(Image credit: Rod Lawton) (opens in new tab) The recovered detail in the rocks and the leaves, top right, is pretty remarkable. This is the most spectacular outcome, though the Autopilot didn't think this needed sharpening it all, so it was done manually. Photo AI is easy to use, and there are relatively few settings so there’s not a whole lot to learn. This is just for the on-screen preview – when you save a processed image, there’s some more rendering to be done there too.

And if you decide to experiment with the settings, that rendering process has to happen again.

This also takes time, as each AI process in turn is applied. You open an image and Topaz AI decides which of its tools to apply and at what strength. One of this software’s features, however, is the prospect of new AI models in the future to increase its capabilities. Even the installation is long-winded, as it downloads a procession of ‘AI models’ (I counted 58, I think). It could really get you out of a fix with unrepeatable family photos, for example, or wedding shots. The Recover Faces tool is remarkably good at making blurry faces look sharp and detailed.

Topaz image upscale