Topaz cuts cloud upscaling times and launches on Android

Topaz Labs has released faster cloud video processing, expanded HDR tools for Adobe Premiere, guided browser workflows, and its first Android app. Its largest speed claim cuts a five-minute, 30 fps video upscaled to 4K from 2 hours 30 minutes to 15 minutes 32 seconds, with accelerated processing consuming twice the credits.

Fast 3 trims the preview loop

Starlight Fast 3 is a quicker alternative to Starlight Precise for cloud upscaling. Topaz reports speeds of up to 7 frames per second at 1080p and says the model can process a 10-second clip in less than 40 seconds.

Fast 3 completed that test in about one-quarter of the time required by Precise 2.6. The shorter turnaround suits review copies, dailies, social edits, and repeated tests before a final render.

Speed Boost trades credits for minutes

Speed Boost runs Starlight Precise 2.6 through an accelerated cloud-processing option. Topaz claims up to 10 times faster processing than the standard mode and charges twice as many credits for each job. The feature is currently limited to Topaz for Web, with support for Topaz Video planned but undated.

Topaz published processing times without comparative quality scores, input-resolution details, or queue conditions, so the figures should be treated as vendor benchmarks. The release information also does not specify API or SDK access for Fast 3 or Speed Boost.

Proteus, Topaz’s general-purpose enhancement model, also received a performance update in the web app. Topaz did not quantify that speed increase.

Premiere gains HDR without a round trip

The Premiere Panel, built with Adobe’s UXP plugin framework, now handles more finishing work inside the editing timeline. The update adds:

• SDR-to-HDR conversion with Hyperion 2.5
• Upscaling with Starlight Precise 2.6
• Image enhancement with Wonder 3.5 and Bloom 2
• Denoising and slow-motion processing

Keeping these operations inside Premiere removes intermediate exports and reimports. Editors preparing HDR deliverables can expand dynamic range, enhance footage, and review the result within the existing sequence.

Android fills the mobile gap

Topaz for Android brings upscaling, denoising, and sharpening to supported phones through the Google Play listing. The app joins the existing iOS release and appears in store searches as “Topaz for Mobile.”

Topaz for Web Image also gained Portrait Photography and General Enhance workflows. Each workflow coordinates existing models through a guided pipeline, reducing the need to configure every model separately.

Credits set the operating cost

The release lists promotional prices for three web-video plans. It does not specify when the discounts end.

Topaz uses credits to meter web processing. Because Speed Boost consumes twice the standard Precise 2.6 rate, the same allocation supports half as many equivalent accelerated renders. The published benchmark does not include a per-job credit total, so it cannot be converted into a specific render cost from the supplied figures.

Match the mode to the deadline

Upscaling has become a recurring post-production step for lower-resolution video from tools such as Sora, Veo, Kling, Seedance, and Midjourney. Faster processing lets editors compare settings and revise outputs during an active edit instead of reserving enhancement for the final export queue.

• Starlight Fast 3: Best suited to review copies, dailies, social cuts, and rapid iteration.
• Precise 2.6 with Speed Boost: Targets deadline-sensitive final work where shorter waits justify higher credit use.
• Standard Precise 2.6: Preserves credits when processing time is less constrained.
• Topaz for Android: Extends common enhancement tasks to phone-based capture and editing workflows.