Best Software to Fix Blurry Out of Focus Portraits and Photos

In this video, the speaker shares their experience of accidentally capturing an out-of-focus portrait and how they managed to salvage it using various software tools. The journey begins with Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI, which offers three sharpening levels, but the results are not entirely satisfactory. The speaker then moves on to Topaz Sharpen AI, which significantly improves the image quality. They also experiment with Gigapixel AI for additional sharpening and color correction, combining it with Topaz Sharpen AI for the best results. The video concludes with a strong recommendation for Topaz Suite software for anyone looking to enhance image quality, fix technical flaws, and improve overall photo sharpness.

Takeaways

• 📷 The speaker messed up a portrait photo by not checking the sharpness of every photo, leading to a blurry image where the focus was on the hair instead of the eyes.
• 💡 To fix the blurry photo, the speaker used Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI extension, which has two sharpening methods: Universal and motion blur.
• 🔍 The Universal sharpening method was tried first with low, middle, and high settings, with the middle setting providing the sharpest result without digital artifacts.
• 🖼️ The Face Enhancer option in Luminar AI's Sharp and AI was also used but it altered the geometry of the face, which was not desirable for an accurate portrait.
• 🌟 Topaz Sharpen AI was then used as an alternative, which proved to be more effective in sharpening the blurry portrait without introducing digital artifacts.
• 🔧 A combination of Topaz Sharpen AI and Photoshop was employed to selectively sharpen the blurry areas while preserving the original sharpness in other parts.
• 🎨 A layer mask was created in Photoshop to control the sharpening effect, allowing for fine-tuning of the sharpening in key areas such as the eyes and mouth.
• 🔄 Topaz Gigapixel AI was also tested for further sharpening and resizing capabilities, which introduced a face recovery feature.
• 🖌️ The blending mode in Photoshop was changed to Luminosité (Luminosity) to combine the sharpening from Gigapixel AI with the original colors from the photo.
• 🔗 The speaker recommends Topaz Suite of software for fixing technical flaws in photos, including blurry, noisy, or small images that need rescaling.
• ✅ The final result was a significantly improved portrait with sharpened focus on the eyes and other key areas, while avoiding unwanted artifacts and color shifts.

Q & A

What was the photographer's mistake during the portrait assignment?

The photographer didn't zoom in to check the sharpness of every single photo, which led to missing the focus on the selected portrait where the sharpness was on the hair instead of the eyes.

Which software did the photographer use to fix the blurry photo?

The photographer used Luminar Neo with its Super Sharp AI extension to attempt to fix the blurry photo.

What are the two sharpening methods available in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI?

The two sharpening methods available in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI are Universal and Motion Blur.

Why did the photographer switch to Topaz Sharpen AI after using Luminar Neo?

The photographer switched to Topaz Sharpen AI because it provided better results in terms of sharpness and had more advanced AI technology for correcting out-of-focus photos.

How did the photographer combine the sharpened layer with the original photo?

The photographer used a layer mask in Photoshop to combine the sharpened layer with the original photo, revealing the sharpened effect only where desired.

What is the role of the face enhancer option in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI?

The face enhancer option in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI is used to improve the sharpness and clarity of facial features in a photo.

What was the issue with the high setting in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI?

The high setting in Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI introduced too many digital artifacts, making the image fall apart quickly upon closer inspection.

How did the photographer use Gigapixel AI to further improve the sharpness of the photo?

The photographer used Gigapixel AI to scale and sharpen the photo further, utilizing its face recovery feature to enhance the facial details.

What blending mode was used in Photoshop to combine the sharpened effect with the original color?

The photographer used the Luminosity blending mode in Photoshop to combine the sharpened effect with the original color of the photo.

Why did the photographer recommend Topaz Suite of software for image quality improvement?

The photographer recommended Topaz Suite because it offers a range of powerful tools like Sharpen AI, Gigapixel AI, and Denoise AI that significantly improve image quality, and they found it to be the best after trying multiple software options.

What was the final result of using both Topaz Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI on the blurry photo?

The final result was a significantly improved, sharp, and clear portrait that effectively covered up the initial mistake of the blurry focus, providing a high-quality image to the client.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Fixing Blurry Portraits with AI Software

The video script begins with the photographer admitting a significant error during a portrait photography assignment. They explain that due to their haste in delivering proofs to the client, they failed to check the sharpness of each photo. The selected photo by the client had a focus issue, with the focus being on the hair instead of the eyes, resulting in a blurry image. To rectify this, the photographer uses Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI extension, which is designed to address out-of-focus issues. They demonstrate the process of applying the software's sharpening methods and discuss the results, noting that while the software improves the image, it introduces digital artifacts upon closer inspection. The photographer then moves on to Topaz Sharpen AI, which they consider the 'daddy Mac' of AI sharpening, and show its superior performance in correcting the out-of-focus portrait. They also mention using a photo editor to combine the best parts of the sharpened layer with the original photo for the final delivery to the client.

