Topaz Video AI (Version 5.0) | Is it worth the upgrade?

[@sbansban]

Excellent, detailed, honest appraisal - without clickbait thumbnails that set unrealistic expectations unlike many other videos with a lot more (undeserved) views. I especially liked the comparisons of the different models and the use of different input videos of varying types and qualities. Many thanks.

[@Upscaled_HT]

Glad it helped you out!

[@Kratos30000]

​@@Upscaled_HT What setup do you have? Do you need a dedicated GPU or is a MacBook Pro enough?

[@captureinsidethesound]

Video AI upscaling and +6K cinema camera footage will always have that fake and plastic look. The only way I’ve been able to mask it is by adding noise that’s film-like in Resolve. Noise is added even with the highest resolution cameras because it helps blend colors and shades. I dislike the sharpening in modern cameras so I always use a vintage lens to help combat that. The upscaled result in Resolve Studio still looks more realistic. I also make sure to reference on a large 40-50” 4K TV. That fake and plastic look of Topaz is emphasized on a larger screen than a cellphone and computer monitor. Im interested in Topaz AI results when turning 8-bit 420 footage to +10-bit 422/ProRes HQ or RAW image sequences. As in, how does it react when it’s edited and colors are stretched? The only reason to have an option for +10-bit footage is for color grading and compositing.

[@Locationary]

Im not someone that uses software such as topaz but I love these videos as I like to stay up to date with upscaling, as I may want to upscale my entire library of content in the future as some shows are just never upscaled.

[@cmoneytheman]

Upscaling is only 50% all my shows I have will be fixed of grain/edge enhancement/grain reduction this is the process it needs to have a very clean image ontop of being upgraded to hd

[@GrokInfinity]

The fountain in England is Trafalgar Square London with St Martin-in-the-Fields covered in scaffolding for cleaning. This took about two years to complete, scaffolding was removed April 2008. So you have location and rough time period.

[@Upscaled_HT]

That sounds about right. It was a long time ago.

[@harrisonreed8718]

I believe that you should choose the AI model quality level, like Artemis HQ vs MQ, based on the INPUT quality of the video, not what you want to get out. Obviously everyone wants a HQ output. So for all those home videos, those would all be low quality inputs. Medium quality is something like 720 to 1080 with normal amounts of noise and compression.

[@hanswi336]

That's absolutely right. The guy is going the wrong way: the motorcycle video is definitely LOW quality and it's wrong to choose "high quality" button as input.

[@MWcrazyhorse]

Very good. What should be very interesting is also the upscaling of high quality HD to 4k when comparing these new models. Especially for faces. Upscaling garbage is one thing. The other is getting crystal clear 4k from high quality HD.

[@Upscaled_HT]

I was going to 4K takes a long long long time, so you really really need to be sure that you want that in 4K to do it

[@ruebarb1]

This is an excellent vid, exactly what i was looking for, thank you

[@con.k]

exactly what i was looking for, thanks dude

[@thenamelessone123]

Great summary video of real world tests, brilliant

[@DeepVisionStudios]

Great video thanks for doing this!

[@feltonraiman5708]

Everything depends on source video you want to edit. I'm trying to remaster my Renegade tv series DVD's. Original dvd's are very low quality. They're way too blurry/soft. First I'd like to upscale them 2X.720x480 to 1440x960 I've tried different ai models and I do think that Iris Mq give the best overall look but there is one big disadvantage - faces in the distance are getting weird looking/distorted. Even if you change recover detail to 100%. - So Iris looks like pretty much useless when you're trying to upscale low quality dvd to hd. Artemis - Mq looks more friendly since it doesn't do that weird stuff with faces (at least not that much) But it's not as sharp as IRIS MQ. I'll also try and experiment with Proteus. Hope this info will help some of you.

