Full Upscayl Review: Features, Guide, and Test Examples
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Has anyone tried Upscayl? Just curious if anyone uses Upscayl for upscaling photographic images (or anything else). Can it make a real difference in terms of printability?
Captured a perfect moment but ended up with a low-resolution image? Today you can easily turn low-quality snapshots into stunning bigger and high resolution for print or poster with AI image upscalers. In a crowded market of AI image upscalers, Upscayl has distinguished itself with its advanced algorithms, user-friendly approach, and open-source nature. In this review, we'll explore Upscayl’s models, key features, strengths, limitations, and real-world applications.
What is Upscayl?
Upscayl AI Image Upscaler is a free and open source cloud and desktop application that lets you upscale your low-resolution images using advanced AI models. It’s a cross-platform application built with the Linux-first philosophy. There are also builds for Windows and macOS. It’s designed to enlarge and enhance low-resolution images by 2x, 3x, and 4x without losing crucial details or introducing artifacts.
Key Features
- Upscale by 2x, 3x or 4x the original image size.
- Enhance your images by up to 16x better resolution.
- Users can choose from over five different modes when enhancing their photos.
- Upcale multiple images in one click.
- Upscale your image twice for better quality.
- Removes blur, jpg artifacts and noise.
- Cross-platform support - Windows, Mac, Linux.
Pros:
- Free to use under MIT license and easy to use.
- It offers 5+ AI models and users can add AI models themselves.
- Uses AI to recover details and sharpen images.
- Leverages GPU acceleration for quick enlargement.
- Regular updates and improvements planned.
Cons:
- It’s limited to image upscaling.
- Its upscaling performance can be affected by GPU capabilities.
- Adding AI models is a little bit complicated for begginers.
- Users have minimal options to fine-tune the upscaling process.
Hot Search: Upscaly - An Open-source Remini Alternative to Enhance Images
How to Use Upscayl to Enlarge Images?
Download Upscayl
You can download Upscayl from Github and its official site. Is Upscayl safe? Yes. Download and install it with confidence, Upscayl is a safe AI Image Upscaler.
https://github.com/upscayl/upscay
https://upscayl.org/download
Important note: You'll need a Vulkan compatible GPU (Graphics Card) to upscale images. But it might work if emulated, so it would be very helpful if they added the option to force the use of swiftshader. This can be done by modifying Upscayl's files on Windows and Linux.
So you need to copy: C:\Program Files\Upscayl\vk_swiftshader.dll
to C:\Program Files\Upscayl\resources\bin
and rename it to: vulkan-1.dll
Start to Upscale Images in Upscayl
Step 1. Adjust Upscayl Settings
Once installed, open Upscayl. Click Settings on the upper of the interface. In this section, you can select a desired theme, choose an output file format (png, jpg, webp) for all upscaled images, add custom models, and set a GPU ID, etc.
Step 2. Upscale Images
Click Upscayl on the upper of the interface to start upscaling. If you have multiple images to upscale, click on the Batch Upscale button. To enhance one image at a time, click Select Image and load the source photo from your computer.
Next, select a model for upscaling. Upscayl offers 6 models for you. They are:
- General Photo (REAL-ESGRAN): This model aims to produce high-quality results across a wide range of images. It’s a good starting point for most users.
- General Photo (FAST REAL-ESGRAN): This model prioritizes speed over image quality. It’s suitable for large batches of images or when processing time is critical.
- General Photo (REMAKRI): This model is known for their ability to preserve image details and colors. It’s ideal for photos with intricate details or textures.
- General Photo (ULTAMIXED BALANCED): This model strikes a balance between speed and image quality.
- General Photo (ULTRASHARP): This mode is focused on enhancing sharpness, potentially at the cost of some image quality.
- Digital Art: This model is optimized for digital art and illustrations, aiming to preserve artistic styles and details.
Next, choose an image scaling option. Upscayl allows you to upscale an image by up to 16x. However, anything above 4x will only enlarge the image without using AI upcaling.
