Image upscaling has never been more important.
Over the past few years, everyone has flocked to online platforms in order to do multiple things that they could not during the pandemic.
Online learning, dating, working, and communication in general has resulted in many new social media apps becoming popular and an increased demand in image uploading as everyone moves their businesses and their lives online.
So – you have probably realized that you need a high quality AI image upscaling software for your business.
Whether you are uploading images to sell products online, or showing off your bread-making skills that you perfected during lockdown, you will definitely want to take the tiny photographs from your camera or phone and upscale them to larger yet high resolution images.
The issue is that when it comes to using some image upscalers, images can become distorted – but there are AI image upscalers that you can use for your business to prevent this from happening as well as gaining access to a number of cool features.
If you are looking for the best AI image upscaler, then take a look at our favorite pick below.
We have ranked them on a number of aspects including quality and ease of use, so if you are struggling to find an AI image upscaler that suits your needs, check out our recommendations below!
GIMP
The first AI image upscaler on our list has to be GIMP. If you have ever talked to someone about finding an AI image upscaler, then GIMP will most likely be the first one they recommend.
This is because GIMP offers something that no other AI image upscaler of such high quality has – it’s free to use!
Yes – GIMP is a freeware that upscales images to such a high quality that many businesses and professionals use to this day.
It’s open source so if you are into technology and have the skills, you are able to optimize the program to suit your own needs.
This kind of control over your AI image upscaling software is unheard of with other companies so this is a huge advantage GIMP offers to its customers.
Despite being free and available to all, GIMP still produces amazingly high quality images after the upscaling process.
Noise and blur is reduced, leaving less distortion and pixelation on your images so they can still look professional even after being enlarged.
But GIMP is more than just an upscaling tool – it is used by graphic designers, illustrations and photographers to improve creativity and productivity when it comes to handling images.
It offers complete image manipulation so you can compose images as well as retouch and edit them.
This means that you can practically do anything to your images, but the layout is a bit cluttered and takes some getting used to.
Using GIMP reminds us of the first time we used Photoshop – overwhelming and takes a lot of playing around with to find the tools we want.
Trying to find just one specific tool takes a lot of time, so this can be a huge downside for a lot of users who just want to use GIMP as an image upscaler.
However, if you are on a limited budget but still want to improve your business’s image, then GIMP is a great free alternative to use to upscale your images to a professional standard.
Pros
- It’s free to use, making it available to everyone and especially appealing to smaller businesses who are restricted on their budget.
- Offers a lot of other tools to help compose images as well as edit and retouch them.
- Constantly updated to keep on top of security and technological advancements.
Cons
- It’s a cluttered app with too much on offer at times, making it difficult to use and navigate but works great once you get used to it.
BigJPG
If you are still new to upscaling images using AI software, then you will probably want an AI upscaling software that is very basic and easy to use yet still gives you incredibly high quality results.
For those who want little fuss or effort when upscaling their images, then try out BigJPG.
BigJPG is the simplest and easiest to use AI image upscaling software on our list. Just upload your images, click and boom – you’re done!
Upscale your images to up to to 4k resolution for sharp, beautiful images that are precise and detailed.
You can upload single images or batches, the choice is yours, making this AI software one of our favorite to use due to its simplicity.
This simplicity can be a double-edged sword as BigJPG offers no other features to help you edit your images, but this can be a blessing to some but a downside to others.
If you like a lot of features so you can get your money’s worth, then you are better off looking elsewhere.
However, if you just want a good AI image upscaling tool, then BigJPG has you covered.
It’s also very quick as it uses high performance servers to maintain a stable and consistent speed.
This allows you to upscale your images in nearly no time at all and still maintain high resolution results.
BigJPG, by their claim, works best with anime and hand-drawn images.
So, if you work with art and illustrations, this AI software can help you upscale images of your art to either redraw using illustration software or create large images to help sell your pieces online.
No longer do you have to submit fuzzy, blurred images of your drawings – you can use BigJPG to process them to make them sharper yet larger so others can admire your hard work.
Pros
- A great AI image upscaler that works amazingly well to de-fuzz your images and upscale them with clear and precise detail.
- Very simple to use which makes it ideal for those who struggle using advanced technology yet still want the same high quality results with just a click of a button.
- Very quick thanks to its multiple high performance serves which allows you to get upscaled images very quickly.
Cons
- Its simplicity is a double-edged sword as BigJPG offers no other tools that can help you manage your images even further.
