The First-Ever “Local Desktop” Diffusion Model For Video Enhancement

(formally Starlight mini) is the second diffusion-based upscaling model Topaz Labs has released, but is the 

. Starlight brings what makes the Original Starlight (now 

) so special, into a more efficient variation for local processing. 

Like it’s predecessor, it is capable of enhancing footage that may otherwise be a challenge with our more traditional AI Models. This can be anything from tricky 8/16mm film to de-interlaced mini-DV footage.

This AI Model is definitely the most powerful enhancement on the desktop application. Based on this criteria, it is reasonable to expect hours of rendering pending your hardware.

Not everyone will have access to the minimum requirement or time required for this AI model on their desktop machine, so access to this AI Model is also optionally available for cloud processing on server-grade graphics hardware.

So what can you expect out of the Starlight when compared to the the Precise Model? The Precise model simply has a more sharp and "clean" quality to it's outputs due to the fact that it still requires such immense resources and hardware in order to provide outputs. The desktop variant, Starlight, is essentially the optimized version where you get the essentials out of Precise, but you gain in it's uniqueness that can be an even more desirable output. This equates to some slight lower finesse when it comes to details, however on the whole, the results appears more natural and consistent.

For older videos, results are at generally better than the Rhea model with more comparative details, subtle definitions and consistency in the animated motion. It is without doubt the best Desktop AI model for older footage enhancement/upscales.

A unique look that comes from this model, is a subtle haze, which is great for human faces and more natural looking footage. This is similar to having a diffusion gel in front of a harsh light on set. This greatly reduces the “plastic” look of upscales and enhancements that are too clean.

Additionally, this model also greatly reduces flickering commonly seen in flat backgrounds that cause banding.

We recommend testing standard definition (SD) videos that have less than ideal results with our previous models, though it’s not limited to that resolution. This will give a larger “Wow” moment. The difference between standard definition vs high definition will naturally be more drastic. Essentially starting with something very good in quality may have marginal results.

Still frames of the original video clip 316x240 (left) and the Starlight Mini output 1280x972 (right).

Here’s a quick start guide on how to use the Starlight Mini model.

To begin, have your clip already imported.

 to ensure that the graphics card in use is 

 (if you have multiple cards) and be sure to select the appropriate codec for your shot. *AMD and MAC users can now use a variation of this model.

Starlight is the first AI Model on the list.

If this is your first time using Starlight, a pop up menu will appear. This will run a system check on your machine to see if it is capable of running Starlight locally. Click on the “Run System Check” button.

This will give you a visual check mark for every step that’s required. Otherwise you’ll get an “x” that identifies if there is an issue with the machine to prevent the large download for this Model.

Once all the necessary checks are approved, you can then press the Download button. 

Once completed you can close out of this menu.

Assuming that you’ve already installed Starlight, when this model is selected, you will be presented with the following notification:

 use this AI model without any other enhancements nor filters. Your machine will be working very hard with Starlight alone. 

Check the button to reimport the video. Once the render is complete, the result is essentially used as a new source. Here you can control additional enhancements, rescales and filters.

Starlight local shows different options for resolution output from the model, based on the resolution of the input video.

Once a resolution is selected, either export locally with 

To ensure the best quality outputs, Starlight exports will have a minimum resolution of 1280x720.

If your footage output settings are under 1280 width, then the full resolution will move up to match the 1280 width.

If your footage output settings are under 720 height, then the full resolution will move up to match the minimum 720 height.

Aspect ratio of the video content will be kept the same. Note, at this time, the Letterbox/Pillarbox will be applied.

Recommended to use square-pixel video footage at or under 1920x1080.

From the desktop, Starlight/Cloud rendering supports AV1, VP9, H264, H265 video codecs.

The web input, however, only accepts H264 MP4 files.

If required, you can always re-import your Starlight result to scale up/down your footage or remove the Letterbox/Pillarbox.

