p.1 #1 · Topaz Sharpen - Very Unhappy with the Company Service
I am pretty annoyed at them right now.... I usually don't complain like this but I have been back and forth with them for a few weeks now and have just had it. They fail to recognize their Sharpen AI has a serious bug in the batch processing functionality that renders the tool UNUSABLE to a LightRoom user.
In short, I submitted my issue/question and information, got a response that pointed me to their instruction page. Wha? OK, resubmitted.... then they point me to a video.... and in their response only note one small bug that has nothing to do with the usability issue. Further, the video shows the bug!!! These folks are clueless.
Issue: Batch processing..... the batch function incorrectly creates an output file no matter what option I select (tried them all, operates the same). Unlike DeNoise, which operates fine, I want it to edit the ORIGINAL. Instead it creates a new file. Then the product does not take you back LR, which is a bug they admit to. When you go back to LR, the TIFF you want to sharpen is not sharpene... because it created a new file... and that new file is not in LR. I want to use LR to create my final JPG with my watermark and other sizing etc......
I first surfaced this bug in their forum where a moderater tried out the tool, came back and said "yep, there is a serious bug"... and pointed me to submit a ticket. Cripes.
Anywho... just a warning... Topaz is not a sharp company.
p.1 #5 · Topaz Sharpen - Very Unhappy with the Company Service
Bruce - I've had a few exchanges with them in the last month or so and have found them to be one of the lamest companies that I've ever dealt with. There is NO way to actually talk to someone and the only way to correspond is through a message generated on their website with no confirmation that it was ever sent or arrived. They denied having received multiple messages and when I finally did connect with them, it seemed like the customer service rep had never used their products and when I asked a series of questions in one message - in an attempt to be efficient, they ignored the rest of the questions or answered with answers that had nothing to do with the question. If they made fantastically great software I might put up with it, but most of their products are mediocre at best and many of the rest are no better and often worse that what you get for free in Photoshop. Not suggesting that Ps is free but it does come with a boatload of very well designed, effective filters. At least the Topaz crap is cheap enough to not lose any sleep over it when it doesn't deliver. It's too bad because they could be a really cool boutique supplier, but only if their products worked and their CS rocked. But maybe that's the reason they don't want to talk to you and have shitty service - because they know their shit stinks and only want our money. I'm pretty certain I've spent my last dollar with them.
p.1 #10 · Topaz Sharpen - Very Unhappy with the Company Service
I am not expecting much from here except to accomplish three things:
1. Let others know
2. Maybe my experience was an anomaly
3. Maybe they read this and address my issue
I don't like complaining... I know crap happens and companies can be victims of a few bad employees... so I can be forgiving. But the bug is so egregious... batch processing is their latest functionality and it just doesn't work, that I felt I needed to warn some folks.
I have read Peter's comments in other threads.... yes, I was worried when I pulled the trigger.... but my rational is that I don't use photoshop, I use LightRoom only and I was pretty impressed with their barrage of on-line advertising... that .... again, it was cheap so I am not going hungry.... I gave it a try.
Honestly, I am impressed with their sharpening of some of my photos of birds in flight, or that I cropped so deeply with my 600mm + 1.4X peering into an eagles nest that I could not get better or the same results in LR. So for me, it is a good rescue tool. Slow... yes, Clunky... yes. But... not bad for me.
Again, I don't use Photoshop, only LR. Of course, maybe I should be using Photoshop eh?
UPDATE: One of their forum moderators got more involved and emailed someone directly. I got an email back a few days later from another person noting something like "Sharpen AI will work like DeNoise AI in the next release". I guess that it an admission they have a problem.... so some progress.