VanceAI
If you want your image upscaling AI software to be used for more than just enlarging your images, then VanceAI is the tool for you to use.
This is because Vance AI offers more than just high quality upscaled images – you can also access a bunch of other tools to help edit your photos and change them to suit your tastes and needs.
For example, you can use any of the AI Photo tools such as the Colorizer or Retoucher to edit and recolor your photographs.
Turn them black and white, or reduce or increase noise, flip and crop, remove the background – whatever you desire!
You can even do the opposite and compress images if that is what you desire.
Our favorite tool has to be the VanceAI Anime Upscaler that takes photographs and filters them to appear more like an anime drawing – so if you really want to get creative and transform your images for a fun vibe, you have that option with VanceAI.
However, to access these features, you have to be ready to pay more into your VanceAI pricing plan.
We would like more of these editing features to be included in their more affordable plans, but at least the option is there for you to not opt for these features if you think you won’t use them.
When it comes to upscaling your images, you also still receive a high quality image that is sharper and clearer than if you tried to upscale it yourself, along with half of the effort and time.
So, VanceAI works great as an AI image upscaler and even offers you additional features to help customize your images even further while retaining high quality.
Pros
- Offers lots of editing features that allow you to change colors and styles of your images.
- Produces high quality upscaled images with little noise and blur.
- Offers you the ability to compress images as well as upscaling, allowing more use for just one software.
Cons
- Most of its best features require you to opt into their less affordable payment plans, locking them behind a paywall.
Topaz Gigapixel AI
Topaz Gigapixel AI secures its spot on our list as it is such a capable and advanced image upscaler.
It is more than capable of upscaling images while reducing distortion like shake, noise, and blur.
This AI software will leave you with incredibly clear images that are sharp and high in quality.
What really stood out to us was the shake solution used by this AI.
It allows photographs taken using hand-held devices, like cameras or smartphones, to be automatically edited so it appears steadier and sharper to closely resemble photographs taken using tripods.
This not only increases the clarity of your images, but makes them appear very professional.
This is all because Topaz Gigapixel AI uses an AI that is constantly learning and developing, allowing it to improve even more overtime.
This means better accuracy and higher resolution images with each use.
This software is also very easy to use as all you have to do is upload the image you desire to upscale and go from there.
You can even upscale images in batches, saving you precious time without sacrificing quality.
This is a great way to use this tool, especially if you know that you will want to be uploading dozens of images at a time.
So, Topaz Gigapixel AI is a great choice for busy businesses with too many images and not enough time to manually upscale them individually.
Our only complaint is the sizing scales. Basically, we wish there were more.
A lot of AI image upscalers use limited scales but with an AI tool as high quality and as advanced as Topaz Gigapixel AI, we wish it also had more scales available than just the few on offer.
However, Topaz Gigapixel AI still offers a fair amount of features, including a video enhancer so you can upscale and improve the qualities of videos as well as images.
Pros
- Produces very high quality images that are sharp and clear.
- Create professional upscaled images using this unique shake solution technology.
- Enhance videos as well as images.
Cons
- Limited scales are on offer, so we wish there were more options when it came to increasing the size of our images.
Deep-Image AI
And finally, we have this incredible AI image upscaling tool called Deep-Image AI.
This is one of our favorite choices when it comes to image upscaling because it produces very high-quality images, achieving a 4k output for images while saving time and resources compared to if you chose to render all by yourself.
Basically, Deep-Image AI does a fantastic job at image upscaling.
We noticed that the images were far clearer and sharper than when trying to upscale by ourselves, and this image clarity can be so important when it comes to making your business look professional and clean.
This sharpness and high quality produce is great for e-commerce businesses who want clear images of their products that can help increase their revenue.
It’s also incredibly quick – some images only took a matter of seconds to upscale!
Plus, they did not lose quality or become distorted in the process, so Deep-Image is definitely a great way to upscale images in our opinion.
If there’s one thing we had to complain about with Deep-Image AI, it’s that their paid plans do not come with extra bonuses other than the ability to upscale more images.
We would have liked to have seen more tools like photo editing available when subscribing to their paid plans, but that’s not the case – you get the same features, just more access.
However, Deep-Image AI is still a great image upscaling tool to try out if you want high quality results in a matter of seconds.
Pros
- Very quick and easy to use.
- Upscaled images remain sharp and clear despite being enlarged.
