Topaz AI Clear suddenly not working from within Studio

I just started using Topaz and have come to rely on AI Clear to reduce noise and sharpen detail in on fell swoop without having to make detailed layer masks etc.

Two weeks ago, I bought the special bundle Topaz offered (just before they announced Topaz Studio 2 which I have not purchased). And I was happily using AI Clear from within Studio until I went to use it today.

Now it does NOT work within Studio at all. It still works using the DeNoise plug in, but I much prefer to use it from within Studio where I could reduce opacity of the AI Clear effect, specify exactly how to denoise, retain detail etc etc.

When I try to access AI Clear from the Adjustment menu within Studio, I get a little notice to GoPro. When I click on that it does not give me an option to buy AI Clear as an adjustment and I no longer see it when I try to shop at Topaz. But I should not HAVE to shop for it as I just bought it not long ago!!

Does anyone else have this issue and what is the solution?

So frustrating! I have a ton of images I need to process it using it ASAP.

Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com

It sounds like you somehow got logged out of your Topaz account inside Sudio. Go to Community > Switch Users and re-log-in

BTW, a while back I also had a problem where AI Clear did not work properly and I ultimately simply reinstalled Topaz studio, loged back into my account and then everything worked fine and has since.

E.J. Peiker wrote:BTW, a while back I also had a problem where AI Clear did not work properly and I ultimately simply reinstalled Topaz studio, loged back into my account and then everything worked fine and has since.

I am trying that. I am no longer seeing AI Clear as  a pro adjustment you can buy online now! I am pretty sure I had purchased it after the trial version but not sure. And now they don't seem to be offering it.

neverspook wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:BTW, a while back I also had a problem where AI Clear did not work properly and I ultimately simply reinstalled Topaz studio, loged back into my account and then everything worked fine and has since.

I am trying that. I am no longer seeing AI Clear as  a pro adjustment you can buy online now! I am pretty sure I had purchased it after the trial version but not sure. And now they don't seem to be offering it.

I just uninstalled and reinstalled and that did not help. Still shows GoPro but when I click on GoPro, it does not show me AI Clear as something I can purchase - just says nothing is in my cart. And Shop does not offer it. Very worried as I came to rely on it from within Studio.
It is also not showing me several of the plug-ins I bought in the bundle either when I go to Filters in PS.

E.J. Peiker wrote:BTW, a while back I also had a problem where AI Clear did not work properly and I ultimately simply reinstalled Topaz studio, loged back into my account and then everything worked fine and has since.

So I think I thought when I bought the bundle two weeks ago that it would include Clear AI. I guess it does not. I don't remember now about Clear AI. Is that something you have to buy separately as an adjustment? And if so, am I missing something because I don't see where you can buy it. And despite my uninstalling and reinstalling Studio, it still says GoPro when I try to use Clear AI but it won't let me buy it. I hate this!

I think AI Clear is part of Topaz Studio 2 now, i.e., you cannot buy it separately.

Last time I checked there is no longer any pro-adjustment for purchase on Topaz website. My understanding is if you purchased pro-adjustments before and you paid more than the price of Studio 2, Studio 2 is a free upgrade for you. But, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Was AI Clear the only pro-adjustment?

neverspook wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:BTW, a while back I also had a problem where AI Clear did not work properly and I ultimately simply reinstalled Topaz studio, loged back into my account and then everything worked fine and has since.

I am trying that. I am no longer seeing AI Clear as  a pro adjustment you can buy online now! I am pretty sure I had purchased it after the trial version but not sure. And now they don't seem to be offering it.

It is now included in Studio 2 and in Denoise AI.  If it isn't active in your original version of Studio and you have that installed and working properly, then it is likely you didn't buy it.  They no longer sell it due to it's inclusion in those other two programs.

DChan wrote:I think AI Clear is part of Topaz Studio 2 now, i.e., you cannot buy it separately.

Last time I checked there is no longer any pro-adjustment for purchase on Topaz website. My understanding is if you purchased pro-adjustments before and you paid more than the price of Studio 2, Studio 2 is a free upgrade for you. But, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

That is correct.  It is also one of the rendering models in DeNoise AI.

E.J. Peiker wrote:

neverspook wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:BTW, a while back I also had a problem where AI Clear did not work properly and I ultimately simply reinstalled Topaz studio, loged back into my account and then everything worked fine and has since.

I am trying that. I am no longer seeing AI Clear as  a pro adjustment you can buy online now! I am pretty sure I had purchased it after the trial version but not sure. And now they don't seem to be offering it.

It is now included in Studio 2 and in Denoise AI.  If it isn't active in your original version of Studio and you have that installed and working properly, then it is likely you didn't buy it.  They no longer sell it due to it's inclusion in those other two programs.

