DaVinci Resolve Superscale vs Topaz AI Video Enhancer ⎮Canon EOS M Raw

I upscaled 1080P clips from the Canon EOS M to 4K using two methods: Davinci Superscale and Topaz AI. Which is the best?
I suggest to watch it in 4K to appreciate the subtle differences
Canon EOS M ⎮Magic Lantern
Lens: Canon FD 50mm
Mode: 1080 14bit
Davinci Resolve
Topaz labs AI

[@simplifyhandles]

After so much work on DaVinci, it’s just not as advanced as Topaz. Topaz is only focused on upscaling, DaVinci is great for everything else. If you do major editing Topaz is worth it.

[@russo-filmmaking]

I use Topaz only for certain project when I need a very clean and sharp image

[@simplifyhandles]

Yes, I do a lot of interviews and it helps balance footage from different cameras.

[@CartyCantDance]

You could have done the comparison side by side. And we would also love to see it vs the original clip

[@russo-filmmaking]

Hi!! During the video there are continuos comparisons between the clips, the original clips were filmed in 1736 x738 so I think doesn't make sense to compare them the 4K version because in addition the video was published in YT in 4k so they couldn't be remain in they original resolution

[@PhilippHampl]

Could you upload the videos to somewhere so that we could have a look? Including the original?! That'll be great!!

[@JasonTheZoologist]

Genuinely speaking, very hard to say which is better, especially if we bring different scenarios into consideration. Davinci is better for dynamic range for example, but topaz is sharper.

[@russo-filmmaking]

If your goal is a sharper and clean image without video noise, Topaz is better than Davinci. Dynamic range is more referred to the camera from which come the footage.

[@falvesc]

Topaz is the tecnhnology leader, it`s simply like that... the Gaia IA preset works like black magic ! But the penalty is the processing times, I usualy get 24hrs+ render times in long vids (1h+) on my RTX 4060.

[@russo-filmmaking]

If the purpose is upscale from HD to 4k cleaning noise, using Proteus fine tune AI preset (for me the best because you can set all the parameters), it takes about 2.5 times more than Davinci but giving best results, because eliminate very well the noise improving the sharpness

[@dest8637]

woww i am learning to use both programs, this was very helpful!! thanks for making this vid

[@russo-filmmaking]

Thanks for watching!!

[@tortue_ch]

Unfortunately all those AI model works poorly when there is no face in the video, they are trained to do that, not upscale old WWII video archive with e.g landscape or vehicles.. If someone know which AI model can do a decent "Non-human face" upscaling, I would be strongly interested !

[@Niberspace]

That's not true at all. they are all really good at turning any soft line into hard line. the downhill biking videos I use them for has zero human faces

[@russo-filmmaking]

I had no problem with shots without humans in the scene. Landscape or objects in general come out great. It depends on how you set your parameters

[@guerweb3830]

Thanks for the comparision! the difference is notorious, I remember having tried topaz some time ago and the result was quite artificial, but this is not the case! I also remember the render times were absurdly slow, how about the render times in this configuration?

[@russo-filmmaking]

Thanks for commenting. I you only upscale and clean eliminate the video noise, adding some sharpness then rendering times are aceptable, probably 1.5 or 2 time more than super scale with DaVinci Resolve. But the true is that it depends of your pc or Mac processing power.

[@TriMeX1987]

Awesome video. thank you. Topaz def takes the win here.

[@russo-filmmaking]

Thank you!!

