Topaz A.I. Gigapixel 1.1.2 update just released

[plugsnpixels]

Topaz A.I. Gigapixel update v1.1.2 has the following changes:

3 Updated AI Models

New Features:
- Check for updates now happens when the user opens the application
- Updated models with more training for slightly better image quality

Bug Fixes:
- Color space is now correctly preserved when an unsupported color profile is detected and Match Input is checked
- output is now always sRGB for for RAW files

GUI Modifications:
- Processing mode text and box no longer overflows if Save to Input File Location is not checked
- Border of image option region stops disappearing occasionally when window is resized

There is an unadvertised 15% discount available, no need to pay full price for any Topaz product.

[plugsnpixels]

Here is the first practical application I tried with this new version. As part of my genealogical research, I often refer to old maps.

This copy of an 1849 map of the New York area (in this case, cropped to Jersey City) from THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS had names written on the map but were hard to read.

A 400% upsampling in Gigapixel helped solve that problem!

[plugsnpixels]

I just did another genealogical uprez test, this time with a screenshot of the 1905 NJ census as it appeared on FamilySearch. Not even the actual downloadable image, as I had exceeded my bandwidth at the site by this particular time of day.

Shown is actual size, 400% and 600%, no post processing other than making the results grayscale.

[JohnRostron]

I have now downloaded the update and found that it does work with my antiquated graphics card. I have run a comparison between an 200% enlargment of a Dandelion Clock in Affinity Photo (using Lanczoz 3), BenVista PhotoZoom and Topaz AI Gigapixel. I have cropped a section from each of these and shoiw them here at 100%.
1 Affinity Resize:

2 BenVista PhotoZoom

3 Topaz AI GigaPixel


My impression is that PhotoZoom and Affinity are not all that different in quality. Gigapixel is different but seems to have a mumber of artefacts. It also took 18 minutes as compared with 23 seconds for PhotoZoom!

I have another image to post results for later.

John

[JohnRostron]

This is another set of three images as above, but this time of a Medlar fruit. I chose this to see how the texture was affected by enlargement.
1 Affinity Resize

2 BenVista PhotoZoom

3 Topaz AI GigaPixel


My feeling is that textures like this do not resize well. None of them are particularly impressive.

John

[plugsnpixels]

Thank you John for posting your results! Were the source images film scans or digital files?

I downloaded and rearranged your images (Gigapixel at right of both) and made 100% screenshots for more immediate comparison. While all are close, IMO the Gigapixel version is just slightly sharper and cleaner, especially with the Medlar fruit.



The Dandelion Clock image seems to suffer from noise going into the test, so Gigapixel accentuated it as well (as it did the film grain in my own examples). That's the point of my new blog post about running AI Clear first to reduce noise, thus giving Gigapixel only actual subject matter to enlarge.

[JohnRostron]

Thank you John for posting your results! Were the source images film scans or digital files?

They were all digital images, all from focus stacking with Helicon Focus.

Yes, maybe the GigaPixel images were that bit sharper, but for me, not enough to justify the price!

John

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks. Have you done any tests on a non-focus stacked image (ie, straight from the camera) just for fun?

[JohnRostron]

Here is a photo of a contour (body) feather against a red background. The barbs are fairly soft-edged.



I rotated and enlarged this using the three programs and placed them side-by-side:


The GigaPixel version does look better. The barbules (side-barbs seen at the bottom edge) are brought out more clearly.

I used PhotoZoom Classic 7. The current price for this is £49. The current price of GigaPixel (without discount is $99). If I did not already have PhotoZoom, I would probably buy it.

John

[JohnRostron]

My original interest in enlarging was because I had originally scanned many slides of animals then saved them in a smaller pixel dimension that I would do today. One such is this Sea Anemone Metridium. I resized the original as before (Affinity PhotoZoom and GigaPixel, then merged them into a single image with the left side Affinity, the middle Photozoom and the right side GigaPixel. Can you tell where the joins go?


John

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks again for your examples! The Metridium certainly looks sharper on the right side. I am guessing the joins are at about 1/3, using soft blends.

BTW, I've learned a lot on this thread! I never heard of Dandelion Clocks, Medlar fruits, Contour feathers and Metridiums before!

[JohnRostron]

Thanks again for your examples! The Metridium certainly looks sharper on the right side. I am guessing the joins are at about 1/3, using soft blends.

BTW, I've learned a lot on this thread! I never heard of Dandelion Clocks, Medlar fruits, Contour feathers and Metridiums before!

A Dandelion Clock is so called beause of the children's way of telling the time. How many puffs do you need to blow all of the feathery seeds off the head. As you might guess, in a former life I was a lecturer in Animal Biology. Now retired 11 years.

John

[plugsnpixels]

Ah!

[JohnRostron]

Thanks again for your examples! The Metridium certainly looks sharper on the right side. I am guessing the joins are at about 1/3, using soft bends.!

Yes to the joins at about 1/3, but there was no blending; just hard edges.

John

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks John