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IMPORTANT NOTE: Topaz Shrapen AI has now been incorporated into Topaz Photo AI and can no longer be obtained as standalone software. You can use this article to learn how to utilize Topaz Sharpen AI if you already own it. Note that Topaz Labs will not be releasing any new updates for this program. Read our Topaz Photo AI assessment article to learn more about this software.

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Topaz Sharpen AI is a powerful software program that enhances the original details of photographs by utilizing the most sophisticated AI technologies. It achieves stunning results from repairing and recovering out-of-focus visual content in a straightforward manner. However, the updated version requires some experience and experimentation to fully comprehend how it operates due to the various AI modelling options.

My takeaways after using Sharpen AI for numerous years have been extraordinary and today, it is a necessity in my post-work process. In my view, it outperforms all others as the top software to refine out-of-focus visuals. In this Topaz Sharpen AI instruction, you’ll see an action-by-action manual so you can achieve the best outcomes from this program on its most recent version 4.0.2 (discharged in March 2022).

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What is Topaz Sharpen AI?

Topaz Sharpen AI represents an excellent sharpening tool and an effective shake reduction software developed by Topaz Labs. This renowned company implements the latest artificial intelligence technologies to fix post-processing issues including digital noise or blurriness.

The primary difference between Topaz Sharpen AI and other sharpening tools is the continuously evolving AI technology that targets three distinct types of blur: motion, focus, and softness. While traditional methods detect and brighten edges, which creates halos, fringing, and an unnatural appearance, Sharpen AI can deblur images without increasing digital artifacts.

I experimented with various digital tools in an effort to fix my blurred photographs, as demonstrated in this software comparison for deblurring, and Topaz Sharpen AI is undoubtedly the preeminent blur reduction software currently available. You can use the standalone version or the Sharpen AI plugin for Photoshop or Lightroom.

You can view an excellent, brief video produced by Topaz here that outlines what Sharpen AI is and what the primary tools of this software are .

How to use Topaz Sharpen AI – Sharpen AI Tutorial

Topaz Sharpen AI might look intimidating but, trust me, it is simple to utilize. In this segment, you’ll see, in a few straightforward steps, how to employ Topaz Sharpen AI:

Sharpen AI download & installation

  1. Download and install Topaz Sharpen AI: navigate to Topaz Labs and select your Operating System; Topaz Sharpen AI supports Windows and Macintosh OS. Download the installation file and initiate the setup process. This procedure may take some time owing to automatic downloads necessary to complete the installation.
  1. Once the above process is finished, Topaz Sharpen AI (standalone version) will be added to your applications. The Sharpen AI plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom will also be added automatically. If not, you will have to manually add them. If not, click on Help > Install Photoshop Plugin.
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Now, let’s get into more detail on how to utilize the Topaz Sharpen AI in its different versions:

How to deblur images with Sharpen AI

This summarizes how to fix blurred photos using Topaz Sharpen AI software:

  1. Run Topaz Sharpen AI (standalone version).
  2. Open or drag your image file.
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  4. Select a sharpen model or utilize the suggested model.
  5. Adjust the Model settings.
  6. Apply selective adjustments.
  7. Include grain to make your images appear natural.
  8. Archive your newly created image using your preferred export settings.

Note: Topaz recommends using Topaz Sharpen AI just after using Topaz DeNoise Ai in case your photos have some digital noise that you want to reduce. If no noise reduction is needed, run Topaz Sharpen AI after your usual basic adjustments (color profile, white balance and lens profile correction).

“Topaz Labs” is constantly progressing their software, making it faster and better through continuous AI updates. A good demonstration of this consistent betterment is the most recent “Sharpen AI” update, V.4.0.2, which includes a redesigned interface, a new Standard AI model, native compatibility for Apple M1 devices, and overall performance improvements.

For this Sharpen AI evaluation, I’m utilizing a test shot and the most recent version of Sharpen AI(v.4.0.2, released in March 2022). The image of the brown bear was captured in Alaska with a Sony A1 at 600mm employing the following adjustments: f/8, ISO 640, 1/640s.

a large elephant walking across a body of water

At this size, the image might look acceptable, but if we magnify it, we can see that it’s soft and slightly out of focus since the shutter speed I employed was not fast enough. Here is a 100% crop that shows this:

a large brown bear walking across a body of water

To resolve blurry photographs with Sharpen AI, it’s crucial to analyze your graphic to see the type of fuzziness you have in your picture and employ the proper Topaz AI sharpening mode.