[@STONJAUS_FILMS]

This is a great video, just what I was testing myself, after a lot of self testing I found aalso that the results are even better in TOPAZ if you first denoise your clips substantially in davinci then send them to topaz for sharpening and extra details. (not necessarily need to upscale to get sharper more detailed images) to speed up the process I rarely upscale HD content to 4k (when my final output is HD anyways) Topaz is great but struggles with denoising (at least is not as good as denoising directly from davinci), once I have the cleaner denoised clips then I send them to topaz if I want to add extra details and make sure I have the denoise slider set to 0 I still need to learn how to play with the antialising filter or dehalo, as I understand antialiasing is for pattern lines as the name itself implies and dehalo is for removing fake sharpening already on the clips, (usually from cheaper cameras like drones, cellphones and gopros) the kind that looks like dark edges of objects but still need to play a bit more to see how sensitive or accurate they are. Wish there was one focused on increasing the dynamic range of the image by imagining details in blown or almost blown areas, or like a 709 to log AI filter. For those still reading the more frames per second the better results when stabilizing, I found frame prediction on topaz is still really bad compared to davinci, so for critical shots I need to stabilize I go to davinci and create some extra frames first then stabilize to 65 % without the remove jittery motions then if I feel like topaz can take it I run it again with the remove jittery motions but many times have weird artifacts that's why creating extra frames in davinci will help.

[@russo-filmmaking]

I think know Topaz better than me🙂. To be honest I use it only in a few cases to upscale the image from 1080 to 4K when I want a very clean and sharp image, and to restaure some very poor quality video, otherwise I use the tools offered by Davinci. Regarding slow motion and stabilization I made some test too, and I prefer the results from Davinci.

[@TheCruisinCrew]

Cool comparison... I'd say yes, when pixel peeping at 200+%, Topaz is better, but comparing the clips at the end on my 4k TV I don't see the value of adding Topaz to the workflow or justifying the additional cost. ;)

[@russo-filmmaking]

Thanks for commenting. People in general don't see the difference because they consume their videos on KZbin in 1080 or less resolution, on mobiles and tablets. Also, people in general are not used to seeing or looking for differences in quality in videos. More than anything else it is something that people like me, looking always for the best quality, notice.

[@testfootage1]

this was an okay example and i like that the video was explained well, but i will tell u where topaz shines, because i have it, topaz is super noticeable when you upscale to 8k, the 200 percent he did, u wont see much of a difference, topaz is very much worth it for upscaling to 8k, but it takes a long time. to upscale a 2 hour video to 8k takes 3 and half to 5 days with an rtx 3070. 8k upscales with topaz look better than the 4k blurays that exist today.

[@LiterallyJustHim]

Who said i was payin💀

[@eddiemin4312]

1080 to 4K is 4x resolution not 2x. If I saw this correctly it may be why Topaz is sharper it has 2X the resolution

[@russo-filmmaking]

1920x 1080 to 4K ( for 4K I refer to UHD 3840 x 2160) is 2x superscale. Mat is easy: 1920 x 2 = 3840 . If you use 4X than it will be 1,920 x 4 = 7,680 which is 8k . Using 4x on a 1920x1080 don’t enhance the image better than 2X . You can check it on the Davinci Manual and there is a lot information on the web about this topic.

[@eddiemin4312]

⁠@@russo-filmmakingOK, if Blackmagic is telling you to do this it must be right. But mathematically it’s doubling on two planes (height and width) so it’s be 4x just like if you had a 10’x10’ booth and wanted to double your space, you’d get a 10’x20’ not 20’x20’ booth. In a 20’x20’ booth you can fit four 10’x10’ space so that’s 4x. Just wanted to point that out, didn’t know that you already checked with Blackmagic so it’s irrelevant at this point. I’ll shut up now 😂

[@russo-filmmaking]

@@eddiemin4312 ok I understand your point. Any way you apply 2X to the height and to the width so with 2x super scale applied we have 1920 x2 = 3840 and 1080x2= 2160 that is equivalent to 3840 x 2160

[@CanuckGT]

Cool video, thanks for the comparisons!

[@russo-filmmaking]

thanks for watching!!

[@earthenergytours]

Great video. . . Consider entire time required to edit in DR using superscale all in one vs exporting to Topaz AI for scaling, then back to DR. The great thing about DR is everything is under one program. Do you see enough improvement for the extra time/work? (imho, I didn't feel there was) Thank you

[@russo-filmmaking]

I normally make all my editing and color grade in DV, then when the final product is ready, I export it in HD resolution to Topaz at the maximum quality prores 444 XQ. Then I upscale to UHD in Topaz geting a cleaner and sharper image than in DV. Finally I export from Topaz in prores 422hq or 444 XQ. And if I want to add some film grain or I want to compress it to h264 or h265 I made these changes in DV. I use this workflow only in some cases and not always. Only when I want a very clean and sharp image, that it's not the case for the majority of my projects. Regarding the improvment, the difference is notable. You clean the image from noise manteining details and sharpness. You can see it in my video, but be sure to see it in a computer monitor and in 4k.

[@jemadv1594]

It may be my lack of experience although in many cases Ai auto image enhance, denoise or deblur are automated. I've experienced O.K. results but in many cases see more blur than original in some areas. Considering the cost of Topaz and likelihood, DR will provide the same Ai tech in future update. It's a hard sell for YT content Thank you for your reply

[@russo-filmmaking]

I never use the AI auto image enhance. With proteus enhance You can set your parameters manually to get exactly the results you want.

[@richardrem]

Hello Sergio, good explanation again as usual. My experience about Topaz is very positive, but the CPU gets very hot. It gets to 73 degrees celsius on my Mac2 mini with footages longer than 5 minutes. For a moment it's okay, but not for 2 hours. I find this too hot. So I stick to DaVinci Resolve. Greetings Richard

[@russo-filmmaking]

Hey Richard, yes.... the only time I listen to my MacBook M1pro fans is when I render from Topaz. I use it only when I want that my footages upscaled to 4k come out very cleans and sharp. Otherwise I use Davinci Superscale

[@FutureRetroism]

What about normal upscale using just 4k timeline/4k export in davinci? I'm on a low specs pc and was wondering if the difference betwewn normal upscale and superscale/Ai upscale is noticable?

[@russo-filmmaking]

Superscale enhances and improves the sharpness of your 1080 clip when you upscale to 4k, reducing some noise and artifact that the regular upscale could generate. The difference is noticeable. If you use clips already filmed in 4k you don't need to use the superscale option, because it doesn't bring any improvement to the image.

[@DavidKhoirul]

Very nice, Sergio. I am still confused about selecting the best AI model in Topaz AI. Which one do you think is the best?

[@russo-filmmaking]

Sorry to answer so late, I only now notice that KZbin was helding all the comments of my first videos. If I want to upscale and eliminate video noise maintaining sharpness I use "Proteus fine tune /enhance" as described in the video because it lets me decide how much noise, sharpness, details etc... I want yo apply to the image. I think that it's the best method if you only want to scale and clean your footage

[@DavidKhoirul]

@@russo-filmmaking, thanks for the answer, brother. Yeah, I see Proteus gives me more parameter for further adjustments. BTW, I tried the slow motion preset in Topaz and the render takes forever.

[@MK_vortex]

I have both 1080p and 4K clips on my timeline. I want to enable superscale in the output option in timeline settings. Will 4K clips also be upscaled to 8K if I select enhanced or will davinci detect that they are already in 4K and leave them as is? Thank you in advance for your answer.

[@russo-filmmaking]

If you want to upscale 4k resolution clips to 8k, you first have to set your project settings to 8k resolution and then clip atributes to 2x. If you have 4k files and leave you timeline output to 4k and then you set clip atributes to 2x you don't see any enhancment in your 4k clips. So if you have a mix timeline 1080 + 4k clips, and you want a 4k output you have to superscale only the 1080 clips.

[@MK_vortex]

@@russo-filmmaking Thanks ;-)

[@Wes_Jones]

Nice comparison. Thanks.

[@russo-filmmaking]

thank you!!

[@domokenji]

Sergio.. is there ANY way I can hire you to help me UPREZ a film I made.. I'd like to seriously see if you can help me.. I filmed in 720P and it looks terrible.. I want it in ULTRA HD but MY computer does NOT have the right graphics card. otherwise I would buy TOPAZ labs... and do it myself.. I am located in California near Disneyland.. can you help me...?

