Upscayl: Enlarge Your Images with Help from AI

The bane of any designer’s life is working with low resolution images supplied by the client. Fortunately, there’s an elegant solution, which is not only remarkably effective, it’s also free. Upscayl is available as an app for Mac, Windows, and Linux, and you can download it from upscayl.org. Note that if you choose the macOS version you’ll be taken to the App Store, where you’ll be charged for it. Instead, choose Alternative Downloads to get it at no cost. There is also a Cloud version, but this is being slowly rolled out and you have to apply for access.

The Upscayl Interface

Unusually for open-source software, the Upscayl app is intelligently thought out and easy to navigate. Choose your starting image, then select the Model – five photo models are available, as well as a separate one for digital artwork. By default, your image will be upscaled four times. You’ll also need to set the output folder in order to save images. Once you click the Upscayl button, it takes a few seconds for processing to take place and for the image to appear in the window. A slider lets you swipe between your original and the upscaled version. Alternatively, you can choose to have a lens that you drag over the image to see the upscaling in detail.

Great for Logos

Throw a low res logo at Upscayl and the results are impressive: smooth edges replace ragged outlines, and colors mutated by over-compression are replaced with flat shades. There is some difficulty reproducing text accurately, as this example shows.

Bringing Out the Detail

In this example, a low resolution map has been turned into a crisp, sharp version at four times the size. Again, some of the smaller text is illegible, but the overall effect is a huge improvement in quality. Note, also, how textured areas are smoothed in the process.

Architectural Images

This very low res view of a portion of a Gothic cathedral is turned into a sharp image in seconds. There is some sense of it being more of an illustration than a photograph, but there’s no denying that it captures the essence of the original.

Working with Portraits

Upscayl works remarkably well with images of people. Here, a low res image of a woman (this is just 640 pixels high) is enlarged with good attention to detail – and this is where the AI element of process really comes in. Note the texture of the mouth and hair in particular, as well as the detail in the eyebrows.

Doubling Up the Effect

By clicking the Double Up button, you can tell Upscayl to perform its operation twice, producing a result 16 times the size of the original image. In this close-up of the eye we can see how fine hair texture has been added to the eyelids, with the eye itself featuring a sharp shine. Upscayl isn’t perfect, and some might find the results too smooth. But for most purposes it does the job that every designer has been hoping for – and it’s free.