AI image upscaler
Make a small photo 2, 4 or 8 times larger without the blocky pixels. The instant upscale runs on your device; the AI detail pass redraws fine texture when you need more than maths can give.
Instant upscale runs on your device. The AI detail pass sends a 1024px copy to our AI provider, which redraws fine texture; the result is then scaled to your chosen size (capped at 4096px wide).
Upscale an image
Open a small image
Thumbnails, old phone photos, images saved from chats. The output size updates as you choose 2×, 4× or 8×.
Upscale and inspect
Press Upscale, then switch on the loupe and move over edges and text. The left side shows the raw pixels at the same size.
Add AI detail if needed
If texture still looks smooth, run the AI detail pass. Save as PNG for editing or JPEG for sharing.
How upscaling invents pixels
An image that is 8 pixels wide has no information about what sits between those pixels. Making it 8× bigger means inventing 63 new pixels for every real one. The only question is the rule. Pick one:
Nearest neighbour copies the closest original pixel. Nothing new is invented, so every pixel becomes a hard block. Good for pixel art, ugly for photos.
AI upscalers break this ceiling by guessing: a model trained on millions of sharp/blurry pairs predicts plausible texture (hair, brick, leaves) instead of averaging. That is why AI results look sharper, and why they can occasionally invent detail that was never there.
Pixels you need for common sizes
Pick the smallest factor that gets you past the target. Print sizes assume 300 pixels per inch.
| Target | Pixels needed |
|---|---|
| 4 × 6 in | 1200 × 1800 |
| 5 × 7 in | 1500 × 2100 |
| 8 × 10 in | 2400 × 3000 |
| A4 (8.3 × 11.7 in) | 2480 × 3508 |
| Full HD screen | 1920 × 1080 |
| 4K screen | 3840 × 2160 |
Getting the cleanest upscale
- Start from the original file. A screenshot of a photo, or one re-saved by a messaging app, carries compression blocks that get enlarged too. Raise "Clean JPEG noise first" for those.
- Upscale once, not twice. Going 2× then 2× again softens more than going 4× in one step.
- Crop first. If you only need a face or a product, crop it before upscaling so every pixel budget goes where it matters.
- Do not trust AI with text or numbers. Generative detail can turn a blurry licence plate into a confident wrong one.
Questions people ask
How much can I upscale an image?
Choose 2×, 4× or 8×. A 1000 × 750px photo becomes 2000 × 1500, 4000 × 3000 or 8000 × 6000px. Very large outputs (over about 32 megapixels) are blocked because phones and many laptops run out of memory rendering them.
Does upscaling really add detail?
Classic resampling (Lanczos, bicubic) does not add information; it spreads existing pixels smoothly and the edge-detail slider restores crispness. The AI detail pass does add detail: a model predicts plausible texture. That looks sharper but can invent things, such as letters in small text, so check it with the loupe.
Which resampling method should I pick?
Lanczos for photos, which is the default and the sharpest. Bicubic if Lanczos shows light halos around high-contrast edges. Nearest neighbour for pixel art and screenshots of pixel art, where you want hard square pixels.
Is there a watermark or file limit?
No watermark and no account. The instant upscaler runs in your browser, so the only limit is your device’s memory. The AI pass is limited to a few runs per hour per visitor.
How do I increase image resolution for printing?
Print shops usually ask for 300 pixels per inch. Multiply the print size in inches by 300: a 6 × 4 inch print needs 1800 × 1200px, an 8 × 10 needs 2400 × 3000px. Pick the smallest factor that reaches that size, because each doubling adds more invented pixels.
Is this the same as an HD image converter?
Yes. "HD" means at least 1280 × 720px, "Full HD" 1920 × 1080 and "4K" 3840 × 2160. Upscale until your photo’s long side meets the target, then save as PNG for lossless quality or JPEG for a smaller file.