, or an additional 15% off any launch special or seasonal sale price.