They FIXED Topaz Photo AI – YAY!

Anthony Morganti
11 May 202404:17

TLDRAnthony Morganti shares his excitement that Topaz Labs has restored the ability to maintain the RAW format in their Photo AI software when used as a Lightroom Classic plugin. Previously, an update had removed this feature, causing a loss of RAW format upon return to Lightroom. Morganti demonstrates the process, showing that the unedited RAW file is used in Photo AI's Autopilot mode, which identifies the need for noise reduction and sharpening. He explains that as long as no adjustments to lighting or color balance are made, the RAW format can be preserved. Morganti also mentions that he is working on a course about Photo AI, which will be released soon at a discounted price for newsletter subscribers.

Takeaways

  • 🎉 Topaz Labs has restored the ability to maintain RAW format in the workflow when using Photo AI as a Lightroom Classic plugin.
  • 📸 Previously, using Photo AI as a plugin resulted in a TIFF file instead of RAW upon return to Lightroom, which has now been fixed.
  • 🔍 Photo AI's Autopilot feature analyzes the image and determines the necessary adjustments, such as noise reduction and sharpening.
  • ⚙️ The Autopilot feature in Photo AI selected 'Raw Normal AI model' with a strength of 16 and 'Minor to Blur' at 1 for noise reduction.
  • ⚙️ For sharpening, the 'Standard AI model' was used with a strength of 72 and 'Minor Denoise' at 31, focusing on the subject and not the background.
  • 🚫 If 'Adjust Lighting' or 'Balance Color' enhancements are added in Photo AI, the file will be saved as a TIFF upon export, losing the RAW format.
  • ✅ Exporting directly to Lightroom Classic without additional enhancements retains the RAW format, and the exported file will be a DNG file.
  • 🔄 When the image returns to Lightroom Classic, any edits made previously in Lightroom are retained and applied to the image.
  • 📚 Anthony Morganti is working on a course about Photo AI, which he plans to release soon.
  • 💰 There is a discount available for subscribers of Anthony's newsletter, offering the course at a reduced price of $19.99 instead of $29.99.
  • 📅 The course is expected to be announced and available for purchase the following week after the video was published.

Q & A

  • What was the issue with Topaz Labs' Photo AI when used as a Lightroom Classic plug-in?

    -The issue was that with a recent update, the ability to maintain the RAW format of an image throughout the workflow was removed. After editing with Photo AI and returning to Lightroom Classic, users were left with a TIFF file instead of the original RAW file.

  • Has Topaz Labs restored the RAW format functionality in Photo AI?

    -Yes, Topaz Labs has restored the functionality to maintain the RAW format when using Photo AI as a Lightroom Classic plug-in.

  • What is the caveat mentioned for maintaining the RAW format when exporting from Photo AI back to Lightroom Classic?

    -The caveat is that if you add enhancements such as adjusting lighting or balancing color in Photo AI before exporting, you will get a TIFF file instead of a RAW file when you return to Lightroom Classic.

  • How does Photo AI's Autopilot feature work?

    -Autopilot examines the image and determines what needs to be done, such as noise reduction and sharpening. It then applies the appropriate AI models and strength levels to achieve the desired results.

  • What are the specific AI models and strengths used by Photo AI for the example image in the transcript?

    -For the example image, Photo AI used the RAW Normal AI model with a strength of 16 and minor to blur at one for noise reduction. For sharpening, it used the Standard AI model with a strength at 72 and minor denoise at 31, focusing only on the subject (the eagle).

  • What file format does Photo AI save the image as when exporting to Lightroom Classic without making additional adjustments?

    -When exporting to Lightroom Classic without making additional adjustments like adjusting lighting or balancing color, Photo AI saves the image as a DNG file, which is a RAW file format.

  • How does the edited image from Topaz Labs' Photo AI compare to the original Nikon RAW file?

    -The edited image from Photo AI has significantly reduced noise and improved sharpness compared to the original Nikon RAW file.

  • What is Anthony Morganti working on related to Photo AI?

    -Anthony Morganti is working on an entire course on Photo AI, which he plans to release soon.

  • How much will the Photo AI course cost?

    -The Photo AI course will cost $29.99, but subscribers to Anthony Morganti's newsletter will receive a discount code to purchase it for $19.99.

  • What is the benefit of subscribing to Anthony Morganti's newsletter?

    -Subscribers to Anthony Morganti's newsletter will receive a discount code for his upcoming Photo AI course, saving them $10 on the purchase price.

  • How can viewers subscribe to Anthony Morganti's newsletter?

    -Viewers can subscribe to Anthony Morganti's newsletter by following the link provided in the description below the video.

  • What is the main improvement that Anthony Morganti is happy about in the recent update of Topaz Labs' Photo AI?

