Understanding the Difference Between Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI on macOS: Functions, Product Lineage, and Update Issues

In the rapidly evolving field of AI-powered video enhancement software, Topaz Labs has established itself as a leader, particularly with offerings like Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI. Users on Mac, especially as of late 2025, sometimes find both executables—”Topaz Video” and “Topaz Video AI”—installed side by side, leading to confusion about their distinct purposes, licensing, and the relationship between them. Furthermore, persistent update prompts in Topaz Video AI that fail to alter executable dates or introduce functionality changes have become a recurrent source of frustration, with many users suspecting a bug in the update mechanism on macOS. This report aims to systematically clarify the functions and history of both applications, explore their separation or overlap, detail their individual and comparative features, and comprehensively document known issues with their update mechanisms on macOS, drawing on the widest possible current spectrum of user reports, support statements, and technical sources.

1. Overview of Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI

1.1. Topaz Video: The 2025 Offering

Topaz Video is described by Topaz Labs—as of mid and late 2025—as a professional suite for AI-powered video enhancement, available for both macOS (Apple Silicon only) and Windows. Its headline capabilities include denoising low-light footage, upscaling archival or low-resolution videos to 4K and higher, focus restoration, frame rate adjustment using frame interpolation, and advanced stabilization. Topaz Video can be used as a standalone application or integrated as a plugin in industry-standard editing platforms like After Effects and DaVinci Resolve.

Recent iterations of Topaz Video emphasize cloud rendering and model updates, more adaptive user interfaces, and stronger integration within the larger Topaz Studio suite. Recent press materials and pricing pages clarify that local rendering is still possible for premium plans, but that cloud credits are bundled, enabling users to offload heavy AI computation to Topaz servers. Features newly highlighted include the Starlight Mini and Starlight Sharp models for upscaling and denoising, especially tuned for Apple Silicon and AMD hardware. As a broader upgrade to existing Topaz Labs capabilities, Topaz Video is now the principal branding term under which the company markets its flagship video processing tool.

1.2. Topaz Video AI: The Flagship AI Video Enhancer

Topaz Video AI is the direct, deeply AI-driven product from Topaz, positioned as the “ultimate AI-powered video enhancer”. It employs production-grade neural networks for upscaling, denoising, deinterlacing, motion interpolation (for slow motion and frame rate adjustments), and shake stabilization as its cornerstone features. Advanced models (Proteus, Artemis, Gaia, Iris, Nyx, Theia, Rhea, Starlight, etc.) offer fine-grained control tailored to video quality, subject matter, and anticipated output—ranging from social media clips to archive restoration and cinematic workflows.

The user interface provides direct controls to select enhancement models, preview results in real time, and batch process jobs—all highly engineered to facilitate both novice users and industry professionals. Notably, it is platform-optimized: modern versions run exclusively on Mac Apple Silicon and newer Intel/AMD Windows platforms, reflecting the intensive GPU requirements for high-performance AI tasks.

Topaz Video AI also integrates as a plugin for select NLEs (Non-Linear Editors) but is predominantly used as a self-contained application. Its licensing model, until late 2025, was a perpetual purchase (~$299 with one year of free updates), but Topaz Labs has recently moved to a subscription model (~$25–33/month personal, ~$67/month pro), further underlining its shift towards software-as-a-service and cloud rendering, with cloud credits for especially demanding models or high-volume batch rendering.

1.3. The Product Name Shift: Branding, Not a Distinct Product

Throughout 2025, there has been a deliberate transition is in product naming. “Topaz Video AI” is evolving, both in the user interface and official website literature, into “Topaz Video.” While some users still refer to “Topaz Video AI” (especially in existing installation directories, old downloads, or forums), the principal product moving forward is simply “Topaz Video,” and is cited that way in the latest official releases, community documentation, new installer files, and even in subscription dashboards.

Despite the rebranding, the underlying software, codebase, and user experience remain largely continuous: Topaz Video AI v7.1 (as of September 2025) embeds all prior AI models, interface logic, and most importantly, user data carryover, under the new “Topaz Video” branding. In several user reports, installing Topaz Video does not remove Topaz Video AI, leaving both executables present (and sometimes confusingly similar in appearance), but both point, under the hood, to substantially the same application framework and assets, with possible differences in update channels or in packaging for subscription vs. perpetual license management.

2. Comparative Features and Product Relationship

2.1. Comparative Table: Topaz Video vs Topaz Video AI

As the table suggests, functionality is essentially identical between “Topaz Video AI” and “Topaz Video” as of late 2025. Differences revolve mainly around licensing, how cloud rendering is prioritized, and subtle UI refinements matching the new Studio subscription system. Many users with both executables have simply legacy/older versions or early upgrades installed, but both applications ultimately rely on the same model library, rendering engines, and system requirements.

