One of the benefits of having to upgrade my computer has been access to updated software and plugins. Topaz DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI are two I have been interested in but unable to run. I have seen good reviews from fellow photographers whose work I admire and whose opinions I trust so was keen to trial it for myself. Topaz has a long track record and a good reputation. I have used a number of their plugins previously but none that became an indispensable part of my workflow.
Last week I shared 3 images to illustrate what I feel was the excellent sharpness achieveble when using the Nikkor Z 100-400 f4.5-5.6 VR S with the Nikon TC-1.4x teleconverter. Putting these 3 images through Topaz DeNoise AI resulted in significant improvement in perceived sharpness. All had been shot at ISO 800 so not very noisy but the combination of noise reduction and sharpening within the default settings made the images look significantly crisper without being crunchy!
This detailed crop probably shows it best for web display which makes it much harder to appreciate the changes than when viewed at 100% in full resolution.
This following image illustrates what can be done with software the most dramatically for me. It was shot with the Nikon Z9 and 500 f5.6PF + 1.7x teleconverter for a focal length of 850mm at f9.5 with ISO 1600. The camera focussed on the eye of the parent with the caddis larva so the chick bills and eyes were just behind the plane of focus and a bit soft. First step was to run it through Topaz DeNoiseAI which dealt with the ISO 1600 noise and added bit of sharpening.
The next step was to run it through Topaz Sharpen AI. To my eye this did an incredible job of sharpening the chicks, revealing detail in their plumage, bills and eyes that was soft in the original image. Detail that wasn’t quite clear now rendered sharp and crisp – at first glance I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing.
With this degree of control in post-processing it adds further to the issue of “How Sharp is Sharp Enough”. If a subject that is beyond the plane of focus can be rendered sharply after software adjustment, how crucial is slight softness of a lens? There is no doubt that the photographic tools that we have at our disposal are better than they have ever been. What we need to understand is that the tools we have are not just hardware based. We now need to factor the software into the whole work flow when determining what the best/most cost effective tools to get the job done are. Don’t get me wrong, I just love my sharp prime lenses, but there are times when a less sharp but more versatile zoom is a better tool for a job and by adding software to the process we may not even have to sacrifice much sharpness, if any, in the final image.
To date the sharpening part of my work flow has been managed with Pixel Genius PhotoKit Sharpener which I used on a layer and then locally masked in sharpening. This was an excellent tool. Unfortunately it has not been updated to operate under Apple Silicon and I don’t want to run Photoshop under Rosetta just to access this as there are no plans to update it and it is thus a long term dead-end. Topaz DeNoise AI and Sharpener AI are what I am using to replace it, doing the job better and adding more benefits.
I will write more on these plugins in due course, but it is the first time that I have really considered a plugin a tool to consider in the gear selection equation. Digital noise has always been a camera body quality, speed and sharpness are lens characteristics. Gear choices have revolved around what compromises you would balance in choosing a camera body and lens combination. Adding in the control available in post production with these plugins can now be included in that preshoot process knowing that a lighter, slower possibly less sharp gear combination can be processed to achieve a clean sharp image that previously was not possible. It is going to be really exciting and interesting to explore my archive, reprocessing some past images with these new tools. Having used them now for a few weeks I would feel very limited if I had to process my images without access to them.
Topaz plugins are available as trial versions if you want to explore them. Directs links to Denoise AI and Sharpen AI. If you want both it can be best value to purchase the Image Quality Bundle that includes Gigapixel AI for enlarging files. Using the coupon code FRIEND15 via the above links will save you 15% on any purchase. I wish I had had access to this when purchasing mine at full price!
Photos with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 VR S + TC-1.4x (top 2 photos) and Nikkor 500mm f4PF + TC17e on FTZ adaptor (lower photos)
