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Here are 11 of the most effective image upscaling services in 2024 based on quality, popularity and reviews from existing users.
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In recent years, artificial intelligence has revolutionized the field of image upscaling, allowing us to enhance low-resolution images with astonishing results. Whether you're a photographer, graphic designer, or simply someone looking to improve the visual quality of your images, these AI-powered tools have become essential in achieving remarkable image enhancement.
AI image upscaling is a technique that enhances the resolution and quality of low-resolution images with the power of artificial intelligence. It involves employing deep learning techniques to analyze and understand the content of an image and then generating higher-resolution versions with improved details and clarity. While, traditional upscaling methods, such as bicubic interpolation, simply stretch and interpolate the existing pixels, which can result in blurry or pixelated images.
AI image upscalers use neural networks to train their models with vast amounts of high-resolution image data, just like how humans learn from the existing world, and then apply that knowledge to enhance the low-resolution images. Now such AI upscalers play a crucial role in various tasks, such as restoring old photos, enlarging images for printing, upscaling AI-generated artwork, enhancing close-up shots, and beyond.
First off, the ease of use is something I can't stress enough. Imagine you've got a photo that's a bit too small for what you need, maybe for a print or a project. Instead of fiddling with complex software, where you're likely to get lost among sliders and settings, an AI image upscaler does the heavy lifting. You upload your photo, hit a button, and watch as it transforms. This simplicity saves me hours, especially when I'm on a tight deadline.
Now, let's talk about the magic behind these upscalers. They're not just stretching your image; they're smart. Using AI, these tools analyze your photo and enhance the resolution in a way that feels almost like magic. I've seen images go from blurry to sharp, with details I didn't even know were missing suddenly popping. This isn't just about making images bigger; it's about making them better.
The real kicker for me, though, is how these upscalers fill in the gaps. It's one thing to enlarge a photo, but another to enhance it in a way that looks natural. I've had photos with missing details, maybe from an old camera or a low-light situation, and watched as the upscaler brought them back to life. It's like having a professional retoucher at your fingertips, one that knows exactly what your photo needs to shine.
I have considered the following 9 factors when determining the rankings of each upscaling tool in the list that follows below.
I've upscaled everything from old family photos to gritty street photography. The key? Detail preservation. Some tools do a fantastic job at keeping the essence of the photo intact, making it look like it was originally shot in high resolution. I've seen tools that can turn a 480p image into a 4K masterpiece without making it look like a watercolor painting. Noise reduction is another feature to look out for. I've had images plagued with digital noise, and the right upscaler can smooth out those imperfections without turning the picture into mush. Sharpness is also another tricky one to target. Too little, and the image looks soft. Too much, and you're in 'uncanny valley' territory. Finding that sweet spot is crucial, and I've spent hours adjusting sliders to get there.
I often work with artwork that needs to be printed in large formats. This means I need an upscaler that doesn't just double the dimensions but can go up to 8x without breaking a sweat. Custom resolution settings are my best friend here, allowing me to match the exact size needed for the print, down to the last pixel.
I don't have the luxury to wait around. Some tools process an image in the blink of an eye, while others take their sweet time, making me watch the progress bar crawl. Batch processing is a lifesaver, especially when I'm working on a series of images that all need the same treatment. It's like setting up a row of dominoes and watching them fall in one go.
I've encountered tools that made me feel like I needed a PhD to use them. The best experiences come from tools with a clean, intuitive interface where everything I need is at my fingertips. I don't want to hunt through menus or decipher cryptic icons just to start an upscale.
I work across various platforms and software, so input and output format compatibility is non-negotiable. I've been burned by tools that output in obscure formats, leaving me to convert files before I can use them further. Integration with my existing software stack makes everything flow smoother, cutting down on the back-and-forth.
The results I get are only as good as the AI driving the tool. I've seen dramatic differences based on the training data used. Some tools excel with photographs but falter with illustrations. Regular updates to the AI model mean that the tool grows with me, adapting to new challenges and improving over time.
I'm always on the lookout for the best value. Some tools offer incredible features but at a steep subscription price. Others are more wallet-friendly but might lack advanced features. I've taken advantage of free trials to test the waters before committing my hard-earned cash.
Working with sensitive images means I can't afford to take risks with data security. I've turned away from tools that play fast and loose with user data, no matter how impressive their features might be.
