Question 1

Should I pick Starlight Precise 2.6 or Starlight Fast 2?

Accepted Answer

Pick Precise 2.6 for final delivery, and for clips where faces, fabrics, or text must hold up close. It puts detail ahead of speed, and it has a sharpness control. Pick Fast 2 to test a clip, to work through many clips, or to upscale a longer source. Fast 2 costs half as much per second and takes up to 10 seconds per run. Precise 2.6 takes up to 5.

Question 2

What does the sharpness setting do?

Accepted Answer

It sets how hard the model sharpens the result, from 1 to 5. Lower values give a softer, more natural look. Higher values give crisper edges and more of the detail the model builds. The default here is 3, because a high setting can make skin, hair, and foliage look overprocessed. Raise it for text, labels, and architecture. Lower it for faces and soft film footage.

Question 3

Will faces still look like the same person?

Accepted Answer

Faces are where Precise 2.6 is strongest. Topaz Labs tuned it to rebuild faces and skin with realistic detail and to cut the plastic look of generated video. It is still a generative model. A face that is only a few pixels wide in the source has little real detail to work from, so the model fills it in. Check close-ups before delivery, and lower the sharpness if skin looks waxy.

Question 4

Will the upscale flicker?

Accepted Answer

Precise 2.6 holds steadier than the Precise models before it. Topaz Labs improved its consistency from frame to frame, which reduces flicker and keeps fine detail stable through a sequence. It also keeps the look more even across several clips cut from the same footage, which helps when you upscale a long piece in parts and join them again.

Question 5

How long can the source video be?

Accepted Answer

Up to 5 seconds per run. Upload an MP4, MOV, or WEBM file, and the result comes back as an MP4. For a longer piece, cut it into 5 second parts, upscale each part, and join them in an editor. Trim before you upscale, so you pay only for the footage you keep.

Question 6

Which resolution should I pick?

Accepted Answer

Pick 1080p, the default, for web video, ads, and social. Pick 4K when the clip has to hold up on a television, a projector, or a cinema screen. 4K costs about twice as much per second, so test the look at 1080p first, then render the final at 4K.

Question 7

Can I upscale AI-generated video?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Topaz Labs built Starlight for generated video as well as for real footage. Precise 2.6 sharpens faces, materials, and small text, and it keeps the style of the shot. Generate the clip on the model that gets the motion right, then finish it here at 1080p or 4K.

Question 8

How is this different from Topaz Video Upscale?

Accepted Answer

Topaz Video Upscale enlarges a clip and adds nothing that was not shot. It accepts a longer source and can change the frame rate. Starlight Precise 2.6 is generative. It rebuilds detail the source lost, so it can rescue footage that a plain upscale only makes larger. It has no frame rate setting, so the result keeps the frame rate of the source.

Question 9

How much does an upscale cost?

Accepted Answer

It is billed by the frames in the output, so the price follows the length of the clip, its frame rate, and the resolution you pick. 4K costs about twice as much as 1080p, and a 60fps clip costs twice as much as a 30fps clip of the same length. Each frame costs twice what it costs on Fast 2. Visual Sandbox reserves the price of the longest clip before the run, then charges only for the frames delivered. There is no subscription.

Question 10

Can I use the upscaled video commercially?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The upscale keeps the rights of the source video, so if you own the footage, you own the result. Editors, agencies, and archivists use it to finish client work and restore old material. You stay responsible for the source clip, especially when it carries a likeness, a voice, or copyrighted material.

Tier	Details	Price
1080p	at 30fps	$0.18/s
4K	at 30fps	$0.38/s

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