Topaz Labs InFOCUS First Look [Updated]

Updated: this post has been updated by the author with an example of the software in action.

Topaz labs has just released a brand new product in their line up of powerful software programs called InFocus. In Focus is a program that can actually take a blurry image and make it sharp. It doesn’t really make sense and it’s quite hard to believe honestly. There are plenty of sharpening tools out there, but they simply do so by adding edge contrast to the image.

This program is the first ever to use a blur estimation feature and complex deconvolution technology to help detect and enhance blurry images. Topaz Labs states, “This new sharpening approach completely changes the way detail refinement is done, by recovering true details, restoring image clarity and offering natural sharp-looking enhancements.”

This program is sure to be a helpful tool in any photographers arsenal. We all get blurry images here and there that we simply have to disregard. Now, we don’t necessarily have to. There’s no substitute for taking the time to get your images tack sharp in camera, but when all else fails, InFOCUS seems to save the day.

Topaz InFOCUS retails for $69.99, but through December 3rd you can pick up a copy for $29.99 with the coupon code “SuperSharp.”

Here are some results from Topaz Labs..

Update:

I was asked by some readers to include an example of some of my own work instead of just showing results from the software developers own site. Makes sense and I’m more than happy to do it. Unfortunately, I never take blurry images!

Ok ok, that’s not true. I have plenty.

Now, I want to stress again that this isn’t some magical piece of software that is going to save any and every image out there. Don’t expect this program to create a masterpiece out of junk. This hopefully isn’t even a program that you will need very often. It’s more of a last resort if you have no other options than to try and save a blurred image.

When I first started using the program, I had the same reaction as some other people. I thought it was junk and that it wasn’t worth the money. But after watching a couple tutorial videos (which I linked to below in the comments) I really began to understand what this program is to be used for. It’s really all about matching the blur radius of the image to the blur radius correction of the software. So you sort of have to just play around with it until you get it right.

Here is an example of  an image I ran through inFOCUS during my testing.

Conclusion thus far…

Now that’s not bad! This is zoomed in to 100% and this cropping is in the far off background of the original scene. When I took this image, I was hand holding from atop a cliff on the other side of the bay (this is at Dana Point in California). Notice the difference in the detail of the bridge on each side of the divider. inFOCUS went in and got rid of the blur to create cleaner and more defined lines. It also did a great job of adding detail and texture to the water. I’m pretty happy with this result! Now, do I have a stellar image here that I can print on canvas and display in a gallery? Probably not. But what if that was the only image I had of Dana Point, and I had nothing else to remember it by?