Gigapixel AI Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

• How to start the trial?
• How do I purchase, activate and download?
• Can you pause an image?
• What File Types are supported? 
• What Color Profiles are supported by Gigapixel AI?
• Can I use Gigapixel AI for Video?
• Why is it so slow?
• Gigapixel AI appears to hang or crash immediately on processing, and Task Manager says it's not using any processing power?
• How do you add images to Gigapixel AI?
• My program immediately crashes or never completes processing.
• When should I use Gigapixel AI in my workflow?
• Why does Gigapixel add artifacts to my image?
• What is so "artificially intelligent" about Gigapixel AI?
• Can I try Gigapixel AI before buying it?
• Gigapixel AI crashes halfway through processing

How to start the trial?

Starting a trial is very simple. Simply download Gigapixel AI from the Topaz Labs Downloads Page then login with your Topaz Labs account credentials. You will be asked to purchase or start a trial. 

How do I purchase, activate and download?

To officially own Gigapixel AI without any trial restrictions, you simply need to purchase Gigapixel  AI from the Topaz Labs Shop Page and the next time you launch Gigapixel AI you will have ownership. 

Can you pause an image?

You can pause an image after you have more than one image in the image list. The application will pause after the initial image has finished processing. I recommend using this feature when you need to use other applications on your computer or to relieve some memory to speed up other processes on your computer. 

What File Types are supported? 

• .dng
• .png
• .tiff
• .jpeg
• Most raw file types except CR3

What Color Profiles are supported by Gigapixel AI?

Gigapixel AI supports all major RBG color profiles. It does not support CMYK at this time.

Can I use Gigapixel AI for Video?

We now have Video Enhance AI!  Trained on thousands of videos and combining information from multiple input video frames, Topaz Video Enhance AI enlarges your video up to 8K resolution with true details and motion consistency. 

Why is it so slow?

Gigapixel AI uses resource-intensive AI technology that inherently takes a long time. The process takes over a million calculations per pixel to upsample your images so these calculations take time, but still better than our leading competitor.

You can find some tips for making it run faster in our Gigapixel AI is Running Slow article.

Gigapixel AI appears to hang or crash immediately on processing, and Task Manager says it's not using any processing power?

This usually happens when your graphics card is unsupported, or you have insufficient system or graphics memory. Please refer to the Gigapixel AI System Requirements page to learn more.

How do you add images to Gigapixel AI?

Drag and drop a folder containing images, or select multiple images and drag them into the main GigaPixel AI application window. You can also click it and select any number of images to import.

Do not launch Gigapixel AI by right click -> open with or by dragging and dropping onto the Gigapixel AI icon on your desktop or dock. This will open it in plugin mode and overwrite your original files. We are working to change this behavior for future updates and that will be announced in our release notes here.

My program immediately crashes or never completes processing.

Your graphics card, system memory, or graphics memory are inadequate for Gigapixel AI. A modern dedicated graphics card (NVidia or ATI non-mobile/laptop versions) is strongly recommended, but laptop users could get by with an Intel Integrated 5000 or better and 8GB of RAM, depending on the image size. Please refer to the Gigapixel AI System Requirements page to learn more. 

When should I use Gigapixel AI in my workflow?

Typically we recommend using Gigapixel AI at the end of your workflow. It will make your image larger increasing processing time and potentially making it less convenient to fine tune the image itself in a host editor.
The exception to this rule is for low res images that don't have a good source image, in this case we recommend using it first so you have the best source information to work within your edits.

Why does Gigapixel add artifacts to my image?

It shouldn't, but if the original image already has the visible but subtle 'artifact,' Gigapixel AI may make the artifacts more obvious. This is the nature of the technology which attempts to preserve the image in full fidelity. We have added a different model that reduces noise while upsampling, but Gigapixel AI is not designed as a noise reduction tool in any capacity. For this we would recommend DeNoise AI.

What is so "artificially intelligent" about Gigapixel AI?

Most software will merely interpolate between existing pixels to 'fill in' missing parts of an image when it is upscaled. Gigapixel AI was trained with similar images at different resolutions so that over time it began to 'learn' how each particular image should be upscaled. For more information about the technology behind Gigapixel AI please visit the Gigapixel AI page.

Can I try Gigapixel AI before buying it?

Yes! First, if you are new to Topaz Labs, create an account on the Topaz Labs My Account Page. Next, simply download Gigapixel AI from the Topaz Labs Downloads Page, log in using your account information, and select "Start Trial" to begin your free 30-day trial.

Gigapixel AI crashes halfway through processing

This is typically due to your machine running out of video memory. The first step to try is to close out of memory-intensive programs such as Adobe Photoshop or other Adobe products, any open video games, or any image / video editing software.

If the application still crashes, the next step would be to turn off GPU processing. In the application, go to File -> Preferences, and turn off Enable Discrete GPU. The program will run slower, but should not crash.