Alternatively, you can drag and drop a file onto the editor. Instead of the sort of importing abilities you see in most photo editing software, in Topaz you simply open a photo file from a disk location. Instead, you see the Topaz filters at the bottom of the Filters menu. Note, however, that when you install Topaz as a Photoshop plug-in, it doesn’t appear in the new Plug-ins panel. The complete lack of workflow and organization capability means you’re better off using Topaz Studio as a plug-in for a program like Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, or Skylum Luminar, all of which Topaz supports. There’s no library panel like you find in ACDSee, Capture One, CyberLink PhotoDirector, DxO PhotoLab, Skylum Luminar-essentially every pro photo app we’ve tested. One more interface nicety I appreciate is that double-clicking on a slider resets the slider to its default position. I also like that a simple mouse-wheel spin zooms your photo in and out and doesn’t restrict you to set zoom levels like 50% and 66%, as Lightroom does. One positive I will mention about the interface is that it adjusts well to high-DPI monitors, like my QHD testing screen-something Adobe software isn’t great at, only offering 100% and 200% views for the interface text and controls. You don’t get much in the way of customization for the interface, and there isn’t even a Window or View menu. The last mention is just a histogram viewer and doesn’t provide editing capabilities. Along the bottom are buttons for Crop, Heal, Navigator, and Histogram. You get Undo and Redo arrows, but there’s no overall reset or history, though the individual tools have reset buttons to clear everything you’ve done with them. Instead, you get six buttons-Open, Export, View, Original, Fit, and 100%-and a slider, but most work is done in the right-side Filters/Looks panel. The View button lets you see before-and-after versions of an image side by side or in a split screen you can just hold down the mouse button while the cursor is over a photo to see the unedited original, too. As with DxO PhotoLab, there’s no importing, nor are there modes for doing things like organizing, adjusting, editing, and outputting, like you find in Lightroom. It starts you out with a simple four-panel tutorial that shows how to apply key adjustments, use effects (or Looks), and add masks. Topaz Studio’s interface is far simpler than that of most other pro photo software. If your account doesn’t have a purchase associated with it, you can start a free, 30-day trial just by entering an email address. As with most other big apps, Topaz Studio requires you to log into an account to use it. At 630MB, the installer isn’t a small download, but that’s not uncommon. The Topaz Studio installer not only lets you choose where on your hard drive you want the program located, but also where you want to save its support files and user-created files. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom can be had for a $9.99-per-month subscription, but you never stop paying if you want to keep using them. For comparison, CyberLink PhotoDirector charges the same $99.99 but is also available as a $3.42-per-month subscription with a continual flow of new effects. Oddly, you can’t install the popular GigaPixel AI plug-in Topaz Studio. Existing plug-ins range in price from $79 to $99. You can get a free copy if you've already purchased Topaz effects worth $99 or more. There’s no subscription requirement or option, as was the case for the app's predecessor. You can buy a license directly from Topaz Labs’ website for $99.99.
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