Then set an output folder or leave it as default to save the upscaled image in the folder that you set in the settings. Then click Upscayl and wait. Once finished, you can check the before/after results and make changes.
Download Upscayl Models
Beyond the default 6 models, Upscayl allows you to load your own NCNN models. You can use Upscayl's official Custom Models Repository. Below are the steps:
- Download the custom models repository and extract the ZIP file.
- Create a folder named "models" and put your NCNN models in the "models" folder in .bin + .param format.
- Open Upscayl and click the Settings tab.
- Scroll down to the Add Custom Models section and click Select Folder. Select the "models" folder you created
- Go back to the Upscayl screen and select your custom models. Then you can use the custom model in the Upscayl.
You can use PyTorch to train your own model(only ESRGAN). But Upscayl can only support NCNN models, so you need to convert PyTorch models to NCNN models first. This will need the tool chaiNNer. Check Upscayl models conversion guide on Github.
Upscayl Performance and Image Quality
Upscayl generally produces impressive results, particularly when upscaling images by a factor of 2x. While the quality might degrade slightly with higher upscaling factors, it still outperforms many other free options. The tool excels at preserving fine details and reducing artifacts, contributing to a visually appealing output.
Below are some examples:
Example 1. Original: 825x465, upscaled by 4x to 3300x1860, Upscayl model: General Photo (REAL-ESGRAN)
Example 2. Original: 512x512, upscaled by 2x to 1024x1024, Upscayl model: General Photo (REAL-ESGRAN)
Example 3. Original: 345x602, upscaled to 1380x2408, Upscayl model: Digital Art
In my tests, Upscayl excels at transforming low-resolution images with clean lines and simple textures into stunning high-definition visuals. The quality of the upscaled image quality is impressive for a free tool. It can also effectively preserves image detail while increasing size.
However, when dealing with images containing significant noise, blur, or complex details, Upscayl's performance might be limited. While it can improve these images, the results might not be as impressive as with simpler subjects.
For example, when upscaling images with a lot of noise, Upscayl can sometimes remove too many details.
Issues with Upscayl from Users
On Upscayl Github, ubuntuforums, and alike, some users are having trouble using Upscayl.
- The upscaled image feels sharper but loses some detail.
- Are there any models out there for cleaning up an image, not just upscaling? I have a bunch of old photos taken on early low-res point-and-shoots that have JPEG artifacts, etc.?
- Upscayl is very straightforward. But from my understanding though, the quality is pretty far behind that of the cutting edge.
- Downloaded Upscayl. Tried to rescue two low resolution soccer team images. Both were big fails.
- Unless you have the correct graphics card in your PC, Upscayl will not work.
- It's so slow on my computer.
- Not good enough models especially with low quality images upscayl can't do anything.
- I shot at high iso and i am trying to recover those images. It's not good for noise.
- When I tried with batch upscale, The batch upscale is not working as expected.
- Upscayl fails when upscaling large image.
Upscayl vs Competition
Upscayl offers superior results compared to many other free AI image enhancement tools. It delivers impressive results, making it a compelling choice for those on a budget. For those seeking the highest quality results, premium options like Aiarty Image Enhancer offer advanced features and superior detail.
Aiarty Image Enhancer is able to upscale images by 2x, 4x, 8x, up to 32K. It will automatically remove noise, blur, pixelated artifacts, and other imperfections from images. 3 dedicated AI models, namely, More-detail GAN V2 (for enhancing detail, clarity, and sharpness, particularly for skin, hair, and textures), Smooth Diff V2 (for producing a smoother, more flawless version of the original image), and Real-Photo V3 (tailored for photo restoration), are provided to offer the best quality when upscaling different types of images.
Free download Windows version
Free download macOS version
Below we will compare the upscaled images when using Upscayl and Aiarty.
