Topaz Photo 1.5 vs DxO DeepPRIME: denoising review

This review examines generative denoising in Topaz Photo 1.5, which the speaker says was released in April 2026. The transcript calls the model DeNoise AI, while the video title names Denoise Max. The speaker describes local processing and optional cloud rendering, with the model intended for heavily degraded high ISO images.

Two JPEG examples show why the speaker finds the approach useful. In a low-light iPod Touch photo shot at ISO 640, the older standard model smears facial features. The speaker judges the generative result sharper around the face and hair. A second example compares shirt fabric, where the new model reconstructs texture that standard denoising smooths away. These are judgments about the examples presented, rather than evidence that reconstructed details match the original scene.

The recommendation is still negative. The speaker reports cloud jobs taking more than 10 minutes and sometimes failing to finish. In a raw comparison, they describe green and magenta patches and unnatural background textures in the Topaz result that are absent from DxO DeepPRIME XD3. Other examples show garbled banner text and altered facial features. The speaker also judges Nano Banana faster with fewer artifacts on one noisy portrait. It gives viewers specific image-quality and processing concerns to consider when choosing local AI photo software.