Batch Processing: Capture One and Topaz DeNoise

If you have a computer that doesn’t have a high-performance GPU in it, then Topaz DeNoise AI probably takes seemingly forever to process your photos. Artificial intelligence can do amazing things, but the amount of processing it can take is mind boggling.

If you can instead batch-process your shots, then all you need to do is start the processing and then go do something else until the computer finishes. This article will show you how to batch-process photos if you use both Capture One 22 and Topaz DeNoise AI.

A really great feature of Topaz DeNoise AI is the ability to use a different algorithm on each individual photo, even while performing batch processing.

Select the photos in the Library module

For starters, you should do all of the editing steps you normally do on your photos, but skip any noise reduction or sharpening. The Topaz program is an expert at these steps, and it’s going to be better than your photo editor. Next, pick the desired (edited) photos to batch-process in Topaz from the Capture One Library module, using Ctrl-Click with the mouse.

Right-mouse click and select Edit With | Topaz

After all of the photos are selected in the film-strip area of the Library module, then click the right mouse button and select Edit With | Topaz DeNoise AI.exe.

Select ‘Edit Variants’

When the dialog shown above appears, select the desired file format, and then click ‘Edit Variants’ to create the new files that will be created by Topaz. All of your Capture One edits will be included in the Topaz files by default. Topaz will automatically begin running and then show the files to be processed.

Select the photos suitable for a particular algorithm

Select (via the left-hand checkboxes) the photos to apply the desired de-noise algorithm, and click above on the algorithm name in the corner of the photo.

Next, un-check (deselect) these photos and then check another set of photos to apply a different algorithm. After they’re selected, click the algorithm name in the photo corner above for that desired algorithm to use.

You can, of course, merely check “Select All” and then choose a single algorithm to apply to the entire set of photos for batch-processing.

After all photos have the desired algorithm to be used, click on the ‘Apply’ button.

Progress screen processing the first set of shots

You will be shown a progress screen, while Topaz runs the first algorithm on the appropriate photos.

After batch processing finishes, you can select the next set of photos and ‘Apply’ to those.

Processing selected photos using the next algorithm

After the final set of photos is finished, you’ll be returned to Capture One.

Back to Capture One

You’ll be returned back to the Capture One Library module, and you can see that the photos edited by Topaz will be included in the set of pictures in the filmstrip at the bottom of the screen (in the requested file format). The Topaz program automatically closes after it finishes processing the photos.

This procedure for processing several photos is much more efficient than using Topaz one-at-time, especially if you don’t have a really advanced GPU in your computer. And if you aren’t even using Topaz, maybe you should consider getting it; the difference in quality is worth this effort.