2.2. Product Relationship: Are They Separate Products or Versions?

Topaz Video AI and Topaz Video are not separate, distinct products. Rather, Topaz Video is the new name for what was Topaz Video AI, encapsulating the same application with further commercial and cloud workflow integration. This is confirmed by:

• Official support statements: The release notes, system requirements, and FAQ pages refer to “Topaz Video” as the successor to “Topaz Video AI,” with existing perpetual licensees continuing to access prior versions while new customers subscribe to the rebranded tool.
• Community experiences: Users report side-by-side installations after upgrades, with similar UIs and model libraries; confusion arises only from installer packaging and shortcuts, not from fundamentally distinct software functionality.
• Forum moderators and support: The Topaz Labs forums and staff explain that version updates and rebranding efforts have necessarily left behind remnants of old naming or installer metadata, but all new installations will align under the “Topaz Video” umbrella going forward.

The only notable exception is legacy Topaz Video Enhance AI—the predecessor to Topaz Video AI—which has been fully deprecated. Some users on Reddit and forums continue to compare this much older generation (e.g., Video Enhance AI 2.x) with current Topaz Video AI releases, noting slowdowns or missing newer models, but the official product family now treats Video Enhance AI as obsolete.

3. Key Features and AI Model Capabilities

3.1. Video Enhancement Technology

Both “Topaz Video AI” and “Topaz Video” (2025+) are built around AI-based video processing models, each optimized for specific enhancement tasks:

• Upscaling (Proteus, Artemis, Rhea, Gaia, Theia, Starlight, Starlight Mini/Sharp): These models convert SD or HD content into 4K/8K resolution, reconstructing detail lost to compression, noise, or digital artifacts. Starlight and its variants are recent flagship models for advanced upscaling and denoising, often deployed in cloud rendering due to their resource demands.
• Denoising/Sharpening (Nyx, Iris, Artemis, Rhea XL): These models target dust, surface damage, noise, and interlacing effects with options for both aggressive and conservative noise removal, tailored for everything from archival footage to modern camera input.
• Frame Interpolation (Apollo, Chronos, Aion): These models introduce new frames to create buttery-smooth slow motion and boost frame rates (e.g., 24->60fps), emphasizing motion consistency and reducing judder.
• Stabilization: A newer AI model introduced in Video AI v3 and further refined, learning camera movement patterns to smooth out footage without cropping where possible.
• SDR-HDR Conversion: HyPerion and auxiliary models allow expansion of older SDR video to wider color and brightness ranges for modern displays.
• Specialized models: Themis for motion deblur, advanced grain add/removal, face recovery for low-resolution faces, and restoration of specific defects.

All model options are accessible via an intuitive user panel, with automatic recommendations and preview comparisons to help users select the best model for each video type.

3.2. Integration and Workflow

Both applications support:

• Local and Cloud Rendering: Standard models can be run locally (on Apple Silicon or supported Windows GPUs), while advanced models like Starlight Sharp or those requiring high VRAM are available only with cloud rendering. Cloud credits are necessary for premium features, but local rendering is unlimited for lower and mid-tier models (with a performance/quality trade-off).
• Batch Processing: Essential for professionals, allowing the simultaneous processing of multiple files with separate enhancement parameters. This has been newly improved in recent 2025 updates.
• Project Presets and Customization: Save and reuse common enhancement workflows, streamlining repeated edits.

3.3. macOS-Specific Considerations

Topaz Video is now exclusive to Apple Silicon on macOS; Intel Macs are no longer supported, except potentially for legacy users with old perpetual licenses. Performance and model access is best for the latest M2/M3 chips and is significantly memory-dependent—some models recommend 32–36GB RAM and macOS 15.6+. Cloud models are designed to work regardless of local hardware power, but may require up-to-date system libraries and persistent internet connectivity.

4. Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI Version History: Major Milestones

4.1. Topaz Video AI Version History

• v1.x–2.x (Legacy Period): Released as “Video Enhance AI,” with foundational upscaling and denoising. Supported both Intel Macs and PCs, but with limited model diversity.
• v3.0 (2022): Rebranded to “Topaz Video AI,” a full rewrite with parallel tasking, improved stabilization models, command line automation, major interface and usability improvements, and support for new color space and format options.
• v4.x–5.x (2023–2024): Iterative feature expansion. Introduction of Apollo interpolation, improved interface, more precise cropping, higher bit-depth support, and offline use for all features except model downloads. Enhanced performance on M1/M2 Macs.
• v6.x–7.1.x (2024–2025): Continued enhancements (e.g., Starlight Mini/Sharp, Nyx XL models, film stock presets), improved timeline control, customizable batch workflows, increased export format support (e.g., ProRes 444, VP9 16K), advanced crash recovery, EXR alpha output, and full integration with the Studio platform. Migration to subscription model and full shift to “Topaz Video” as the primary product name.

