Technology

Super-Resolution Technology

It is somewhat amusing to watch forensics "resolution enhancement" in shows like CSI, where somehow a tiny smatter of darkness turns into a perfectly readable license plate. This is truly impossible - no amount of post-processing can transform a pixel into anything more meaningful than another pixel. There's only so much information in a video image and it's impossible to get more detail then there already is, right?

Not exactly. Enter "super-resolution technology".

Super-resolution technology was formerly used predominantly in military applications such as spy satellites. However, recent leaps in both super-resolution theory and computing power has made it feasible for super-resolution technology to be brought to the commercial market.

Super-resolution has the unique ability to actually increase resolution and details in certain videos. It works by taking multiple adjacent frames of a video, extracting as much video information as possible from each frame, then reconstructing a single frame by using the details visible in each. In this way, video information that is not present in one frame but is in surrounding frames can be preserved and enhanced. This has the effect of actually rebuilding details that might be absent in certain frames and can even increase the resolution of the original video. The only problem is that most super-resolution algorithms are not robust or adaptable enough to different video situations and fail frequently. Many are also prohibitively slow.

At Topaz Labs we pride ourselves on developing practical cutting-edge video and image enhancement technology that we can then incorporate into our products. Our most important accomplishment to this end is making our proprietary super-resolution technology algorithms fast, effective, and robust enough for implementation into commercial software products. As a result, we were the first to develop commercial SRT enhancement software... and we remain the best.

In fact, recently we worked with independent filmmaker Ryan Humphries to enhance his full-length independent film production Sounds the Movie with Topaz video enhancement technology.

They've compiled some amazing before and after shots of their footage that really demonstrate the effectiveness of our super-resolution algorithms. Visit Sounds, The Movie for more.

 

Find out what this technology can do for you:

Video Enhancement

We developed our most sophisticated and streamlined super-resolution algorithms into advanced video enhancement products.

• Topaz Moment is standalone software that makes it easy to capture and enhance high-quality still images (frame grabs) from videos and DVD.
• Topaz Enhance is a high-end Adobe After Effects plug-in package and the comprehensive solution to video quality enhancement.

Image Enhancement

We also develop and refine wavelet-based image enhancement technology, which we have packaged into a comprehensive image quality enhancement solution.

• Topaz Vivacity is a powerful Photoshop plug-in suite that offers innovative edge detection, intelligent noise reduction, and unique effects.
• Topaz DeJPEG is an intelligent JPEG noise and artifact remover. The price is right, too: it's free.

Many of our algorithms have been implemented and optimized as Windows's DLLs and LIBs. Developers may contact us about licensing our libraries or co-development.

We are also experienced at developing semiconductor IP. Some of our enhancement technologies are suitable for FPGA/ASIC implementation. IC or system developers are welcome to contact us to discuss technology licensing, co-design, and other business partnerships.