Even with the best tools, questions and issues pop up. Responsive customer support has turned potential disasters into minor hiccups. And there's nothing like a vibrant user community for swapping tips and tricks that aren't in the official documentation.
Our review considers multiple perspectives to determine the overall best AI image upscale for you. The top list of AI image upscalers for desktops is based on AI upscaling capabilities, ease of use, compatibility, value for money, and additional features. Now here's a summary:
Price: Free trial; plan starts from $25.95/yr for 3 PCs.
Compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7; AI features for the Mac version are coming soon.
Ideal for: Upscaling images up to 8K and videos up to 4K with crisp and natural results.
The first AI image upscaler worth trying is VideoProc Converter AI, the next-generation AI video and image upscaler. It can upscale images up to 8K (8000 × 8000px). and videos up to 4K. Benefiting from the innovative AI Super Resolution technologies, it goes beyond simple enlargement. After analyzing and understanding the content of an image, VideoProc Converter AI intelligently adds missing details and enhances the overall resolution. By applying corresponding AI models, you can instantly enhance aged photos, blurry images, animes, CG content, AI artworks, low-res videos, etc., and see a side-by-side comparison in the preview window.
In addition, VideoProc Converter AI has two more AI tools called Frame Interpolation and Stabilization for making smooth high FPS and steady videos. All the AI models and algorithms in it are ever evolving with new features and updates coming out all the time.
Price: $49.99
Compatibility: Windows (64-bit only), Mac
Ideal for: Upscaling low-resolution photos for printing
Pixbin, a company concentrating on AI image processing, has launched a series of AI software to upscale, colorize, unblur, and remove objects from video/image. The one for AI image upscaling is called AI Enlarge PhotoLabs. It utilizes advanced deep convolutional neural networks to enhance image quality by enlarging images. Whether you possess low-resolution pictures or simply desire to enlarge a photo, Pixbim Enlarge AI effectively improves image resolution and delivers exceptional results.
Price: $79.95 per year
Compatibility: Windows 11/10 (64-bit only), Mac
Ideal for: Desktop users seeking a comprehensive solution for image enhancement
AVCLabs Photo Enhancer AI is an AI-based image upscaler that uses deep learning to upscale, sharpen, and denoise photos without artifacts. It’s more professional than online upscalers as you can fully control the image brightness, saturation, contrast, format, and scale. Trained by different genres of photos, AVCLabs delivers natural and accurate results. Its AI Face Refinement model is specifically designed to enhance portrait photography, polish skin tone, remove blemishes, and enhance eyes and lips features.
This tool also has a list of AI features, such as AI Denoiser, AI Color Calibrator, AI Background remover, and AI Colorizer, giving you a full image solution with the power of AI.
Price: $99.99
Compatibility: Windows 11/10, Mac, Photoshop plugin
Ideal for: Enlarging images on desktop with advanced AI settings
Gigapixel AI is an expert in enhancing image resolution in a realistic manner. To overcome t poor quality outcomes, Gigapixel AI employs neural networks that are constantly trained on diverse sample images to grasp the art of generating lifelike details. With massive training on real photos, this AI image enhancer can now effectively enhance resolution for various subjects and textures, including portraits, wildlife, flora, landscapes, and images from DSLR, web, and CG.
It can work on its own, but you are also allowed to customize the AI settings to enhance its performance based on the subject. You can drag sliders to denoise, remove blurriness, and fix compression problems (specific to certain AI models).
Price: $10 per month
Compatibility: Windows, Mac
Ideal for: Photographers and graphics designers to upscale low-res images
Since its initial release in 2003, Adobe Camera Raw has been an essential tool for professional photographers, allowing them to import and improve raw images. With the evolution of AI technologies, it features AI Denoise, Raw Details, and Super Resolution. The first two options are only compatible with RAW images. While, Super Resolution employs artificial intelligence to enhance the resolution of various types of graphic files, e.g. JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW.
To access the Enhance feature in Camera Raw, simply right-click on the image. A dialog box will then appear, allowing you to select Super Resolution. After a brief moment, a new DNG file will be generated with the word "Enhanced" added to its name.
Price: $69.99
Compatibility: Windows 11/10 (64-bit only), Mac
Ideal for: Enlarging and restoring low-quality photos
ON1 Resize AI is an image upscaling app for desktops as well as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom. By utilizing cutting-edge AI technology, this advanced super-resolution feature empowers users to effortlessly enlarge photos or specific sections of a photo up to 700% or beyond while keeping details and sharpness.
