# AI Upscale: make small images bigger without going blurry

URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-upscale
Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-upscale.md
Section: Pipelines
Summary: AI upscaling for small or low-res images. Pick 2x, 4x, or 8x. 10 credits per image. Sign-in required. Free Resize just stretches pixels — this adds real detail.

AI Upscale takes a small image and makes it bigger — **with sharp edges and added detail**, not the blurry stretched-pixel result you get from regular Resize.

**This is a paid AI tool.** Each use costs **10 credits** (about 1¢ at $1 per 1,000 credits; $5 = about 500 upscales). You need to sign in to use it. Your image is sent to a server, processed there, and deleted right away.

ReadyPixl also has a **free Upscaler** that runs on your own computer. **Try the free one first** — if your computer handles it, you don't need to spend anything. Use AI Upscale when your computer struggles or crashes with the free one, or when you need **8x** (on the web, only AI Upscale has 8x).

## When to use AI Upscale vs free Resize

| Use this | When |
| --- | --- |
| **Resize** (free) | Making images smaller, or scaling up by less than ~25% (existing detail is fine, just need slightly bigger) |
| **Upscaler** (free) | Making images bigger by 2x or 4x on your own computer. Quality tiers Standard, High and Extra High — start with Standard; higher tiers can crash a slow PC or Mac |
| **AI Upscale** (paid) | 2x, 4x, or 8x on our servers — when your computer can't handle the free Upscaler, or you need 8x |

The classic case for AI Upscale: a 1024×1024 AI-generated image that needs to be much bigger — for a print, a large web banner, or a product listing. Resize would just stretch the pixels and look soft. AI Upscale at 4x gets you to 4096×4096 with sharp detail you can crop or re-canvas.

## How to use it

1. Add **AI Upscale** to your pipeline.
2. Pick a scale (**4x** is the default):
   - **2x** — doubles the image dimensions (1024 → 2048)
   - **4x** — quadruples (1024 → 4096)
   - **8x** — eight times bigger (1024 → 8192)
3. Optionally set **Skip if already larger than** (see below). If you also have the free Upscaler in the pipeline, turn it off so the image isn't upscaled twice.

**Size limits:** your source image can be up to **2500 px per side for 2x and 4x**, and up to **1700 px per side for 8x**. Bigger sources are skipped, so resize very large images down first. (Small AI images like 1024 px are well within these limits.)

## The settings

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Scale** | Pick **2x**, **4x** (default), or **8x**. Always 10 credits per image regardless of scale, but bigger output = bigger file = slower processing. |
| **Skip if already larger than** (500–2560 px, default 2560) | Skips images that are already this big, so you don't spend credits upscaling images that don't need it. Matters most in mixed batches. |

No noise reduction, no sharpness slider — the AI handles everything.

## Common uses

- **AI-generated images** — ChatGPT / Gemini / Grok outputs are usually around 1024px; prints and large images need much more. Upscale 4x bridges the gap.
- **Small product images sourced from vendors** — vendor-supplied product images are often 800-1200px, too small for catalog hero positions. Upscale 2x or 4x gets them to spec.
- **Old or low-resolution stock images** that you've licensed but can't replace with bigger versions.
- **Designs at the wrong export size** that you don't want to re-render from scratch.

## Tips

- **Run AI Upscale near the end of your pipeline.** Cleanup tools (Color Removal V2, Trim) are faster on the smaller original. Upscale last to get the final big image at the size you need.
- **Pick the smallest scale that hits your target.** Don't 8x if 4x is enough — same credit cost, but the bigger file is slower to process and download.
- **Large print file from a 1024 source: use 4x.** That gives 4096px.
- **For Etsy 2000×2000 from a 1024 source: use 2x.** That gives 2048px which Reposition can canvas to 2000.
- **Try the free Upscaler first.** On the web it runs in your browser on your own computer (2x / 4x). The Desktop app's free Upscaler also works offline and its Extra High tier goes up to 8x — if you upscale a lot, the Desktop app can pay for itself.

## Things AI Upscale doesn't do

- **It doesn't sharpen blurry sources.** If your source is out of focus, the upscale just makes it a bigger out-of-focus image. AI Upscale adds detail where the original had detail to work from. It can't invent focus that wasn't there.
- **It doesn't fix compression artifacts.** Heavily compressed JPEGs (visible banding, blockiness) sometimes get the artifacts upscaled too. Use the highest-quality source you have.
- **It doesn't change the aspect ratio.** A 1024×768 source upscaled 4x becomes 4096×3072 — same shape, just bigger. To get a different shape, use Reposition.
- **It doesn't work without sign-in.** The credits system requires an account so we can track usage.
- **It can't be undone after credits are spent.** Once you click Download All and the AI processes your batch, the credits are deducted. Test with one image before running on 200.

## How credits work

- **1,000 credits cost $1.** Buy in bundles from your account page.
- Each AI Upscale use is **10 credits (~1¢)** per image, regardless of scale (2x / 4x / 8x all cost the same).
- A typical 100-image batch costs **1,000 credits ($1)**.
- Credits don't expire.
- You can buy credits from **$5** (5,000 credits) up to $500.
- Both the web version and the Desktop app also have a **free Upscaler** that runs on your computer. AI Upscale is the pay-as-you-go option for when your computer can't keep up or you need 8x.

## A typical AI-image cleanup pipeline

For AI-generated images that need to end up large, the pipeline looks like:

| Step | Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **AI Background Removal** | Cuts out the AI-generated scene background |
| 2 | **Trim** | Removes the empty edges |
| 3 | **AI Upscale (4x)** | Brings a 1024px AI image up to ~4096px |
| 4 | **Reposition** | Centers the result on your target canvas (for example 4000 × 4000 at 300 DPI for a print) |

That's a 25-credit cost per image (15 + 10), about 2.5¢. For a 100-image batch: $2.50.

## What to read next

- **[AI Background Removal](ai-background-removal)** — paired AI tool for backgrounds
- **[Resize](resize)** — the free tool, fine for smaller scale changes
- **[Reposition](reposition)** — for putting upscaled images on a target canvas
- **[AI image cleanup workflow](../workflows/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source)** — full pipeline for AI-generated images
- **[What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers)** — full pricing breakdown
- **[All pipeline tools](all-tools)** — overview of the full toolset