Topaz Video AI 7 Review: Is It Worth the High Price?

Part 1. Topaz Video AI 7 vs HitPaw VikPea

Before diving into a detailed Topaz Video AI 7 review, let's start with a quick comparison.

HitPaw VikPea has gained significant attention in 2025 as a strong alternative that rivals Topaz in enhancement quality while offering better accessibility and pricing.

Part 2. What Is Topaz Video AI?

Topaz Video AI is a professional-grade video enhancement software designed to upscale, deinterlace, and restore footage using neural networks. Unlike traditional "interpolation" which simply stretches pixels, Topaz rebuilds missing data. It is primarily a local desktop application that utilizes your computer's GPU to perform trillions of calculations to turn a blurry 480p family video or a noisy 1080p film into a crisp 4K masterpiece.

The software is widely used for:

• Upscaling low-resolution videos to HD, 4K, or even 8K
• Restoring old or compressed footage
• Denoising low-light videos
• Creating smooth slow motion via frame interpolation

Topaz Video AI runs primarily on local hardware, meaning performance depends heavily on GPU power. While this offers professional-grade control, it also makes the tool less accessible to casual users.

Part 3. Key Features of Topaz Video AI 7

Topaz Video AI 7 introduces refinements across its AI models and workflow. Below is a breakdown of its core features.

1. AI Enhancement

Topaz utilizes specialized models to target specific issues like compression artifacts or sensor noise. Instead of a "one size fits all" approach, users can choose from a library of models:

2. Frame Interpolation

Turn 24fps cinematic footage into 60fps buttery-smooth video, or create extreme 16x slow motion. Models like Aion and Apollo ensure that new frames are generated based on motion vectors, avoiding the "jitter" seen in cheaper software.

3. SDR to HDR

This feature expands the dynamic range of your videos. It maps Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) colors into a wider 10-bit color space, increasing contrast and making highlights pop.

4. Video Stabilization

Unlike the "cropping" stabilization found in Premiere Pro, Topaz uses AI to fill in the edges and smooth out camera shake without losing significant resolution.

5. Motion Deblur

Specifically designed to fix "camera blur" caused by fast-moving subjects or shaky hands, the Themis model can actually refocus details that were previously lost to motion.

Part 4. Topaz Video AI 7 Performance Review

To evaluate Topaz Video AI 7 objectively, we tested multiple short clips with different resolutions, noise levels, and motion complexity. The goal was to understand how well each core feature performs in real-world scenarios rather than ideal demo footage.

1. The Workhorse: Proteus

Proteus is described by Topaz as a general-purpose enhancement model, designed to work well across most types of footage. It offers adjustable parameters, allowing users to fine-tune detail recovery, noise reduction, and artifact removal.

For testing, we used a 7-second video clip with a native resolution of 720p.

Results: Overall, Proteus delivered a balanced enhancement. Fine textures such as clothing and background structures appeared noticeably sharper, while edges were cleaner without aggressive ringing. The output maintained a natural look, avoiding excessive sharpening that can sometimes make AI-upscaled videos look artificial.

Processing Time: Upscaling a 7-second 720p 60fps video to 4K took approximately 15 minutes on a mid-range GPU.

2. Nyx Model Performance Test (Denoising)

Nyx is Topaz's dedicated noise reduction model, optimized for low-light and high-ISO footage where grain and digital noise are prominent.

The test clip was a 7-second video at 1280p resolution, recorded in low-light conditions with visible noise in shadows. The video was enhanced to 4K using the Nyx model.

Results: Nyx delivered impressive noise reduction, removing most visible grain while keeping the image relatively clean. Edges and outlines became clearer, and compression artifacts were reduced.

Processing Time: About 10 minutes for a 7-second 25fps video.

3. Frame Interpolation Performance

Topaz Video AI provides several frame interpolation models, each targeting different motion complexities:

• Apollo handles complex and blurry motion well
• Apollo Fast prioritizes speed for simpler motion
• Chronos delivers precise frame rate conversion for linear motion
• Chronos Fast trades precision for faster results
• Aion is designed for high-resolution inputs and extreme slow motion

We tested a 20-second clip containing both camera movement and subject motion, converting it from 30fps to 60fps and generating slow-motion output.

Results: The interpolation produced noticeably smoother motion, especially with Apollo and Chronos. Fast-moving scenes retained continuity better than traditional interpolation methods, although occasional artifacts appeared around fast edges.

4. SDR to HDR Performance

The SDR to HDR feature expands brightness, contrast, and color depth to simulate HDR output from SDR footage.

We tested this feature using a 14-second SDR clip with flat lighting and limited dynamic range.

Results: The converted video showed improved highlight brightness and deeper contrast, giving the footage a more vivid appearance. Colors appeared richer, though manual tuning was necessary to avoid oversaturation.

Part 5. The Verdict: Pros & Cons of Topaz Video AI 7

Part 6. Best Topaz Video AI Alternative: HitPaw VikPea

While Topaz Video AI excels in professional environments, its pricing, complexity, and hardware demands make it less practical for many creators. This is where HitPaw VikPea becomes a compelling alternative.

Over the past year, HitPaw VikPea has been increasingly discussed as one of the few tools capable of delivering Topaz-level enhancement quality while remaining accessible to everyday users. Instead of focusing only on upscaling, VikPea positions itself as an all-in-one AI video improvement solution.

Unlike Topaz, VikPea emphasizes ease of use, speed, and affordability. It supports both GPU acceleration and cloud-based processing, allowing users to achieve fast results even on mid-range hardware. The unlimited preview feature also lets users evaluate results before committing-something Topaz no longer offers.

HitPaw VikPea Key Highlights

• 13+ AI enhancement models for different video types
• AI video upscaling with natural detail reconstruction
• AI colorization for black-and-white footage
• AI video stabilization for shaky clips
• AI video generator for creative workflows
• Built-in trimming and preview before export
• Free download with no time-limited trial

How to Enhance Video with HitPaw VikPea (Step-by-Step)

Step 1. Import Your Video

Launch HitPaw VikPea on computer, and choose the Video Enhancer feature for video enhancement. If you'd like to colorize video, just select AI Colorist. Drag and drop your blurry or low-res file to get started.

Step 2. Select Your Model:

From the right panel, you can select one of the suitable AI models. The "General Restoration Model" is suitable for general enhancement, the "Portrait Model" for facial details, and the "Animation Model" is for cartoons.

Step 3. Export Settings

The default output resolution is 2x upscaling for most models. You can adjust the resolution, bit rate, frame rate and output format in the Output settings.

Step 4. Preview and Export:

Hit the preview button to see a side-by-side comparison in real-time. If satisfied, select your output resolution (up to 8K) and click Export.

Part 7. Topaz Video AI FAQs

Conclusion

Topaz Video AI 7 remains a powerful and respected AI video enhancement tool, especially for professionals working with demanding restoration projects. However, its high cost, lack of a free trial, and steep hardware requirements limit its appeal.

For users who want high-quality enhancement without the complexity and expense, HitPaw VikPea stands out as the best-value alternative-faster, easier to use, and far more accessible, while still delivering impressive results.