[@edub2694]

Great video! Would love to see more about the different settings

[@charliehilbrant]

Hello! Here is a list in case it’s helpful : 1. AI Models • Proteus: A customizable model that lets you fine-tune parameters like sharpening, de-noising, and detail enhancement. Best for users who want more control over the enhancement process. • Artemis: Designed for general video enhancement with a focus on upscaling and improving quality. It has different versions tailored for specific types of footage (e.g., Artemis High Quality, Artemis Medium Quality). • Gaia: A model optimized for high-quality upscaling. It’s suitable for restoring and enhancing footage with significant detail. • Dione: Focused on deinterlacing and enhancing interlaced video. Useful for converting older footage shot in interlaced formats to modern progressive formats. • Chronos: A model used for frame rate conversion and slow-motion effects. It interpolates frames to create smooth motion.

[@rendermanpro]

Regarding stabilisation and choppy video, the irony that it will work better on choppy video that on more smooth videos in most cases. Stabilize almost smooth "floating" video is harder.

[@Janes_Patrocinio]

Great video. Just bought using your link. Thanks.

[@Upscaled_HT]

Thank you!

[@flaviafu3703]

Great video. Thanks, I'd love to see how Nero AI Video Upscaler works if possible.

[@zXEVER703]

Did you ever mention what the best graphics is?

[@josephharrison5834]

Just want to add to the bitrate and fps, you can enter your own value.

[@maneetpalsingh5051]

Hello, thank you for making the video But I do not see the preview option

[@neti_neti_]

0:51 what GPU and CPU you are using and what was you GPU's VRAM usage during Export? By the way Excellent video, comparison of various AI model was very good👌👌👌.

[@terryrocks2j]

I started out with 2.6 and then upgraded to 3.4. 3.4 I loved the Iris feature which was pretty much the biggest change from 2.6. Then one day 3.4 just stopped working on my comp and no matter how I reinstalled or delete it, it wouldn't budge. So I went back to 2.6 which still works like a charm but I'm wondering is it worth the upgrade to 5 today? I don't really do 4k and beyond but I do somewhat miss the Iris which helps with the faces now and then.

[@Upscaled_HT]

Have tried reinstalling your graphics driver? You can also reinstall windows, which is drastic but may actually get it working again.

[@terryrocks2j]

@@Upscaled_HT I'll give it a shot. Thanks

[@Tsathogguah]

The big question for me is, have they actually significantly improved the models themselves? I don't really care about the interface, just whether the models themselves produce better output than they were 2 years ago. I didn't really get a sense of this from your video.

[@Elrevisor2k]

Great video, thanks

[@Alexrocks1253]

I think Artemis' different quality modes are made for different resolution ranges, not the quality of the actual video. Proteus I tend to prefer to Artemis as it's newer. I hope that they add a autopilot mode like Photo AI that chooses the best model for the job wanted.

[@DDL999]

i noticed that the 5.0 version is not auto looping the render preview anymore, can i activate the auto looping like the previous versions of topaz?

[@kamil3214532145]

Could record a test video with rendering some TV/DVD cartoons?

[@Upscaled_HT]

That’s a good idea.

[@kamil3214532145]

@@Upscaled_HT I actually started doing some tests on my own with old TV Cartoons which is my main focus. Topaz does pretty good job on them. I previously used Upscayle which is a free software. But it was quite time consuming. I have to put video into a video editing software, export to separate frames, upscale it in Upscayle, put it back to the video editing software, and separately add audio. With Topaz it's so much better. Does a better job with the image, the scalliing process took about and hour instead of 5h40min to render 23 min video (I have RTX 4070Ti 12GB, and the audio is there so I don't have to work on it. Main point is that it does pretty good job. I even prepared myself a small present. - Upscale to FHD 1920x1080 only. Since the original video are in formats 960x720 or even smaller. - I keep the original frame rate. - I set AI model to Artemis and Chronos and input condition to High Quality.

[@kamil3214532145]

@@Upscaled_HT I mean to say old TV/DVD cartoons. That is what I've been doing lately.

[@kylehislipstudio3280]

Thanks!

[@Upscaled_HT]

Thank you!. Glad it helped you out.

[@jonnylochen9924]

just got topaz video ai and it is extremely slow and lags my macbook pro m2 hope to get it working correctly soon

[@Upscaled_HT]

I don’t have any experience using Mac computers with topaz unfortunately.

[@MelvinDlaCruz]

I have a question, what produces the best quality? Upscaling from 1080 to 4k or scaling 30fps to 60fps in 4k? Which takes longer to render?

