Best Software to Fix Blurry Out of Focus Portraits and Photos
TLDRIn this video, the speaker shares their experience of a photography mishap where a crucial portrait photo turned out blurry due to a focus error. To rectify the situation, they turn to various software solutions designed to fix out-of-focus and blurry photos. They first use Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI with different settings to improve the sharpness, but find the results lacking. Then, they switch to Topaz Sharpen AI, which offers better results, particularly with the motion blur correction setting. The speaker also explores Gigapixel AI for further enhancement, noting its face recovery feature but cautioning about potential color shifts. By combining Topaz Sharpen AI with Gigapixel AI and using layer masks in Photoshop for selective sharpening, the speaker achieves a significantly improved result. They highly recommend the Topaz Suite for fixing technical flaws in photos, including blurry, noisy, or low-resolution images.
Takeaways
- 📷 The video discusses a photographer's experience of capturing an out-of-focus portrait and the software used to fix it.
- 🤖 Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI extension was the first software tried to fix the blurry photo, with varying results depending on the sharpening level chosen.
- 🔍 The Universal sharpening method in Luminar Neo was not enough to achieve the desired sharpness, leading to a trial of the Face Enhancer option.
- 🚫 The Face Enhancer altered the facial geometry, which was not suitable for an accurate portrait, prompting a search for alternative solutions.
- 🌟 Topaz Sharpen AI was identified as a superior tool for AI-powered sharpening, offering different correction algorithms to choose from.
- 🎨 A combination of Topaz Sharpen AI and Photoshop's layer masking technique was used to selectively sharpen the eyes and mouth while retaining the original sharpness around the hairline.
- 📈 Topaz Gigapixel AI was also used to further enhance the photo, with a face recovery feature that improved sharpness but slightly altered colors.
- 🖌️ Photoshop's blending modes were utilized to blend the sharpened Gigapixel layer with the original image, maintaining the correct color while enhancing sharpness.
- 🔗 The video provides a link to Topaz Suite software for those interested in improving image quality, including Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI.
- 📚 The presenter recommends Topaz Suite for fixing technical flaws in photos such as blurriness, noise, or the need for image upscaling.
- ✅ The final result was a significantly improved portrait by combining Topaz Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI, showcasing the effectiveness of these tools in fixing out-of-focus photos.
Q & A
What mistake did the photographer make during the portrait assignment?
-The photographer did not zoom in to check the sharpness of every photo and missed the focus on the eyes in the selected photo, resulting in a blurry portrait.
What software was initially used to try to fix the blurry photo?
-The photographer first used Luminar Neo with its dedicated extension, Super Sharp AI, to attempt to fix the blurry photo.
How many sharpening methods does Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI offer?
-Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI offers two sharpening methods: Universal and motion blur.
What was the issue with the middle setting in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI?
-While the middle setting in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI provided a sharper image, upon closer inspection, it introduced digital artifacts, which could cause the image to fall apart when zoomed in.
What additional tool within Luminar AI's Sharp and AI was used?
-The Face Enhancer option within Luminar AI's Sharp and AI was used in an attempt to get a usable result.
Why was the Face Enhancer option not suitable for the portrait?
-The Face Enhancer option altered the geometry of the face, which is not desirable for an accurate portrait.
Which software was considered the 'daddy Mac' of AI sharpening?
-Topaz Sharp and AI was referred to as the 'daddy Mac' of AI sharpening by the photographer.
How can the photographer combine the sharpened layer with the original photo?
-The photographer can use a photo editing app like Photoshop to combine the sharpened layer with the original by creating a layer mask and selectively revealing the sharpened effect where desired.
What is the purpose of using a layer mask when sharpening specific areas of a photo?
-A layer mask is used to reveal the sharpened effect only in the desired areas, such as the eyes and mouth, while avoiding over-sharpening the originally sharp areas like the hairline.
What Topaz software was used to further enhance the sharpening of the photo?
