THE BEST AI IMAGE UPSCALERS IN 2024

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24 May 202409:10

TLDRIn 2024, AI image upscaling remains popular despite high-resolution cameras, with a focus on image generation services. This video ranks the best upscalers, starting with Leonardo AI, known for image generation but now offering a Universal upscaler with a creativity slider. On1's Resize AI is praised for sharp results, especially with animal images, and is the most affordable option. Luminar Neo's Upscale AI is noted for artifact removal and face recovery, though it can be overly aggressive. Topaz Photo AI, the top choice, integrates upscaling, noising, and sharpening for excellent results, despite its higher cost.

Takeaways

  • 📷 Upscaling technology remains popular in 2024, despite high megapixel cameras, due to the interest in image generation services.
  • 🎨 Leonardo AI, known for image generation, released a Universal upscaler this year, focusing on generative AI for upscaling with a creativity slider.
  • 🔍 Leonardo AI offers a balance between upscaling quality and deviation from the original image at a low creativity value of around two or three.
  • 💰 Leonardo AI is the most expensive option, with a monthly plan starting at $12 and limited credits, recommended for those also using its text-to-image service.
  • 🔧 On1 Resize AI allows enlarging photos to 700% or more, maintaining detail and sharpness, with its latest version 20235 enhancing small faces.
  • 💡 On1 Resize AI is user-friendly, integrated with Photo RAW 2024, and is the most affordable option at a one-time cost of $79, with no subscription needed.
  • 🤔 On1 Resize AI may introduce artifacts and struggle to remove compression artifacts, which are critical tasks for an upscaler.
  • ✨ Luminar Neo's Upscale AI is an extension that offers artifact removal and face recovery, updated in July 2023 for improved quality.
  • 👤 Upscale AI's face enhancer feature effectively improves facial features, even in compressed images, but can be overly aggressive, smoothing out fine details.
  • 🏆 Topaz Photo AI, the winner of the previous comparison, integrates Gigapixel upscaling with noise reduction and sharpening for top-quality results.
  • 👁️ Topaz Photo AI excels in artifact removal and face recovery, with batch processing and autopilot features for automatic photo correction.
  • 💸 Topaz Photo AI is more expensive than competitors at $199, but offers superior upscaling quality and features.

Q & A

  • Why is upscaling technology still relevant in 2024?

    -Upscaling technology remains relevant due to the large interest in image generation services, which often produce results at a lower resolution than traditional cameras.

  • What is Leonardo AI primarily known for?

    -Leonardo AI is primarily known for its image generation capabilities.

  • What unique feature does Leonardo AI's upscaler offer?

    -Leonardo AI's upscaler includes a creativity slider, which affects how varied the final output will look compared to the original image.

  • What is the recommended creativity slider value for Leonardo AI to achieve the best upscaling quality?

    -A low creativity value of around two or three is recommended for achieving the best compromise between upscaling quality and deviation from the original image.

  • What are the cons of using Leonardo AI for upscaling?

    -The cons include the fact that Leonardo AI changes the image by adding details not present in the original and its high cost, with the cheapest plan being $12 per month.

  • What is the main advantage of ON1 Resize AI over other upscalers?

    -ON1 Resize AI can quickly enlarge photos up to 700% or more while maintaining a high level of detail and sharpness.

  • What is a major drawback of ON1 Resize AI?

    -ON1 Resize AI tends to produce unsightly artifacts in images, which are not correctable even with noise reduction settings.

  • How does Luminar Neo's Upscale AI improve facial features in images?

    -Luminar Neo's Upscale AI includes a face enhancer feature that improves facial features, even in highly compressed images.

  • What is a significant disadvantage of Luminar Neo's Upscale AI?

    -A significant disadvantage is that Upscale AI can be overly aggressive in its processing, resulting in the removal of fine details and producing an overly smooth image.

  • What makes Topaz Photo AI the top choice for upscaling in 2024?

    -Topaz Photo AI is the top choice due to its excellent upscaling quality, ability to remove artifacts without overly aggressive smoothing, and effective face recovery features.

  • What is the cost of Topaz Photo AI compared to other upscalers mentioned?

    -Topaz Photo AI is the most expensive option at $199, which is more than twice the cost of ON1 Resize AI and four times higher than a yearly Luminar Neo subscription.

Outlines

00:00

📷 Upscaling Technology in 2024

In the era of high-megapixel cameras, upscaling technology remains popular, largely due to the rise of image generation services that produce lower resolution results. The video aims to update a previous comparison from 2022 by including the latest upscaling tools for 2024. A separate video will feature a slideshow comparison. The fourth place goes to Leonardo AI, a new entry known for its image generation capabilities. Leonardo's Universal Upscaler uses generative AI, featuring a creativity slider that affects the output's variance. While it produces excellent results at low creativity values, its alterations to the original image and high cost may deter some users.

05:02

🔍 ON1 Resize AI Overview

ON1's Resize AI allows for significant photo enlargement while maintaining detail and sharpness. The latest version, 2023.5, includes a machine learning model for enhancing small faces. It is easy to use and integrates with Photo RAW 2024. Resize AI excels in producing sharp outputs, especially for animal images, and is the cheapest option at $79. However, it struggles with removing compression artifacts and sometimes produces its own artifacts, making images unusable.

💡 Luminar Neo Upscale AI

Luminar Neo's Upscale AI, available as an extension, costs $49 annually. It was last updated in July 2023, offering improved quality. Users can select between Universal and Experimental upscale types, with Universal providing cleaner results. It also features a face enhancer for improving facial details. Upscale AI effectively removes artifacts and enhances facial integrity, but it can be overly aggressive, smoothing out fine details.