4.2. Topaz Video Version History

• v1.0 (2025): Launches as the subscription-first evolution of Topaz Video AI. Initial releases caused confusion with parallel installations to Topaz Video AI 7.1.x, leading to both program icons frequently coexisting on Macs. Feature set mirrors latest Video AI releases but UI is more streamlined, and licensing is managed exclusively through the Topaz Studio account system. Some users report installer bugs stemming from residual legacy files of Topaz Video AI making update behavior unpredictable.

5. Update Mechanism and Known Issues in Topaz Video AI

5.1. Standard Update Process

Topaz Video AI and Topaz Video provide in-app update prompts and manual download options. Ideally, when a new version is available, the application either launches a guided updater or prompts the user to download the latest installer from the Topaz account dashboard. This update should replace the existing executable, update or add new AI models, and, on macOS, modify both the application bundle’s modification date and (sometimes) creation date if files are moved or forcibly overwritten.

macOS-specific update pathways also include:

• Menu-driven in-app updates (Check for Updates option)
• Silent auto-update (for select Studio subscriptions)
• Manual download (drag-and-drop application bundle)

5.2. Repeated Update Prompts: A Widespread Issue

Beginning summer 2025, users report encountering the following update issues:

• The application repeatedly prompts that “an update is available” (in both Topaz Video AI and Topaz Video), even after installing the latest build, rebooting, or running a “repair” option.
• Clicking the update button either results in a loop (“Update to Version 9.9.9” or “1.0.1”—these are sometimes placeholder or incorrect version numbers) or launches a repair/uninstall dialog with no effect after completion.
• The macOS application bundle modification date (and binary timestamp) does not change after purported updates. Additionally, program version numbers in the About dialog or in Finder do not increment. Despite repeated repair and update attempts, the software’s behavior remains unchanged.
• Both executables (Topaz Video AI and Topaz Video) often exhibit the same update prompt loop, suggesting a shared backend for update management or misplaced version checks.

User comments underline that this occurs on both “Topaz Video” (as of v1.x) and “Topaz Video AI” (as of 7.1.4), sometimes with “Update Available” buttons now hard-coded into the interface since 7.1.3/7.1.4, which only exist to prompt migration to the Studio platform or new Topaz Video subscription. Earlier reports linked the bug to the introduction of the “upgrade path” in 7.1.4, which failed to properly manage legacy installations and version checks.

5.3. Root Causes and Technical Analysis

a. Update Loop Due to Shared Configuration/Asset Paths

Multiple reports on Topaz Labs’ support community indicate that duplicate installations or mixed installer assets (Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI) can cause the updater to look for version numbers or assets that do not exist—or belong to a deprecated branch. The program may detect an “outdated” asset (even if you are fully up to date), presenting a persistent update prompt that cannot be fulfilled by any installer action.

b. Incorrect Version Check Logic

In some cases, update dialogs reference impossible version numbers (like “9.9.9” for Topaz Video AI and “1.0.1” for Topaz Video), strongly suggesting a backend or installer metadata bug. This appears to be a side effect of the transition from perpetual licensing to the studio subscription platform, wherein local version management was not correctly mapped to new updater APIs, or placeholder values in the update server responses inadvertently populate the UI.

c. Mac-Specific Executable and Bundle Timestamp Handling

On macOS, application bundles are often modified or updated by overwriting the Contents/MacOS/ executable, updating supporting resources, and adjusting Info.plist metadata. However, the creation date or even modification date may remain unchanged if the update process fails to touch the correct files or if only supplementary files are replaced. Additionally, APFS and HFS+ handle timestamps differently than NTFS/EXT, and macOS Gatekeeper maintains code signature and provenance tracking independently (see later discussion on digital signatures and provenance).

