Topaz Video Enhance AI Review: Best Tool for AI Upscaling (2023)
- Last Updated January 19, 2023
Disclosure: My site is reader-supported. I may get commissions when you click through the affiliate links (that are great products I use and stand by) on my articles.
As artificial intelligence and machine learning continues to advance, it’s hardly surprising to have newer technologies do what we thought impossible.
For example, up until recently, if you wanted to have your video enlarged, you had to sacrifice quality.
But as it turns out, you can have both thanks to AI video enhancement tools like Topaz Video Enhance AI.
The Topaz Video AI software boasts tools to upscale your low-resolution video clips to 4k and 8k. This review looks at the features, what to expect, pricing, and all you need to know.
What is Topaz Labs Video Enhance AI?
Topaz Labs Video Enhance AI is a powerful video enhancement tool that upscales and enhances resolution to improve video quality.
It was developed by Topaz Labs; hence, it’s called Topaz Lab Video Enhance AI, even though the recent upgrade has seen it renamed as simply Topaz Video AI.
The software has AI models consisting of built-in algorithms that help it to achieve video upscaling, enhancement, denoising, deinterlacing, and restoration. It can also create slow-motion video footage by adding matching frames between the actual frame rates.
The developers, Topaz Labs, have a series of video editing tools that have been improved using similar file types to what they’d be working on. In the case of Topaz Video AI, it’s been exposed to thousands of challenging video samples to help the software perform better.
Therefore, the Topaz Video Enhance AI can reduce and remove video flickering, sharpen blurred frame rates, and repair low-resolution video clips. Unlike some of its alternatives, the app is a standalone program that works for Windows and Mac operating systems.
This means downloading the program and ensuring your computer has the basic system requirements. It also saves you from uploading and downloading large video files.
Version release and rebranding as Topaz Video AI
Recently, Topaz Labs announced that its video enhancement software would receive major modifications alongside a name change. With the rebrand to Topaz Video AI comes new AI models, filters, and added functionality on a new Photo AI-like user interface.
The older version experiences certain quality issues enhancing variable video frame rates, repeated scenes, and scene changes because it treated videos as constant-rate images. Video AI v3 has a new code base, and the new stabilization AI model considers the whole frame rate instead.
Topaz says in addition to the immediate improvement in quality, it allows them to improve existing models and create new ones.
Who is Topaz for?
Topaz Video Enhance AI is ideal for content creators and video editors who need to upscale and improve their video quality. It’s also perfect for photographers who wish to use the tool on their videos.
It comes in handy when shooting with low-resolution cameras or when you want to restore your old footage. The software can also be used by filmmakers, gamers, influencers, bloggers, animators, production companies, and broadcast professionals.
Topaz Video AI features overview
Topaz Video Enhance AI has several powerful features, and these are the most notable ones.
Features Overview
- Natural Video Upscaling
- Video Denoising
- Video Deinterlacing
- Old Video Restoration and Enhancement
- Frame Rate Conversion
- Non-Stuttering Slow Motion
1. Natural video upscaling
Video upscaling has been a popular strategy for video enhancement, but the result isn’t always perfect. Meanwhile, with Video Enhance AI, you can upscale videos to higher video qualities without occasional flickers and glimmers that plague the output from other software.
According to Topaz Labs, their software uses temporal information acquired from other frames to upscale the resolution and enhance the frames. This way, it can reduce artifacts that may cause the video to appear unrealistic.
While the video may not have the resolution of another video shot directly at the resolution, Topaz Video AI delivers something close and gives you high-quality results when you combine it with other enhancement features.
2. Video denoising
When shooting a video with a camera with high ISO settings or in an environment with poor lighting, your video footage may end up with a grainy texture known as noise. Not only does this make the quality poor, but it also renders it unclear.
Through Topaz’s DeNoise AI, you can remove the noise in a video to enhance its quality. What this feature does is suppress the grainy texture of the video.
Denoising a video can soften the clip or add flickers, but you do not have to worry about these with Topaz Video Enhance AI. Instead, the results are clear, sharp, detailed, and without flickering.
3. Video deinterlacing
Many videos, especially old ones, are interlaced because they used to be the most affordable. They result in lower-quality clips and disturbing artifacts.
Topaz Video Enhance AI can deinterlace videos and convert them to high-quality progressive format using the Dione AI model. It can also eliminate resulting artifacts to create clean and natural footage.