- You have the ability to choose between a subscription, pay as you go, or custom plan when accessing Deep-Image AI’s software, allowing you to choose how you interact with this tool.
Cons
- Paid plans do not offer more features like photo editing, just more credits to allow for more image upscaling.
Buyer’s Guide
When it comes to finding a great AI image upscaler, it can be difficult to know where to start. What should you look for?
What makes a basic and what makes a generous AI image upscaler?
If you feel a little overwhelmed when looking for an AI image upscaler, then check out this buyer’s guide so you know what you should look out for.
We hope this helps you out when it comes to understanding AI image upscalers and what they offer.
Ease Of Use
A lot of businesses that use AI image upscalers are often those who are better working with numbers and websites than fiddling with its appearance and display.
Nothing’s more annoying than pouring hours of work into setting up systems and code only for the final website to be distorted and low visual quality – but not everyone is adept at Photoshop to fix these visual issues.
For these reasons, an AI image upscaler should be easy and simple to use.
Business owners – whether this is their first time using AI technology or not – should be able to easily navigate the software to get the results they want.
Ease of use is so important as it saves you time while still giving you high quality results to help increase your business’s brand and image.
Especially in these times of online business, maintaining a professional look online as you would in-store means that high quality images are a must, but you should not be held back by a lack of experience working with certain aspects of technology.
So, look for simple and easy to use Ai image upscalers with clearly marked tools and easy uploading options.
The ability to upscale batches of images at a single time is a great feature to make as it increases productivity, so this is certainly a feature to keep your eyes peeled for when looking for an AI image upscaler.
Upscaling
Upscaling images is all about quality.
The last thing you want when you upscale an image is for the final result to be noisy, blurry, and distorted.
If the results aren’t what you want, then there’s no point in you paying to use this AI image upscaler.
So, check out how good the upscaling technology is first.
You can try this out using some free trails that are on offer so upscale a few images you know you want to enlarge and then see how they turn out.
These images should be clear and sharp while also being larger in dimensions. This way, you can find out if the AI is up to your standards.
Certain AI upscaling tools also offer certain scales so an AI upscaling software that offers more scaling options is definitely something to consider.
More scaling options means more freedom of choice so you can have more control over the images you desire.
Editing Tools
A lot of upscaling AI tools these days offer more features than just upscaling your images.
While the overall quality of your images is vitally important in what makes a good AI image upscaler, you can also get more for your money by going with an AI software that also offers additional features like color correction or editing options.
So, if you like to have more freedom and choice available with your AI software, you can also find software that will upscale images to a high quality while also giving you the ability to correct, retouch and edit your images before you upload them to your website.
Editing is not always important to some people, but it’s definitely something you should look out for when browsing AI image upscalers.
If you just want to upscale an image then these features will not be important to you, but if you want to upscale an image, add noise for a certain style of image and edit the warmth and colors, then editing tools can be a huge advantage to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Image Upscaling?
Image upscaling refers to the process of stretching images so they fit onto larger displays.
For example, taking a photograph from your smartphone and trying to make it fit your laptop screen so you can use it as a wallpaper.
However, this process can often lead to distortions, lower density of pixels, low resolution, and other problems.
This is why AI image upscaling is on the rise – people now more than ever wish to upscale images for more purposes than just social media, but doing so themselves leads to low-quality images.
AI image upscaling can reduce distortion and pixelation, allowing for clearer images after increasing its size.
How Is AI Image Upscaling Different From Traditional Image Upscaling?
Traditional upscaling refers to the old process people used to try and take low-resolution images and improve it’s quality by manually fixing pixelation and distortion.
This would require hours of work on just a single image – but AI image upscaling uses a learning model to predict what the high-resolution image looks like and projects it.
It does this by analyzing the image and filling in where the missing pixels are on an upscaled image.
This leads to lower pixelation and distortion, leaving you with a clearer image on a larger scale.
AI image upscaling also now allows you to upscale images to larger sizes.
So basically, AI image upscaling cuts out the need for human intervention, apart from a little photo-editing and tweaking if required.
Can You Use Photoshop To Upscale An Image?
Photoshop is a tool that a lot of people already use so you might be tempted to try and cut corners by upscaling an image in Photoshop.
However, while this is possible, it is very time-consuming as it is a traditional way to upscale an image and does not use AI technology.
This also means that trying to upscale an image using Photoshop can result in a lot of quality loss, unless you are willing to spend hours yourself trying to fix those issues.
