Topaz Denoise AI

Topaz Denoise AI is on sale and I'm wondering if it's worth $59.95 compared to LR and FB noise reduction?

I have used it for a while now. It does a nice job. I think it is better than LR. I think it is worth the price.

Topaz upgrade is no longer free now.

From Topaz:

Buy any of our applications and you can use that edition for life, no subscription required. Your purchase includes a complimentary 1-year Upgrade License.

Maintenance releases and fixes (v2.0.0 > v2.0.1) are always included free for all users, even if you do not have an active Upgrade License.

To download a major software upgrade (v2.0 > v2.1) an active Upgrade License is required.Our Upgrade License offers unlimited upgrades for your application for one year from the date of purchase. Purchase an Upgrade License when you want, no commitment, or recurring subscription required.

You can buy a year of upgrades - starting from the purchase date - for any single product for $49.99. If you own multiple products, you can activate a year of account-wide upgrades for $99.99.

I just upgraded to it this past week for free. I did purchase the previous version for that price.

The new version of this software is subscription only.

Phil Shaw wrote:The new version of this software is subscription only.

I just purchased Topaz DeNoise AI a few weeks ago.  I just downloaded the update today for free.  There may be upgrades in the future that I  would have to pay for, but it is NOT a subscription.

From the Topaz website:

"We want you to own your software instead of having to pay to keep accessing it. Once you buy one of our products, you can keep using your purchased version as long as you want regardless of upgrade status."

aolander wrote:

Phil Shaw wrote:The new version of this software is subscription only.

I just purchased Topaz DeNoise AI a few weeks ago.  I just downloaded the update today for free.  There may be upgrades in the future that I  would have to pay for, but it is NOT a subscription.

From the Topaz website:

"We want you to own your software instead of having to pay to keep accessing it. Once you buy one of our products, you can keep using your purchased version as long as you want regardless of upgrade status."

Upgrade to DeNoise AI v2.3 (the new version that I refer to in my post) to experience what's new!
Your license to DeNoise AI is expired. But no worries, you will NOT lose access to DeNoise AI; you CAN keep using the version you are on! However, to experience the new features in the latest version we've just released, you'll want to purchase a one-year license renewal for $49.
Sounds like a subscription to me!

Adobe - subscription - if you don’t pay monthly/yearly fee, software is non-functional, can’t save, etc.

Topaz - non-subscription - buy the program and it remains fully functional. You have to pay fee only if you want to upgrade and that fee covers ALL updates for a year. Important difference is that you can continue to use Topaz indefinitely. . BIG difference. Definitely NOT a subscription.

EGrav wrote:Adobe - subscription - if you don’t pay monthly/yearly fee, software is non-functional, can’t save, etc.

Topaz - non-subscription - buy the program and it remains fully functional. You have to pay fee only if you want to upgrade and that fee covers ALL updates for a year. Important difference is that you can continue to use Topaz indefinitely. . BIG difference. Definitely NOT a subscription.

I didn't see any reference to Adobe in this thread until you introduced it.  I thought we were talking about Topaz Noise AI.

Topaz announced the license renewal program (i.e. an annual software subscription) at the beginning of this year and the  NEW version of this software is now subscription.  I don't see what your beef with me is.

The reference to Adobe is only to demonstrate what a true subscription model is. In a true subscription model, the software is inactive after expiration. This is what Adobe does.
 Topaz does NOT do this - the software can still be used if you do not upgrade. Upgrading is voluntary, but comes at a cost. The upgrade is a year long subscription to any upgrades released during that year. The original software is NOT subscription. it is a lifetime license. 
Go to https://topazlabs.com/pricing/  scroll down to box. "lifetime use of software:, blah, blah, blah.

No beef with you, just trying to clear up bad information. 

I started this thread to try to find out how AI DeNoise 2.3 compares to other noise reduction solutions out there. It kind of got off track. Is AI DeNoise worth the money? thanks.

Yes, it is definitely worth the money! (IMO)

It's not subscription at all. If you buy it it works from that point on and you get free upgrades for a year. After that, it continues to work. This is basically a licensing scheme like most other software. Adobe, if you don't keep the subscription active, the software stops functioning. Topaz's model is like Adobe CS6 and before or like Capture One for example - it's what the industry calls a perpetual license. You can keep running it until it won't run anymore due to an OS upgrade that keeps it from working.

My license of Denoise has expired on August 31, too. When v.2.3. was released I read several comments that the previous version 2.2.x was better for details, less artifacts, issues of v 2.3 with the Low light setting in the PS Plugin etc., also worse results in Ai Clear. That's why I haven't renewed my license yet and I'm unsure if I stay with my v 2.2.10.for now. Topaz claims new features and improvements of the new release over the  previous versions. I don't know if they are worth it. In any case the most important points are results, of course.

So I'm interested to know the experiences of users who have upgraded from v 2.2.10 to v 2.3

Is there a way to keep the older version additionally on the PC or to go back at least - just in case ? They probably have changed the installer, though. I think I still have the previous one. But I don't know if it would work to go back - at least not without renewing the license ?

Thank you in advance
Wolfgang

No problems here. Seems a little faster as well.

I have upgraded and found it to be faster and very good. I still go back and forth between AI Clear and DeNoise and sometimes one is better and sometimes the other is better. Overall a great product.

Thank you for your helpful feedback. Just if somebody is interested: It's obviously not possible to install the new version parallel to the previous one in order to compare the output side by side. It's not even possible to try the new version before paying for the upgrade since you get the message that the license has expired whenever you try to launch v.2.3.2  I had downloaded the full installer of v 2.3.2 (not the online installer) but the old version is overwritten and thus not accessible anymore. To rename the AI Denoise subfolder in the TopasLabs directory prior to the installation of  v.2.3.2 doesn't help either - in any case the old version is replaced. I didn't try to move the AI-Denoise folder or even the whole TopasLabs directory to another location prior to running the installer for v 2.3.2 because I wanted to avoid possible issues with my other Topaz programs. I also tried to submit a request to the Topaz support for an optional parallel installation. But funny enough, I couldn't send the request because the installation of the newest version has to be confirmed in the form (unless you lie, of course). At least, I could reinstall my last version covered by the license which removes the installation of v.2.3.2, of course.

Anyway, I probably will consider the upgrade hoping that the IQ - especially in Low light mode - isn't inferior to v.2.2.12 as some user at the Topaz community had commented after the launch of v.2.3. The new quadruple preview certainly is a good feature but the quality of the output is the most important point, of course.

Wolfgang

miker wrote:I started this thread to try to find out how AI DeNoise 2.3 compares to other noise reduction solutions out there.  It kind of got off track.  Is AI DeNoise worth the money?  thanks.

Hi,

I Googled to compare DeNoise with other similar programs. There are several excellent articles and videos out there. DeNoise looked like it did the best job, so I  bought it a few weeks ago (version 2.3.1). And the software has updated twice with no fee. It's now at 2.3.3.

It does a great job on digital and film. I scanned some slides I took 50 years ago on Kodachrome 64 and it really smoothed out the grain and sharpened the image too.

I'm very happy with my purchase. 

Check these out.
https://fstoppers.com/originals/image-n ... are-493510
https://capturetheatlas.com/noise-reduction-software/
https://expertphotography.com/noise-reduction-software/
https://fixthephoto.com/best-noise-redu ... tware.html

Have Fun,
Jeff

P.S. Always check for discount codes. Google the software name followed by discount code. I just did this for On1 Photo RAW and found a 20% discount code. Score!