There are so many instances when we try to make certain images larger in size but end up decreasing the quality of the images. However, certain tools can help us with that. If you are also wondering how to make images larger without losing quality, you must keep reading further.
In this article, you will become familiar with some of the best tools that can help you enlarge images without compromising their quality. Also, we will give an overview of how to use each tool.
5 Best Tools to Make Images Larger without Losing Quality
Here is a list of tools that can help you in making images larger. Have a look-
- Upscale Pics
- ImageEnlarger
- ReShade
- On1
- GIMP
On each of these tools, we will enlarge two images and try to use a scale factor of 2, i.e. 2x original image size. Here are the original sizes of both images:
Original Image 1: 600 x 400 px | 82 KB | JPG
Original Image 2: 300 x 200 px | 23.9 KB | JPG
1. UpscalePics
UpscalePics is a tool that provides users with free image upscale features. Also, its pricing plans are quite affordable. For resizing the images, you are not required to download and install any software application on your desktop. You can use it online, and enlarge images conveniently.
Main Features
- It is a browser-based tool.
- It uses AI (artificial intelligence) and adds extra information to your photo according to past optimizations.
- It improves the texture and tones of the image.
- The JPEG compression artifacts present in your image are removed automatically.
- This tool is easy to use and its interface is simple and user-friendly.
Pricing
With the free plan, you can upload up to 10 images and edit them.
After you use up your free plan, you can purchase any one of the following plans:
- $4 per month for unlimited usage, upscaling up to 8x, no limits on image size, and priority upscaling.
- The per-image pricing plan becomes more pocket-friendly as you purchase more images. It costs $2 for 20 images, $8 for 100 images, and $12 for 200 images.
Test results
After using this tool, the quality of the test images increased after the enlargement process, The first image had its details enhanced when it was enlarged. However, the second (smaller file) photo has some noticeable distortion.
Results for Image 1:
- Increased 2x
- 1200 x 800 px
- 2.30 MB
Results for Image 2:
- Increased 2x
- 600 x 400 px
- 639 KB
2. ImageEnlarger.com
ImageEnlarger.com has the simplest user interface among all the tools on this list. While it may be appealing to some, but for others, it may look outdated.
However, the simple UI of the platform is definitely a plus.
Main Features
- The website is well-responsive
- The tool is completely online and does not require you to download it.
- It is possible to upload and resize JPG as well as PNG images
- It comes with an option to zoom an image based on a percentage
- It also allows you to select a certain width or height, and resize accordingly
- The tool is available in multiple languages
Pricing
ImageEnlarger.com offers all its tools and features completely free of cost. Users can donate any amount of money to support the tool.
Test results
The final images provided at the output were much smaller in terms of file sizes compared to images enlarged by other tools.
The results for Image 1 were far better than expected. The resolution of the enlarged-photo is of very high quality.
However, the results for Image 2 were not that impressive. The final image has noticeable blurring and slight color change.
So, this tool is really good but not for images that are originally too small.
Results for Image 1:
- Increased 2x
- 1200 x 800 px
- 162 KB
Results for Image 2:
- Increased 2x
- 600 x 400 px
- 47.1 KB
3. ReShade
ReShade is another image enlarger tool that is free to use. However, you need to download the tool on your device to be able to use it. ReShade is a lightweight tool and allows you to enlarge images in bulk.
Main features
- Works efficiently when it comes to increasing the size of an image without reducing its quality
- It has an editor where you are allowed to crop and enhance images
- It also provides batch processing for the larger collection of images
- You can enhance images of various formats like JPG, PNG, and TIFF
- After the enlargement process, it allows you to refocus and sharpen the images.
Pricing
ReShade is an absolutely free desktop software for Windows PCs.
Test results
The ReShade software results were quite impressive as they kept the file size of the images low while maintaining the quality.
The software employs a vector resizing technique that allows you to add animation-like elements to the larger images that act as filler data. The trick is to not go overboard with this and your final images will maintain a sharp and colorful appearance.
The first image, when enlarged, through ReShade looks beautiful. On the other hand, the second image is a bit blurry but still better compared to the output of other tools.
The images can be further improved by using the post-processing tools.
After observing the test results, it is safe to say that ReShade is the best tool on this list.
Results for Image 1:
- Increased 2x
- 1200 x 800 px
- 231 KB
Results for Image 2:
- Increased 2x
- 600 x 400 px
- 66.5 KB
4. On1 Resize
On1 Resize is a desktop software designed for customizing graphics and images. Also, it can be used to simulate how a picture will actually look after printing.
Main Features
- On1 Resize comes with options to resize an image to up to 1000 percent of the original size
- Comes with a feature called soft-proofing through which you can simulate what a real print of the image will look like.
- It incorporates printing tools to give your image the sleekest appearance
- RAW image editing
- Batch processing
- Allows accessing other integrated software like Photoshop.
- Provides a rapid browsing interface for finding images quickly
- Offers access to many other On1 tools such as video editor, mobile editor, and many more.
Pricing
On1 Resize offers a free trial to its users for a limited period of time. After the free trial, you need to buy one of the paid plans of On1 that are as follows:
- You can install and use On1 Resize on five computers and also get Lightroom and Photoshop applications for free for $49.99
- You can install On1 along with a package of effects for pano, layers, HDR, and developing portraits for $99.99
Test Results
With this tool, the size of both the test images increased. The result of the first image is of high quality, but the appearance is softer. Image 2 has similar output.
On1 Resize doesn’t provide as clean results as the first three; not too bad though. This tool also has visible distortions like blurring.
Results for Image 1:
- Increased 2x
- 1200 x 800 px
- 622 KB
Results for Image 2:
- Increased 2x
- 600 x 400 px
- 186 KB
5. GIMP
An open-source alternative to Photoshop, GIMP is a popular photo manipulation software that you need to download on your computer. This tool offers a plethora of features like resizing and converting the image in different formats. Yes, it literally does much more than just increasing the resolution of images.
Main Features
- Many resizing formats for you to choose from
- You can resize photos with a single click
- Provides a customizable desktop interface for complete manipulation of images
- Allows enhancing of images and digitally retouching them for printing
- Selection of several interpolation methods for enlarging images
- Available in multiple languages
Pricing
GIMP is a completely free software for photo editing and resizing.
Test results
After conducting the tests on the two images, it was observed that selecting “None” for the quality interpolation yielded the best results. Nonetheless, it depends on the size of the images so you can try choosing other quality interpolation methods and see the results for yourself.
There seemed to be an inconsistency with the resizer because the resulting image sizes did not correlate with the dimensions.
Anyway, the test results for Image 1 were brilliant as the image detail was retained with minor color changes and some added depth to it.
With Image 2 however, GIMP significantly struggled. This indicates that you cannot use GIMP for enlarging images that have a significantly small size.
Results for Image 1:
- Increased 2x
- 1200 x 800 px
- 650 KB
Results for Image 2:
- Increased 2x
- 600 x 400 px
- 249 KB
Final Verdict: Which Tool is the Best?
After testing out these five great tools to enlarge images and checking the quality of the resulting images, it is recommended to try Upscale Pics first. If your requirement gets compensated with this one only, there is no need to go for others mentioned above. But in case, you find ReShade or On1 Resize or another one from this list as the perfect fit, go for the same.
The reason behind this advice is that all of them work differently in image resizing. Some of them work better with animation or vector-style graphics, whereas others may work better with detailed landscape images but not that great with animations. Thus, it depends on the type of images you will need to resize frequently. That’s all!
People are also reading: