Issue with Topaz Suite
So the problem is that when I select an image from my catalog and try to open it with DeNoise or Sharpen AI using the "open with..." command in C1, it appears that opens not the full size RAW file, but the .jpg thumbnail generated by C1.
Instead, if I use the "edit with.." command, it opens the proper file in both softwares. The thing is that I dont want to have any .tiff variants for every sigle picture that I am editing both in C1 and DeNoise AI or Sharpen AI.
Is there any way to fix this? I'm not sure if this is a bug from C1 or Topaz, this doesn't happen when I open an image in photoshop using the same method.
Currently I'm using C1 13.1.0. I had to downgrade from the latest version because of the OpenWith plugin bug.
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Hi,
Like many other plugins (like the NIK Collection and similar products), the "classic" Topaz plugins do not support RAW files. Some AI plugins are "supporting" RAW files but not directly. They are using the third-party LibRAW library to handle RAW files. So, if a RAW file type is not supported by LibRAW, it will not be supported by the Topaz AI plugins. Anyway, the very nature of all the plugins that can be used either stand-alone or from within PS or from any other software being compatible with the PS plugins implies that they need to work with raster files anyway. If you don't provide an image already converted to a raster format, Topaz AI plugins use LibRAW to do the job.
Quoting Topaz :
Topaz Labs AI products support many different kinds of RAW file types, such as DNG (digital negative), and camera-specific files, such as NEF, ARW, and ORF files. However, many of these files contain data that our products may not know how to read yet.
Some RAW files can be used in the software but we use third-party libraries in our software to display RAW images. Due to this, there can be some RAW files from certain camera types where you might see some conflicts.
If you see something odd in the image color, desaturation, or overall display of the RAW files, we suggest converting the images to TIFF.
If you Open with... any RAW in a classic plugin OR a non-LibRAW supported RAW file in an AI plugin, all that the plugin will be able to extract is the JPEG thumbnail that is embedded in any RAW. And that's it. So, it's widely preferable to create yourself the raster file (JPEG or TIFF) needed by the Topaz plugins directly in C1 (which means using Edit with...) rather than relying on the LibRAW library used by Topaz. LibRAW doesn't give as good results as the C1, Lightroom or DxO Photolab RAW engines and is not always up-to-date (many recent cameras and RAW formats are not always supported quickly after they are released).
Hope this make things clear.
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Topaz is not an optimal solution for opening raw files, supported or otherwise. The conversion is better than it used to be (at least for my Nikons) but is still second rate, at best. Follow Samoreen's advice if you want the best from your images.
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Thanks for the replies! You made yourself very clear, now I understand why it works the way it works.
Is there any kind of software that you recommend for processing images? (besides these two I mentioned above?) I am very pleased with the results I am getting with C1 + DeNoise, just wondering what else is out there. Eventually I use PS, but only on some very specific ocations.
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> I am very pleased with the results I am getting with C1 + DeNoise
In this case, continue working with them. You have a lot of other solutions available. Lightroom and DxO Photolab are also a good choice for processing RAW files. If you are using Fuji X-Trans RAW files, C1 is better than Lightroom and DxO Photolab cannot process them. DxO Photolab is well known for superior denoising performances. Probably the best software for this task and it works on RAW files directly. No need for a specialized plugin.
Otherwise, your final choice will depend on your preferences for the UI, on the requested features, on the quality of the support and on the pricing policy. They are all different regarding these points.
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I use the same combination of C1 and Photoshop, plus Lightroom for its cataloging abilities and for some presets I haven't quite replicated in C1. Our good Samoreen posted a very helpful lesson on using LR and exporting the raw files directly to C1.
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The primary issue is that as the AI applications work either as a standalone or plugin mode, which is used in various instances such as being called from an external application, the original input file will be overwritten.
This workflow means that editing RAW images is not supported in plugin mode, therefore you need to use the Edit with option and generate a supported raster file such as JPEG, TIFF or PNG which will be updated and returned to the calling application.
Insofar as LR/PS interaction, that is because they use the same RAW processing engine therefore the updates to the RAW image processing made in either application can also be read in either.
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