AI software marches on. New upgrade

Do you have the full picture?

I use On1 (as well) as Topaz Gigapixel
And I'm looking forward to the resize function in On1.
For now, I know I can shoot up to 12800iso with good results.
The AI-noise removal and AI-sharpen are getting better and better

Nice kookaburra Peter

I’ve been dabbling with the Topaz AI sharpening and noise apps and very impressed. But it does create an unusual situation. I appreciate technology advances, and to some degree we’ve been through this with advancements to photoshop etc making image edits easier and more accessible, but even with those tools, the image is fundamentally your image. Your choice of editing, your adaptions. With the rise of AI driven tools, are they not recognising the subject and using knowledge of similar images to fill in the gaps? In which case, at what point is the image you end up with not actually your image? Would be really interested to see the originals, and also understand how much of these AI tools are drawing on what it thinks should be there versus actually improving what is there.

Dopol wrote: Tricky01 wrote: I’ve been dabbling with the Topaz AI sharpening and noise apps and very impressed. But it does create an unusual situation. I appreciate technology advances, and to some degree we’ve been through this with advancements to photoshop etc making image edits easier and more accessible, but even with those tools, the image is fundamentally your image. Your choice of editing, your adaptions. With the rise of AI driven tools, are they not recognising the subject and using knowledge of similar images to fill in the gaps? In which case, at what point is the image you end up with not actually your image? Would be really interested to see the originals, and also understand how much of these AI tools are drawing on what it thinks should be there versus actually improving what is there. It is as you say. You cannot 'use' AI-changed photographs in 'official' contests What I have seen is that it was explicitly mentioned in the rules. What the AI does (amongst others)is it looks at your (noise)patterns and replaces that with stuff that produces similar noise. It is an unacceptable replacement for 'original' photos in contests. The same goes for sky replacements and the like When the tools get better and better there is a moment you cannot recognize the culprits.

I find this really quite difficult. I appreciate time marches on, and more and more apps are using these processes (plus some fundemental questions on what photography actually IS), but it does feel like there should be more transparency on how AI and ML are applied in these apps. Perhaps it even needs specific exif / metadata fields for tagging such images. I got so troubled that I couldn't find many discussions on it, I started rambling on my blog about it this evening here.

Thanks for bringing the A1 subject up. I've actually been thinking about that quite a bit, because I want my photo to be a creation of mine not some computer in the sky that was programmed by who knows who. Who doesn't know me from Adam, and I'm not sure I want my "patterns" available up in the "cloud" to who knows who.

I want tools that enable me to better my image, I don't want something to make my image for me, as say "presets"
In the beginning I tried many edit programs, free trials, DxO, OnOne, I actually bought that one and then never used it, found something work better for me. I have never used photoshop, I'm allergic to subscriptions. I resented the "bait & switch" they tried on me.

Have settled on Luminar, It's pretty easy for me but most of all Luminar3 (I believe the basic Luminar) has many excellent what they call filters and now tools that I can play with and make my photo the way I wanted and have fun.Then they came out with Luminar4 which had the brilliant "sky replacement" tool.

My biggest problem w my photos has been my sky, w dust spots and artifacts. If I had a photo I really wanted I could save it w this tool and I could at times make a mediocre photo really pop.

Now they came out w Luminar Neo which I had to get because it has a dust removal tool, the answer for my prayers. Unbelievable, it spots all the spots on your sensor and removes all without a trace. It also has a power line removal button I don't see myself using much but could be very helpful in some cases at times

However I see programs intruding more and more (presets) and such, adding, subtracting, coloring, all kinds of things making the original image unrecognizable, in their own image

So sometimes its fun and useful and others its just not honest
Coast

I struggle with this.
Say I make a photo of a flying bird.
When processing the photo (necessary anyway) I notice the eye is not tack-sharp. It is tempting and even addictive to 'improve' the sharpness a bit.

I couldn't have made the photo without the Eye-focus function in my camera, which is equipped with a lens that wouldn't be possible to produce 10 years ago. The photo is shown on a screen with unparalleled resolution (in a decade-old perspective)
And editing (even without AI tools) I dodge and burn the total light balance to a level that pleases me.
I never was part of the association of 'stay-close-to-the-original', 'do- everything-right-in-your-camera', and editing photos moved from correcting the light in jpgs and white balance in RAWs to where I am now. Using three different programs (ON1, LR&PS. Topaz)
It is fun to do. I spend tons of time editing. I go back to photos I edited 10 years ago and find that there is so much to be improved, due to changing taste and available tooling.
AI-tooling is a new toy that you can or don't use. AI-tooling is fastly developing and improving over the last two years. Don't know where it ends.
I haven't made my mind up on using the tooling yet. But i'm afraid I'll grow into it.

Edited by Dopol - 05 April 2022 at 08:47

Just received a free update this morning. Topaz Gigapixel V 6.0.0
This was the shot I posted originally



And this is with the new version, same settings ie one click on highly compressed only.



Doesn't show up the difference as well as I had hoped here but I hope you can make out a slight change around the eye. At higher res the change is very noticeably improved.