Topaz Sharpen AI

In my last post I explained how I’d begun using Topaz DeNoise AI & been super impressed with the results. Well DeNoise AI has a couple of sister products, one of which is Sharpen AI, so I downloaded the trial version to give it a test. As anyone who's been to one of my lectures or workshops will know, I’m really happy with the sharpening tool in the TK Action panel. I use nothing else because it’s never let me down, so I was not expecting to see any great advantages from the Topaz software. I was right - for the general sharpening of images i.e. the last step of the processing workflow, it gives no advantages I could discern, so I’ll be sticking with the TK sharpener.

But… when I used it directly after using Topaz Denoise I did find it re-emphasised detail that DeNoise had removed. This was really noticeable on skin tones, particularly faces. Any noise reduction software works by smoothing out fine detail (after all that’s all noise in an image is - detail we don’t want) & this can give skin a plastic like appearance. Using Sharpen AI seems to undo that effect - but still remove the noise.

I’ve used it on the two players in the squash image below i.e. DeNoise AI first followed by Sharpen AI & I think I’ve got a better result than my previous techniques would have given. Looks like I’ll be buying the trial version!

This image was shot at 2500 iso & by using the two Topaz products the skin tones are not too bad. Not perfect of course, but acceptable I think.

Topaz DeNoise AI

Over the last 12 months I’ve read lots of reviews extolling the virtues of Topaz DeNoise AI , but you see so many rave reviews of different products that I find I become a bit immune to them. I know this is a mistake because with software you really can sometimes get big leaps forward with a new product that can significantly help your post processing. But all that said, it takes quite a bit for me to try something new. However, it’s different if a colleague you respect says it’s good… & that was the case recently with this product.

Most of my boxing shots have been taken stood alongside my good buddy David Cudworth. We both love the adrenaline rush you get from photographing contact sport, but we also both hate the shooting conditions - it’s virtually dark! I have an unwritten rule of never wanting to go above 1600 iso with my Canon 1Dx Mk2 because I find that anything above that point makes skin tones very difficult to process. But that rule has to go completely out of the window at a boxing match - 5000 iso is the norm :-(

Up until now I’ve used Nik Define as my noise reduction software & been reasonably happy with the results, but David convinced me to try DeNoise AI. I downloaded the trial version & conducted some side by side tests alongside Nik Define. I was very impressed - it is definitely better for images with extreme noise. Less than 2000 iso I couldn’t really see a lot of difference, but up in the 5000 iso range the difference was well, frankly staggering.

It’s not a cheap plugin (£86 before any discounts) but after my tests I didn’t hesitate to buy it. It also motivated me to look through my back catalogue of kick boxing images & I’ve just worked up this one. I’ll be looking through my squash images next to see if I can find one of those I’ve dismissed due to excessive noise. Fingers X’d I’ll find one.

A Knockout Blow

Water Dancer Workup

Here's a video demonstrating the workup of an image from my Water Dancer follow up shoot. It uses one of my favourite plugins, Flood 2, to create the water reflection. If you want to skip straight to the section showing how I use Flood 2 it's at 11m 35s.

Flood 2 currently costs £25 & you can get it here - www.flamingpear.com/flood-2

Underwater Article Published in FIAP News

FIAP (Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique, founded in 1946) is an international organisation of national associations of photography. More than 85 countries are members, comprising nearly one million individual photographers. So, in the amateur photography world FIAP is a pretty big deal.

Each month they produce a lavish newsletter which is distributed worldwide - and I was asked to write an article on my underwater photography for their November issue.

If you’re interested it’s on Pg62 here or you can read it here

Water Dancer Follow Up Shoot

The Water Dancer project introduced me to two brilliant models - Alisha & Dan. I was so impressed with their range of movement & ability to take direction that I immediately asked for a follow up shoot... this video documents that shoot.

Derbyshire Life - Article 3

My third article has just been published in Derbyshire Life and this one covers my landscape photography. It was fun to write this piece because the images I chose took me straight back to the locations and the emotions I felt at the exact moment I clicked the shutter. That’s the great thing about taking a photograph - you share the moment with others but you forever freeze frame the moment in your mind too.