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- #TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW HOW TO#
- #TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW INSTALL#
- #TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW FULL#
- #TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW PRO#
- #TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW SOFTWARE#
One interesting tool to play with is Precision Contrast. Topaz’s AI Clear tool does a fine job of removing noise. You can save any adjustment you make as a preset for use on other photos. There’s also an Auto White Balance option, but not one for exposure and contrast. It also automatically removes noise, doing a fine job of this on another test photo. This tool sharpened up a test shot that didn’t look great on initial raw import, though it didn’t fix the lighting. There’s no auto-correct button, but using the program’s AI Clear filter approximates one. I expect most photographers feel this way, while designers are happier to juggle dozens of layers. I prefer Lightroom’s policy of hiding this stuff from you, letting you focus on getting the adjustments set the way that makes the image look good, rather than making you spin your wheels about layers and blending modes. All adjustments have an opacity slider and a choice of blend modes, à la Photoshop. Even basic adjustments like exposure, contrast, and color saturation are considered filters in the app.
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Nearly everything you do in Topaz is accomplished by adding a filter or a Look. Organizing is not the software’s mission, and for that, I recommend using Topaz as a plug-in within Lightroom. Forget about creating albums, organizing by faces, metadata, or geography. Topaz Studio doesn’t offer any organization tools, either. Topaz’s initial raw conversion of a shot from my Canon EOS 80D was less vivid than what Lightroom produced (right).
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You can open raw camera files as well as JPGs and TIFFs. You can print or share to an online photo service like Flickr or SmugMug, as you can in Lightroom Classic. ts2 project file format or export it as a JPG, PNG, or TIFF. More Photoshop-like than Lightroom-like is that you either save your image in Topaz’s proprietary. Alternatively, you can drag and drop a file onto the editor. Instead of the sort of importing abilities you see in most photo editing software, in Topaz you simply open a photo file from a disk location. Instead, you see the Topaz filters at the bottom of the Filters menu.
#TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW INSTALL#
Note, however, that when you install Topaz as a Photoshop plug-in, it doesn’t appear in the new Plug-ins panel. The complete lack of workflow and organization capability means you’re better off using Topaz Studio as a plug-in for a program like Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, or Skylum Luminar, all of which Topaz supports.
#TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW PRO#
There’s no library panel like you find in ACDSee, Capture One, CyberLink PhotoDirector, DxO PhotoLab, Skylum Luminar-essentially every pro photo app we’ve tested. One more interface nicety I appreciate is that double-clicking on a slider resets the slider to its default position. I also like that a simple mouse-wheel spin zooms your photo in and out and doesn’t restrict you to set zoom levels like 50% and 66%, as Lightroom does.
#TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW SOFTWARE#
One positive I will mention about the interface is that it adjusts well to high-DPI monitors, like my QHD testing screen-something Adobe software isn’t great at, only offering 100% and 200% views for the interface text and controls. You don’t get much in the way of customization for the interface, and there isn’t even a Window or View menu. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom can be had for a $9.99-per-month subscription, but you never stop paying if you want to keep using them. For comparison, CyberLink PhotoDirector charges the same $99.99 but is also available as a $3.42-per-month subscription with a continual flow of new effects. Oddly, you can’t install the popular GigaPixel AI plug-in Topaz Studio. Existing plug-ins range in price from $79 to $99. You can get a free copy if you've already purchased Topaz effects worth $99 or more. There’s no subscription requirement or option, as was the case for the app's predecessor. You can buy a license directly from Topaz Labs’ website for $99.99. Thankfully, you can install it as a plug-in to Lightroom, to combine Topaz's fun photo effects with Lightroom’s workflow chops. The complete lack of organization tools means Topaz Studio should at best be an addendum to your main workflow program, rather than the only photo app you use.
#TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW FULL#
It’s an exaggeration to call Topaz Studio a full workflow solution, but it does let you optimize and add effects to your photos and can serve as a container for some of Topaz’s plug-ins. Photo software developer Topaz Labs may be more familiar to professional photographers for its plug-ins, but the company also produces a standalone photo-editing application, Topaz Studio, now in its second version.
#TOPAZ STUDIO CLARITY WORKFLOW HOW TO#
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