4. Old video restoration and enhancement
Old videos can contain low-quality features like compression and aliasing, but with Video Enhance AI, you can remove any of these defects to restore old footage. It usually works excellently with compressions but may only offer enough with aliasing and general restoration if the quality of the original video is good.
5. Frame rate conversion
Topaz Labs Video Enhance introduced the Chronos AI model with version v2.3. This new Chronos Slo-Mo/FPS Conversion model makes it possible to convert frame rates without the risk of significant artifacts.
Video Enhance AI gets multiple similar frames and uses them to deduce the best frame that fits the video. Therefore, you have identical frames and a smooth video.
6. Non-stuttering slow-motion effects
Topaz Video Enhance AI can create realistic slow-motion effects using the same technique as the frame rate conversion. However, unlike older techniques, there is no stuttering in the footage created with Topaz Video AI.
How to upscale and enhance videos with Topaz AI
Using the software is pretty straightforward, especially if you dedicate time to seeing what it does. I’ll get you up to speed by explaining the basics below.
1. Import video
Start by importing the video you want to work with. Drag and drop the video in the window or click the ‘Browse’ button in the middle of the screen to open a dialog box that lets you select the video.
You can choose to work on multiple videos together. The videos will be displayed at the bottom of the screen; you can either pick anyone to apply edits to or do so for all the videos. You can also delete a video by clicking the delete icon above the video.
2. Select the AI model
On the side panel, choose the model you’d like to work with. Feel free to select any of the available options and adjust to your preference.
3. Set output options
Video Enhance AI lets you choose existing output settings or create custom settings based on what you want to achieve.
4. Trim video clip
Processing time for the video depends on the length and size. So, it is a good idea to trim the video to remove unwanted parts.
You can do so with the panel below your video. Adjust the slider to the points you want, and use the scissor icon to trim.
5. Choose a name for your video
The software will choose a default name for the video using the video properties, but it is best to choose a custom name you recognize for the file.
Untick the box that says “use default output name,” and input the new name in the dialog box that opens. The dialog box also allows you to choose the format for saving and the folder to save.
6. Make final adjustments and preview the video
You can also make additional adjustments related to rendering, sizing, etc., and you may check a preview before processing the video. Position the slider where you want to start previewing and wait a bit for the clip to load.
7. Process the video
If the video looks like you want it, you can click the “Export” button to prepare the enhanced video. The software will do this frame by frame, and you can locate the file when it’s done.
How much is Topaz Video Enhance AI?
You can use Topaz Video Enhancer AI for a lifetime pricing fee of $199.99.
This is a great price, especially compared to alternatives that charge monthly or annual subscription fees.
You can get the software at a lower fee because Topaz Labs do offer discounts and special deals. So, be on the lookout. They also offer a 30-day free trial to use all the features and see how the software does.
Topaz Labs continues to improve the software for better performance, and after installation, you may need software updates to get the improved version. Software update for the first year is free, but further optional upgrades are priced at $99.
My 2 cents
While many software development companies have created applications to help you enhance videos, not many can match the powerful features offered by Topaz Video Enhance AI.
It lets you apply multiple enhancement features to restore the quality of the footage. You can denoise, deinterlace, upscale, apply slow-motion effects, and much more without rendering the video unrealistic.
Its performance is solid, especially if your computer meets the minimum system requirements, but it should do well on a 16GB RAM system.
However, it must also be said that Video AI isn’t magic and has flaws. For instance, it may not be as effective on some extremely low-quality videos, and render time may be slow.
If you’re not sure about the software yet, I’d suggest you go for the free trial version and upgrade later.
Found that helpful? Drop your email below and I’ll send more tips and tricks I don’t share online to anyone 😎
Get the SEO strategies
I can't believe nobody talks about
Occasional dry wit.
Thanks for reading!
Hi, I’m Jessica 👋 — I work with SaaS companies to implement effective Content Marketing strategies to drive organic blog growth and conversions.
I’m greatly enthusiastic about building content driven by data and meaningful human narratives.
For me, it goes beyond reducing storytelling to brand data – I’m a stickler for uncovering the ‘why’ so that your product is noticed by the people who care.
ByJessicaLa was created as an experimental playground for SEO, Content, and Link Building.
I write practical content that serves marketers, bloggers, and industry leaders.
