Topaz Astra: The Creative AI Video Upscaler at First Glance

Topaz just announced Astra as the world's first creative video upscaler on June 11, 2025. It's currently in early access and you can apply through the Topaz Labs website. Here in this post, we'll show you everything we know so far.

What is Topaz Astra

Topaz Astra is a cloud-based application designed to upscale videos, particularly AI-generated content, to 4K resolution while enhancing quality and finer details.

Unlike traditional upscalers that force a choice between fidelity and detail, Astra introduces a novel approach by allowing users to adjust the balance between these aspects. Powered by Topaz Labs' Starlight AI models, Astra separates storytelling from detail enhancement, enabling creators to refine their vision without losing the original intent. This makes it particularly valuable for AI filmmakers and traditional videographers working with tools like Runway, Kling, or Veo.

Usability and Interface

Astra operates as a web-based application, accessible via astra.app. From the official site, its interface is roughly as follows:

On the left side of the main interface is the settings panel. The main section of the interface is dominated by a large video preview window, allowing users to see real-time changes and compare different enhancement modes. Below the preview window lies the timeline commonly seen in video editing software.

Key Features and Innovations

Astra's feature set is tailored to enhance video quality and creative control. Its dual-mode approach represents its most innovative aspect, offering two distinct philosophies for video enhancement.

Creative Mode

Creative Mode reimagines and enhances details of the original video, effectively generating new visual information that wasn't present in the source material. This mode offers two strength options:

• Subtle: Adds gentle details while maintaining the general character of the original footage
• Bold: Takes more creative liberties, potentially transforming the footage more dramatically

It's particularly effective for AI-generated videos that may lack fine details, though it may introduce artifacts or hallucinated details when used on older or heavily degraded footage.

Precise Mode

Precise Mode focuses on restoring and enhancing details while preserving the original look of the footage. This mode also offers two optimization options:

• Speed: Processes 4x faster and costs 3x less than Starlight's standard model
• Quality: Utilizes Topaz's most powerful model for the highest possible output quality

The distinction between these modes represents a fundamental shift in approach to video enhancement, moving beyond simple upscaling to offer creative reimagining as a legitimate enhancement option.

Frame Interpolation and Slow Motion

Beyond resolution enhancement, Astra offers powerful frame interpolation capabilities that can:

• Increase frame rates up to 120fps for smoother motion
• Create slow-motion effects at 2x, 4x, or 8x speeds through AI-powered frame generation

This functionality leverages advanced AI to analyze motion between existing frames and generate new intermediate frames that maintain visual consistency. The result is smoother playback and cinematic slow-motion effects that would typically require specialized high-speed cameras to capture natively.

Limitations

Astra's strengths lie in its innovative upscaling technology and flexibility, but its early access status and web-only format may limit its appeal for some. Here are some challenges we can already foresee.

Early Access Phase

The most immediate downside is that Astra isn't available for grand public use yet. You need to sign up for early access and join the waitlist. In addition, it's still a web-only product. The reliance on cloud processing may deter users concerned about data privacy or those preferring local solutions.

Occasional Artifacts and Failures

Indeed, Astra delivers on its promise of video upscaling to 4K. Despite its innovative technology, Project Starlight is not magic. Like many other AI video generators, Astra still cannot avoid issues with limbs or other details. Its understanding of motion and physics isn't fully reliable, and therefore, results can defy physical logic.

​For example, here's an official showcase from Topaz. In the center of the image, the umbrella did not make any contact with the woman's hands. In the following seconds, a man on the right side just walked straight through the street lamp. In addition, Astra has difficulty with accurate text rendering. The text in the background can hardly be called text.

High Resource Requirements

In a behind-the-scenes video, Eric Yang, CEO of Topaz Labs, explained that the reason why Astra is web-only is because the model is "just way too large and slow and expensive." Although Topaz has not yet officially made it clear, the price of Astra may be on the higher side.

Immediately Available Alternative: VideoProc Converter AI

For those seeking an immediately available alternative with robust video processing capabilities, VideoProc Converter AI is a compelling option. This all-in-one software, available for Windows and Mac, leverages AI and GPU acceleration to deliver fast, high-quality video enhancements. Its key features include:

• Super Resolution: Enhances videos to 4K resolution and images to 10K resolution, ideal for low-quality or AI-generated footage.
• Frame Interpolation: Increases frame rates for smoother motion, similar to Astra's capabilities.
• Video Stabilization: Corrects shaky footage from GoPro, drones, or smartphones.
• Noise Reduction: Removes background noise from audio or video files using deep learning technology.
• Comprehensive Toolkit: Supports conversion across 420+ formats, compression, downloading, and screen recording.

Unlike Astra, VideoProc Converter AI is fully available for download and use, offering local processing for users prioritizing privacy or offline workflows. Its versatility and immediate accessibility make it an excellent choice for video enthusiasts and professionals seeking a reliable solution.

Topaz Astra vs VideoProc Converter AI

Here's a side-by-side comparison of Topaz Astra and VideoProc Converter AI to help you quickly gauge the strengths and specializations.

Conclusion

Topaz Astra is poised to redefine video upscaling with its innovative AI-driven approach, offering creators unprecedented control over their projects. While its early access status and web-only format present some challenges, the initial user feedback and feature set suggest a bright future.

For those needing a more established tool, VideoProc Converter AI provides a robust, immediately accessible alternative with comparable upscaling and editing capabilities.