VIDEO UPSCALE TEST: The new Astra 2 Creative model from Topaz Labs is a big improvement over the v1 model - with the sharpness and creativity kept low, the filmic look of the original is being well preserved without the over-sharpness effect common in v1. Comparison test attached: Kling... 3 720p original for the first 15 seconds (with a fake upscale to 1080p to make the size match), then Topaz Astra 2 1080p upscale for the next 15 seconds. Image: Midjourney. Video: Kling AIshow more

@topazlabs nice! do you write anything in the prompt in Astra?

@topazlabs I added in a bit of the video's prompt.

@topazlabs It makes a nice difference. Does Topaz Labs have any deals? I hate when the AI ruins a decent clip by inserting a rando person in it. So frustrating. You enjoying this?....Hahaha, here's a rando runner just for you!

@topazlabs I'm not sure what the different subscription tiers are right now. I am on the rather expensive web version of Astra (it's around $100/mo) - gives me a lot of credits, though.

@topazlabs Thank you.

@topazlabs It's weird @ChrisGwinnLA because part of me prefers the original 720 for matching that cinematic aesthetic. Have you done experiments with adding film grain/light blur to the upscaled videos?

@topazlabs If you looked at the original files side by side (without X's compression) on a big 4K TV, you would absolutely prefer the upscaled version. The original looks like a blur effect was applied. Both of these have some light grain applied in post.

@topazlabs Interesting thanks. Yeah that makes sense.

@topazlabs Really natural results

@topazlabs I agree!

@topazlabs And motion blur looks quite natural. This is pretty solid. I personally prefer a little more sharpness, but this is impressive.

@topazlabs You can adjust the sharpness level now. In the older model, it was set too high by default - it often gave everything a weird/artificial glistening effect. The new version gives you control, which is great.

@topazlabs Do all your demos stick to this classic euro style genre? Impressive stuff I'm just curious about applicability to the many other genres. Also, how long of a scene can it generate before a cut is required?

No, not all my clips. Re: Astra, I think it's a 15 second limit - but there might be a difference in max lengths between 4K and 1080p - I can't find the details on the Astra site right now. If you use scene detection on longer clips, it will break up the upscale automatically - but I've never used that feature.