Topaz Mask AI Review: Disappointing masking tool – Updated April 2021

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Let’s face it, Photoshop has come a LONG way with their masking tools over the past two years. In this review we’re going to compare Topaz Mask AI, with Photoshop’s Select and Mask.

Topaz Mask uses a trimap system to help their AI compute a mask. Photoshop artists who are not be skilled at using Photoshop’s onboard masking tools may find this appealing. Unfortunately it falls a bit flat when faced with any kind of low contrast issues.

April 2021 update: Topaz Labs has updated Mask AI and I have updated the Topaz Mask review below to reflect the changes. There are several improvements to the user interface, and a few improvements in the masking results. Overall though, the various changes did not move the needle much.

This updated review increased the Masking Effectiveness from 2 stars to 3, and the Value from 1 star to 2. This resulted in the overall score going from 3 stars to 3.5. Read on for all the details!

Note: Topaz Mask AI is also included in the Topaz Creator Bundle.

Full Topaz Mask AI review

As with all Topaz Labs plugins, you’ll find a quick tutorial when you open it for the first time. This is really a great help and avoids having to figure it out on your own when you start!

The masking system in Topaz Mask uses three colors to start the process. First, you paint over the edges where you want your mask to cut out your subject. Then you fill the item you want to keep, and finally paint the part you want to remove with red.

You’ll have both brushes and fill buckets for each of the three colors. The bucket makes the process fast, because all you have to do is paint the blue outline, and then fill the green and red areas.

Once you’ve completed this process, then you’ll hit the “Compute Mask” button and let Topaz Mask do its thing. Here you can see the initial results, split into four views: trimap, mask, resulting output, and finally the removed part.

As you can see Topaz Mask has done fairly well, but still needs plenty of refinement. It did a great job of including the thread, but notice the top of the spindle is missing in the initial Topaz Mask AI review. This is slightly improved in v1.3.9, but most likely because I made a slightly more precise initial blue outline for the AI for computation.

Topaz Mask AI 1.3.9 interface changes

First you’ll notice that the buttons for Auto-Detect Subject and Auto-Detect Sky have been moved to the vertical bar, right above the brush and bucket tools. This makes them more prominent than in the previous version. In fact, I failed to notice them in my initial review! You’ll find some experiments using these buttons further down in this review.

Topaz Labs has also included a new Mask Mode called Translucent. You’ll find more information on this feature in my updated 5 minute test below.

Adjusting the initial mask

At this point you can make adjustments with the same tools to improve the mask. In my original review I used a small green brush to paint inside the top of the spindle. In this updated version I used the green brush in an attempt to add a missing spot.

Both of these adjustments seem to just make the mask worse.

Topaz Mask 1.2.5:

It did manage to include the spindle top, but the outline is quite fuzzy. This mask had quite a bit of feathering, even around sharp edges like the empty spindle on the left.

Topaz Mask AI 1.3.9

As you can see this actually made the mask worse in the surrounding area.

The Edge adjustment panel

Once you have the initial mask in place, you’ll use a different set of controls to make any adjustments as needed. There are a couple of differences in the two versions, but the process and controls are essentially the same.

New in Topaz Mask AI 1.3.9

Topaz removed the Mask tab on this interface, but it is basically just a UI improvement making it less complicated.

Best Improvement: However, the new toggle at the bottom allowing you to disable Auto-Compute Mask is a HUGE timesaver. In the first version, any adjustment will prompt a recalculation of the mask as soon as you let go of your mouse button. So, if you want to make, say, five adjustments, then you’d have to sit through five new calculation processes. Now you can just toggle that option off and re-compute the mask when you are actually ready to do so!

In this Topaz Mask interface you use sliders to adjust the hardness and strength of the mask edge. In the examples above I adjusted both hardness and strength to improve the mask.

There were mask improvement in both versions, but notice how some of the sharp edges are still a bit soft. When I attempted to sharpen those edges, the mask would become unusable in other areas of the mask.