In this example, the bear exhibits some motion blur due to a low shutter speed relative to the focal length employed and the movement of the subject. Also, there is a bit of noise, so highly recommend initially decreasing the noise using Topaz Denoise AI. Now that we know where the blur originates, let`s see how to fix it:

This is the updated Topaz Sharpen AI standalone interface:

a black and white image of a computer screen

To get started, open or drag your photos into Sharpen AI. The updated version includes Batch Processing, allowing you to open multiple images and apply identical settings to a group of photos with similar issues and blurriness.

In the upper right corner of the screen, there are some toolbar options:

PREVIEW OPTIONS

To alter the way your photos are displayed, you can choose from the following viewing options:

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  1. Original (original photo preview)
  2. Single (photo preview adjusted by Sharpen AI).
  3. Split view (Original and sharpened photo preview with an adjustable split slider)
  4. Side by Side (Original and processed photo preview)
  5. Comparison (Review how the various Sharpen Models perform in your photos).
ZOOM

To examine the processed image in finer detail, magnify your images.

On the right side of the page, you’ll find these Sharpen AI tools:

  1. A navigator with the opted zoom box
  2. The various AI-powered Sharpen Models
  • Standard
  • Motion Blur – Normal
  • Motion Blur – Very Noisy
  • Motion Blur – Very Blurry
  • Out of Focus – Normal
  • Out of Focus – Very Noisy
  • Out of Focus – Very Blurry
  • Too Soft – Normal
  • Too Soft – Very Noisy
  • Too Soft – Very Blurry
  1. Model Parameters, to refine the adjustments.
  2. Select areas to apply adjustments locally.
  3. Post-processing slider adds grain to regain the natural look of your images.
  4. Store Image with your selected export configurations.

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Sharpen AI workflow recommendation

The key to leveraging Sharpen AI is choosing a sharpening mode based on the type of blur existing in your photo. A suitable starting point is utilizing the suggested mode to accurately ascertain the best AI Model for your image automatically. My advisement to achieve the top results with Topaz Sharpen AI is employing the new comparative view, to examine and match disparate Sharpen AI models or even identical Sharpen model with different alterations.

elephants are playing in the water

The Sharpen AI Models are separated into three main classes and one Sharpen AI Standard mode that rules them all:

  1. Too Soft: Sometimes, your photos are not blurred or out of focus, but they lack sharpness straight from the camera. This mode helps naturally sharpen your images without adding any artifacts or halos while enhancing the overall detail in your photos.
  1. Motion Blur: When blurring develops due to a moving topic or photographic camera trembling. It is important to comprehend the shutter rate you need for every graphic category to avoid these issues.
  1. Out of Focus: Missing focus is likely the most normal predicament in photography. Even though it is impossible to mend 100% of your images with this difficulty, this mode will better the overall look significantly.

These Sharpen AI models also feature three subordinate modes:

  1. Standard: for photos without digital noise or extreme blurriness.
  2. Extremely Noisy: for images with severe digital grain.
  3. Extremely Blurry: for pictures with severe blurring.

Brief Tip: I cannot stress enough the importance of attempting all the sharpening modes, checking the outcomes, and seeing which one performs best in your image. In my tests and experience, I saw some instances of motion blur where the focus mode was effective and vice versa.

Once you have chosen the Sharpen Model that best fixes your image, you can adjust the following settings:

  1. Removing blurriness: this tool can lessen unclear regions in your photos using the Sharpening Style picked earlier. Make an effort to keep values under 50 to avoid undesirable artifacts or outlines.
  1. Suppress Noise: As previously stated, if the noise is severe, use Topaz DeNoise AI first. Nonetheless, Topaz Sharpen AI is also capable of reducing noise.

In this update, Topaz has developed a fresh AI model called Standard. One of the most difficult parts of improving the sharpness of images was recognizing the type of blurring, but thanks to this updated model, Topaz Sharpen AI provides instant sharpening with remarkable outcomes.

