Question 1

Is this AI upscaler really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, without limits. Online upscalers charge credits because the work runs on their servers; here it runs on your own computer, so it costs nothing to offer and there is nothing to meter.

Question 2

How long does upscaling take?

Accepted Answer

Seconds for a small image on a computer with a modern graphics chip, and a minute or two for a larger one on the processor alone - 4× takes several times longer than 2×. The progress bar counts the tiles and estimates the time left.

Question 3

Can it restore a blurry old photo?

Accepted Answer

It sharpens edges and adds plausible fine detail, which helps a small or softly focused photo a great deal, and the 4× photo model is trained for exactly that. It cannot recover what was never captured - a face that is only a few pixels wide stays a guess - and the added detail is invented, so it is not suitable where exact fidelity matters.

Question 4

Why is there a size limit?

Accepted Answer

Every input pixel becomes four or sixteen output pixels, and each one is worked out by the model, so time and memory grow quickly. Images over about 4 megapixels are scaled down first; cropping to the part you need gives the model more to work with.

Free AI image upscaler