Image Upscale Requirement Calculator
Interpolation invents; it does not recover.
Upscale factor
2.50×
84% of pixels would be invented
At 2.50×, 84% of the final pixels are invented rather than captured. Modern upscaling produces plausible detail rather than real detail: acceptable for posters at distance, unreliable for anything with fine text or texture.
How the Image Upscale Requirement Calculator works
Modern upscaling produces plausible detail rather than real detail. At small factors that is invisible; at large ones most of the final image is invented, which is acceptable for posters at distance and unreliable for anything with fine text or texture.
Also known as: how much do I need to upscale · upscaling factor calculator · enlargement ratio calculator
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Frequently asked questions
How much can I upscale an image?
Up to about 1.5× is usually invisible. Two to four times works for large format viewed at a distance. Beyond that, most of what you see was never captured.
Does AI upscaling change this?
It produces far more convincing results than older interpolation, and it is still generating plausible detail rather than recovering real detail. On faces and text the invention is sometimes wrong in visible ways.
What is the safest use of upscaling?
Large format viewed from a distance, where the eye cannot resolve the difference. Fine art reproduction and anything with small text are the worst cases.
Should I upscale before or after editing?
After. Editing on the original preserves the real detail through the process, and upscaling as the last step avoids amplifying artefacts.