Standard will also perform better than the rest of the models in auto mode, assessing and opting for the proper kind of blur of your photos (Lens Blur and Motion Blur).

To fine-tune these results, you can modify the adjustments visible in the previous models accordingly:

  • Remove Blur
  • Suppress Noise
  • Remove Artifacts

This model seems more straightforward than the previous models and, even though it works slower, the outcomes are much better. I won’t be amazed if Topaz suppresses the old models in the future focusing on this latest AI model to develop a powerful tool that sharpens your images nearly automatically and with one click.

Regardless of the approach taken, in most scenarios, your goal is to apply these changes locally, which is when the updated Sharpen AI masking tool comes in handy.

In this example, I want to recover detail in the bear and some of the water splashes, so I’ll create a mask to apply the adjustment in just those areas.

Sharpen AI masking tool

Masking in Sharpen AI is an important step to avoid refocusing unwanted areas in the image and to prevent artifacts and halos. This allows applying the Sharpen AI adjustments locally to just the areas selected with the mask.

To activate this tool, click on the Select toggle to turn this option ON:

a black and white cat standing in front of a tv

Masking is straightforward: White=shows, Black=hides. Sharpen AI automatically identifies the subject in the photo thanks to the new automatic selection tool, and you can even assist the software to choose to detect a subject, portrait, or landscape automatically.

You will see your subject in white after the automatic selection. If you are not happy with the results of this automatic selection, you can also fine-tune this mask by clicking on Refine.

The following are ways to refine the mask:

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  • Select: to automatically choose from the options explained above.
  • Brush: to add or deduct painting on your mask.
  • Size: to vary the dimensions of the brush.
  • Softness: to change the hardness of your brush. (0 hardest – 100 softest).
  • Opacity: to adjust your adjustments locally, varying the opacity.
  • Edge Aware: by turning ON this option, you can help the software better detect edges. The Sample Area slider alters the radius of the edge-aware tool.
  • Modify: to clear or invert the mask.
  • Overlay: to demonstrate where the mask is being applied in red or another color of your choosing.

Once complete customizing your mask, click the β€œupdate mask” button. This is the example mask I created, with the overlay option turned ON. I altered the opacity in areas where adjustments caused some artifacts. (Notice how the red intensity varies based on the opacity of the applied mask.)

a bear that is jumping in the water

And these specific configurations were applied to handle this particular simulated scenario:

a black and white photo of a computer screen

Now, let`s evaluate if Topaz Sharpen AI is worth the investment or not based on this before and after with the mentioned settings :

a large brown bear walking across a body of water

All the specifics in the bear and the water have been enhanced after applying the appropriate Sharpen AI settings

Using Topaz Sharpen AI plugin for Lightroom

Utilizing Topaz Sharpen AI within Lightroom to refine blurred photos is the quickest and most convenient approach to improve imperfect images. While Lightroom permits some degree of sharpening, alone it is insufficient and without a third-party extension, recovering out-of-focus visuals will not be possible.

To utilize Sharpen AI in Lightroom, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click on the image you want to renovate > Edit In > Topaz Sharpen AI. If asked, perpetually use a copy with the Lightroom Changes.
  2. Apply the adjustments as described previously.
  3. Click on Save and wait until the image has been processed and imported into Lightroom.

a black and white photo of a computer screen

Using Topaz Sharpen AI plugin for Photoshop

I believe optimizing your blurry images in Photoshop using Topaz Sharpen AI`s functions is the most effective approach. You can seamlessly integrate Sharpen AI into your workflow and gain numerous benefits, like creating layer masks to locally apply the adjustments with better results than just using Sharpen AI`s automated masking.

To fix blurry pictures in Photoshop with Sharpen AI, follow the steps below:

  1. Duplicate the layer or create a Smart Object layer to apply non-permanent adjustments.
  2. Go to Filter > Topaz Labs > Topaz Sharpen AI.
  3. Implement the adjustments as indicated previously.
  4. Implement and wait until the photo is processed and imported into Photoshop.