Auto Crop to remove the Letterbox/Pillarbox here

While this is new for all and we continue exploring and refining the Starlight models, there are a few things to consider when using this new tool:

You will need at least a Pro account to render locally. 

A requirement of an NVIDIA GPU with at least 10GB of video memory, but we strongly recommend a GPU with 16GB or more memory for optimal performance and quality.

One of the minimum NVIDIA GPU requirements, is that the GPU needs  the compute capability of at least 7.0, which means all the legacy GPUs with compute capability smaller than this version is not supported, including GTX 10 series and Quadro P series.

In addition to these GPU requirements, Starlight also requires a minimum of 32GB of system RAM.

It is recommended for AMD, to have 20GB of VRAM.

The recommendation for Mac is to have a minimum 36GB of RAM.

This is an AI model that is both complex and resource heavy. Meaning, that it could take hours to process.

Per Cloud Render, there is a 5 minute maximum for Starlight.

Sound is not supported on the Cloud at this time.

Please note that if you have text that is too small, blurry or inconsistent, the result may not be "sp3ll3d" correctly. If you can barely make it out, so will the AI model. It may assume that the text is a texture or pattern.

Water may appear smooth when compared to source.

If you have interlaced videos, it is recommended that you deinterlace first before enhancing with Starlight.

Have a great time using Starlight. Enjoy the unique qualities from this “first of it’s kind” diffusion model for the consumer desktop!

Starlight

Starlight Sharp excels at processing low-resolution footage, delivering superior results for challenging content. The model provides improved handling of smaller faces and facial details for enhanced clarity, while producing noticeably sharper and more detailed enhancement results compared to previous offerings.

*Starlight Sharp, can export a 4K output using a special second pass. This is currently using a Nyx variant under the hood to assist in the 4K output. This optional method is available until the model can produce this natively. You can decide your own 4K upscaler by inputting the 1080 result as source.

Generates a more realistic render with an approach to minimize the “rubber-like” output found on human faces when other upscalers or restoration AI Models are too ‘clean”.

Reduces some compression flickering from low quality videos.

Starlight Sharp can Produce a bit more details when compared to Starlight.

: Available on both cloud and local platforms for maximum flexibility

: Leverages multiple NVIDIA GPUs in parallel for enhanced processing capabilities

Just a little below, you will see a section called 

This is where you will click on the caret to reveal the drop down menu. The second option is 

If this is your first time using the Starlight Model, you will be prompted to “Run system check” before you can download the model.

Once you click on the button, the system check will conclude if your system can indeed run the model and you will be given access to download.

When the download is complete, you can close out of this window.

Now that you have the model downloaded, you can now use it on your videos.

Starlight Sharp is currently only available for local rendering to Windows users with NVIDIA GPUs. 

This model is quite demanding in terms of VRAM, requiring a bare minimum of 16GB or more in order to run the model effectively.

It is also recommended to have 32GB of RAM.

Due to the model complexity, this is a large resource intensive AI Model, so long render times are expected when rendering locally.

Recommended to use square-pixel video footage at or under 1920x1080 to avoid any aspect ratio shifts

Ensure that you are using the latest driver for your graphics card.

Currently capped at 1080p resolution. We plan to improve this in future releases.

Starlight Sharp is a standalone enhancement and can’t be combined with other filters.

Please note that if you have text that is too small, blurry or inconsistent, the result may not be processed correctly. The AI model may interpret unclear text as a texture or pattern.

If you have interlaced videos, it is recommended that you de-interlace first before enhancing with with this model.

Starlight Sharp

Plugins

Project Starlight - Precise

Understanding the different Starlight AI models that Topaz Labs has to offer within the Topaz Video application. Be informed to create the best possible output for your projects.

Where are all the current Starlight Series of models located?

 (desktop app) houses all the Starlight AI models that can be rendered locally.

 (web app) houses the Starlight AI models that are cloud rendering only.

The image below better illustrates what's available within each application for this model series.

Learn more about the original Starlight AI Model that started it all! 

Starlight Series