Ever tried upscaling an old image and creating a pixelated mess? No worries, I was in your position too. The problem lies in that most of us is that being a content creator, marketer or anybody I are not Photoshop experts. And yet I need high-quality images for social media campaigns or websites. But here is how you can upscale an image using Photoshop by knowing the right tricks and techniques, and you don’t need to be a Photoshop Pro.
Also, I can't forget about excellent AI tools like Pixelbin, Deep Image, and more. In this, I will guide you on how to optimize images in the right way using Photoshop without paying for a crash course.
Photoshop offers powerful tools to adjust and enhance image resolution, allowing you to upscale images and add pixels while maintaining impressive visual quality. By knowing all the methods, you can transform old low-resolution photos into stunning visuals with just a few simple steps.
Dive into this guide to get to know game-changing methods today by knowing all the practical tips and insights, just like a pro.
What is image upscaling?
Image upscaling is a process of increasing the size of the image by adding a few more pixels, which improves the visual clarity. When you simply stretch an image, it becomes blurry and pixelated. By using Photoshop, your image is upscaled in a few clicks. Image upscaling is smarter than image enlargement because
- Image enlargement—You enlarge an image, but it becomes blurry and pixelated
- Image upscaling—You try to upscale an image, which adds realistic details and more pixels so that the picture looks big, natural, and sharp.
How to upscale an image in Photoshop?
Photoshop is a gold mine for all the graphic designers and editing professionals. With features like Preserve Details 2.0 and Neural Filters, Photoshop gives you great-quality results. To start the image upscaling in Photoshop, just give a read to the following methods.
Method 1: Image size dialog box with resample
This method gives you direct control over image dimensions, resolution, and resampling algorithms that Photoshop uses to add new pixels. It resizes an image to larger dimensions without pixelating the image by activating Preserve Details 2.0 or camera raw settings. Know the steps below to get your hands on the method.
Step 1: Open the image
Download the Adobe Photoshop software from Creative Cloud. Open the software and click on "File" from the upper panel, and then select "Open." To avoid the whole step, you can just click “CTRL+O”
Step 2: Access image size
Resizing the image is a necessary step to perform image upscaling. To adjust the image size, simply click on Image and then on Image Size.
Step 3: Image resample settings
When you're setting up the image upscaling, make sure the chain link icon between the width and height is activated to avoid distortions. Tick the resample box from the dropdown menu and choose the bicubic smoother option for a smoother look, which enables noise reduction. Enter your desired dimensions, like 1.5x to 2x, to achieve the best quality.
Step 4: Preview the settings & apply
On the preview window in the dialog box, zoom in to the maximum size (100%) to avoid quality loss. Once the zooming size is fixed, click OK to upscale the image, and you will get a result like the image below.
Step 5: Refine image
After the upscaling is done, you can refine your image by clicking "Filter" from the top panel and then using any options to redefine your image. You can use sharpness to make the image clearer, you can use noise reduction to reduce noise from the image, and so on.
Method 2: Preserve details 2.0 upscale (ai-based quality)
You can use this method when you want to achieve the best quality to upscale photographic images, maintaining detail and reducing blur by leveraging an AI algorithm. Delve into the steps to perform the method now.
Step 1: Enable preserve details 2.0
Open the software and go to the “Edit” option and then to “Preferences.”
- You can select any previews like Interface, Performance, Transparency, and so on; these can improve the adjustments of the image.
- Don’t forget to enable Preserve Details 2.0 and then click OK.
Step 2: Open the image
Once you are done with the settings, click on "File" from the upper panel, and then select "Open" and simply find the image you want to upscale and add it to the layer. To avoid the whole step, you can just click “CTRL+O.”
Step 3: Image resizing
If you have an image of smaller proportions and want to upscale that, then resizing the image is a necessary step to perform here. To adjust the image size, simply click on Image and then on Image Size.
Step 4: Check in the resample box
After resizing is done, resampling is the next step. When you're setting up the image upscaling, make sure the chain link icon between the width and height is activated to avoid distortions. Tick the resample box from the dropdown menu and choose the bicubic smoother option for a smoother gradient look. Enter your desired dimensions, like 1.5x to 2x, to achieve the best quality. From the resample image dropdown, you can find the Preserve image 2.0 option; activate that.
Step 5: Click ok & apply
Once you are done with all the above steps, now preview the work in 100% zoom and simply select OK. And all your settings are saved. The current image proportions will be changed, just like the image below. You can see the pixel dimensions upgraded from 147k to 2M, and the document size has also increased, which will give you are clear and crisp version of the previous image.
