Topaz Studio Review

Introducing Topaz Studio

Say hello to Topaz Studio – the newest addition to the Topaz Labs lineup of photo editing software! Topaz Studio is an all-in-one photography toolbox aimed at the photographer who wants fast results, powerful adjustments, and the option for 1-click processing on a budget.

Powerful Image Processing, For FREE

With Topaz Studio you have access to professional grade tools, effects, and image adjustments without spending a dime! You’ll get free access to hundreds of 1-click effects, 10 free adjustments, powerful masking and blending, automatic lens correction, and more.

Topaz Studio users also have the option to extend the program’s capabilities with Professional Adjustments which can be purchased individually or as a Pack. Each Pro Adjustment comes with 30 days free so you can try it before you lay down your hard-earned cash.

The Workspace

The interface is intuitive and thoughtfully designed. If you’ve used other Topaz plugins the layout will be familiar with presets on the left and adjustments/tools on the right.

Topaz Studio Workspace

The workspace can be customized to fit your workflow with options to show/hide the Effect Panel (presets) on the left, the Adjustment Panel on the right, or the Image Browser on the bottom.

Presets (1-Click Effects)

Topaz Studio has literally hundreds of 1-click effects to choose from and the list is constantly growing.

1-Click Effects

Presets can also be easily customized in the Adjustments Panel if you are using the 1-click effect as inspiration or a starting point.

Adjustments

Adjustments are the core of Topaz Studio and serve focused functions. They can be used independently or combined to create custom effects. Currently there are 24 adjustments available and while many are free, some must be purchased to allow full customization.

Adjustments

Free Adjustments: Basic Adjustment, Brightness Contrast, Blurs, Color Overlay, Dual Tone, Film Grain, Image Layer, Posterize, Tone Curves, and Vignette.

Pro Adjustments: Abstraction, Black & White, Bloom, Color Theme, DeHaze, Edge Exposure, Focal Blur, HSL Color Tuning, Precision Contrast, Reduce Noise, Radiance, Sharpen, Smudge, and Texture.

Topaz Studio Test Images

For the first photograph, I worked start to finish with a RAW photo from my Canon 6D. While I tried several presets, I ended up manually adding adjustments to create my own look.

Before and After Topaz Studio

For the second photograph I started with my RAW file in Lightroom and used Topaz Studio as a plugin. Once in Topaz Studio I selected a 1-click Effect preset I liked (Bright Night) and then made a few modifications in the adjustments panel on the right.

Before and After Topaz Studio

For my third example I started with a RAW file in Lightroom and used Topaz Studio as a plugin. For this image I opted for a monochrome process and selected the Detailliert Urban 1-Click Effect preset. I made a few adjustment modifications, and added Noise Reduction.

Before and After Topaz Studio

Integrations & Compatibility

Topaz Studio can be used as a stand-alone photo editor or as a plugin with other major software. It is also a host for any other Topaz Labs plugins you might already own.

Topaz Studio is currently compatible with Photoshop CS4+, Photoshop CC, Photoshop Elements 12+, Paintshop Pro X 6+, Serif PhotoPlus X5+, Lightroom 4+, Lightroom CC, and photoFXlab.

System Requirements:

• Mac OSX10.9+
• Windows 7/8/10 x 64bit + OpenGL 3.3
• RAM 4GB minium
• GPU VRAM 16GB minimum

While an internet connection is not required to run the software, a connection is required for the initial login. Users will also need to make sure they are connected to the internet at least every 6o days to re-authenticate their login credentials.

What I love about Topaz Studio

• The Interface is thoughtfully designed and easy to use.
• An abundance of tools to create a variety of looks
• More presets than I can count and the ability to customize the presets
• Easy to use tools for selective edits (masking, edge aware technology, blend modes, etc.)

What I’d like to see added/improved

• No built in asset management – Users will need to use other tools like Lightroom/Apple Photos/etc. to organize their photos
• No spot removal or cloning tool Update 6/23/17: A Healing Tool has been added and can be accessed via the Tools panel on the right.
• No perspective correction (something I use A LOT in Lightroom)
• Clunky interaction when reimporting photos back into Lightroom (Edits took a while to sync, and on one occasion required restarting Lightroom for my edits to appear)

Final Thoughts on Topaz Studio

Topaz Studio is a very solid all-in-one photo editor. Its fast and the results on my first few test photos came out great! It won’t replace Lightroom in my workflow, but its a great addition to my digital toolbox. Many of my Topaz plugins will probably get a bit dusty as Topaz Studio integrates a lot of that technology (but not all of it) into one convenient package.

Click Here to download Topaz Studio (FREE)

If you’d like to check out Topaz Studio you can download it here. Its FREE!

If you decide to check out the Pro Adjustments (and I highly recommend that you do – the Precision Contrast Adjustment is fantastic!) make sure you use my promo code “angandrieux” to save 15% on your purchase. You can also try the Pro Adjustments free for 30 days.

Do you have questions about Topaz Studio? Let me know in the comments below or send me an email.

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