How comparable is Photo Resolution Enhancer to Topaz Photo AI?

[albertkinng]

I have been successfully using Photo to enlarge images, even for poster files and billboard arts. However, a friend recently recommended Topaz AI, claiming it to be superior in quality. Although I do not have Topaz, I am curious if anyone here has used it and can provide insight on whether it is worth the investment. Thank you in advance.

[AlainP]

I have used it on many images successfully. But it's no magic, it works very well for some images but also creates weird artefacts sometimes on some others. On some images, people become extra-terrestrials. There is a demo available to try it and see by yourself.

Note that Topaz Gigapixel AI does not work as a plugin in Photo.

[albertkinng]

40 minutes ago, AlainP said:

I have used it on many images successfully

Basically I can still use the Photo menu bar tools with confidence.

[John Rostron]

I use Benvista PhotoZoom Classic 8 for enlarging where Affinity won't do it. It is about half the price of Topaz Gigapixel AI (£49 vs £99).

John

[albertkinng]

On 3/20/2023 at 1:04 PM, John Rostron said:

I use Benvista PhotoZoom Classic 8 for enlarging

I use Super Photo Upscaler. Check it out when you get a chance. Cheap and Powerful! It is a Mac Only app.

Edited March 21 by albertkinng
System Compatibility Added.

[thomaso]

I tried this APhoto feature just once or twice and was not impressed, compared to experiences with Gigapixel AI.

But, in Topaz definitely more than in Affinity, a resulting improvement depends on the image contents (respectively the Topaz AI database). My impression also depends on my individual taste, e.g. a preference for grainy or rather smoothed edges. In Topaz I often noticed that I'd prefer one specific setting for some details of an image while I'd like another setting for other parts of the same image.

[albertkinng]

Good to know. I was also researching online and most professionals choose Topaz over Photoshop or Lightroom.

[RichardMH]

I've been using the Topaz products for a while. I like Gigapixel AI to upscale images. Its also cheaper than Photo AI which includes de noise and sharpening. I use Gigapixel for wildlife images where I often crop heavily. Pretty sure there's a free trial so give it a go. There can be artifacts so you need to inspect the image fairly carefully. I have mixed feelings about Photo AI. If I'm just going to post on line I'll use it, but for prints I'll use the separate programs (De Noise and Sharpen).

 

PS Photo AI is still being developed with weekly releases for bug fixes and new features.

[John Rostron]

18 hours ago, albertkinng said:

I use Super Photo Upscaler. Check it out when you get a chance. Cheap and Powerful! 

This is for MAC only.

John

[TomM1]

A while back I tried Gigapixel AI. My impression was that it was best for low res images, as it adds pixels to the enlargement.

Not what I need.

I compared Blow Up, On1, Photo Zoom.

But none were superior to simply using Affinity Photo with one of the Lanczos 3 choices for resampling.

For example, enlarging to 30x40 inches.

It helps to start with a high res image.

[albertkinng]

6 hours ago, John Rostron said:

This is for MAC only

Thanks. I updated the info.

[albertkinng]

12 minutes ago, TomM1 said:

were superior to simply using Affinity Photo with one of the Lanczos 3 choices for resampling

My situation today. I'm glad I don't need those other apps. I just bought Super Photo Upscaler, so I can drop to the icon and enlarge the picture in a second.