How to increase image resolution for free with AI

Someone sends you the perfect image on WhatsApp. So good you want to frame it. But when you try, the person at the print shop -if they know their stuff- tells you it does not meet the minimum dimensions.

Or you generate an AI image you love. You download it and, as soon as you try to use it as a background, it starts to pixelate.

The solution is not to stretch it in Photoshop or Canva; that only makes the problem bigger. Literally.

What you need is an upscaler with AI. You have several options, paid ones like Magnific, or free ones like these two:

• If you want an online one without downloading anything, back in the day I told you about Waifu, which I’ve been using for more than 10 years (yes, there was AI long before ChatGPT).
• However, if you prefer something installed on your PC and more configurable, use Upscayl: free, open source, and available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Today I’m going to talk about this last one and explain how ridiculously simple it is to use.

What Upscayl does exactly

It does not just make the image bigger. It tries to reconstruct details and smooth edges so the result looks sharper.

Does it work magic? No.

Can it greatly improve a small or AI-generated image? Yes, quite a lot.

For featured images, web backgrounds, posters or thumbnails, it works fairly well, although it depends on the starting image and how much you need to upscale it, of course.

Creating a 4K wallpaper from a 512×512 thumbnail is not the same as starting from a Full HD image.

How to use it, step by step

Let’s get to the tutorial:

Step 1. Download and install it

Go to upscayl.org and download the version for your system: Windows, Linux or Apple.

Important: Upscayl works better with a compatible graphics card. If your computer is very basic or old, it may perform badly or not even launch. In my case, my modest R7 430 starts working at 100% like crazy.

Step 2. Load your image

Open the program and drag the image into the window, or select it from the file explorer.

The usual.

Step 3. Choose the enhancement model

This is where the only real decision.

For normal photos, the general model works well. For AI-generated images or illustrations, try models like Remacri or Ultramix if you have them available.

My recommendation: try two different models and keep the one that gives a less artificial result. There is no perfect option for everything.

Step 4. Set the output folder

Before launching the process, check where the final file will be saved. If you don’t, the process will not start.

Step 5. Hit the button and wait

Click "Upscayl" and let it work.

The time depends on the size of the original image, the model chosen and your computer’s power. 

When it finishes, check the result at 100% size; don’t rely only on the preview.

When it does not work miracles

As I said at the beginning, if the image is completely blurry or has very little information to begin with, the result can look strange or even worse.

AI can reconstruct details, but it cannot (properly) invent what does not exist.

Conclusion

For the usual cases -low-resolution AI images, slightly pixelated photos, visual assets for the web- Upscayl is a convenient, free solution. You install it, load the image, choose a model and that’s it.

It does not replace a high-quality image from the source, but for improving resolution without paying, it does a very good job.