Topaz Photo AI Review – $40 Off and an Additional 15% Coupon

Topaz Photo AI is currently $40 off for $159. Click here and use coupon code GETPHOTOAI for an additional 15% off.

Topaz Labs just released their latest AI-powered software on September 15 — Topaz Photo AI.

We haven’t seen any new software from Topaz Labs this year in 2022 other than the regular updates to their current active roster of AI software: DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI, Sharpen AI, and Video Enhance AI.

So what is this new photography software all about? Well, I’ll cover the essentials in this Topaz Photo AI review and test a few images.

What is Topaz Photo AI?

 As the name suggests, Topaz Photo AI uses artificial intelligence.

But what does AI exactly do to your photos?

Topaz Photo AI automates the basic image edits that most photographers do at the beginning or end of the workflow. These include:

1. noise reduction
2. image sharpening
3. enhance resolution by creating new pixels
4. facial enhancement for low-quality faces
5. image enlargement

Except for the image enlargement tool, all the AI edits are automatically applied if Topaz Photo AI believes it needs them. You can also individually adjust the strength of these editing tools.

Topaz Photo AI supports the following file types: JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, and DNG. Native camera RAW files are also supported. You can view the supported RAW files here.

Topaz Photo AI Review

If you’re looking for a quick fix to some basic adjustments, then Photo AI can be a helpful tool.

On the other hand, most amateurs and professional photographers are not looking to make a few basic adjustments.

With that said, Photo AI is more of an initial or intermediary image-editing software. You will still need to make final image adjustments in software like ON1 Photo RAW or Lightroom.

Since the software has noise reduction, image sharpening, and image enlargement, the question is, does Topaz Photo AI replace Topaz DeNoise AI, Topaz Sharpen AI, and Topaz Gigapixel AI? The answer is no. The latter individual photography software are dedicated tools with more precision controls for fine-tuning.

For example, if you do astrophotography, stick with Topaz DeNoise AI instead of Photo AI for noise reduction. The same goes for Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI for their respective goals.

Topaz Photo AI Example 1

I took a DNG image of Machu Picchu. The image above is after editing in Photo AI. There was no point in showing the before image since it’s hard to notice the difference without zooming in.

Below is the zoomed-in before and after images. Noise reduction and sharpening were applied.

You’ll notice the luminance noise reduction in the shadows and the sharpening applied to the mountain.

Related: How to Visit Machu Picchu on a Budget

Topaz Photo AI Example 2

The second test photo used was a stock photo I obtained from Pexels.

This portrait has some blemishes, and recover faces was used to smooth out the image. As you can see, there is still some acne and scarring in the portrait. Photo AI is not meant to retouch portraits completely.

The recover faces tool works well in group photos, especially when some faces or skin tones are underexposed.

Topaz Photo AI Example 3

The last example is of the night sky in Bolivia. Again, you can’t notice the difference until you zoom in. You can see that noise reduction works well in Photo AI. For reference, the camera settings were 8s, f/2.8, and ISO 3200.

Photoshop and Lightroom Plugins

Topaz Photo AI can be used as a standalone photography software. But as hinted above, it cannot perform other basic edits such as cropping, spot removal, or color grading.

Luckily, the software can be used as a plugin on Photoshop and Lightroom.

Topaz Labs also claims Photo AI will work as a plugin with other image editors.

System Requirements

Topaz Photo AI is only supported on Windows and Mac desktops and laptops. Most Windows and Mac machines are compatible, except M2 Macs. View the complete system requirements.

Cost

Topaz Photo AI costs $199 but is currently on sale for $159 ($40 off) until October 7. Follow this link and use coupon code GETPHOTOAI for an additional 15% off.

Topaz Photo AI Review Summary

Topaz Photo AI is developed to assist with the photography workflow, not replace it. With this said, use the software to assist your main image-editing application.

The software will noticeably help you the most with images of very low quality.

Finally, if you want more control of your noise reduction, image sharpening, and resizing, then stick with DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI, respectively.