[@Upscaled_HT]

Not entirely sure. My guess would be that it’s slower from 1080 to 4k.

[@MelvinDlaCruz]

@@Upscaled_HT can you do a compare?

[@mayday6880]

it's completly different. fps changes generates interpolated additional frames. This leads to smoother play but pending on source, when you have unsharp frayed out content on fast movements scenes, it also interpolates this unsharp frames and that can look greasy! Image upscale improves the image quality itself and has nothing to do with framerate! What I do is Enhance-Upscale first without fps changes, then I decide on the upscaled result if I should do frame rate encrease with this or not.

[@MelvinDlaCruz]

@@mayday6880 thank you so much for the information but I decide to them using this software because even I have a computer who is almost 5,000 this would take more like 10 hours to complete a project and I don't have this time 😭

[@mayday6880]

@@MelvinDlaCruz Yes, I know it takes a long time, I just let the computer run overnight. What reduces the time enormously is a good graphics card

[@kennylacombe]

Is it good for remastering old home videos from vhs? Or is AVC labs better for that?

[@constantinenikolaidis9377]

it's not.. there no software at the moment to upscale magically the VHS .. you need many steps before put it on AI Models to upscale VHS Video.. First of all you need to use de-interlace & deblock software and not necessarily topaz .. after you have a perfect vhs footage you can denoise/de-grain only the vhs source with topaz NYX Model.. Always on original fps and oringal resolution .. after that you can.use proteus AI Model on 4k resolution to upscale it with many tweaks and trys to have best results

[@howtowebit8033]

Is Topaz better than DaVinci Resolve Studio?

[@Upscaled_HT]

Da Vinci is editing and color grading software and Topaz does enhancements like upscaling and Freeman interpolation

[@yangchen2661]

Can I repair only one part of the video and not the rest, and then merge the repaired and unrepaired parts when exporting? I tried to repair some clips in the video before, but I could only export the repaired parts, and then I had to merge them in the editing software. I don't know if I haven't found a way or it is not supported yet.

[@Upscaled_HT]

You would need to do it separately and use editing software to stitch it together.

[@yangchen2661]

@@Upscaled_HT Ok, thanks for your video and answer.

[@BubbleGendut]

What about brightness Contrast Exposure WB etc. do you adjust this before Topaz say in Prem Pro or after Topaz

[@mayday6880]

doesn't matter I did booth, before and after with my Video cutter Software, and can't see a difference

[@zaiahvisual7757]

Can I drag a whole music video in Topaz or do I need to import each file then start editing after?

[@Upscaled_HT]

Is the music video one video file?

[@zaiahvisual7757]

@@Upscaled_HT Yea one file. What do you think, Do you think it would mess with the transitions, flashes and effects ?

[@TrustNone-gf8mo]

@@zaiahvisual7757 yea, it would. import raw clips, enhance, then edit

[@zaiahvisual7757]

@@TrustNone-gf8mo Thank you

[@newkickztv]

Hey there, great breakdown! I was wondering, does Topaz provide free updates to future versions of their tools once purchased? Or is a separate purchase required for each new version?

[@cmoneytheman]

Separate price for each new version

[@Upscaled_HT]

You get a free upgrade if the upgrade occurs within 12 month of the date of purchase.

[@albertohoraciofernandez2423]

You pay it and a year later it is deactivated and have to pay again

[@cmoneytheman]

@@albertohoraciofernandez2423 we told him that

[@Upscaled_HT]

@@albertohoraciofernandez2423 you can keep using it but you won't get any updates.

[@MrKZdemos]

did you speed/skip when you hit preview? that was really fast

[@Upscaled_HT]

Sometimes but not every time.

[@Facts_ones]

hi bro i have topaz 5.1.4 version cant export do you know why this is happening

[@shadow-vs-q9o]

How many topaz Cuz I see one with blue and now with green

[@HaNguyen5478]

Is topaz a yearly subscription or is it one time payment?

[@Upscaled_HT]

You pay once and get updates for a year. After the year is up, you can continue using the software on the last version at the end of the year. You just won’t get any further updates but you can use it.

[@AA-bh7fn]

how does this work with fixing soft focus?