[@russo-filmmaking]

Well, Topaz doesn't make miracles. if the sourse has the correct exposure, a good color and enough bit information probably you can get good results. My e-mail is in the channel bio. Send me a link where I can download a few seconds of your original footage. If it's the original footage without any manipulation it will be better

[@asskezza]

Супер! Откуда фрагмент из начала видео?

[@russo-filmmaking]

thanks! what fragment do you mean? the samples at the very beginning? or the talking head?

[@asskezza]

@@russo-filmmaking Yes. Is this some kind of movie?

[@russo-filmmaking]

@@asskezza it’s a music video I filmed with a consumer mini DV 25 years ago. Here is a link of the video (it’s unlisted) for your curiosity 🙌. You can see it in 4k (I upscaled it from 480 resoltuion to 4k kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJSqkmyjndOfl7Msi=e88EmHG18xLW0kh7

[@johnlocke3481]

They all have a major issue of amplifying wrinkles. The ai is like " look how smart I am, I saw a little line there, so I extrapolated it further! So the programers are going to need to take wrinkles in another direction.

[@russo-filmmaking]

Wrinkles are amplified if you push to much some parameters or if the footage is very old and low quality, in this last case it's a compromise. If the footage needs is good quality and you only have to upscale it to 4k and cleaning the video noise there in no problem with wrinkles , quality will be high

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Great stuff!

[@russo-filmmaking]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@glkoop]

there ia a new version for davinci and super scale

[@russo-filmmaking]

There is a 18.5 beta version of Davinci at the moment

[@belovedfilms9366]

omg this AI stuff is wild haha

[@russo-filmmaking]

I agree!!

[@MWcrazyhorse]

Great work. Also thank you for not upscaling some lizzard or a butterfly. I like women better 😛

[@russo-filmmaking]

Thanks!! You're welcome

[@norgerichard]

Topaz is best here

[@russo-filmmaking]

I agree

[@CodeCristo]

Davinci Resolve Winner !!

[@russo-filmmaking]

Both are good options. Topaz lets you clean the noise in the clip without loosing sharpness

[@apolloaxis]

The difference is barely noticable

[@russo-filmmaking]

YT compression doesn't help, but uploading on KZbin a video with the best quality we can reach, it helps with the final quality of the video that people see.

[@M.A.Visuals]

superscale on davinci looks so plastic and artificial to me..and it just makes images flat. 4k upscale on topaz is way way better

[@russo-filmmaking]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts: I respect your opinion. In my opinion, I don’t think that the superscale feature in DaVinci is plastic or artificial; for me, it is an excellent tool when you want to upscale a 1080 footage to 4K. On the other hand Topaz is a more powerful tool if you need a noise video reduction without losing much definition or details when you upscale 1080 footage.

[@bryanbarajasBB]

How is Topaz doing that?!!!?😂

[@russo-filmmaking]

Ups!! only now I notice that KZbin was helding the comments of my first videos, Hi Brian how are you

[@bryanbarajasBB]

@@russo-filmmaking Pretty well! How about yourself?

[@owlNolan]

Clearly Topaz does better job but they claim on blackmagic forums that superscale works better than topaz. That's either a lie or ignorance. I can see with my own eyes that superscale looks almost the same like original image and there is a huge difference with topaz

[@russo-filmmaking]

Not always I use Topaz for upscaling to 4k. But when I want a clean image, free of noise and with a better sharpness, I use it over Davinci superscale.

[@ridetoexplore01]

topa ai too slow even m using rtx 4080 with i9 12th gen 64gb ram

[@russo-filmmaking]

it worth to use it for upscale and clean from noise without loosing sharpness or details. I take about 2 time more in comparison to davinci resolve. Not so much

[@user-fe6hr4yy7s]

Интересно

[@russo-filmmaking]

спасибо!!

[@JaydenLawson]

Topaz Labs is a scam imo

[@russo-filmmaking]

Hi, can I ask why you think it ?