AI tools have exploded in our times. Repetitive tasks that used to take countless hours before and a lot of people to finish, now take few minutes to complete. Thanks to the advancement in artificial intelligence and the related fields.
Today we are introducing a nice tool for Linux users, called Upscayl. It is an open source AI image upscaler and enhancer that is mainly designed for Linux systems, but also works on Windows and macOS.
You probably know that if you tried to increase the resolution or zoom in a PNG or JPG image, then you will lose some quality of the image while doing so. However, the benefit of this software is that it can do the upscaling you want, with very minor loss in quality, thanks to the AI algorithm it uses while doing the upsclaing.
The AI algorithm, known as Real-ESRGAN, allows programs to “predict” the missing pixels while upscaling images, which enhances the quality of the output images. Upscayl is just a program that implements this AI algorithm for Linux desktop users.
You can download the software by heading to its releases page on GitHub, and downloading the latest version suitable for the OS that you are currently using. Linux users for example are advised to download the .AppImage file (and right click it –> Allow executing as executable) in order to use the software without a hassle.
The user interface of the software is quite simple and strightforward:
Simply choose the image that you would like to upscale or enhance on your computer, and choose the output folder.
You can also choose the type of the image that you are scaling, so that the algorithm can enhance it in better ways (for example AI-generated images have their own category):
After it click on the Upscayl button, and you will see the new and old images:
The new image is stored in the output folder that you have chosen before the scaling process.
This is an example AI-generated image that we created for Istanbul in middle ages using Stable Diffusion model. Notice the huge difference in quality before and after the upscale!
AI-supported software is indeed magic, sometimes.
The software is free and open source, and licensed under the AGPLv3.0 license. You can check its source code or report any bug or problem you are facing on its GitHub page.