[@Upscaled_HT]

It might help a little but I wouldn’t expect much since the software thrives from detail in the image.

[@madebypriest]

My Topaz is always stuck on Generating preview or say outrageous time like 5 hours remainaing

[@Gian996c]

you need RTX Gpu to run it smoothly.

[@errolgibbs6064]

Is it a life time deal? 299

[@Upscaled_HT]

My understanding is you get upgrades for a year. After that, you can use it indefinitely with the last update within that year.

[@Fairyshashoo]

can it upscale 1080 to 8k?

[@Upscaled_HT]

It can but it would take a really really long time.

[@Fairyshashoo]

@@Upscaled_HT 10 minutes 1080 to 8K estimate time i jave Apple M2 Mackbook

[@cbunkhosistudios]

IS IT AVILABLE FOR OFFLINE USE?

[@Upscaled_HT]

Yes but you need to log in and it should keep working for a while. It will eventually ask you to log in again though

[@domokenji]

how come when I trued it my 720 p footage looked no better,,,, only a lower quality... HELP

[@ascendediam]

you cant see good or never used it

[@PTFWWDB]

I've spent hundreds with them I'm wondering if the new 5.0 upgrade is worth it??

[@Jerrylewis12here]

Well, the longer you wait, the better version you will get. Im waiting until 8/10 to use it. The last time I really used this great program was version 4.

[@cybertones942]

dayum 1k a year its good business not selling the full app for these companies now

[@STREAX_OFFICIAL]

can you please compare this to videoproc converter ai its free!

[@ascendediam]

Nothing compares to Topaz

[@cytiuris.2915]

What is the difference between blurry, noisy and grainy?

[@JynxedKoma]

Is Artemis the best?

[@Upscaled_HT]

I like it a lot. They have a new one called RHEA I think that’s pretty promising.

[@JynxedKoma]

@@Upscaled_HT I tried RHEA earlier today, but sadly even with HQ video and in a light setting, the model seems to always smoothen out all the skin detail. So any spots or bumps on the skin are no longer visible. Even if I leave the output as it's original resolution.

[@morecarstuff]

Had to switch youtube accounts to watch this because my other account looks like mobile for some weird reason.

[@iPh1l1pp]

Deblur is very nice feature. But is to buggy. Hair looks sometimes very grainy and full of Artefacts. Otherwise this makes a blurry video looks like 4K without cartoonish deblur + Gaia HQ + little bit grain. Output pro res

[@DashVisionLLC]

I’m not impressed by topaz and their pricing

[@practically_eagle]

this is next gen stuff, it's price will drop in the future and it's easy to pirate so don't comaolin

[@thursday9489]

@@practically_eagleyou have a source for any of it?

[@ascendediam]

@@practically_eaglethat’s a troll

[@practically_eagle]

@ascendediam me or him?

[@ascendediam]

@@practically_eagle him

[@sirducksworthythe3rd842]

Would be worth it idmd wasn't over priced

[@Upscaled_HT]

It goes on sale 3-4 times a year with the best sale happening around black Friday.

[@cmoneytheman]

Price doesn't make this legendary program not worth it that made no sense to say try thinking before you make a comment

[@radpopl]

until they fix the bugs, and the program is full of them, it's not worth buying.

[@cmoneytheman]

@@radpopl longer u wait the more updates

[@VIDEOMAKER-vx7oc]

HI....

[@radpopl]

Topaz is very bad at denoising, Avisynth scripts or Neat Video are much better. Upscaling sometimes works, sometimes not. For sure upscaling VHS doesnt work.

[@radpopl]

@@cmoneytheman Topaz does not develop. There are changes, but the core works badly. I don't think Neat will ever be equaled.

[@radpopl]

@@cmoneytheman I have eyes and a brain, so I doubt it. An example is Topaz Photo, which is currently unusable.

[@radpopl]

@@cmoneytheman Yes, because unlike you, I'm on the Topaz forum.

[@radpopl]

@@cmoneytheman You didn't ask any questions, you just made some assumptions based on nothing.

[@radpopl]

@@cmoneytheman Stop trolling. The question ends with the character "?". Show me this sign in your funny posts.