🏆 Topaz Photo AI: The Best Upscaler

Topaz Photo AI, the winner in the previous comparison, integrates gigapixel upscaling, denoising, and sharpening. Now in version three, it delivers top-notch quality, removing artifacts and preserving fine details without aggressive smoothing. It supports batch processing and features an autopilot mode for automatic corrections. Despite its excellent performance, Photo AI is the most expensive at $199, more than twice the cost of Resize AI and four times that of Luminar Neo.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Upscaling Technology

Upscaling technology refers to the process of increasing the resolution of an image or video while attempting to maintain or enhance the quality. In the context of the video, it is highlighted as still being popular in 2024, especially with the advent of large megapixel cameras and image generation services. The script discusses various tools that have been improved for upscaling images, emphasizing their importance in the field of digital imaging.

💡Leonardo AI

Leonardo AI is introduced as a new entry in the upscaling technology space for 2024. Known primarily for image generation, Leonardo released a Universal upscaler that allows users to enhance the quality of photographs or AI-generated images. The script mentions its unique feature, a 'creativity slider,' which adjusts the extent of changes made to the original image during upscaling, thus affecting the final output's deviation from the source.

💡Generative AI

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as images, music, or text. In the script, it is mentioned in relation to Leonardo AI's upscaling process, which relies on this technology to generate new image content. The use of generative AI allows for the creation of images with varying degrees of change from the original, as controlled by the creativity slider.

💡OnOne Resize AI

OnOne Resize AI is an application mentioned in the script that enables users to enlarge photos significantly while maintaining detail and sharpness. The latest version, 20235, includes a machine learning model to enhance small faces with realistic detail. The script provides a step-by-step guide on how to use Resize AI, emphasizing its ease of use and the quality of the results it produces.

💡Luminar Neo

Luminar Neo is a photo editing software that offers an extension called Upscale AI. The script discusses Luminar Neo's promotional offer, which includes the software and all its extensions for an annual cost. Upscale AI, part of this package, is highlighted for its ability to improve image quality, with a specific mention of its last update in July 2023.

💡Upscale AI

Upscale AI is an extension for Luminar Neo that allows users to upscale images. The script describes its functionality, including the option to choose between 'Universal' or 'experimental' upscaling types and a 'face enhancer' setting to improve facial features. It is noted for its effectiveness in removing artifacts and enhancing compressed faces, although it may sometimes be overly aggressive, leading to a loss of fine details.

💡Topaz Photo AI

Topaz Photo AI is a software that integrates upscaling, noise reduction, and sharpening into one package. The script positions it as the top choice for upscaling in 2024, following its previous success with Gigapixel upscaling technology. It is praised for its ability to remove artifacts and preserve fine details without aggressive smoothing, as well as its excellent face recovery feature.

💡Batch Processing

Batch processing in the context of the video refers to the ability of certain upscaling tools to handle multiple images at once, streamlining the upscaling process. Topaz Photo AI is specifically mentioned as supporting batch processing and integrating an 'autopilot' feature that automatically corrects photo deficiencies, including upscaling.

💡Artifacts

In digital imaging, artifacts are unwanted visual elements or distortions that appear in images, often as a result of compression or upscaling. The script discusses the ability of upscaling tools to remove these artifacts, improving the overall quality of the upscaled image. The effectiveness of different tools in handling artifacts is a key point of comparison in the video.

💡Face Recovery

Face recovery is a feature of some upscaling tools that specifically focuses on enhancing or restoring facial features in images, especially when the original image is of low resolution or compressed. The script mentions this feature in the context of Upscale AI and Topaz Photo AI, noting their effectiveness in restoring the integrity of faces in test images.

💡Autopilot

The term 'autopilot' in the script refers to a feature of Topaz Photo AI that automatically corrects various photo deficiencies, including upscaling. It is highlighted as a beneficial feature because it requires no manual input from the user, making the upscaling process more efficient and user-friendly.

Highlights

Upscaling technology remains relevant due to the rise of image generation services producing lower resolution images.

Leonardo AI introduced the Universal Upscaler in 2024, utilizing generative AI with a creativity slider for varied outputs.

Leonardo's creativity slider ranges from 0 to 10, affecting the degree of changes to the source image.

Low creativity values (2-3) in Leonardo provide a good balance between upscaling quality and minimal deviation from the original.

Leonardo AI excels in producing high-quality results across test images but is the most expensive option at $12 per month.

On1 Resize AI can enlarge photos by up to 700%, maintaining detail and sharpness.

Resize AI's 2023.5 version includes a machine learning model that enhances small faces with realistic detail.

On1 Resize AI is cost-effective at $79 with no subscription required and is included in Photo RAW 2024.

Resize AI struggles with removing compression artifacts and can introduce its own artifacts.

Luminar Neo's Upscale AI is priced at $49 annually and comes as an extension with Luminar Neo.

Upscale AI offers Universal and Experimental settings, with Universal providing cleaner results.

Luminar Neo's Upscale AI has a face enhancer feature that improves facial features in highly compressed images.

Upscale AI can be overly aggressive, removing fine details and producing overly smooth images.

Topaz Photo AI integrates Gigapixel upscaling, denoising, and sharpening, and is highly promoted as the future by Topaz.

Photo AI's upscaling quality is superior, removing artifacts without aggressive smoothing and preserving fine details.

Photo AI supports batch processing and includes autopilot for automatic photo corrections, including upscaling.

Topaz Photo AI is the most expensive at $199 but provides top-notch upscaling quality and comprehensive features.

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