Method 3: Smart object + free transform
When you have to upscale an image without creating a pixelating mess, this method is the best. It's excellent for maintaining flexibility. The goal of this method is to convert the layer into a smart object; any transformations like upscaling, resizing, or anything else are non-destructive, which means you can change them later without losing pixels. Know the steps below to understand the method in better way.
Step 1: Open the image
Let’s start the method with the basic step of adding the image you want to upscale. Click on "File" from the upper panel, and then select "Open" and simply find the image you want to upscale and add it to the layer. To avoid the whole step, you can just click “CTRL+O.”
Step 2: Convert layer to smart object
In the layers panel, simply right-click on your image, and you will find the “Convert to Smart Object” option. Click on that, and the “Smart Intent” option will get activated in the image background layer. You can understand by seeing that a small icon will get added to the thumbnail, indicating it's a smart object.
Step 3: Activate free transform
After your image layer has been added as a smart object, you need to transform it. Go to the “Edit” option and then to “Free Transform,” or simply perform this shortcut, CTRL+T, to perform the whole step.
Step 4: Upscale image non-destructively
After transforming the layer, now drag any of the corner handles outwards to enlarge the image. Hold Alt while dragging to scale from the center. At first sight, the image may look pixelated during the transformation, but later on it will render smoothly.
Step 5: Commit free transformation
Now it's time for free transformation; click the checkmark in the options bar to commit the transformation. Photoshop will then, by default, use the resampling technique. And you are done.
Method 4: Neural filters
Neural Filters in Adobe Photoshop do assist with certain types of image enhancements using AI, but they are not directly used for traditional image upscaling like changing image dimensions (e.g., 2x, 4x enlargements). Instead, Neural Filters can help enhance facial features, reduce noise, improve JPEG artifacts, and even synthesize missing details, which can complement upscaling efforts.
So, while Neural Filters can enhance perceived image quality and reconstruct fine details, the actual image enlargement (changing resolution/dimensions) is typically done via the Image Size dialog with Preserve Details 2.0, or through external AI-based upscalers. Know the steps below to understand the usefulness of this method.
Step 1: Open the image
To start the method, first select the image you want to apply this method to, click on "File" from the upper panel, and then select "Open" and simply find the image you want to upscale and add it to Photoshop’s layer. To avoid the whole step, you can just click “CTRL+O”.
Step 2: Access neural filters
After adding the image, it's time to add the neural filter. Click on “Filter” from the upper panel and then click on “Neural Filters.”
Step 3: Activate super zoom
In the “Neural Filter” panels, scroll down, and you will find the Super Zoom option. The adjustments should be fixed at such values; for your perusal, I have provided an image. After the super zoom is done, give it a moment to upscale, and now you can preview and click on OK to apply the upscaling method.
Method 5: Camera raw filter upscale
This upscaling method has an excellent “Enhance” feature, which includes high resolution, and this is best for low-quality images, but keep in mind that the enhance feature only works if you add a plugin named Adobe Camera Raw. Perform the steps below for a better understanding.
Step 1: Open the image
Start the basic step of adding the image you want to upscale by clicking on "File" from the upper panel, and then select "Open" and simply find the image you want to upscale and add it to the layer. To avoid the whole step, you can just click “CTRL+O.”
Step 2: Enable smart object
In the layers panel, simply right-click on your image, and you will find the “Convert to Smart Object” option. Click on that, and Smart Intent will get activated in the image layer. You can understand by seeing that a small icon will get added to the right side of the layer panel, indicating it's a smart object.
Step 3: Activate camera raw filter plugin
After enabling the smart object, it's time to apply the Camera Raw filter that you will get after you add a plugin of Adobe Camera Raw. Now go to “Filter” on the upper panel and then navigate to “Camera Raw Filter.”
Step 4: Enhance the image
Once the other steps are done. Go to the Enhance dialog box and check the Super Resolution option. Keep in mind to set the resolution in such a way that it doesn’t make the image pixelated, because this mode doubles the resolution.
Step 5: Preview and apply enhance option
Once you are done with enhancing, you can preview to see the before-and-after comparison. Refining is an option; you can also perform that from the image section of the upper panel for further noise reduction or sharpening or anything else, and you are all caught up. The after transformation of image is provided below; you can see how clear it visually looks.