You’ll also notice two more sliders in this interface: Foreground Recovery and Defringe. Foreground Recovery can be handy if the mask has cut too far into your selection. Defringe does the opposite by removing the halo (or fringe) that often occurs when masking subjects. I didn’t notice any changes in the new version.

I used Defringe on several occasions, but unfortunately it had no effect whatsoever on my masks. But maybe I just didn’t use it correctly.

I spent quite a bit of time on this process, and although I wasn’t that impressed with either version, I do think the newer version produced a more balanced result.

So, I took the same image into Photoshop to see how it would do with the same image. I started with the Select Subject button and I got this:

To make adjustments I used onion skin mode so I could see the original below the mask. Then I used the Refine Edge Brush Tool to paint over the missing thread. Here’s the result:

This process was significantly faster and resulted in a better result. To be fair, Photoshop Select and Mask is my go-to masking tool, but nevertheless the result is better here.

Topaz Mask AI vs Photoshop Select and Mask – The button pusher

When comparing a plugin such as Topaz Mask AI and Photoshop Select and Mask, there is no way to remove myself from the process. My comparison is bound to be influenced by my experience and knowledge of either and both methods.

So, for this updated Topaz Mask review I set up a crude test, pitting the automatic selection functions of Topaz Mask AI 1.3.9 and Select and Mask in Photoshop CC 2021 (22.3.0). In the examples here the ONLY thing I did was press the various automatic detection buttons in both setups.

Mask AI vs Photoshop: The Hair Challenge

Results from just pressing the automatic functions:

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Mask AI vs Photoshop: Sewing Machine Challenge

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Mask AI vs Photoshop: Select Sky Challenge

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Mask AI vs Photoshop: Select Subject Challenge

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I think it is fairly clear that Photoshop does a better job with the automatic selections, but Photoshop is far from flawless.

Topaz Mask AI vs Photoshop Select and Mask – The 5 minute test

I wanted to compare the two masking systems to see how they would perform with a hair mask! I game myself five minutes with each masking tool. Here are the result of both tests.

Original Test: Mask AI 1.2.5 vs Photoshop 2020

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April 4, 2021: Mask AI 1.3.9 vs Photoshop 2021

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Result from 5 minutes in Photoshop Select and Mask AI:

In the original challenge Photoshop is the clear winner. It may be that my familiarity with Photoshop’s Select and Mask tool skewed my results. Or, I may just not be making the right adjustments in Topaz Mask. The Photoshop mask is way better against a dark background, but notice that more hair was removed around the edge.

The new test shows a remarkable improvement in the Topaz Mask AI version! To be fair I don’t believe I used the Mask AI Auto-Detect Subject in my original test, so it may not be an ideal comparison. Either way I’m impressed!

Photoshop also shows an improvement, although not as dramatic. Notice how Photoshop left much more hair intact with the new Refine Hair tool.

I also want to point out that in the new test I had a really difficult time improving on the automatically generated masks in both programs. In Topaz Labs Mask AI I did have to make significant edits to the trimap, but once I ran the Compute Mask I was hard pressed to make any improvements. Similarly, after Select Subject and Refine Hair, I did not feel like any of my edits made any improvements. If anything I may have just made the mask worse by fiddling with it!

Topaz Mask Review Conclusion

The idea of having a dedicated plugin for masking is enticing because masking is a very difficult skill to learn. Masking plugins came about at a time when Photoshop was just not up to the job.

I think it is fair to say that Photoshop is so good at masking that plugins such as Topaz Mask are no longer needed.

However, given the improvements of Mask AI, especially in the 5 minute test, we may see future versions catch up with Photoshop’s Select and Mask. For now however, I’ve got to stick with my original conclusion and recommend Photoshop Select and Mask for your masking needs. If you want to improve your PS Select and Mask skills, have a look at the Master Extractions mini-course over at Shift Art.

The score change: I increased the masking effectiveness from 2 stars to 3, and the value from 1 star to 2. This resulted in the overall score going from 3 stars to 3.5.

What else is Photoshop really good at? Check out our blog post on some other excellent “plugins” included with Photoshop.