    -Anthony Morganti is happy that Topaz Labs has restored the ability to maintain the RAW format throughout the workflow when using Photo AI as a Lightroom Classic plug-in, which was a previously lost functionality.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Restoring RAW Functionality in Topaz Labs Photo AI

Anthony Morganti discusses the recent update to Topaz Labs' Photo AI, which has restored the ability to maintain the RAW format when used as a Lightroom Classic plugin. Previously, users lost the RAW format upon returning to Lightroom, but now this functionality has been restored. He also mentions a caveat: if users adjust lighting or balance color within Photo AI, the file will be saved as a TIFF upon return to Lightroom, losing the RAW format. Anthony demonstrates the process of using Photo AI, including its autopilot feature, and how it applies edits to the RAW file. He concludes by mentioning an upcoming course on Photo AI, offering a discount to subscribers of his newsletter.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Topaz Labs

Topaz Labs is a software company that specializes in digital photography tools. In the video, it is mentioned as the developer of Photo AI, which is a program that enhances images using artificial intelligence. The video discusses a recent update to Photo AI that restored a previously removed feature, which was important for maintaining the RAW format of images during editing.

💡Photo AI

Photo AI is an AI-powered image enhancement software developed by Topaz Labs. It is capable of reducing noise and sharpening images. In the video, the host discusses a recent update that allowed users to maintain the RAW format of their images when using Photo AI as a plug-in with Lightroom Classic.

💡Lightroom Classic

Lightroom Classic is a photo editing software developed by Adobe that is widely used by photographers for organizing, editing, and enhancing images. In the context of the video, it is used in conjunction with Photo AI to maintain the RAW format of images during the editing process.

💡RAW format

The RAW format refers to the unprocessed image data that is directly captured by a digital camera's sensor. It is often preferred by photographers for its high quality and flexibility in post-production. The video discusses the importance of maintaining the RAW format during the editing workflow and how Topaz Labs restored this functionality in Photo AI.

💡Autopilot

In the context of Photo AI, 'Autopilot' is a feature that automatically analyzes an image and determines the necessary adjustments to be made, such as noise reduction and sharpening. The video demonstrates how Autopilot in Photo AI identified the need for 'raw to noise' and 'sharpening' on the unedited RAW file.

💡Noise reduction

Noise reduction is the process of reducing the amount of grain or random variation in brightness and color in an image. In the video, the host shows how Photo AI's Autopilot feature determined that the RAW file needed noise reduction, and it applied the 'raw normal AI model' with a strength of 16.

💡Sharpening

Sharpening is a process used in image editing to enhance the edges and details within an image, making them appear clearer and more defined. The video demonstrates how Photo AI applied sharpening to the subject of the image (an eagle) without affecting the background, using the 'standard' AI model with a strength of 72.

💡DNG file

A DNG file, which stands for Digital Negative, is a raw image file format associated with Adobe. It is a non-proprietary, compressed format that preserves most of the raw data from the camera sensor. In the video, it is mentioned that exporting an image from Photo AI to Lightroom Classic as a DNG file allows the user to retain the RAW format.

💡Adjust lighting

Adjusting lighting is a common photo editing technique used to modify the brightness, contrast, and overall lighting conditions of an image. The video points out that if a user chooses to adjust the lighting or balance color in Photo AI, the exported file will be saved as a TIFF file instead of a RAW file.

💡TIFF file

A TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) file is a type of image file format that supports high-bit-color depths and provides lossless data compression. In the context of the video, the host explains that if certain enhancements like adjusting lighting or balancing color are applied in Photo AI, the resulting file will be a TIFF instead of maintaining the RAW format.

💡Course on Photo AI

The host of the video mentions that they are working on a comprehensive course about Photo AI, which will be released soon. The course is intended to provide in-depth knowledge and instruction on using the software, and a discount is offered to subscribers of the host's newsletter.

Highlights

Topaz Labs has restored the ability to maintain the RAW format in the workflow with their Photo AI plugin for Lightroom Classic.

After a recent update, users were no longer able to keep the RAW file after editing with Photo AI, but this functionality has been fixed.

Anthony Morganti discusses the process of using Photo AI with a Nikon RAW file and the importance of maintaining RAW format.

Photo AI's Autopilot feature examines the image and determines the necessary adjustments, such as noise reduction and sharpening.

The RAW to Noise feature in Photo AI uses the RAW Normal AI model with a strength of 16 and minor to blur at one.

Sharpening in Photo AI is done using the AI model of Standard with a strength at 72 and minor denoise at 31, focusing only on the subject.

Exporting images from Photo AI to Lightroom Classic as a DNG file retains the RAW format, avoiding the previous TIFF conversion issue.

Adding enhancements such as adjusting lighting or balancing color in Photo AI results in a TIFF file instead of a RAW file.

Anthony Morganti demonstrates the before and after effects of using Photo AI on a noisy and unsharp image.

The restored functionality allows users to apply edits made in Lightroom to the RAW file after processing with Photo AI.

Anthony is working on a comprehensive course on Photo AI, which he plans to release soon.

Subscribers to Anthony's newsletter will receive a discount code for his upcoming Photo AI course, reducing the price from $29.99 to $19.99.

The course will cover in-depth usage and techniques for Photo AI to enhance photography workflows.

Anthony appreciates the viewership and engagement of his audience and promises to share more valuable content in the future.

The video provides a detailed demonstration of how to use Topaz Labs Photo AI effectively within the Lightroom Classic workflow.

The importance of maintaining the RAW format throughout the editing process is emphasized for image quality and flexibility.

Anthony's upcoming course will offer a step-by-step guide to leveraging the full potential of Photo AI for photographers.