I thought I had bought it but see no evidence of it. I had the trial version and was not on PS the last few days before that expired. I had no idea they would discontinue it with the original studio or I would have bought it before it expired.

E.J. given your concerns about Studio 2, should I buy it anyway? At the moment all I use it for is AI Clear. If I hate Studio 2, can I uninstall it and go back to the original Studio if need be?

If you have been using Topaz products for a while (perhaps since Topaz first started like some of us have been), it doesn't hurt to give them a call.

DChan wrote:If you have been using Topaz products for a while (perhaps since Topaz first started like some of us have been), it doesn't hurt to give them a call.

Just started using Topaz but I would like to call them anyway. But I have not been able to find a phone number for them. Do you have one? All I can find for help is their online form.

neverspook wrote:

DChan wrote:If you have been using Topaz products for a while (perhaps since Topaz first started like some of us have been), it doesn't hurt to give them a call.

Just started using Topaz but I would like to call them anyway. But I have not been able to find a phone number for them. Do you have one? All I can find for help is their online form.

I don't have their phone number but you can contact their support through their website.

The following link tells you if you are qualified for a free upgrade:

https://topazlabs.com/my-account/upgrade

DChan wrote:

neverspook wrote:

DChan wrote:If you have been using Topaz products for a while (perhaps since Topaz first started like some of us have been), it doesn't hurt to give them a call.

Just started using Topaz but I would like to call them anyway. But I have not been able to find a phone number for them. Do you have one? All I can find for help is their online form.

I don't have their phone number but you can contact their support through their website.

The following link tells you if you are qualified for a free upgrade:

https://topazlabs.com/my-account/upgrade

I have already contacted them thru their website. I do prefer to talk to a person. Concerned about upgrade given EJ's negative experience.
Thanks.
R

You don't need to buy Sudio 2 to get AI Clear. you said you bought the special bundle so you already have it embedded inside Denoise AI.

E.J. Peiker wrote:You don't need to buy Sudio 2 to get AI Clear.  you said you bought the special bundle so you already have it embedded inside Denoise AI.

Yes, but I prefer to use it within Studio because then I can use the Opacity slider, Clarity etc at the same time. I really liked that. Since I was just doing a slight sharpen as required by my stock agency, I often reduced the opacity. I know I can do that in PS afterwards, but it worked out better seeing the effect and tweaking the other sliders within Topaz studio at the same time.

If I tried Studio 2 and had issues with it, can I just uninstall it and go back to the original Studio or does Studio 2 make that reversion not possible? I am concerned about your findings with Studio 2.

neverspook wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:You don't need to buy Sudio 2 to get AI Clear.  you said you bought the special bundle so you already have it embedded inside Denoise AI.

Yes, but I prefer to use it within Studio because then I can use the Opacity slider, Clarity etc at the same time. I really liked that. Since I was just doing a slight sharpen as required by my stock agency, I often reduced the opacity. I know I can do that in PS afterwards, but it worked out better seeing the effect and tweaking the other sliders within Topaz studio at the same time.

If I tried Studio 2 and had issues with it, can I just uninstall it and go back to the original Studio or does Studio 2 make that reversion not possible? I am concerned about your findings with Studio 2.

Studio 2 is independent of Studio - it does not uninstall or overwrite the old version.  My issue with Studio 2 seems to be that the default settings in AI clear are much more powerful than in Studio resulting in a much crunchier image and serious edge artifacts at high contrast edges.  

You can run DeNoise AI as a plug-in but you would have to make other adjustments individually.  Here is a comparison of two identical 100% crops of a very distant mountain ridge, the first in the new AI Clear, the second in the old which is identical to what Denoise AI creates using the AI clear rendering model - this is with the just released 2.02 version - clearly there is a problem with AI Clear:

They found the problem and just issued 2.03 to fix it.  

Also 2.02 fixed many of the workflow usability issues that I reported earlier.  Slowly but surely it's getting there but the original 2.0 version should not have been released IMHO, it was a Beta at best.

The same clip with 2.03:

E.J. Peiker wrote:They found the problem and just issued 2.03 to fix it.  

Also 2.02 fixed many of the workflow usability issues that I reported earlier.  Slowly but surely it's getting there but the original 2.0 version should not have been released IMHO, it was a Beta at best.

The same clip with 2.03:

Thanks, E.J. Very helpful. It is encouraging they have started to resolve some of the issues because AI Clear in your above Studio 2 option sucks! I have contacted them to see if there is any way I could get AI Clear for Studio at the $30 fee since I was allowed to download the trial version and then they stopped selling it before my trial ended and there was no notification I had to hustle to buy it because it was about to be discontinued. Since I mostly use Topaz at this point just for AI Clear, don't really want to fork out $80 for Studio 2. I am interested to see what they say...

See your PMs Roberta.