Topaz Denoise AI plugin on a NEF RAW file (was Dr.)

[Archimedes-3.14]

I am fairly new to Affinity, but I can't find any answers to this in the forum. I want to use the Topaz Denoise AI plugin. It seems to be installed correctly and works when I open a tiff file. If however, I open a Nikon raw file (.NEF), the plugin is disabled, as expected. When I develop the image, the plugin is disabled. If I duplicate the background pixel layer and select the copy, the plugin is still disabled. The only way I can use Denoise AI currently is to export a tiff from AffPhoto, denoise it, and re-import the tiff file -- I am concerned that I may lose metadata in doing that.

What am I missing? If I have to convert to tiff, can you confirm that I won't be losing metadata?

--Barry

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums, @Archimedes-3.14.

Please check your settings in the Develop Assistant (View > Assistant Manager..., and then possibly click Develop Assistant...). It is likely that you are developing to a color format not supported by Topaz Denoise AI. For example, perhaps you're developing to RGB (32 Bit HDR) and Topaz only works if you specify RGB (16 Bit).

[thomaso]

1 hour ago, Archimedes-3.14 said:

If I have to convert to tiff, can you confirm that I won't be losing metadata?

I just did a quick test with a TIF, opened in APh + denoised in APh + saved as TIF from APh. It appears to maintain all metadata: exif sample APh as TIFF.txt

Note this checkbox for metadata export in "Export" > "More":

To read (or write) metadata you might want to install this little tool which lists metadata of an inspected image file (sample result attached above): 

https://exiftool.org/

[Archimedes-3.14]

Thank you both! This greatly simplifies my workflow. Changing the Develop Assistant properties did the trick. Thank you also for the pointer to ExifTool. The test above doesn't apply to my situation, which was when the denoising was done in Topaz Denoise AI, and there was a possibility that the metadata recognized by Topaz is different from that recognized by Affinity Photo. However, now there is no reason to do that now that the plugin is working.

Thanks again.

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, Archimedes-3.14 said:

there was a possibility that the metadata recognized by Topaz is different from that recognized by Affinity Photo.

For this doubt you should check whether Topaz transfers all metadata (– not Affinity, which apparently does).