How to upscale images without restrictions on Windows PC for free

Times have changed. Images once deemed to be of good quality are now considered low quality. Sometimes, we end up having lower-resolution images of our favorite images. Thanks to AI models, it is now easy to upscale images on a Windows PC. This guide shows you how to upscale images without restrictions on a Windows PC for free.

How to upscale images without restrictions on Windows PC for free

With the emergence of AI tools, upscaling low-quality images to high-quality has become easy. You can use the following tools to upscale your images on Windows PC.

1. Upscayl
2. Ilaria Upscaler
3. SuperImage

Let’s get into each tool and know how to use them for free.

1] Upscayl

Upscayl is a free-to-use AI image upscale program on Windows PC. You need to download the program from GitHub or the Upscayl website and install it on your PC to use it. Remember that you need a stable internet connection to use the models to upscale the images on the Upscayl program.

To use the Upscayl program to upscale your images on a Windows PC,

• Open the Upscayl program
• Click on the Select Image button and select the image you want to upscale. If you want to upscale multiple images at once, toggle the button beside Batch Upscayl above the Select Image button.
• Select a Model based on the image you are upscaling. There are six AI upscale models available on the Upscayl program. Each model makes a little difference in the upscaled images. The General Photo (Real-ESRGAN) model is a common model that can upscale all kinds of images. If you are new to upscaling images, this model is good. The General Photo (Fast Real-ESRGAN) model is good if you prioritize speed over image quality. If your image has more details and colors that you need to preserve while upscaling, selecting the General Photo (Remacri) model is ideal as it preserves details and colors in the image. If you want to upscale your images speedily and without losing the quality, you need to select General Photo (Ultramix Balanced). To make the images look sharp after the upscaling, the General Photo (Ultrasharp) model will help. The Digital Art model is more suitable to upscale digital art and illustrations than other models.
• After selecting the upscaling model, you need to slide the Image Scale bar to get the desired size like 2x, 4x, etc.
• Then, select the output folder by clicking on the Set Output Folder button.
• Now, click on Upscayl and wait for the upscaling process to be completed. It depends on your system configuration, image models, quality, and the number of images you have selected to upscale. After the process is completed, the images are automatically saved in the output folder.

2] Ilaria Upscaler

Ilaria Upscaler is a web-based AI image upscale tool with all the proven upscale models available for free. To use Ilaria Upscaler on your Windows PC,

• Visit Ilaria Upscaler’s website and upload or drop your image in the Input Image section. Do not upload images bigger than 750×750 resolution to avoid errors.
• Select a more upscale model from the available models under the Upscaling option. They all do the same upscale except for RealESRGAN_x4plus_anime_6B as it is exclusively great at upscaling anime images. To understand each model and how it works, you may play around with each model and compare the difference it makes to the upscaled images.
• Select Denoise Strength, Resolution upscale from the options. If you want to enhance the face and the details check the button beside Face Enhancement (GFPGAN).
• Then, click on Upscale to start upscaling your image. In the Output Image section, click on the Download icon to save your upscaled image.

3] SuperImage

SuperImage is a simple-to-use desktop application to upscale images. It does not have any models to choose from. They are just basic modes that change the resolutions. To use the SuperImage tool on a Windows PC,

• Download the SuperImage program from the SuperImage website
• Extract the Zip file and open the SuperImage portable application.
• Select the image you want to upscale and select the output folder, upscale mode like x4, x16, etc., and the Output format. Then, click on Upscale to upscale the image.

Also read: How to upscale VIDEOS without restrictions

How to enhance photos for free?

You can enhance or upscale your low-quality images for free on Windows 11/10 PC using Upscayl, SuperImage, or Ilaria Upscaler tools. These tools do not need signups or subscriptions. Other web-based tools only work with signups and give you a few points to upscale images with limited options, unlike the tools mentioned above.

Read: How to use Craiyon AI for better Image Quality

What is the best image upscaler for Windows?

The tools to upscale images on Windows are abundant. The majority of them are web-based, with subscription models to use them to upscale images. To upscale images for free on Windows without compromising on quality and paying for the subscription, you can use Upscayl, Ilaria Upscaler, or SuperImage tools. They do not even require sign-up.

Related read: Alternatives for Copilot Image Generator.