Advantages of upscaling an image in Photoshop
- Better clarity: The image resolution is higher when you upscale the image in Photoshop, and that’s why it makes the image sharper and reduces noise in the best way, which makes the image look more appealing after upscaling.
- Flexible editing modes: Photoshop offers numerous editing options, including changing RGB values, applying filters such as brush stroke, 3D, or blur, adjusting contrast or brightness, and other image settings.
- Versatile presentation: High-quality images can be presented on portfolios, social media pages, and websites, and when printed, they remain distortion-free.
How to upscale an image with AI tools?
If Photoshop’s learning curve is sounding a bit heavy for you, then I have got a solution to that. I have listed the three best AI tools to upscale images without losing quality. With these AI tools, you can upscale images within a few clicks.
1. AI image upscaler by Pixelbin
Pixelbin’s AI Image Upscaler comes in my favorites list, and it’s so easy to use that anyone can upscale images without needing any design knowledge. It can be used by;
- Content creators
- E-commerce website people
- Social media executives/managers
- Developers (API driven)
Read the steps for better understanding.
Step 1: Open the browser, search "Pixelbin.io" and you will reach the page by clicking on AI tools and then on AI image upscaler. Or I have already provided the link for your ease. https://www.pixelbin.io/ai-tools/ai-image-upscaler.
Step 2: Once you are on the website, just upload the image and wait for a few seconds to let the tool upscale the image in few seconds.
- You can select the image from Files
- Another option is that you can paste the URL of the image
Step 3: After uploading, the AI gets to work automatically. Depending on your plan (free or paid), your image will be enlarged to different sizes. You can add up to 10 images at once, and the best thing is that you can crop the image and also add adjustments to that. Also, keep in mind the free tier limits up to 5 images per day.
Step 4: After upscaling, you can perform the adjustments according to your needs. Once done, download the image in SD or HD quality, and your image will be saved in PNG format.
2. Upscale.media
Upscale.media is a great option if you want a tool that is free and does everything for you, and you just have to upload the image.
The best thing I like about Upscale.media is that you don’t need to sign up with your credentials; just upload the image, and the tool will do the rest. You may have a question: why did I add this tool? Because;
- 100% free for all users as everyone gets 3 credits per day
- Super easy Interface
- Best for casual projects
Know the steps below to upscale images with ease.
Step 1: Open your browser and search for upscale.media, or I have already provided the link; simply click and get redirected: https://www.upscale.media/.
Step 2: You can add the image by clicking on Upload Image, or you can simply add the image URL. Also, you can drag images from the website itself.
Step 3: After the image gets uploaded, the AI algorithms automatically detect and upscale it; you can also upscale it to different image scale sizes like 2x, 4x, or 8x resolutions. Pick the size scale and just download. I have also added the before and after comparisons for your use.
3. DeepImage
DeepImage is an AI tool that offers great image upscaling. Over here, image upscaling is done in a faster and more affordable way. I added it in our list because
- No need to download the app; it runs best in a browser.
- Affordable pricing
- Good results for casual and professional projects
Go through the steps below to upscale images in a better way.
Step 1: Open your browser and search for deepimage, or I have already provided the link; simply click and reach to the page: https://deep-image.ai/app//tools/auto-enhance.
Step 2: You can add the image by clicking on 'Upload Image' and then selecting the 'Enhance' option. The tool will take care of everything. You can also edit the result according to your needs, and you are good to go. I have added the before and after comparison. Over there, you can see that the old picture of the temple was a blurry mess, but after I used to the tool to perform image upscaling, the results are clearer and I found a noise-reduced image.
Final thoughts
If you have knowledge and are comfortable working with Photoshop, then do that because it's hands down the best tool for image upscaling with manual control. But if you are in a hurry and want image upscale in seconds, then Pixelbin and others work the best.
I find myself using both AI tools and Photoshop. When I need something for my portfolio then it's always Photoshop, but if I need an image quickly for my daily work, then AI tools are my saviours.
FAQs
Yes, image upscaling increases both the size and resolution of an image, adding new pixels to increase the sharpness and making it clearer.
Download the software. Go to File, then Open. After adding the image, go to Image, then to Image Size. Check the Resample box, preview, and click Ok.
You can use Photoshop’s free trial to access all the features, which is for 7 days.
In Photoshop, you can add AI plugins to use Neural Filters and then click Super Zoom. These are image upscaling methods that include AI algorithms.
ChatGPT is not an image upscaling tool, but you can learn how to upscale images with AI tools or Photoshop.