In some user experiments, the modification date for the app or its main executable did not change after running a “successful” update. This suggests that either the underlying binary was not updated, the update process only rewrote auxiliary files (like version.json or localization strings), or the software failed to install over SIP-protected executables. This aggravates user suspicion that no real update action occurs despite repeated prompts.

d. Installer Bugs and Legacy Path Residue

The 2025 product transition created a situation where both Topaz Video AI and Topaz Video might be installed in /Applications, each with its own support files. When the installer tries to reconcile these, errors can arise if plist files, cache directories, or stale model asset folders persist, confusing the updater and preventing a clean installation.

e. Cloud Update and Subscription Transition Issues

As Topaz transitioned to the Studio suite and new subscription licensing, the updater began cross-checking subscription status and installer eligibility with cloud servers. Situations where perpetual licensees have both old and new executables have led to mismatches in what the server believes is the “current” eligible version, triggering otherwise unnecessary update notifications in the desktop application.

5.4. Official Responses and Workarounds

Topaz Labs’ official support has acknowledged update issues on their community forums, but consistent permanent fixes have not been confirmed as of the end of September 2025:

• Forum advice generally recommends: uninstalling both applications, manually deleting all related plist files and support folders (~/Library/Application Support/Topaz*), rebooting, and then performing a clean install of only the latest “Topaz Video” (i.e., not both Video AI and Video). This sometimes resolves the update loop, but can cause projects and model assets to be lost and does not prevent recurrence if both versions are later reinstalled.
• Support tickets for this issue are frequently closed with a boilerplate set of uninstall and reinstall steps or instructions to submit logs for further manual investigation. Power users speculate that the only long-term solution is the complete removal of legacy version assets from disk and starting fresh under the new Studio model.
• No official patch or auto-fixer has been issued as of v1.0.1/7.1.4; update logic is still being actively refactored as of the last known bug tracker entries for September 2025.

5.5. Related macOS Digital Signature and Provenance Issues

Because macOS tracks digital signatures, provenance, Gatekeeper policy, and quarantine status for app bundles, failed or partial updates can also cause the operating system to:

• Warn that the application bundle is “damaged” or from an “unknown developer,” especially if Info.plist or the executable’s code signature hash fails to reconcile with prior versions.
• Retain historical tracking of executables in the ExecPolicy database, recording their signing status, update behavior, and repeated blocked/allowed execution events. Investigators and DFIR professionals can use this to trace whether a binary has ever been modified, replaced, or overridden (intentionally or not), supporting suspicions that repeated update actions have not actually altered executable code, only installer-auxiliary files.

6. User Reports and Community Observations

6.1. Reports from the Topaz Community

Dozens of threads on the official Topaz Labs forums detail user experiences with the update loop, missing or perpetually recurring notifications, and the difficulties in aligning application bundle versions across the AI and non-AI-branded installers:

• “Topaz Video keeps asking me to update but when I download and run the installer, the only option is to repair or uninstall … rebooted and the same thing it said an update was available … stuck in an infinite loop,” posts one September 2025 user. Another echoes: “I have two desktop shortcuts, one for ‘Topaz Video’ and another for ‘Topaz Video AI’. Both of them keep telling there is an update”.
• “This keeps popping up each time I start Video AI. I do not find a button to remove it permanently,” and “If you’re not planning to install the new Studio app, your best bet is to just downgrade to 7.1.3. The only thing 7.1.4 did was add the upgrade path”—underscoring the update-prompt behavior is linked to the push toward Studio migration.
• “I keep having to ‘upgrade’ over and over and over and over” and “I keep receiving update notifications,” further reinforce the persistence of the bug as new versions are released and as the installer logic struggles to resolve conflicting state information.

6.2. Broader Ecosystem Reports

• Users on Reddit, Apple StackExchange, and third-party review blogs have noted the macOS-specific oddities around application bundle modification and creation dates, often observing that the date of the main executable does not change after running an update, in contrast to standard macOS application update behavior.
• Instances of Studio users running Topaz Video AI as a plugin within After Effects, Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve have sometimes failed due to binary or model mismatches caused by failed updates. Blackmagic and Adobe support forums have threads where uninstalling and reinstalling Topaz Video resolved launch issues associated with update loops or corrupted bundles, implying that update bugs can, in rare cases, break NLE plugin integrations as well.

6.3. Known Bugs and Release Notes

• The Topaz Labs bug tracker and Issues area on the forum mark the update loop as a known issue, but as of September 2025, there is no publicly released one-click solution. Partial resolutions revolve around manual file and plist deletion—onerous for less technical users.
• Some users suspect there is a distinction between “Studio” and “Direct” installer branches, with differing update server endpoints and eligibility checks. Problems acutely affect users with both an old perpetual license and a new subscription, as their local versioning does not always match their cloud license entitlements.