05:02

🎨 Refining Sharpness with Layer Masks in Photoshop

The second paragraph delves into the process of sharpening specific areas of the photo while preserving the original sharpness of other areas. The photographer demonstrates the use of a layer mask in Photoshop to selectively apply the sharpening effect. They rename the layer for clarity and invert the layer mask to apply the sharpening effect partially. Using a brush with adjustable opacity, they paint over key areas like the eyes and mouth to intensify the sharpening effect. If the effect is too strong, they use a black brush to hide it. They show a refined mask and a side-by-side comparison between the selectively sharpened image and the original, highlighting the significant difference in quality. The photographer also explores the use of Topaz Gigapixel AI for further sharpening and scaling, noting its face enhancement feature. They discuss the color variation issue introduced by Gigapixel AI and suggest a blending mode adjustment to maintain the original color while benefiting from the sharpening.

10:03

🌟 Enhancing Image Quality with Topaz Software Suite

In the final paragraph, the photographer emphasizes the importance of fixing technical flaws in photos, such as blurriness, noise, or the need for image rescaling. They strongly recommend the Topaz Suite of software for these purposes, based on their personal experience with multiple applications designed to improve image quality. The photographer praises Topaz as the best solution they have found and provides a link in the video description for viewers interested in the software. They mention other tools in the Topaz Suite, such as Denoise AI and Gigapixel AI, as fantastic tools for overall image quality improvement. The video concludes with a thank you to the viewers and a teaser for the next video.

Keywords

💡Blurry Out of Focus Portraits

Blurry out of focus portraits refer to photographs where the subject, typically a person, is not sharply defined due to incorrect focus settings. In the video, the photographer admits to missing the focus on a client's selected photo, where the focus was on the hair instead of the eyes, resulting in a blurry image.

💡Luminar Neo

Luminar Neo is a photo editing software that features an extension called Super Sharp AI, designed to address the issue of blurry and out-of-focus photos. The video demonstrates how this software can be utilized to attempt to fix the blurry portrait by using its sharpening capabilities.

💡Super Sharp AI

Super Sharp AI is a specific feature within Luminar Neo that employs artificial intelligence to enhance the sharpness of photos. The video discusses using this feature with different settings (low, middle, high) to improve the clarity of the out-of-focus portrait.

💡Digital Artifacts

Digital artifacts are unintended effects that appear in images as a result of image processing, such as sharpening. In the context of the video, the photographer observes that using the middle setting in Super Sharp AI introduces digital artifacts when the image is viewed at a tighter zoom.

💡Face Enhancer

The Face Enhancer is an additional tool within Luminar AI's Sharp AI that aims to improve facial features in a portrait. However, the video shows that it alters the geometry of the face, which is not desirable for maintaining an accurate representation in a portrait.

💡Topaz Sharp AI

Topaz Sharp AI is a software application that specializes in sharpening images using advanced AI algorithms. It is considered by the video creator as the 'daddy Mac' of AI sharpening, indicating its superior performance over other tools. The software is used to correct the blurry portrait more effectively than Luminar Neo.

💡Photoshop

Photoshop is a widely used photo editing software by Adobe that allows for advanced image manipulation. In the video, it is used to combine the sharpened layer from Topaz Sharp AI with the original image, using layer masks to selectively apply the sharpening effect.

💡Layer Masks

Layer masks in photo editing software like Photoshop are tools that allow users to hide or reveal portions of a layer. The video demonstrates creating a layer mask to apply the sharpening effect only to the desired areas of the portrait, such as the eyes and mouth.

💡Gigapixel AI

Gigapixel AI is another software from Topaz Labs that is designed for scaling images while utilizing AI to enhance details. The video shows using Gigapixel AI to further sharpen the portrait and includes a face recovery feature to improve facial details.

💡Blending Modes

Blending modes in photo editing software determine how the colors of two layers interact when they are stacked on top of each other. The video uses the 'Luminosity' blending mode to combine the sharpened details from Gigapixel AI with the original colors of the portrait.

💡Topaz Labs Suite

Topaz Labs Suite is a collection of image enhancement software tools, including Sharpen AI, Denoise AI, and Gigapixel AI. The video recommends this suite for improving various aspects of image quality, such as fixing blurry photos, reducing noise, and scaling images.

Highlights

The photographer made a significant mistake by not checking the sharpness of every photo taken during a portrait assignment.

The client selected a blurry photo where the focus was on the hair instead of the eyes.

Luminar Neo's Super Sharp AI was used to attempt to fix the blurry photo.

Three sharpening options were available in Super Sharp AI: low, middle, and high.

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.

Topaz Sharpen AI was identified as a superior tool for AI sharpening.

Topaz Sharpen AI can be used as a plugin or standalone app.

The best sharpening results were achieved by combining Topaz Sharpen AI with the motion blur correction.

Photoshop was used to combine the sharpened layer with the original photo to selectively sharpen certain areas.

A layer mask was created to control the application of the sharpening effect.

Gigapixel AI was also used for further sharpening and had a face recovery feature.

Gigapixel AI introduced a slight color variation which was corrected using blending modes in Photoshop.

The final result was a significantly improved photo by combining Topaz Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI.

Topaz Suite of software is highly recommended for fixing technical flaws in photos.

The photographer provided a link in the description for those interested in Topaz software.

The video concludes with a before and after comparison showcasing the effectiveness of the software used.