instances for just adding an edge to an
image that’s already pretty sharp. The
Stabilize mode is the most powerful
and the one I use to sharpen up images
taken with tele-extenders. It also does
wonders for the 4K video captures.
The next choices are “Remove
Blur” and “Suppress Noise,” using a
slider ranging from 40 to 100 percent.
On my 4K frame captures, I set the
Remove Blur to 70 or 80 percent and
the Suppress Noise to 60 percent with
great results. As I mentioned above,
I don’t see halos around the edges of
the subject, even when I set the slider
to 100 percent. The program also does
an excellent job of suppressing noise
in the image as it sharpens. It operates
both stand-alone and as a plug-in for
Photoshop and Lightroom.
Topaz DeNoise AI
I didn’t spend a lot of time on this Topaz
program, but what I did see was most
impressive. The ability to remove noise
and maintain sharpness is like getting
a free lunch. I haven’t seen this level
of noise removal in any of the Adobe
programs, and the folks who do night
photography will especially welcome
this software. It also can be used as an
independent program or as a plug-in for
Photoshop and Lightroom.
As of this writing, the cost for
these programs is: Gigapixel AI, $99;
Sharpen AI, $79; DeNoise AI, $79. You
can try any of these programs for 30
days for free.
Contact: topazlabs.com.DxO Nik 2
I became aware of Nik photo imaging
software around 1996 when the original
company was based in Germany and
then moved some of its development to
San Diego, California. It was one of the
earliest plug-ins for use in Photoshop.
In 2012, Nik software was acquired by
Google. Initially, the suite cost $500,
was reduced to $150 and then Google
made it available for free but announced
it would no longer improve or support
the suite. The Nik software pretty much
disappeared into the woodwork untilBald Eagle Coming at You. This
4K video frame grab yielded only a
24 MB file, but after processing in
Topaz Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI
to increase file size and sharpness, it
produced a beautiful 40-inch print.
Canon EOS R, Canon EF 600mm
f/4L III lens (1096mm equivalent).
Exposure: 1/1000 sec., ƒ/16, ISO 1600.outdoorphotographer.com September 2019 31