In the upgrade in May 2023, the developers added a machine-learning model for face recovery. It detects and improves faces with realistic detail compensation, thus reviving old or small portrait and group photos. Also, it’s built with options to modify the upscaled images for printing, like gallery wrap and tiling.
While, if you don’t want to install any software on your computer, or you want some upscalers available for mobile devices, online tools are a good option. In a web browser with a network connection, you can convert low-resolution images and photos to a higher resolution in an instant. But notice that, image upscaling and AI computing are quite resource-consuming, so online tools may not perform as efficiently as decent AI upscalers running on the desktop.
Price: Free
Compatibility: Online
Ideal for: Upscaling small anime images online for free
Waifu2x is an excellent choice for enlarging anime images. It utilizes neural networks to enhance the resolution of images, producing high-quality outcomes. While primarily designed for anime enthusiasts, it can also be used for various other types of photographs.
One of the key features of Waifu2x is its ability to remove noise from images during the upscaling process. Moreover, you can simply input the URL of the desired image instead of downloading and manually uploading it to the tool. Waifu2x automatically retrieves the image from the provided URL and initiates the upscaling procedure.
Price: $39.99 per year
Compatibility: Online
Ideal for: Beginners who don’t want to fiddle with pro image upscaling settings.
Fotor is an online image editor featuring an AI image enlarger. It can upscale images of various types, including portraits, anime pictures, logos, and digital art, using AI technology to make them bigger and clearer. With Fotor, you can easily and quickly upscale images in just one click. Upload a picture to Fotor and AI will upscale it up to 4x its original size instantly, with no technical skills required. When you get into the website of Fotor, you can explore more AI image tools to enhance your photo by unblurring and relighting.
Price: Free, $59.99 per year for a pro version
Compatibility: Online, iPhone, Android
Ideal for: Upscaling images up to 4K online for free
Pixelcut is an easy online AI image editor with a 4K AI image upscaling feature. It comes with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface for beginners and average users. The tool handles the upscaling process automatically and allows for downloading of the upscaled image without any watermarks. It offers flexibility in upscaling by 2x or 4x and has a basic online editor for making further adjustments to images such as adding text, shapes, backgrounds, or resizing and cropping photos.
Pixelcut also offers a subscription plan with unlimited background removal, batch photo editing, and a library of over 100 premium templates, fonts, backdrops, and overlays. Meanwhile, the subscription unlocks Pixelcut Pro on iPhone and Android devices.
Price: Free with watermarks; $129.99 per year for unlimited use
Compatibility: Online
Ideal for: Upscaling portrait photos online without complicated settings
HitPaw Photo Enhancer is a powerful online AI tool with a beginner-friendly interface. It offers exceptional enhancements to image quality and can even convert a fully black-and-white photo into a colored copy using AI technology. In its pro version, you can upscale images by up to 800%. And during the process, you can enable the denoise option to give your photo a smoother look.
One thing distinguishes it from other online image enlargers it that, HitPaw employs different AI models for portraits and other general photos. So it’s more efficient to upscale images with human faces, animals, landscapes, buildings, flowers, and so forth.
Price: Free (with watermarks); $99 (unlimited use)
Compatibility: Online, Mac
Ideal for: Enlarging JPEG and PNG images online
iCons5 uses AI technology to enhance photo quality without losing details. It upscales images through deep learning based on analyzing millions of images, constantly adding more data to its dataset. It works best with images in JPEG or PNG format at a resolution smaller than 3000×3000 px. The upscaling effect will be more pronounced with smaller images. Though it’s web-based, it accepts and upscales multiple images at a time. And the maximum scale reaches up to 7680x7680px.
VideoProc Converter AI. It allows using its AI Super Resolution feature to enlarge images up to 8K without watermarks. You may find many free image upscalers, but either add watermarks or impose limits on the maximum resolution.
to generate more pixels that really make sense to fill up the image. And that’s what AI image upscalers excel in. So if you want to upscale images without losing quality, turn to an AI image upscaler that has been well-trained with as many images as possible, like say, VideoProc Converter AI.
It depends on the models or algorithms of the AI tool and the characteristics of the photos. For example, some AI tools are specialized in unblurring faces, some in flora photos, and some in fabric texture.
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