-The photographer used Topaz Gigapixel AI to further enhance the sharpening of the photo by utilizing its AI technology designed for scaling and enhancing images.
What blending mode can be used to maintain the correct color from the layer below while sharpening?
-The luminosity blending mode can be used to maintain the correct color from the layer below while applying sharpening effects from the layer above.
Why does the photographer recommend the Topaz Suite of software?
-The photographer recommends the Topaz Suite of software because it offers the best solution for fixing technical flaws in photos such as blurriness, noise, and rescaling of images, based on their personal experience with multiple software applications.
Outlines
📸 Photo Editing Mistake and AI Rescue
The speaker begins by admitting a major error during a portrait photography assignment, where they failed to check the sharpness of the photos and inadvertently delivered a blurry image to a client. To rectify the situation, they used a software called Luminar Neo, which features a Super Sharp AI extension designed to fix out-of-focus photos. The process involved loading the software, selecting the universal sharpening method, and experimenting with different settings to improve the image quality. Despite some improvements, the speaker was still unsatisfied and decided to try another tool, Topaz Sharpen AI, which offered better results. They also used a layer mask in Photoshop to apply the sharpening selectively to avoid over-sharpening certain areas.
🎨 Refining the Sharpness with Layer Masks
The speaker explains the process of refining the sharpness of the photo using layer masks in Photoshop. They focus on sharpening the eyes and mouth while avoiding over-sharpening the hairline. They demonstrate how to create a layer mask, invert it, and use a brush to selectively apply the sharpening effect. The speaker also compares the results of using Topaz Sharpen AI with Luminar Neo, highlighting the superior quality of the former. They then introduce Gigapixel AI from the Topaz Lab Suite, which has a face enhancement feature. The speaker shows how to use Gigapixel AI to further sharpen the photo and correct color anomalies by changing the blending mode to luminosity and applying a mask.
🌟 Topaz Suite for Image Quality Improvement
The speaker concludes by praising the Topaz Suite of software for its effectiveness in fixing technical flaws in photos, such as blurriness, noise, and the need for image rescaling. They recommend checking out Sharpen AI, Gigapixel AI, and Denoise AI, which are part of the Topaz Lab Suite and can be purchased as a bundle for overall image quality improvement. The speaker provides a link in the description for those interested in the software and thanks the viewers for watching.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Luminar Neo
💡Super Sharp AI
💡Face Enhancer
💡Topaz Sharp AI
💡Photoshop
💡Masking
💡Gigapixel AI
💡Layer Mask
💡Blending Mode
💡Topaz Labs Suite
💡Selective Sharpening
Highlights
The photographer encountered a major issue with a blurry portrait photo where the focus was on the hair instead of the eyes.
Luminar Neo with its Super Sharp AI extension was used to attempt to fix the blurry photo.
Three different sharpening options were tested: low, middle, and high settings.
The middle setting of Super Sharp AI provided the sharpest result without digital artifacts.
The Face Enhancer option in Luminar AI altered the geometry of the face, which was not desired for an accurate portrait.
Topaz Sharp AI was identified as a superior tool for AI sharpening.
Topaz Sharp AI can be used as a plugin or standalone app.
The motion blur algorithm in Topaz Sharp AI was unexpectedly more effective for correcting the out-of-focus portrait.
A technique combining the sharpened layer from Topaz with the original photo in Photoshop was demonstrated.
Layer masks were used in Photoshop to selectively apply the sharpening effect to specific areas of the photo.
Gigapixel AI was used for further sharpening and included a face recovery feature.
A blending mode adjustment in Photoshop was used to correct color shifts introduced by Gigapixel AI.
The final result combined Topaz Sharp AI and Gigapixel AI for the best quality recovery of the blurry portrait.
Topaz Suite of software is recommended for fixing technical flaws in photos such as blurriness, noise, or rescaling.
A link to Topaz software is provided in the description for those interested in improving image quality.
The video concludes with a side-by-side comparison showcasing the significant improvement achieved with the software.