Adobe Bought Topaz Labs: What Changes for Topaz Video Users

Key takeaways

• Adobe announced the deal on 25 June 2026 and completed it on 23 September 2026. The price wasn't disclosed.
• Topaz stays a separate brand. Its apps and models are still sold as standalone products.
• Topaz staff said there were no changes to existing subscriptions, products, or accounts. Neither company has said anything about legacy perpetual licenses.
• The new part: Topaz models now also run inside Adobe Firefly and Photoshop.
• Nothing requires you to act today. Watch for pricing and licensing news before your next renewal.

Adobe completed its purchase of Topaz Labs on 23 September 2026. So far, very little has changed for people who use the Topaz apps. Topaz Video, Gigapixel, and Photo are still sold on their own, at the same prices, and existing subscriptions carry on.

What did change is where the technology shows up: Topaz models are now inside Adobe Firefly and Photoshop. In this guide, you'll learn what each company has said, what's still unanswered, and what to check before your next renewal.

How we wrote this

KwaFlux makes a competing app. Every fact here comes from Adobe, from Topaz staff, or from a named news outlet, read on 29 October 2026. We separate what was announced from what wasn't, and we don't guess at Adobe's plans.

Contents

1. What happened?
2. What changed, what didn't, and what nobody has said
3. Topaz inside Firefly and Photoshop
4. What Topaz Video users should do now
5. What to watch next
6. If you want a local tool outside Adobe's plans
7. FAQ

What happened?

Adobe's acquisition of Topaz Labs is a deal in which Adobe bought the Dallas-based maker of Topaz Video, Gigapixel, and Topaz Photo. Adobe announced a definitive agreement on 25 June 2026 and said it expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. On 23 September 2026, Adobe's blog said the acquisition was complete.

Adobe's announcement didn't give a price. Its stated reason was Topaz's enhancement models and its Neurostream technology, which Adobe described as letting large AI models run locally on consumer devices.

What changed, what didn't, and what nobody has said

The last three rows are the ones that matter for budgets, and they're open questions, not bad news. Fstoppers pointed out the same gap on the day the deal closed: the announcement said nothing about pricing or licensing for the standalone apps.

Topaz inside Firefly and Photoshop

For Adobe customers, the visible change is that Topaz models are now inside two Adobe apps.

These are short-clip and still-image tools. A 20-second limit on video makes Firefly a place to try Astra, not a replacement for the desktop Topaz Video app on long footage.

Sidenote: Firefly is a web app: to use Astra there, you upload the clip to Adobe. Topaz Video can render many models on your own GPU, with some models offered in the cloud for credits. If keeping footage on your machine matters, check which path a feature uses. Our guide to local vs cloud AI video processing explains the trade-offs.

What Topaz Video users should do now

Nothing forces a decision today. These steps cost nothing and keep your options open:

1. Note your renewal date. In your Topaz account, check when your plan renews and whether it's monthly or annual.
2. Check which plan you're on. Topaz Video is $299 a year, $39 a month with a 12-month commitment, or $59 a month without one. The middle option isn't cancel-anytime.
3. Back up legacy installers. If you own Topaz Video AI 7, download the 7.1.5 installer from the Legacy section of your account. Our guide for Video AI 7 owners walks through it.
4. Write down which models you rely on, especially if any of them only run in the cloud on your hardware. The Starlight explainer lists which ones run locally.
5. Revisit before you renew. If Adobe announces pricing or bundling changes, you'll be deciding with the new terms in front of you.

What to watch next

If you want a local tool outside Adobe's plans

Some Topaz users read the news as a reason to look around, especially those who liked owning a license. If that's you, compare on terms you can check: how many computers a license covers, whether it's a subscription, and where processing runs.

KwaFlux is one option. It runs AI upscaling, repair, and restoration on your own GPU, and its terms compare with Topaz's like this:

At list prices, that's $697.01 less over three years, and one license also covers photos, audio, subtitles, file conversion, and file repair. Topaz prices are from its pricing page on 29 October 2026; KwaFlux list prices are from 1 November 2026, and current offers are on the pricing page. KwaFlux doesn't run on Intel Macs, and it isn't a plugin for Adobe apps. For a wider list, see Topaz Video AI alternatives compared, and for a side-by-side with Topaz, see KwaFlux vs Topaz Video.

Final thoughts

The deal changed who owns Topaz, not what Topaz users pay today. The open questions are prices, legacy licenses, and Creative Cloud bundling, and none of them has an answer yet. Note your renewal date, keep your installers, and decide when there's real news rather than ahead of it.

Keep a local option in reach

KwaFlux runs AI video upscaling, repair, and restoration on your own computer. AI processing runs locally on your GPU, and media files are not uploaded for processing. It runs on Windows 10 (64-bit, version 1809 or later), Windows 11, and macOS 12 or newer on Apple Silicon. Previews need no account: render a 1-, 3-, or 5-second preview on any clip. Signing in with an active paid plan is required only to export, convert, repair a file, or download a file from a link.

Download KwaFlux · See plans

Related reading: Topaz Video review 2026

Topaz Labs, Topaz Video, Gigapixel, Astra, and Bloom are trademarks of Topaz Labs. Adobe, Firefly, and Photoshop are trademarks of Adobe. KwaFlux is an independent product and isn't affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Topaz Labs or Adobe.