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Topaz Sharpen AI before & after review

In this review of Topaz Sharpen AI, I’ve outlined the process of employing this powerful instrument, but is Topaz Sharpen AI worth the cost? Let’s examine a few more before and after examples from Sharpen AI so you can decide for yourself:

Topaz sharpen AI for landscape photography

When taking landscape photographs in low-light conditions or at wide openings, it’s common to capture soft pictures. Sharpen AI performs well in understanding the different textures and layers in landscape shots. The new auto-selection landscape mode makes sharpening landscape images with Sharpen AI even simpler!

a mountain range with a mountain range behind it

sharpened details in the landscape after employing the β€œMotion Blur” Sharpening Model

Topaz Sharpen AI for wildlife photography

Sharpen AI is essential for any wildlife photographer. It doesn’t matter what equipment or abilities you have; sooner or later, you’ll end up with blurred images. The β€œMotion Blur” and β€œOut-of-Focus” modes work best when you administer Sharpen AI to wildlife shots.

a black and white bird standing on top of a beach

Refocused wildlife photograph after implementing the β€œOut of Focus” Sharpen Model

Advanced Image Processing Software for Astrophotography

As I explain in our guide on photographing the Milky Way, specific settings are necessary to capture pinpoint stars clearly. However, blurry stars are commonly captured, and we can employ Topaz Sharpen AI to refine Astro photographs. Also, I always use Sharpen AI when shooting nightscapes with a wide aperture such as f/1.8 or f/2.8 so my stars are particularly sharp.

a red fire hydrant in the middle of the night

Sharpened stars with less noise after applying the β€œToo Soft” Sharpening Model

Topaz Sharpen AI for portraits

Topaz Sharpen AI is the premier tool to fix blurry portraits. It allows you to recover and enhance original detail, and, based on my experience, this genre is where Topaz Sharpen AI performs best.

a man with a beard is smiling

Refocused portrait after using the “Motion Blur” Sharpen Model

TOPAZ Sharpen AI Pros and cons

Essentially, these are the main benefits and drawbacks of using Topaz Sharpen AI:

DENOISE AI BENEFITS AI FOR NOISE REDUCTION CONS
  • Highly effective at fixing blurry images
  • Reduces noise while refocusing images
  • Easy to use
  • Grouped handling
  • 30-day free testing period
  • Chat support
  • Full refund within 30 days
  • High computing requirements are necessary
  • Masking tool is sluggish
  • Can create unwanted artifacts and halos
  • Compensated updates after 1 year

Topaz Sharpen AI discount and PRICE

Since early 2024, Topaz Sharpen AI has been integrated with Topaz Photo AI. The price of Topaz Photo AI is $199 for a lifetime license, a reasonable price considering it’s among the best deblur software on the market.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Topaz Shrapen AI has now been incorporated into Topaz Photo AI and can no longer be obtained as standalone software. You can use this article to learn how to utilize Topaz Sharpen AI if you already own it. Note that Topaz Labs will not be releasing any new updates for this program. Read our Topaz Photo AI assessment article to learn more about this software.

If you’re a passionate photographer, obtaining Topaz Photo AI is a sensible investment. It includes Denoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI. This is the premier software package with Artificial intelligence and will take your post-processing to the next stage.

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Topaz Labs occasionally provides different special offers throughout the year. You are able to check if there is a deal accessible here.

If you want to acquire more information about the other software included as part of the Topaz Bundle, you should also examine my additional Topaz Reviews:

Establishing the optimum ISO for Milky Way photography is vital. This setting is pivotal for acquiring the proper exposure at night while employing a brief shutter speed.

Conclusion

Topaz Sharpen AI eliminates blur and fixes improperly focused images with impressive outcomes in most situations. It’s a very effective software with an easy-to-use interface, and the connections as an add-on for Lightroom and Photoshop make incorporating it into any workflow simpler. However, Sharpen AI is not perfect; you need to experiment with the different AI models and masking to avoid undesirable artifacts.

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Topaz Optimize AI is the best de-blurring software currently, and, if you don’t accept my word, just take a look at this blur reduction software assessment, where I tested the 9 most significant anti-blur packages on the market.

I hope you found this Topaz Sharpen AI evaluation helpful, and don’t overlook that you can obtain a free 30-day trial!

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Please don’t hesitate to provide any questions about Sharpen AI in the comments below!