Is Topaz Video AI Still the Best Video Enhancer? - I Believe it is.

VideoTutors
25 Apr 202413:21

TLDRThe video review discusses the effectiveness of Topaz Video AI as the leading video enhancement software. The presenter shares their belief in Topaz's superiority, especially with the release of version five, which introduces new features like workspace preservation, export pausing and resuming, and a cleaner, more intuitive interface. The video compares Topaz's performance with previous versions and other enhancers using both old standard definition footage and modern 720p footage upscaled to 8K. The presenter highlights Topaz's realistic enhancement capabilities and its range of AI models tailored for different enhancement needs, such as denoising, sharpening, and upscaling. The summary concludes with a teaser for an upcoming video showcasing Topaz's ability to enhance 720p footage to 8K, inviting viewers to like, subscribe, and stay tuned for more.

Takeaways

  • 📈 Topaz Video AI is considered the most effective and efficient video enhancement software, with version five offering new features and robust enhancing capabilities.
  • 🔄 Version five introduces the ability to save workspaces, pause and resume exports, and prioritize queue items, even after system reboots.
  • 🌟 The user interface has been improved to be cleaner and more user-friendly, with a color scheme that aligns with other Topaz apps.
  • 🎥 Enhancement settings include options for input quality, resolution, AI model, and specific enhancements like denoising, sharpening, and motion deblur.
  • 📊 The AI models available are Artemus for denoise and sharpen, Proteus for enhancement, Iris for face improvement, NYX for high-quality denoising, Gaia for upscaling, and Theia for detail and fidelity.
  • 📚 The script compares Topaz Video AI with other enhancers, including AVC labs and HITPAW, highlighting Topaz's realism and superior clarity.
  • 📹 The video demonstrates the process of upscaling standard definition footage to HD and enhancing its quality using Topaz settings.
  • 🔍 Experimentation with different AI models and settings is crucial to achieve the best enhancement results for a given video.
  • 🚫 Over-enhancement can lead to an unrealistic, cartoon-like appearance in faces, which Topaz helps to avoid.
  • ⏯ The video shows how to use the export function in Topaz, including how to remove previous previews and exports for a clean start.
  • 🔗 Links are provided for viewers to compare Topaz with AVC and HITPAW, as well as to be notified for the release of the next video on enhancing 720p footage to 8K.
  • 📚 The importance of selecting the right AI model and tweaking settings is emphasized for achieving the desired enhancement, with Artemus being chosen for its denoise and sharpen capabilities.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is the effectiveness of Topaz Video AI as a video enhancer, particularly with the release of version five, and its comparison with other video enhancers.

  • What are the two new features introduced in Topaz Video AI version five?

    -The two new features in version five are the ability to save and reload the workspace with active previews and exports exactly where you left off, and the capability to pause and resume exports, prioritize queue items, and switch applications without losing any render process.

  • How does the Topaz Video AI version five handle unexpected system reboots or power loss?

    -Topaz Video AI version five can restore export sessions even after a system reboot or power loss. Paused exports are saved to disk, which helps in maintaining the CPU and GPU utilization.

  • What are the different AI models available in Topaz Video AI, and what are they used for?

    -The different AI models in Topaz Video AI include Artemus for denoise and sharpen, Proteus for enhancement, Iris for improving faces, NYX for high-quality denoising, Gaia for high-quality upscaling, and Theia for details and fidelity.

  • What is the recommended approach when selecting the AI model for video enhancement?

    -The recommended approach is to select the AI model that is most suitable for the desired outcome of the video enhancement, and then tweak the model parameters to achieve the best results.

  • How does the video script describe the process of upscaling a video from 720x576 to 1280x720?

    -The process involves selecting the best Topaz settings to make the video as sharp and clear as possible, considering factors like input quality, halo effect, and recovery detail. The script also emphasizes the importance of not pushing the envelope too much when upscaling.

  • What is the significance of the 'Motion Deblur' feature in Topaz Video AI?

    -The 'Motion Deblur' feature helps improve the quality of low frame rate footage by reducing blur, which can be particularly useful for older or lower quality videos.

  • How does the video compare Topaz Video AI with AVC labs and HITPAW video enhancers?

    -The video compares Topaz Video AI with AVC labs and HITPAW by showing the results of enhancing the same footage with each software. It highlights that Topaz provides more realistic results and avoids the cartoon-like appearance that can occur with over-enhancement.

  • What is the unique feature of the HITPAW video enhancer?

    -The unique feature of the HITPAW video enhancer is its color conversion, which can bring the video to life with a distinct visual appeal.

  • Why does the video suggest that Topaz Video AI version five is the top choice for video enhancement?

    -The video suggests that Topaz Video AI version five is the top choice because it offers a more realistic enhancement compared to competitors, has a user-friendly interface, and provides robust features like workspace saving, export pausing and resuming, and the ability to handle unexpected system reboots.

  • What is the next step the video promises to show?

    -The next step the video promises to show is how Topaz Video AI can enhance 720p footage to 8K resolution.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Topaz Video Enhancement Software

The video script introduces Topaz as a leading video enhancement software, highlighting its effectiveness and efficiency. The presenter shares their belief in Topaz's superiority and outlines the plan to demonstrate its capabilities with version 5's new features. The video will showcase Topaz's performance on both old footage recovery and upscaling modern 720p footage to 8K. The presenter also mentions a comparison with previous versions of Topaz and other enhancers, using a 1990's dance band video as an example. The script details the technical specifications of the video and the process of upscaling and enhancing it with Topaz settings. It also introduces new features in Topaz Video AI version five, such as workspace preservation, export pausing and resuming, and a cleaner, more user-friendly interface.