7. Executable Timestamp Behavior on macOS

7.1. Core File Timestamps on macOS

On macOS (APFS), four principal file timestamps are tracked for each file:

1. Creation time (birth, Btime)
2. Last access time (atime)
3. Last modification time (mtime)
4. Last status change time (ctime)

In standard update scenarios, application updates should at least modify mtime and usually update ctime. However, Apple’s Gatekeeper, notarization, and code signature checks can introduce special cases wherein, if an updater script only overwrites asset folders or does not properly modify the signing info of the main executable, visible timestamps might not increment, despite claims of a successful update.

7.2. Gatekeeper, Notarization, and Digital Signatures

Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI applications are distributed as signed and (for modern versions) notarized macOS app bundles. Gatekeeper caches and verifies code signatures to block or allow execution. When an update does not touch or update the core Contents/MacOS/ binary (or does so with an improperly signed copy), a mismatch can occur between the Info.plist version, Finder’s “Get Info” panel, the application binary’s SHA256, and the last modified date. This misalignment further confuses the application’s own update checker, which may rely on Info.plist or internal version.json rather than the actual binary’s provenance.

7.3. Implications for Users

For users—especially those troubleshooting or maintaining automated update workflows—the immutability of the app’s modification date or creation date, even after attempted updates, generally means:

• The application is not truly being updated (or is updated only in auxiliary components).
• Repeated update prompts will continue until a full “clean” (i.e., delete, empty trash, clear Support files) install is performed.
• Gatekeeper and other provenance-tracking mechanisms may warn of damaged signatures or suggest the app is not new, despite repeated install actions.

8. Recommendations and Best Practice

8.1. For Users Facing Persistent Update Prompts

• Uninstall All Old Versions: Drag both Topaz Video AI and Topaz Video to trash, and empty it.
• Remove Support Files: Clear ~/Library/Application Support/Topaz, ~/Library/Preferences/com.topazlabs, and any related folders in ~/Library/Caches or ~/Library/Containers.
• Reboot and Clean Install: Download only the most current Topaz Video installer from the Topaz Labs site or your product dashboard, and install it afresh. Avoid retaining both Video AI and Video executables to prevent future conflicts.
• Do Not Mix Perpetual and Studio Licenses: Where possible, migrate to subscription or maintain only one branch to limit installer state confusion.

8.2. For Professional Workflows

• Test Updates on Non-Production Systems: Given the instability of update logic in recent months, update Topaz Video on test machines before upgrading on mission-critical systems.
• Retain Critical Installers Offline: Download and securely archive working installer versions, as forum and release page links can sometimes be cycled out.
• Backup Project Files and Models: Save important settings, custom models, and work-in-progress exports before any uninstall/upgrade.

8.3. If Issues Persist

• Submit Support Logs: Topaz Labs support requests users generate logs via Help > Logging > Get Logs for Support before submitting tickets—this may expedite diagnostics.
• Monitor Forums for Patch Notes: The Topaz Labs support and release forums are the best source for real-time bug fix announcements and user-contributed workarounds.
• Careful with Model Downloads: Avoid clicking “remove old models” unnecessarily unless you are certain only latest models are in use, as this can break backward compatibility and plugin integrations in NLEs.

9. Summary and Key Takeaways

Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI are, as of autumn 2025, functionally and technically the same product, with Topaz Video as the rebranded, subscription-first successor to Topaz Video AI. Both offer state-of-the-art AI-driven upscaling, denoising, stabilization, and motion enhancement capabilities, using the same core models, user interface, and rendering engines, with integration into the Topaz Studio platform.

The simultaneous presence of both executables on Mac is a byproduct of the recent transition in licensing and branding, not of functionally distinct programs. Persistent update prompts that do not change application bundle dates or behavior have become a prominent and widely acknowledged bug, attributed to legacy installer confusion, mismanaged version checks, and complications from migrating to subscription-based/cloud-integrated workflows. macOS-specific nuances in bundle timestamp handling and digital signature enforcement further compound the issue, leading to recurrent update loops visible to both the user and the system provenance tracker.

The only fully effective solution—pending improved patching by Topaz Labs—is to remove all residual files and perform a single, clean install of the latest “Topaz Video” build, avoiding mixed installations. Users are encouraged to monitor the Topaz Labs forums for ongoing bugfixes, patches, and new installation recommendations, especially as the Studio ecosystem continues to expand and integrate further with cloud-first features.

In conclusion, the distinction between Topaz Video and Topaz Video AI is essentially nominal as of late 2025. Repeated update prompts on macOS are a recognized, unresolved issue rooted in the transition to unified Studio branding and licensing, exacerbated by the complexity of application updates, system provenance tracking, and legacy file management on macOS. Practicing clean installs and following emerging support advisories is, for now, the best way to ensure stable software operation.