Example 1. the original image is a noisy image at 640x515
Below are the results of 4x upscaling using Aiarty Image Enhancer and Upscayl
Example 2. the original image is an old photo at 480x643
Below are the results of 4x upscaling using Aiarty Image Enhancer and Upscayl
Example 3. the original image is a low-quality and pixelated image at 256x384
Below are the results of 2x upscaling using Aiarty Image Enhancer and Upscayl
Conclusion: Aiarty Image Enhancer often outperforms Upscayl in scenarios involving images with artifacts like noise, blur, or pixelation. Additionally, Aiarty may excel in preserving or enhancing fine details within images, making it a preferred choice for tasks requiring high levels of detail preservation.
Who is Upscayl for?
Upscayl is a versatile AI image upscaling tool designed for a wide range of users. Whether you're a professional photographer, a hobbyist, or simply someone who wants to enhance their images, Upscayl can be a valuable asset
- Casual users who want to enlarge images from their mobile or low res cameras.
- Users of Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, etc. who want to upscale AI images from 512P, 1024P to larger sizes.
- Photographers who need to upscale low-resolution images for printing, sharing, or further editing.
- Graphic designers who want to improve the quality of images used in designs and presentations.
- Content creators who need to enhance images for social media, blogs, or videos.
- Hobbyists who need to upscale old photos or family portraits to preserve memories.
- Gamers who want to improve the visual quality of in-game screenshots.
Conclusion:
Upscayl has proven to be a valuable tool for those seeking to enhance the quality of their images. Its ability to upscale images while preserving details and reducing artifacts makes it a compelling choice for a variety of users. While Upscayl delivers excellent results in many cases, it may struggle with certain types of images, such as those with extreme levels of noise or compression artifacts. In this case, premium image upscalers like Aiarty Image Enhancer or Topaz Gigapixel can often offer superior performance.
FAQ
1. Is Upscayl safe to use?
Yes. Upscayl is safe and also free to use. It doesn't contain any malware, adware, or virus. In addition, Upscayl is safe to use as it won't modify the original image. Instead, it creates a new, upscaled image based on the input. This ensures that your original image remains untouched, allowing you to experiment with different settings and results without any risk.
2. What is the hardware requirement for running Upscayl?
Upscayl is a relatively lightweight application, so it doesn't require extremely powerful hardware to run. However, for optimal performance, especially when upscaling larger images or using advanced features, it's recommended to have the following:
- Operating System: Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04 or later)
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor or equivalent
- Graphics Card: Vulkan compatible GPU (Graphics Card). Intel HD Graphics 620/630, Intel Iris Graphics, most AMD Vega GPUs, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or or equivalent with at least 6GB of VRAM
- RAM: 8GB of RAM or more
- Storage: 5GB of free disk space
If you use Upscayl Cloud, a cloud-based version of the Upscayl image upscaler, then you don't need a powerful computer or graphics card.
3. What images formats does Upscayl support?
Upscayl supports most common formats like JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF.
4. What upscale factors does Upscayl offer?
Upscayl can upscale images by 2x, 3x, and 4x using AI. In fact, it's able to upscale images by up to 16x. However, upscaling beyond 4x may not utilize AI enhancements and could lead to performance issues on certain devices.
5. What are the best Upscayl alternatives?
Below are some top alternatives ot Upscayl AI Image Upscaler:
- Aiarty Image Enhancer: an AI-powered image enhancer and upscaler that emphasises on details.
- waifu2x: This free and open-source tool excels at upscaling anime-style art, preserving details and reducing noise effectively.
- Gigapixel AI: A paid app known for its exceptional image quality, particularly when upscaling photos with significant resolution increases.
- Video2X: An open-source project built on Waifu2X and other algorithms, offering upscaling for videos, GIFs, and images.
- Remini: This app focuses on enhancing photo quality and resolution, repairing old or damaged images.
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Brenda Peng is a seasoned editor at Digiarty Software who loves turning ordinary photos into extraordinary works of art. With years of experience behind the lens and in front of the computer, Brenda shares her passion for photography, image enhancement, and editing through easy-to-follow tutorials.