05:03

🔍 Exploring Topaz's New Features and AI Models

The script delves into the new features of Topaz Video AI version five, focusing on the convenience of workspace preservation and the ability to manage export queues efficiently. It also discusses the updated interface and its intuitive design. The presenter explains the significance of choosing the right AI model for video enhancement, describing the different models such as Artemus for denoise and sharpen, Proteus for enhancement, Iris for facial improvements, NYX for high-quality denoising, Gaia for upscaling, and Theia for detail and fidelity. The video demonstrates how to select and tweak these models for optimal enhancement results, using the old SD footage as a test case. The presenter guides viewers through the process of previewing and exporting the enhanced video, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right input conditions and AI model settings.

10:09

🏆 Topaz Version 5 Outperforms in Video Enhancement

The final paragraph of the script presents the results of the video enhancement experiment, comparing Topaz version 5 with AVC labs, HITPAW video enhancer, and an older version of Topaz. The presenter notes that while HITPAW offers a unique color conversion feature, it tends to over-enhance faces, giving them a cartoonish appearance. In contrast, Topaz version 5 is praised for its realism and clarity in upscaling. The presenter concludes by announcing an upcoming video that will demonstrate Topaz's ability to enhance 720p footage to 8K. They encourage viewers to like, subscribe, and enable notifications to stay updated with the latest content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Topaz Video AI

Topaz Video AI is a video enhancement software that is being discussed in the video. It is highlighted as the most effective and efficient tool for video enhancement tasks such as upscaling and improving the quality of old footage. The video script discusses the latest version, version five, and its new features which contribute to its leading position in the video enhancement market.

💡Video Enhancer

A video enhancer is a software tool that improves the visual quality of videos, often by upscaling resolution, reducing noise, or sharpening images. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the function of Topaz Video AI, which aims to make old or standard definition footage appear clearer and more detailed.

💡Upscaling to 8K

Upscaling to 8K refers to the process of increasing the resolution of a video from a lower standard to 8K resolution, which is a high-definition video format with approximately 8,000 pixels horizontal resolution. The video script mentions upscaling both old standard definition footage and modern 720p footage to 8K as a demonstration of Topaz Video AI's capabilities.

💡AI Model

Within the context of the video, an AI model refers to the specific algorithm or set of instructions used by Topaz Video AI to process and enhance video footage. Different AI models are designed for different enhancement tasks, such as denoising, sharpening, or upscaling. The choice of AI model is crucial for achieving the desired outcome in video enhancement.

💡Interlaced vs Progressive

Interlaced and Progressive are two different methods of displaying, recording, or encoding a video signal. Interlaced video is made up of two fields, each containing half of one frame, while Progressive video displays the entire frame at once. The video script discusses the option to choose between these two in the enhancement settings, which is particularly relevant for older footage that might be interlaced.

💡Halos

Halos, in the context of video enhancement, refer to a visual artifact that appears as a bright or white fringe around the edges of objects in the video. The video script mentions that older standard definition footage may have halos, and Topaz Video AI provides options to address this issue during enhancement.

💡Soft Focus

Soft focus is a term used to describe an out-of-sharpness effect in videos, where the details appear blurred or not well-defined. The video script mentions a feature within Topaz Video AI that allows users to fix soft focus, which is particularly useful for enhancing videos with originally blurred images.

💡Motion Deblur

Motion Deblur is a feature in Topaz Video AI designed to reduce or eliminate the blur caused by motion in videos, which can be especially helpful for footage with fast action or lower frame rates. The video script explores the use of this feature as part of the enhancement process for older, low-quality footage.

💡Export Settings

Export settings in video editing refer to the parameters chosen for the final output of the video, such as resolution, codec, and file format. The video script discusses how Topaz Video AI allows users to customize these settings, with ProRes being the default format, and how they can be changed according to user preferences.

💡HITPAW Video Enhancer

HITPAW Video Enhancer is another video enhancement software mentioned in the video for comparison purposes. It is noted for its color conversion feature, which is unique to HITPAW. However, the video script suggests that even with this feature, HITPAW may not achieve the same level of realism in enhancement as Topaz Video AI.

💡Cartoon Look

The term 'cartoon look' in the video script refers to an over-enhanced visual effect where faces or objects in the video take on an unrealistic, overly smooth, and illustrative appearance, similar to a cartoon. The video discusses how Topaz Video AI avoids this effect, making it a more realistic and preferred choice for video enhancement.

Highlights

Topaz Video AI is considered the most effective and efficient video enhancement software.

Version five of Topaz has been released with new features and robust enhancing capabilities.

Topaz Video AI can upscale old footage and enhance HD footage to 8K resolution.

The software includes a feature that maintains the workspace and progress after quitting the app.

Exports can be paused and resumed, with the ability to prioritize queue items.

The interface of Topaz Video AI has been updated to be cleaner and more user-friendly.

Topaz offers different AI models for various enhancement needs, such as denoising, sharpening, and upscaling.

The enhancement process involves selecting the most suitable AI model and tweaking it for the desired outcome.

Artemus is the chosen AI model for denoising and sharpening the old standard definition footage.

Experimentation with input conditions and recovery detail is key to achieving the best enhancement results.

Topaz Video AI provides options to fix soft focus and motion deblur for improved video quality.

The export process in Topaz has been streamlined with a clear interface and default settings.

Upscaling old standard definition footage to 1280x720 is a practical goal, rather than pushing to 8K.

The choice of AI model and its parameters significantly affect the outcome of video enhancement.

Topaz Video AI outperforms AVC labs and HITPAW video enhancers in terms of clarity and realism.

HITPAW video enhancer is noted for its unique color conversion but may over-enhance faces.

Topaz version 5 is praised for its superior clarity and upscaling capabilities compared to other enhancers.

An upcoming video will demonstrate Topaz Video AI enhancing 720p footage to 8K.